“Welcome to Westfield” is episode twelve of season four of Fringe.
Olivia wakes up to her phone after dreaming about being with Peter. Peter explains that he and Walter are making progress on the machine, but there’s something they need her help with. When Olivia arrives at the lab, she’s shown the biomechanical interface that allows Peter to use the machine. But they need to test their prototype on the machine. Which, Olivia realises, requires Broyles’ authority and that’s why they need her.
In southern Vermont, a lorry’s radio starts to go on the fritz, then the truck itself dies. There are several other vehicles that have broken down. The driver gets out and things start floating. Two lights can be seen in the sky, and it looks like a stereotypical UFO encounter. Then the lights turn out to be on a plane that has lost power and crashes.
Astrid, Broyles and Olivia arrive at the scene; Astrid is trying to contact Walter. Broyles explains the plane crash but they think what caused it happened where they are as the vehicles lost power and objects became suspended in mid-air. At this point, Walter and Peter arrive in person. Walter demonstrates that metal has been magnetised; for a brief moment, the electromagnetic force in the area increased dramatically. Walter wants some of the wreckage and the black box. And he saw a sign for homemade rhubarb pie.
They arrive in town, which even though it’s early looks very quiet, and head to the diner selling pie. Olivia heads to find a payphone as she has no signal. Walter talks to the man behind the counter as Peter heads to the bathrooms. The server offers Walter the pie on the house.
Olivia finds a running but unoccupied car near to the payphone, which doesn’t work. Peter hears a sound as he leaves the bathroom. The man behind the counter asks Walter for his order, again, and ends up accusing him of trying to steal food before snapping out of it. Peter finds an injured man and there’s a body behind the counter. The counterman goes for Walter with a knife, Peter tackles him and then Olivia shoots him. Walter checks the man’s eyes, then looks over the injured man. Olivia says there’s something off about the entire town. Walter says the injured man needs proper help.
They head out of the town as the injured man says his name is Cliff. And they can’t leave, just as they head back in. Twice. The sheriff’s department is empty, but Walter is able to get some medical supplies to treat him. The phones are out. Cliff tells them it’s not safe; everyone in town is crazy.
He explains it started three nights ago. His sister woke him up saying a man had broken into her house. Cliff went over and found her husband, dead. His sister had killed him. She claimed she’d never seen her husband before; they’d been married 18 years. She had memories from a different life and it wasn’t just her.
Most got sick right away. With others it took longer. Some became paranoid; others, violent. Those immune are at the school. Cliff came to the diner to get supplies. They need to contact Broyles and Peter thinks he might be able to with a radio; it needs power and a clear line of sight. There’s an emergency generator at the school.
Olivia wonders if it’s the military, as there’s a base nearby. She mentions the events of “Johari Window” – which is a case this Olivia never did. She assumes that it’s from Peter’s debrief. Olivia is having memories of another life. She might be affected too. Plus, they can’t communicate with the outside or even leave the town.