OK, that was a really long title.
But that’s to make up for being so lax in blogging about Fringe so far this season, despite the fact that Walter Bishop is, bar none, my favorite character on television at the moment (that includes shows that are on hiatus right now).
Aussie John Noble plays Bishop impeccably, with just the right amount of insanity, incredible intelligence and love for his family and friends.
It was obvious from the beginning that Bishop was different. Look, the man’s been in a mental institution for quite some time and is completely estranged from his son. But as we saw him develop over the first season, culminating in the revelation that this universe’s Peter Bishop actually died in childhood – meaning the Peter we know and love is actually from an alternate universe, probably the one where Bell lives at the moment – we came to realize he wasn’t simply a mad scientist.
Sure, he’s pretty wacked out, but what person who’s taken as many hallucinogenics as Walter Bishop wouldn’t be a bit … off-kilter? And the extreme intelligence this man has is almost too much for his head to contain.
But perhaps the best part of Walter Bishop is his relationship with Astrid, his FBI assistant who has adapted to his eccentricities and become the perfect foil for his one-liners.
She understands how to get him back on track when he veers wildly off course; she is no longer grossed out by his desires for food at the most inopportune moments. I’ve grown to really like Astrid. And her hair is very attractive this season, too. It’s a good style for her.
But though I completely adore Walter Bishop beyond all reason, he’s only a small part of why I continue to watch Fringe.
