This is a list of characters in the science fiction television series Fringe.
Contents |
| Name | Actor/actress | Starring seasons | Recurring seasons | Episode count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia Dunham | Anna Torv (adult), Ada Berker and Karley Scott Collins (young girl) | 1, 2, 3, 4 | — | 67 |
| Olivia Dunham is a young FBI agent assigned to a multi-agency task force of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security called the "Fringe division". She is brought aboard the Fringe division after her boyfriend and fellow agent, John Scott, dies in a Fringe-related case.[1] As the series progresses she comes to learn that, as a child, she was a test subject for Walter's Cortexiphan trials, giving her some weak psycho-kinetic abilities including the ability to cross between the universes. Over the course of the show Olivia develops a romantic relationship with Peter.
The Other Universe version of Olivia Dunham, dubbed by the prime universe as Fauxlivia, is an agent of the alternate and more powerful Fringe division. As of the end of season 2, Fauxlivia is sent to the prime universe by Walternate, taking Olivia's place without the knowledge of the Bishops, and maintains a close relationship with Peter for unknown reasons;[2] this ultimately puts stress on Olivia and Peter's own relationship. Eventually, she is brought back to the parallel world after completing her mission in the prime one.[3] Fauxlivia has also been nicknamed Altivia, Alt-Olivia, Otherlivia, and Bolivia.[4] In the episode "Immortality," Fauxlivia is revealed to be pregnant with Peter Bishop's child, which Walternate hopes to use to sway Peter back to the Other Universe.[5] The alternate Olivia gives birth to a son in the episode "Bloodline".[6] In the episode "6:02 AM EST" it is revealed that she has named the baby Henry. Walternate uses a sample of the baby's blood to activate the machine to destroy the other universe.[7] For several episodes, Torv also played a third role, that of Olivia possessed by the mind of William Bell,[8] which has been dubbed "Bellivia" by reviewers.[9][10] In this, she simulates Nimoy's raspy voice and mannerisms used in the portrayal of Bell.[11] |
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| Peter Bishop | Joshua Jackson (as adult), Quinn Lord, Nico Ghisi and Chandler Canterbury (as young Peter) | 1, 2, 3, 4 | — | 67 |
| Peter Bishop is the son of mad scientist Walter Bishop, and a member of the Fringe division. In the show's second season it is revealed that Peter is actually from a parallel universe from where he had been kidnapped by Walter after this universe's version of Peter died at a young age. He is a genius with an I.Q. of 190, a college drop-out with gambling debts, and a jack-of-all-trades. In the second season two-part finale "Over There", and a major plot element of the third season, Peter is found to be the only person that can cause a reaction from an apparent doomsday device that Walternate has assembled in the parallel universe and that is currently being assembled in the prime world.[12] | ||||
| Walter Bishop | John Noble | 1, 2, 3 4 | — | 67 |
| Walter Bishop is a former government researcher into fringe science with a recorded I.Q. of 196. He was institutionalized after a lab accident which resulted in manslaughter charges. Having been locked up for 17 years in a mental institute prior to becoming assigned to the Fringe division, Walter often expresses wonder at modern technology, and seems to be disconnected from the world, sometimes leaving his son to decode his rantings for others. He often says things which seem so obvious that no one else wants to say (or thinks necessary) and tends to burst into song while working, as he believes it helps him think. He is also known to eat or drink while working on a body, no matter how disgusting everyone else thinks it is. He seems to derive joy from both these quirks. He is the archetypal mad scientist.
The Other Universe version of Walter Bishop, nicknamed Walternate, is the United States Secretary of Defense, and directly oversees the alternate and more powerful Fringe division. He is the main antagonist of the third season. Walternate also serves as the immediate superior to the shapeshifters, with their leader—Thomas Jerome Newton—being extremely loyal and protective of him (possibly being friends). Walternate, making arrangements through Newton and other shapeshifters, successfully traveled to the prime universe, and was later brought to see Peter for the first time since he was taken by his counterpart.[13] Walternate convinces Peter to return home to the Other Universe, though he later goes back, though not before Walternate appears to have Olivia replaced by her own counterpart, as part of an unknown plan regarding Peter.[14] |
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| Name | Actor/Actress | Season(s) | Recurring seasons | Episode count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillip Broyles | Lance Reddick | 1, 2, 3, 4 | — | 67 | |||||
| Phillip Broyles is a Homeland Security Special Agent and head of the Fringe division, which was established to investigate a series of terrorist/unexplained phenomena. While Broyles comes off as professional and by-the-book, he is surprisingly flexible when it comes to dealing with the unusual circumstances of Pattern-related cases. Little is known of Broyles' past. He has been involved in the military, citing experience as a Colonel in "six wars".[15] Broyles was once married to Diane and had children, but his obsession with a case broke up his marriage. He initially harbors resentment for Olivia as she was responsible for prosecuting his friend Sanford Harris, but comes to respect Olivia's aptitude. He knows President Obama, who he thinks dislikes him because Broyles beat him at golf.
