Characters

Dr. Walter Bishop

Though mentally unsound, Dr. Bishop still has a brilliant mind and is more than capable of nearly single handedly solving many of Fringe Division's cases. ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co.

Walter is the "genius detective" archetype in Fringe Division, but with a twist: Walter is borderline insane, and almost completely oblivious to the world around him. Nevertheless, he knows far more about fringe science than anyone else in the world, and many of the cases Fringe Division deals with are echoes of his past. Walter almost single handedly solves most of the cases, but does so more because he is interested than anything else, as little seems to concern him. More so than any other character, Walter has a deep past, and that past is developed as the series progresses. In some respects, the entire series is more about Walter's past actions than anything else.

Throughout the series there have been many postulations as to why Walter is as childish and docile as he now is. The only clear fact is that he lost his mind and went to a mental institution for 17 years and is now trying to put his life back together. Walter is almost incapable of taking care of himself, and so lives with his son, Peter. At one point in the series it is suggested that Walter's disposition is due to brain surgery he underwent against his will in the mental institution, and we see his true nature when he is united (through fringe science) with the missing parts of his brain.

In the past, Walter was rather ruthless and cold, and basically abandoned his son and wife. He previously worked for the Government on top secret fringe science projects, and the aftershocks of these projects are the causes of many of Fringe Division's cases. Many mysteries lie in Walter's past, and understanding these mysteries is key to understanding the many subplots of the series.

Peter Bishop

Peter did not get the same brains his father has, but still has more than his fair share of common sense. ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co.

As Walter's son, caretaker, and partner, Peter tends to land in the archetype of the "not-so-smart sidekick" because even though he is quite intelligent, no one comes close to matching up to Walter. Even in this light, Peter tends to function as Walter's guardian. Peter's presence in the series is mostly a function of Fringe Division needing the assistance of his father, and his father being unwilling to go alone. In this sense, Peter tends to function as a lone element, though he becomes increasingly attached to Olivia while they work together.

Like Walter, Peter's past is some what of a mystery and tied up in Walter's past actions. Peter generally keeps to himself and is hard to figure out, so there is constant speculation about his actions and motives. Much of the series is devoted to Peter's emotional development and reconnection with his father, whom he was previously not fond of. As we discover, much of the series is based around Peter's very existence which eventually is shown to be a result of Walter taking him from a parallel universe after this universe's Peter died.

Though Walter is the clear dominate mind in the series, Peter does make his contributions, and generally is the one to find the information Walter needs to make the connections to solve the crimes. This detective ability fuels his relationship with Olivia, which as of this point in the series seems to be going very well, along with his relationship with his father, but both relationships have hit a stall due to Olivia's discovery that he is from the parallel universe.

Agent Olivia Dunham

As the main FBI field agent in Fringe Division, Olivia throws a stoic twist into the dynamic between the main characters. ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co.

Olivia is essentially the only shred of legitimacy the Bishop family has any claim to. As an FBI agent, Olivia's function is to basically keep them out of trouble and get them whatever they need. In Walter's case, this is generally bodies to study, while with Peter she develops into a close friend. Olivia has her own interpersonal issues to deal with, however, as she doesn't seem to have any real family or friends, and her life revolves around her job with the FBI. As a keen and conventional detective, she provides a much needed reality check to the whole series, and functions as a bridge between Peter and Walter in many cases.

As with the rest of the series, Olivia is oddly tied in with Walter's past. We come to find out that in her childhood she was an unwilling participant in one of Walter's experiments, which came to be known as the Jacksonville Trials. Because of this involvement, Olivia has gained some odd abilities related to fringe science, such as the ability to see objects from the parallel universe, which leads to her discovery of Peter's origin. But the Trials, which Olivia has suppressed due to their traumatic nature, are also the origin of many of Fringe Division's cases, and as such put Olivia at odds with the rest of the characters on many occasions.

