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Peter Bishop is a character and main protagonist on Fringe, the son of Walternate. He is portrayed by Joshua Jackson.

Original Timeline[]

Challengermission11

In Peter's alternate universe we see a poster that shows the Space Shuttle Challenger had an 11th mission whereas it only had 10 in our universe before it was destroyed.

Background Information[]

Peter was born in the Alternate Universe on September 18, 1978. In 1985 at the age of 7, Peter had an incurable illness, just like his counterpart Over Here. His father desperately searched for a cure, as did the Walter Bishop from Over Here. The other Peter Bishop died before Walter could discover this cure.

However, unwilling to let his son go, Walter continued searching for a cure by watching Walternate search for a compound through a window with the capability of seeing through universes. Walternate discovered the correct compound, but September, an Observer, distracted him.

The Observer, whose job it was to see moments of historical significance, did not realize the ramifications of distracting Walternate. The scientist turned away from the experiment, missing the signal that the compound had worked. When he demanded September to leave his lab and turned back to his experiment, the indicator had faded, leaving Walternate to assume the test had failed. However, Walter Bishop had seen the experiment and was able to reproduce it. 

Now, knowing that he was the only hope for the dying child on the Other Side, Walter crossed over, intent on giving the cure to the boy and proceeding to pick up the pieces of his life without a son. However, the vial containing the cure shattered, leading Walter, in a final act of desperation, to kidnap Peter, bring him Over Here, cure him, and return him to his rightful home. However, when the two returned, they fell through a patch of ice into a lake. With their fate apparently certain, Walter and Peter were saved by the same Observer, who seemed to have a job of saving Peter's life after he accidentally distracted Walternate.

There were even more consequences which even Walter could not foresee. The crossing between universes fundamentally weakened the very fabric of the universes. Crossing over to return Peter would risk ripping the universes apart at the seams. Coupled with Elizabeth Bishop's love for her son, Walter decided to raise Peter as the son that he had lost.

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Peter knew something was wrong, though. He believed himself to be from a world underneath the lake. One year later, in a desperate act to return home, Peter tied himself to a brick and attempted to smash his way through the ice and return home. Elizabeth chased him and lied, claiming that the medications made him ill and that she was his real mother. Elizabeth decided to bring Peter to Walter, who was currently working on the Cortexiphan drug trials in Jacksonville. It was here that Peter met Olivia, who was fleeing from her abusive stepfather. The two met in a field filled with white tulips. It was never explained how Peter forgot both his true origins and his meeting with Olivia by 2008. It could simply be attributed to the fact that he was still very young.

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Throughout his childhood, a rift between him and his father developed. After Walter was institutionalized, Peter moved to Allston with his mother because she could not afford the mortgage of their house in Cambridge.

Peter dropped out of high school, jumping from job to job, never staying in one position for more than two months. His list of previous occupations includes being a fireman, a cargo pilot, and a college chemistry professor - a position he gained by falsifying a degree from MIT. Despite this, he managed to have papers published before he was exposed as a fraud. Peter's life after this remains a mystery. At one point in time, Peter owed money to a man named Big Eddy. He fled to Iraq, where he worked prior to meeting Olivia Dunham.

Season One[]

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Peter and Olivia first meet.

Peter was located by Olivia Dunham, an FBI Agent seeking his assistance in the investigation of Flight 627 terrorist attack. She met Peter at a hotel in Baghdad, where she explained that she needed access to his father, Walter Bishop. Walter, locked in St. Claire's Mental Institution, could only be visited by immediate family. At first unwilling, Olivia was able to coax Peter into aiding her investigation by claiming that she would be more than happy to let certain individuals know his whereabouts, assuming that a man living in Baghdad had to be running from something. Her bluff proved to be effective and Peter returned with her to the United States. While on the return flight, Olivia detailed some of the work Peter's "father" had been working on, to which a shocked Peter asked if his father was Dr Frankenstein.

Through the work Pattern-related investigations, Peter learned too much to simply walk away. Not only that, but he acted as an interpreter for Walter's rantings and scientific ramblings.

Season Two[]

When seeing people from Over Here obliterated by a machine, but people from the Other Side survive, Peter realized he was not from this universe. Devastated, he couldn't speak to Walter and left Boston. While on the road, he was confronted by his real father (Walternate), who whisked him away to his real universe. This was all a part of Walternate's scheme to destroy this universe. He needed Peter to activate The Machine.

Believing this machine to be a positive force- something that could repair both worlds- and not as a weapon of destruction, Peter used his technological skills to begin constructing the device based on blueprints provided by his father. He learned the truth about the machine through Olivia, who crossed over to rescue him. Olivia professed her love for him, they kissed, and Peter returned to the Prime Universe.