The Other Universe version is Colonel Broyles, in charge of the alternate Fringe division and directly answering to Secretary Bishop. He is still married to Diane, and live together with her and their two children, Christopher—who suffers both physical and psychological trauma following being kidnapped—and a daughter.[16] In the third season episode "Entrada", Colonel Broyles sacrifices himself to give time for Olivia to escape the parallel universe. His body is later mutilated and sent to the Prime Universe as a substitution of mass so that Fauxlivia may return home. Agent Broyles later examines his body and closes his eyes out of respect.[3] Olivia makes it clear that she intends to find a solution to the conflict between the two universes without one being destroyed, as she promised Colonel Broyles she would. In season 4, Colonel Broyles seems to be alive, which might be explained by Peter never having existed. |
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| Astrid Farnsworth | Jasika Nicole | 1, 2, 3, 4 | — | 67 | |||||
| Astrid Farnsworth is an FBI Junior Agent who serves as Olivia's assistant. She is stationed in the lab with Walter, who can never remember her name (e.g. calling her "Asterix", "Aspirin", "Asteroid", etc.). Though her work is mostly clerical, she has a number of skills which come in handy during their cases; cryptanalysis, knowledge of Latin, linguistics, computer hacking, and so forth. Despite being a main character for nearly three years, Astrid's personal life and past have yet to be examined in depth.[17]
The Alternate Universe version of Astrid Farnsworth is an autistic computer and statistics specialist, within the Fringe division.[18][19] |
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| Nina Sharp | Blair Brown | 1, 2, 3, 4 | — | 67 | |||||
| Nina Sharp is the executive director of Massive Dynamic,[20] and has run the business since William's departure to the parallel world. Nina has had long personal ties with Walter and romantic interactions with William. One of her forearms is a highly-advanced prosthetic arm, having lost her arm while trying to prevent Walter from crossing over to the parallel universe in 1985.[20][21] Nina is often cryptic and cautious of interacting with the Fringe members; though she will provide Massive Dynamic's services when necessary, she does not always reveal the full truth of the situation. Nina is able to communicate to William; in the season 1 finale, she arranged for Olivia to be taken to the parallel universe to meet him,[22] while in the season 2 finale, she alerted William to the plan to rescue Peter.[14] After Bell's death, Walter is left in control of Massive Dynamic,[23] but chooses to leave the majority of the control day-to-day workings of the company with Nina. She later becomes his confidant during his despair at having possibly caused the universe to unravel. After the change in the timeline, Nina's backstory is altered as well. She adopted Olivia and her sister Rachel after their mother died and Olivia killed their stepfather, and consequently she and Olivia share a much closer relationship. | |||||||||
| Charlie Francis | Kirk Acevedo | 1, 2 (Episodes 1-4, 11) | 2, 3 | 34 | |||||
| Charles "Charlie" Francis is an FBI Special Agent, who holds the position of a supervisor. He is close friends with John Scott and Olivia. Olivia often comes to him with requests for manpower and other resources. Charlie is later promoted to Second-In-Command of the Fringe division, making him the immediate subordinate of Broyles. In the season premiere of season 2, Charlie is killed by a shapeshifter who takes his place and burns his body in a hospital furnace.[15] The shapeshifter maintains his identity for some time until it learns the location of Newton, after which Olivia is forced to kill it.[24] Charlie's death weighs heavily on Olivia's guilt. She later receives a post-mortem message from him in the form of a series of seemingly random letters that arrange to form the first sentence Charlie ever told her. "You're gonna be fine."
The Other Universe version of Charlie Francis is alive and an agent of the alternate and more powerful Fringe division. The alternative Charlie ("alt-Charlie") shares many of the same traits as the prime version, although he is slightly more crass and has a small scar beneath his left eye.[25] He also suffers from a parasite infestation in his body,[14] a fate averted by the prime universe's Charlie in the first season episode "Unleashed".[26] |
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| Lincoln Lee | Seth Gabel | 4 | 2, 3 | 13 | |||||
| Captain Lincoln Lee is a team leader within the parallel universe Fringe division, working with Alt-Olivia and Alt-Charlie.
