Fringe: the Walternate Universe, New Episodes Revealed

For John Noble, Fox Sci-fi Show Fringe is like doing Shakespeare

The reason Fringe, the Fox TV Sci-fi hit series, keeps getting better is that “We believe what we are doing is as good as Shakespeare,” says star John Noble, who plays the “fringe” scientist Walter Bishop.

Noble is a great actor who does make his role believable as he pulls double duty on both sides of the parallel universes. On earth as we know it, he plays the brilliant/crazy Walter, and in the “Walternate” universe, he’s the brilliant/powerful Walter.

Talking with Noble at a Fox Network party it was easy to understand how he can switch back and forth as he does both roles in an episode. John is Australian, with a thick g’day Aussie accent, but when asked to talk about his character Walter, he goes right into sounding very American. “I’m an actor. I have to be versatile,” he said.

Noble says he is enjoying being part of “the Fringe team. We have a wonderful atmosphere on the set in Vancouver. Joshua and Anna and I have become very close. And I have a great role to play. It’s not just being lucky to be on a successful show. It’s all about choices. The choice of going with good work. The choice of going with a great group of actors. The choice of doing something interesting.”

He hinted that things are going to get very interesting on the show, with lots of twists in the upcoming stories, and shocking revelations about the Walternate universe.

“The Abducted” and “Entrada” are two mind-blowing episodes coming up.

“The Abducted” is about a serial kidnapper “over there,” making another strike. It is an emotional and familiar case for Colonel Broyles (Lance Reddick), who sends Olivia to uncover additional details about the abductions. In the meantime, Olivia fights on and reunites with Henry (guest star Andre Royo) to help her return home.

“Entrada” has Peter grappling with the aftermath of recent events as Olivia desperately searches for an ally. Meanwhile, the Fringe team discovers a critical device that communicates between universes.

In its second thrilling season, the Fox TV series continues to explore the unexplained phenomena and terrifying occurrences linked throughout the world– known simply as “the Pattern.”

The FBI’s Fringe Division team is in pursuit of a larger, more shocking truth, with FBI special agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) at the center of the mind-blowing reality that two parallel universes are ready to collide.

The “fringe” scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son Peter (Joshua Jackson), who are helping the FBI with the unconventional investigations, are actually responsible for the impending collision.

The parallel universe, a mirror image of the earth and its people, but with events that have taken a path. Such as, the twin towers of the World Trade Center are still standing, and everyone must have a “Show Me” card to present to authorities upon request.

The core of the show is the belief that Walter Bishop has created a way to travel between the two worlds. And like his character, Noble splits his time between Vancouver, Canada and his home in Sydney, Australia.

Noble is an Australian stage, film and television actor, as well as a theater director of more than 80 plays. Early in his career, Noble was the artistic director of the Stage Company of South Australia for ten years, during which he was involved in South Australia’s cultural explosion.

As an actor, his television guest roles included 24, Journeyman, The Unit, Lost Treasure of Fiji, Home and Away, and Stargate SG-1. But before Fringe, he was probably best known for his role as “Denethor” in The Lord of the Rings, for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast. Once again, he says he played the Denethor character “like he was created by Shakespeare. Maybe he was in a “Walternate universe.”