“Unearthed” is an episode of Fringe though it isn’t clear where it fits. It was filmed in season one but shown in season two, which led to continuity problems. It’s now typically shown after the season one finale, “There’s More Than One of Everything”, where it also doesn’t fit, and there are no references to other episodes to locate it in the running order.
It starts in a hospital where a girl in a coma and on life support is being given last rites. The doctor asks the mother if she’s ready. She is. The machines are switched off and the girl dies. The doctor says the team needs to give the procedure right now. The girl is taken away and they start the procedure to harvest her organs. When she suddenly bolts upright, grabs the surgeon – that has to be unnerving – and says some sort of code.
Broyles is briefing them at Boston General Hospital about the girl, Lisa Donovan, a high school junior who collapsed in gym class and went into a coma. She had a cerebral aneurysm and was brain dead. She was taken off life support and woke screaming a random number. They are introduced to a commander in the US Navy who says the numbers weren’t random. The surgeon served two tours on a carrier and recognised the first part. They were the ID of a petty officer, Andrew Rusk. The second part were the launch codes for the ICBM missiles on the nuclear sub Rusk served on. Rusk’s wife reported him missing 3 days ago; there’s no known connection between the two.
Lisa doesn’t recognise Rusk nor does she remember saying the numbers. The name Andrew Rusk makes her jolt and she starts speaking Russian. Her mother wants no more questions.
The commander says Rusk speaks fluent Russian. Peter was able to translate and asks what it means. Olivia notices Walter is missing. Peter finds him with several coma patients; he thinks it’s possible that Lisa’s spirit left her body and overheard Rusk saying the codes. It’s a theory.
The mother, Maureen, speaks to Olivia. Olivia would like Walter to examine her; he may be able to help Lisa and help find Rusk. Maureen says there’s nothing more Lisa can tell them. That is likely not going to be true. Lisa has gone to the bathroom and she sees Rusk behind her in the mirror. She screams and, when Olivia and Maureen arrive, says she saw Rusk.
Olivia fills Charlie in at the federal building; Maureen asked them to leave. A woman has come in, Teresa Rusk. She doesn’t know Lisa. She recognises the Russian phrase, though; it’s her husband’s pet name for her.
At the lab, Walter has a film for Olivia, Peter and Astrid. He’s doing an experiment with test subject 6. Peter asks what happened to subjects 1 to 5. Walter believes the university settled out of court with them and they never had to work again. Not that they could. Walter was doing experiments to see if psychic ability could be increased by electrocuting parts of the brain. Lisa’s aneurysm may have made her psychic. Walter would need to examine her, though.
Olivia finds Lisa and her mother at church. Lisa is interested but Maureen is more dubious. Maureen wants a private chat with Olivia. She tells Olivia that Lisa needs to put this behind her. That’s not going to happen. Olivia gives over her card anyway.
Olivia and Peter are looking at some books in the lab when Olivia gets a call. From Lisa. Lisa has been seeing Rusk again. Lisa isn’t at home; she came to a place she kept seeing.
Said place is a scrapyard. Peter and Olivia find Lisa by a car. She says she can see Rusk, and another man with a gun who shot and killed Rusk. She didn’t see the man’s face. Peter has found a 9mm casing. More people are called in and Rusk’s body is found in the boot of a car. Shot, just like Lisa said.
Lisa clearly has some sort of connection to the dead Rusk. The question is what sort of connection?