Agent Lee was originally introduced in the first part of the season two finale, when the Fringe division of our dimension goes to "the other side" to get Peter back. The showdown between the two Fringe divisions leaves Lee with third degree burns covering 90% of his body. Thanks to the advanced nanotechnology known in the other dimension, Lee does not stay away from duty for long, and after a three months medical treatment he is completely recovered. Lee is a capable agent and a devoted friend to his fellow Fringe division agents, risking his health by prematurely leaving his nano-regeneration chamber to help them. Lee seems to care deeply for Fauxlivia and even attempted kissing her before learning she had a boyfriend. He seems to be very bad at keeping secrets, as he immediately tells Fauxlivia that her fiancé intends to propose to her after having been told in confidence. He is in charge of the Fringe division after the death of the alternate Colonel Broyles. At first he seems to doubt himself, saying that he "feels like he's missing something, that Broyles would see something he wouldn't" ("Immortality") but he gains more confidence after apprehending the culprit. Special Agent Lincoln Lee is an FBI agent in the prime universe, and is distinguished by his use of eyeglasses and has a generally more clean cut appearance than his counterpart. He's from Hartford, Connecticut ("Stowaway"). Agent Broyles originally introduces him to the Fringe Division in order to consult on the case of a seemingly immortal woman, whose case he had been assigned after her family was gruesomely murdered. He is at first confused by the bizarre antics of the agents and the seemingly impossible situations they investigate, but he eventually accepts it, becoming enthusiastic about the work and offering them his help whenever they need it. Seth Gabel was upgraded to the main cast with the start of season 4.[27] |
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John Scott (played by Mark Valley) is an FBI Special Agent who, in the pilot episode, is Olivia's partner and lover. During an investigation of a flesh-dissolving toxin, John is exposed to the toxin after the lab producing it explodes with him nearby. He is placed in a medically-induced coma, and during this time Walter devises a procedure to link his mind to Olivia's in order to gain information about the suspect who caused the explosion. With that information, they locate the suspect, from whom they gain the necessary understanding of the chemical to cure John. Shortly thereafter, it is discovered that John himself financed the creation of the toxin. This connection ties him to "the Pattern", the incidents investigated by the Fringe Division, making him a suspected terrorist. A subsequent high-speed chase results in John's death, leaving Olivia to question not only John's true loyalty, but also his love for her.
Following his death, John's corpse is secretly delivered to Massive Dynamic, to serve as an information gathering source.
As a result of their mental link, part of John's consciousness is transferred to Olivia, allowing her to communicate with him through hallucinations and dreams. Her mind begins integrating and purging his consciousness, resulting in her mistaking his memories for her own. He also continually tells her that he loves her "always", and intends to prove it to her. While following his "ghost" she discovers a hideout of his where he seemed to be conducting an independent investigation into the "pattern". She also finds an engagement ring with the word "always" written inside, suggesting John was intending to propose to her, which she takes as a personal keepsake.
Before his consciousness disappears completely, Olivia learns that John was working undercover for the NSA, infiltrating ZFT, by now known to be the organization responsible behind "the Pattern", and that whatever relationship the two of them had was real. Admitting her love for him, Olivia says her goodbyes to John before he fades away forever. Olivia later tells Broyles that even though John is still considered a traitor by the FBI, she knows in her heart that he was a hero.
In the alternate timeline created by Peter Bishop's erasure, many of the events of John's life remain the same. He is still the partner of Olivia and still affected by the toxin. However, while Olivia is able to get Walter out his mental hospital to help him, John dies before a cure can be found. His death profoundly affects Olivia, leaving her even more isolated and cold than in the previous timeline. It is also suggested that the toxin which killed him may have been a disastrous attempt by ZFT to create human shape-shifters, although this is unconfirmed.
Mitchell Loeb (played by Chance Kelly) is a FBI agent, and a member of the bio-terrorist organization ZFT, as led by David Robert Jones.