Season Three[]

After returning to the prime universe, Peter is set on working on the machine and finding out what it is to be used for. He soon becomes romantically involved with Fauxlivia, posing as his Olivia, who had crossed over in the place of Olivia when they returned to the prime universe leaving his Olivia there. She makes sure that he finds pieces on the Machine and becomes fully involved in it and investigating the First People. After his Olivia finds a way to contact him, he realizes that the Olivia he is with is not the one from the prime universe.

Peter machine

Peter in the Machine.

Olivia crosses back over and Fauxlivia returns to her home. 

Olivia will not begin a relationship with him though, because she can't stand that Fauxlivia was living her life. Eventually, Peter and Olivia get together. On the other side, Fauxlivia has Peter's son, Henry, and Walternate uses his DNA to activate the Machine that was built for Peter. This causes the prime universe to begin to fall apart so that Peter has no choice but to get inside the machine. He gets thrown out of it the first time, but after Olivia acts as a crowbar to override the machine on the other side, he can get in. He then flashes forward into the year 2026.

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Peter flickered out of existence.

Following Peter's consciousness' return from the future, he creates a bridge between universes so that they can begin to work together to fix things. This came at a cost, however. Peter flickered out of existence moments after a new timeline was created.

2026[]

In the year 2026, Peter Bishop gains consciousness at the site of the One World Trade Center. There are fires all over

the street and Fringe Division agents running back and forth. Peter is

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Peter at the fringe medical center

rushed into a Fringe Medical Hospital, where he meets up with Astrid Farnsworth and his wife, Olivia. The reunion is cut short, however, when a television notifies the agents that terrorist Moreau has struck the Orpheum Theater. The team goes to the theater where Peter discovers an undetonated bomb. He appeals to Walter, who is in custody at a high-security prison and is the most hated man on the planet. The investigation leads Peter to a meeting with Broyles, who became a Senator. Finally, Peter tracks down the man behind the crimes: his father. Walternate blames Peter for the destruction of his world. In 2011, Peter, upon entering the machine, chose to destroy the Alternate Universe. Now, he realizes that was a mistake. As an act of revenge, Walternate vows to destroy Peter's world too, starting with his wife. Walternate shoots Olivia in the head, killing her instantly.

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Peter and Walter in 2026.

Devastated by his wife's death, Peter can no longer function. He is consoled by Walter, though, who has a solution. He would create The Machine and send it back in time through a wormhole.

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Peter at Olivia's funeral

He would equip the machine with a fail-safe that would allow Peter's consciousness to travel forward in time, see the damage destroying the other universe would cause, which would, in turn, cause Peter to make a different decision. These events were all witnessed by Peter in the year 2011 as a result of the plan Walter had just developed. At this moment, Peter's consciousness returned to his rightful time and any further events are unknown. Because Peter made a different choice, this specific iteration of the future will not occur.

Alternate Timeline[]

1985[]

Peter was very sick as a child. His Prime Universe counterpart died. That boy's father, Walter Bishop was able to find a cure, yet not in time to save his son's life. Instead, Walter crossed over to the Other Side to attempt to save Peter. Walter took Peter back to the Prime Universe. Immediately after crossing over on Reiden Lake, the two fell through the ice. Walter escaped but Peter drowned.

Season Four[]

In 2011, after The Bridge was formed, the Observers realize that Peter is still somehow bleeding through so December tasks September with erasing him completely. For an unknown reason, September does not erase him and both Walter and Olivia have visions of him even though they had never seen him before. Eventually, Peter shows up in Reiden Lake, but no one (even he) knows how he got there. He is set on returning to his timeline and to his Olivia, but Walter doesn't trust him so he won't help him work on the machine (which Peter thinks is the key to getting him home). He crosses over to the other universe to ask Walternate for his help, and he agrees

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to help him, but Peter also ends up meeting an old enemy named David Robert Jones. He crosses back to the prime universe after this, and Walter agrees to help him

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Peter and September.

get home after Elizabeth talks to him. Suddenly, Olivia begins to have the memories of Olivia from the original timeline and her and Peter become romantically involved for a very short amount of time. Olivia is kidnapped by Jones, and the Observer comes to talk to Peter while he is dying. Peter goes inside his mind and then finds out that the Observers are humans from one possible future that use their technology to travel outside of time. He also finds out about his son, who ceased to exist when the new timeline

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Peter and the Beacon.

was created, while in the Observer's mind.

Peter goes to rescue Olivia, but after that, he realizes that she is not really his Olivia, and he decides he has to go home. whilst the Observer was in the lab it is revealed he had left an imprint on Peter's eyes that leads to an address. Peter goes to the address which is presumed to be the home of September, while he is there he finds a briefcase that contains the contents of September's belongings. This then leads Peter to find a Beacon of some kind that he takes home to analyze.

