The Last Sam Weiss
The Last Sam Weiss is the second-to-last episode of Fringe’s third season. With their world’s prime universe breaking apart, the Fringe team rushes to stop the doomsday-like effects after Peter touched the machine in the previous episode. Olivia Dunham asks Sam Weiss for help, and he explains the device isn’t a true doomsday machine, but its strange effects come from its frustration that Peter isn’t actually inside it. To buy Peter time, they search for a “crowbar” to break the protection around the device.
They discover a box and a key that hold a parchment revealing that Olivia herself is the crowbar. The team moves the device to Liberty Island to limit the damage, while Peter wakes up with scrambled memories and wanders through New York. Walter and Astrid, with Olivia, work to turn off the parallel-universe device using a quantum-entangled typewriter once used by shapeshifters to contact the other side. Olivia must use her telekinetic powers, aided by the typewriter, to disengage the parallel machine.
Peter eventually remembers his life with Walter and Olivia and steps into the device, waking up on a chaotic street in downtown New York, with a Fringe agent helping him. The episode ends the ongoing story arc but sets up the finale.
The episode was written by Monica Owusu-Breen and Alison Schapker and directed by Thomas Yatsko. Kevin Corrigan returned as Sam Weiss for this installment. It aired on April 29, 2011, drawing about 3.49 million viewers, with a large time-shift boost in the 18–49 demographic. Critics generally praised the episode, though some found the ending reminiscent of Lost. Viewers and critics highlighted the strong performances, the twists about Olivia’s role as the “crowbar,” and the setup for the season finale as a compelling bridge to the conclusion of the arc.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:25 (CET).