Loeb originally appears as a loyal FBI agent attacked by a lethal parasite that threatens to slowly kill him. Walter is eventually able to kill the parasite, thanks to the information given by bio-criminal David Robert Jones. However, it is soon shown that Loeb and his wife are in fact secretly working for Jones.[28]
Putting together Walter's untested teleportation device, stolen from several individual safe-deposit boxes, and using a mathematical equation and a device that allows him to temporarily disrupt the particles in a solid object and pass through them, Loeb is eventually able to teleport Jones out of the prison, freeing him.[29]
With Jones out of the prison, Loeb—still working for the FBI—abducts Olivia on behalf of Jones. Olivia is however able to escape, but begins suspecting that Loeb was the one who kidnapped her. While paying a visit to Loeb's home, looking for anything to support her suspicions, Olivia gets into a gunfight with Loeb's wife Samantha, killing her. When Loeb eventually learns about his wife's death, he confesses his involvement with Jones, and is incarcerated.[30]
Sanford Harris (played by Michael Gaston) was originally a high-ranking officer of the United States Marine Corps. He is a close friend of Phillip Broyles. One evening he got drunk and sexually assaulted three female Marine privates; a crime for which he was exposed and prosecuted by Olivia, resulting in several years of imprisonment. The conviction was later overturned, but Harris' career was ruined. Harris then joined the Department of Homeland Security, rising in rank to become a high-level consultant for the Pentagon. He is called in to audit the procedures of the Fringe Division, and puts a clear emphasis on Olivia's actions. As his position makes him her superior officer, Olivia does her best to humor him. Harris is eventually exposed as a ZFT operative during an investigation of two pyrokinetic women. Olivia tracks Harris during his abduction of the second woman and is locked in a room with her. With her out-of-control powers, it was expected that Olivia would be vaporized when the woman exploded; Olivia instead helps her focus her powers on Harris, who is quickly incinerated.
William Bell (played by Leonard Nimoy) is the founder of Massive Dynamic and the former lab partner and friend of Walter. William is mentioned through season one, showing several ties with Walter's past and the study of the parallel world, including participating in the Cortexiphan tests. Sometime after Walter brought Peter from the parallel universe, William convinced Walter to allow him to remove pieces of his brain and implant them in other patients to keep the knowledge of dimensional travel safe; this process led to Walter's mental instability and institutionalization. The two parted ways, William going on to form Massive Dynamic.
Sometime after founding Massive Dynamic, William finds a means to travel to the parallel dimension, and sets up an office in the still-standing World Trade Center. Though he travels back and forth several times, William finds his body has become unstable and remains in the parallel world, still communicating with Nina whom he left in charge of Massive Dynamic. In his first screen appearance, William brings Olivia across in the season 1 finale to warn her about the oncoming storm between universes and the identity of the shapeshifter Newton. In the second season finale, he helps Walter and Olivia to evade capture in the parallel universe, and then assists Walter in preparing equipment for them to return to the prime universe; William and Walter reestablish their friendship when William reminds Walter why he had removed the brain pieces. When Olivia returns with Peter, Bell is unable to cross over again, as his atoms would split apart and no trace of him would remain in either universe. Because of this, he sacrifices himself to provide the means for Walter, Peter, and Olivia (in actuality, the alternate Olivia) to return to the prime universe. With William now dead in both universes, Walter discovers at the start of Season 3 that William left the whole of Massive Dynamic to him in his Will.
As explained by William at the end of Season 2, the alternate version of William was killed as a young man in a car accident;[2] as a result, Massive Dynamic in the parallel world was never formed, instead there is only Bishop Dynamic.
In season three, Walter remembers that William had an idea of developing "soul magnets", devices that would channel the energy from a dead body into another entity. Walter figures that William must have created a soul magnet for himself and figures that the trigger is the frequency created by the bell William left for Nina. Walter rings it and William's consciousness appears in Olivia.[8] "Bellivia" explains that he put the soul magnets in Olivia's tea when they first met in the other universe. Broyles gives William 48 hours to find a new viable host for him and get out of Olivia's body, but William takes his time as he knows that no harm is coming to Olivia. However, not too long after, Olivia regains control of her body briefly, confused and in a trance before William takes back over. William then explains that there is something more complicated than he expected.[31]
Walter and Peter journey into Olivia's consciousness and find William in order to recover Olivia before she is "lost". After Walter and Peter "die" within her mind, William aids Olivia in escaping until she is able to confront her own fears, enabling her to take back control of her body. William tells Olivia to pass on the message "I knew the dog wouldn't hunt" to Walter. He then departs from Olivia's consciousness. As Olivia wakes up, Astrid and Walter realise that William's plan to transfer his own consciousness into a computer has failed. Olivia relays William's message to Walter, who explains that the message was a phrase William would use in earlier experiments when he knew that they would not be successful, and that his reason for suggesting it was because "William hates goodbyes".[32]
Brandon Fayette (played by Ryan McDonald) is the leading scientist at Massive Dynamic, offering assistance to the Fringe team on multiple occasions.