Olivia's function as the conventional grounding was somewhat lessened after her close involvement with many of Fringe Division's cases. She, in fact, was taken to the parallel universe herself and almost died. She has been labeled as the one person capable of seeing the "end" before it gets here, yet she still maintains her normalcy out of sheer will. Her desire to be normal can be traced to her lack of interpersonal relations, and that the few she did have were lost to fringe-related-accidents, such as the death of her previous lover, who haunted her, and partner, who was taken over by a being from the parallel universe.

Sub-Characters

Because Fringe has such a complex plot line and so many sub-plots, there are many recurrent characters that are developed throughout the series, but are not significantly important for each episode. The main sub-characters are as follows.

Agent Astrid Farnsworth

Astrid "assists" Walter in the lab. ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co.

Astrid, though an FBI field agent like Olivia, spends most of her time with Walter functioning as his lab assistant and in some ways his cohort/guardian. Since Walter has so little touch with reality, Astrid can almost be seen as the sanity that Walter lost, especially since she is always with him, keeping him out of trouble. Astrid is a very fun loving and kind hearted individual, which makes her easy for Walter to connect with. Her main contribution comes from helping Walter around the lab when he needs extra hands or someone to fetch things for him. Beyond this capacity, Astrid does very little, yet she is an integral part of Walter's world experience and in some ways who he connects with the most.

Dr. William Bell

Dr. William Bell, as seen on the Other Side by Olivia ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co.

Dr. Bell exists mostly in Walter's past as the driving force behind some of Walter's more dangerous experiments. When Walter was a professor, Bell was still a student, and the two managed by accident to catch a glimpse of the alternate universe. Since then, Bell has stopped at nothing to achieve his goal of getting there, and has apparently succeeded. Bell was the founder of the company Massive Dynamic which has significant holdings and research in various areas of fringe science, and has many run-ins with Fringe Division. No one is completely sure of Bell's motives or his agenda, but he does warn Olivia that the end is coming sooner than they might think when he pulled her to the other side. As we learn more about Walter, Bell's past becomes less murky as well.

Nina Sharp

Nina Sharp as the head of Massive Dynamic ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co.

In Dr. Bell's absence, the guiding light of Massive Dynamic is non other than Nina Sharp. Her defining characteristics are always being involved, having a bionic arm, and causing trouble for Fringe Division. Her personality defines her as someone to always be suspected of lying, mostly because she always seems to know things she shouldn't, or seems to know things without telling anyone else. Massive Dynamic and Nina Sharp always seem to be in the center of Fringe Division's more terrestrial cases, and Nina Sharp is no help at all.

Agent Phillip Broyles

Broyles, the leader of Fringe Division, before he briefs the Bishops on their purpose and why Walter is so important to them. ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co.

Broyles can be seen from time to time in the field during sensitive operations, or while briefing the team on their next case. He is extremely laconic in his speech and stoic in his emotions. Broyles seems to have no drive but his job, and we learn that his wife and family left him for this reason. Though he has very little interaction with the cases themselves, he is portrayed as a sort of guiding fatherly figure, with the team as his children, which, given his marital situation, is probably not far from the way he sees things. Broyles is not an expert in fringe science, nor does he have any real claim to it, yet he has the keen realization that there is a problem that needs dealing with, and is willing to do whatever it takes to resolve the situation.

The Observer (September)

September sitting on a couch, observing. ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co.

The Observers are, in general, a race of timeless beings that simply watch history unfold. They have an interesting habit of appearing in every Fringe episode, though are rarely interacted with and rarely make any actions themselves. Every observer looks basically the same, bald, no eyebrows, blue eyes, pale skin, a distant air, and rather emotionless, detached actions. There is, however, one Observer named September who had a significant impact on the lives of Walter and Peter and both Fringe universes. On the other side, September distracted the other Walter from making a cure for Peter, while on this side, September saved Peter and Walter from drowning in an icy lake. Needless to say these beings play a pivotal yet unknown role in the story.