While back at his home, the beacon seems to activate and turn on, unaware to Peter that he is doing it, the Observer appears to Peter upstairs, here it is revealed that Peter has been home all along and that this Olivia is, in fact, his original Olivia that Peter has longed to get back to. September explains this to Peter and says there is no scientific explanation and that ultimately it is down to a human emotion known as Love and that those who loved Peter did not want to lose him and vice versa. Peter then goes to meet Olivia and they embrace and share a kiss.

2012-2036[]

Peter and Olivia had a daughter named Henrietta in 2012. However, Etta was lost when the Observers invaded in 2015. Peter was determined to look for her, but Olivia dealt with her grief by trying to save the world from the Observers. These core differences drove a wedge between the two of them and damaged their relationship. Walter began to develop a plan to defeat the Observers but was forced to amber himself, Astrid, Peter, and William Bell when Bell turned the team over to the Observers. Olivia, who had been sent on a mission to retrieve a key component of Walter's plan, was in New York City. She too had a run-in with Observers and ambered herself. Peter, Walter, and Astrid were rescued by Etta and Simon in 2036 while looking for help in getting rid of the Observers.  The group took a train into New York City to find and rescue Olivia. It was on this train that Peter realized who Etta was and embraced her.

Season Five[]

After retrieving Olivia, the team began to pursue the pieces of Walter's Plan. Peter and Olivia began

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The implant.

to bond with Etta, who was suddenly taken from them again when the evil Captain Windmark shot and killed her. Torn by his grief, Peter began to look for any way to avenge Etta. While interrogating an Observer, Peter killed him and took the technology that was implanted in him and put it in himself. He began to slowly lose his humanity in his thirst for vengeance, but he was coaxed back by Olivia and he removed the tech.

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Peter fighting Windmark.

While implementing the final pieces of the plan, Peter discovers a final tape, although it has nothing to do with the plan. In it, Walter speaks to Peter. He explains that he sent Peter a letter, which he predicts Peter will find strange.  He expresses his love for Peter and tells him they will never see each other again. Peter turns to Walter and asks about the significance. Walter explains that if the plan works, he will be deemed a paradox and erased at the moment of the Invasion. Walter hugs

Peter and cries, telling his son that he is his very favorite thing. The team sets up the machine with the Resistance and prepare to send Michael forward in time with September, who volunteered to take Walter's place as a final act of love towards his son. However, September is gunned down in the firefight that ensues between the Loyalists, Observers, and Resistance. Walter realizes that he must take the boy. Before he crosses through the portal, he turns to see Peter, who mouths, "I love you, Dad" to him. Walter then steps through the portal, never to see his son again.

Final Timeline[]

After the final reset due to Walter's sacrifice, Peter, Olivia, and Etta are at the park in 2015.

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Peter and Olivia.

Olivia suggests that it is time to go home and give Etta a bath. Peter calls Etta over and embraces her. He plays with her before they head home. Once the family arrives home, Peter gets the mail. He notices a letter from his father. He opens it up and discovers the white tulip drawing.

Trivia[]

  • Joshua Jackson describes his character as "a really dumb smart guy... and he's kind of aware of the fact that he's a dumb smart guy. He has this native intelligence to him where he's probably a couple of steps ahead of everybody else in the room, but he still makes incredibly stupid choices at every step along the way."
  • Speaks English, Farsi, Cantonese Arabic, Persian, Latin, Greek and Spanish. He also learned some Russian while dating a Russian girl, but he mostly picked up curse words.
  • Has an I.Q. of 190.
  • Owes money to a guy named Big Eddy.
  • Introduced as Olivia's brother "Rick" to a bartender in Safe.
  • Is actually the Peter Bishop from the alternate universe; the biological son of Walternate. (Confirmed in a Windows 7 bulletin by FOX and Season 2, Episode 16: Peter)

Quotes[]

"This falls in the category of 'be careful what you wish for'."

- Peter (Pilot)

"Yeah, because after 6 hours, they're really dead."

- Peter (Pilot)

"When I was nine years old, I think I wanted to be a brontosaurus."

- Peter (The Ghost Network)

"You may think you know what he's capable of, but you have no idea what I'm capable of."

- Peter (The Equation)

"(Answering the phone) "Bishop's house of horrors!"

- Peter (The Transformation)

"It's like listening to a broken record, but the lyrics keep changing."

- Peter

"Right. A motley group of animals decided to exact their revenge on mankind."

"I love you dad"

- Peter (An Enemy of Fate)
Alternate Universe Characters
Olivia DunhamWalter BishopPeter BishopPhillip BroylesAstrid FarnsworthNina SharpLincoln LeeCharlie FrancisFrank StantonHenry Arliss HigginsMarilyn Dunham
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