The Other Universe version of Brandon is the chief scientist of the Fringe division, often answering directly to Secretary Bishop, and responsible for the assimilation of Olivia into Fauxlivia.
David Robert Jones (played by Jared Harris) is a biochemist and former employee of William Bell and Massive Dynamics, a connection that wasn't revealed until the season one finale.[22] Over the course of the first season, he is also proven to be the leader of ZFT, the organization responsible for most incidents investigated by the Fringe Division during season one.
First appearing in the series while imprisoned in a German prison in the episode "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones", Jones soon becomes the main antagonist of season 1. He is first shown whilst being contacted by Olivia, who is trying to find the antidote for a parasite in Agent Loeb's body. Jones agrees to help her, but only in exchange for the opportunity to ask an associate one question. The response is a coded message picked up by Loeb, who is secretly working for Jones.[28]
Receiving Jones' message, Loeb is soon able to proceed in creating a teleportation device once designed by Walter Bishop, and successfully teleports Jones out of prison, freeing him.
In "Ability" Jones turned himself over to the FBI, in exchange for Walter's help with the death-threatening side-effects of his teleportation. He then presents Olivia with a test: to prevent a biological bomb from detonating by turning off a series of lights only using her mind. Eventually, Olivia is able to do this, thanks to Walter's and Bell's Cortexiphan experiments conducted on her when she was a child. Jones then disappears again, leaving only a cryptic message: "You Passed".[33]
In the Season 1 finale, Jones' former relationship to William Bell is revealed, as is his goal of trying to escape to the parallel universe to confront Bell, whom Jones believes never saw his true potential. Everything done by Jones since his introduction in the series has been either to get in contact with Bell, or to prove himself worthy of Bell's approval.[22]
He finally succeeds in opening a portal to the parallel universe, where Bell is located. However, the portal is dangerously unstable, threatening to cause severe harm to both universes, but Peter is able to close the portal in time for it not to result in any real disaster. Jones, being only halfway through the portal, is however cut in half and dies immediately.[22]
September (played by Michael Cerveris), often referred to as The Observer, is a mysterious figure seen at the scene of many Pattern-related events. Like other Observers that have appeared on the show, September is only seen wearing a plain black suit and black fedora, and is pale, bald, and lacks eyebrows. They exhibit several strange mannerisms such as awkward phrasing when talking, a high tolerance to spicy foods, and the ability to appear or disappear when one looks away. They also use an alien written language which they maintain copious documentation in small notebooks. Though the Fringe division is aware of the Observers, their intent is not yet known, though believed to be related to the Machine and the conflict between the two universes. They possess uniquely advanced technology, and appear to be temporally aware of time, including the ability to travel in time and between the two universes; the Fringe division finds evidence of Observers at several historical events but looking the same as they do in the present. Like September, the other Observers appear to be named after months, including "August" and "December". The episode "Inner Child" introduces the Fringe division to a child that appears to possess many Observer-like qualities.
In the episode "Peter", September is a catalyst in Walter's abduction of Peter from the parallel universe; September arrived wanting to see the creation of the cure by Walternate that would have saved Peter, but instead distracted Walternate from witnessing a critical test result. When September saw Walter watching through the window-like device, he informed his fellow Observers that he could correct the situation; later, after Walter returned with young Peter to the prime universe and fell through the frozen lake's ice, September rescued them from the freezing water and warned Walter of the importance of Peter.
September and the other Observers have since monitored Walter and Peter. In the second season's finale, September is responsible for alerting the Fringe division to the dangers of Peter being taken back by Walternate to the parallel universe, ultimately leading to their rescue attempt. In the third season episode "The Firefly", September conducts a convoluted experiment to test Walter's resolve to give up Peter for the greater good when the time comes.[34]
In the third season finale episode "The Day We Died," a gathering of ten Observers appeared on Liberty Island to watch and comment on the disappearance of Peter Bishop from existence.[35]
Later, he is ordered by his superior to ensure that Peter's status as nonexistent continues, and constructs a device to erase all lingering memories of Peter from Walter. However, at the last moment he disobeys his orders and deactivates the device, allowing brief apparitions of Peter to appear to Walter and Olivia.
An Observer (either September, or a different unnamed Observer) has appeared in every episode of Fringe, albeit even as brief as a cameo shot.[36] As a tie-in with the show, actors playing Observers have appeared in the audience of other FOX network shows, including American Idol and the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[37][38]
In creating the Observers, the producers had some idea of how they would be introduced into the show, starting as a background character and only becoming a significant figure by the midpoint of the first season.[39] Though they had some idea of the Observers' role, they gave Cerveris much leeway to develop the character in the manner he wanted, from choosing the outfit he would wear to his language mannerisms.[39] Cerveris further is credited with creating the written Observer language during his scenes in "The Arrival", which the production team later extrapolated into a complete language for the show.[40]
Shapeshifters are androids from the parallel universe, possessing superhuman strength and damage thresholds, and acting as soldiers in the war between the universes. They are able to take the form of any person by using a unique device that plugs into the roof of their mouth and the mouth of the target. This process occurs after the shapeshifter has killed the target prior to the transformation; without the device, the shapeshifter is locked in its current form. Shapeshifters also may be programmed as sleeper agents, unaware of their unusual nature until they are activated. The primary characteristic differentiates a human and a shapeshifter is the large quantity of mercury in their blood, and the presence of a metallic data disc at the base of their spine. William Bell believes the shapeshifters were designed this way to withstand travel between the universes.
The first shapeshifter witnessed by the Fringe division is one that follows Olivia after her meeting with William from the parallel world in the second season premiere, "A New Day in the Old Town". He eventually kills Charlie and takes his place,[15] using his position to find the location of Newton before he is identified by Olivia and killed.[24] Several other shapeshifters have been shown in the series, including one that aids in the parallel universe Olivia escape from the prime universe.
Peter Bishop later takes it upon himself to kill all of the remaining shapeshifters in the Prime Universe, after he is able to decode their sleeper identities from the files on Fauxlivia's computer. He successfully kills all of the ones identified, but it remains to be seen if he eliminated all of them.[12]
Thomas Jerome Newton (played by Sebastian Roché) is a leader among the shapeshifters and the main antagonist of Season 2.
When Olivia is transported to the parallel universe, she meets William Bell, who warns her that the shapeshifters active in her universe are looking for Newton, since his resurrection will make it possible for the shapeshifters to re-open the gateway between their universes. Olivia is returned to her universe, but does not remember the details of her meeting with Bell in time to stop the shapeshifters from succeeding in recovering Newton's cryogenically frozen head, and revive Newton.
Headed by Newton, the shapeshifters start tracking down and extracting pieces of brain tissue from three separate mental patients. Knowing that the three pieces were once taken from Walter's brain and when reinserted, they will cause Walter to remember how to open the gateway between the universes. Newton is then able to complete his first mission; He synchronizes the brain tissues, kidnaps Walter, reinserts them into Walter's brain, and then interrogates the scientist, gathering the information he needs.
Newton later re-surfaces, experimenting in opening portals to the parallel universe. Eventually he is able to successfully bring the shapeshifters' superior—simply referred to as "Mr. Secretary"—over to our universe. When Peter goes AWOL from Fringe Division upon learning of his real origin, he finds himself tracked by Newton and other shapeshifters. As Newton is finally able to corner Peter in his hotel room, he introduces him to his superior: the parallel universe United States Secretary of Defense, and likewise Peter's real father, the alternate Walter Bishop.
As alternate Walter successfully replaces Olivia with her parallel universe version, tension between Newton and Alt-Olivia rises. When US Senator Van Horn is severely injured and revealed to be a shapeshifter, Newton orders him killed. In "Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?" Newton is finally caught by the FBI, but, by means of the alternate Olivia, he commits suicide before the Fringe division is able to get any information from him.[41]
Sam Weiss (played by Kevin Corrigan) is a friend of Nina Sharp who operates at a bowling alley, and helped her with her physical therapy process after she lost her arm. After Olivia's first visit to the parallel universe, he helps Olivia regain her ability to walk, partially through showing her how to bowl. He begins to establish a friendship with her, and Olivia pays him another visit after learning the truth about Peter's origin. It is later discovered that Sam Weiss and his antecedents seem to possess knowledge about the First People and the operation of the doomsday machine. The author of the English language First People book is shown to have been one "Seamus Wiles", published in the 1800s.
He also has other branches of mysterious knowledge, such as being able to predict that a series of seemingly random letters Olivia picks out will contain a message that would help her get over the death of Charlie. In the episode "The Last Sam Weiss", Sam explains that the name "Sam Weiss" has been handed down from several of his previous ancestors, the earliest having had found the bulk of the evidence on the First People, and that his line has been searching for more ever since.[42]
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