Peter Bishop is a fictional character of the Fox television series Fringe. He is portrayed by Joshua Jackson.
Fictional character biography Peter Bishop was born on September 18, 1978, in the alternate universe, to parents Walter Bishop, also known as "Walternate," and his wife Elizabeth Bishop. In 1985, Peter acquired an extremely rare and savage genetic disease. His father, a brilliant scientist (in both universes), worked around-the-clock to save him.
Revealed in the episode "Peter," the Walter Bishop of the prime-universe watched his own son, the prime-universe version of Peter, die because of the same disease. He would frequently watch the other Peter living in the alternate universe via a "trans-dimensional window," which could allow someone to view the Other Side. Eventually, Walter formulated a compound and opened a doorway into the other universe, with the intentions of saving the other Peter from death. However, the vial containing the compound shattered on his way over to the Other Side, so he was forced to kidnap Peter, bring him over to the prime-universe, cure him, and then return him. But, after curing Peter on our side, he and his wife could not find themselves able to return him, so they raised him as their own.
Though at first resistant to this, Peter later grew up oblivious to Walter's deception, apparently forgetting it happened. He repeatedly told Olivia Dunham that he was never fond of his father, and even recalled times when Walter experimented on him. It is implied that Walter did this to see how Peter's body reacted to moving between universes. In 1991, Walter's lab assistant, Dr. Carla Warren, was killed in a fire in his lab, and Walter was locked away inside St. Claire's Mental Institution. Peter later admits to have never visited Walter, and continued to grow up despising his father. His hatred towards Walter grew to the point that Peter took books belonging to Robert Bishop, Walter's father, and sold them for money, an action that affected Walter greatly when he discovered this in 2009.
Even with his genius I.Q. level of 190, and fluency in English, Arabic, Persian, Latin, Greek, Cantonese, Russian, and Spanish, Peter became a college drop-out with gambling debts, a jack-of-all-trades, and a master con artist. He falsified a chemistry degree from MIT and managed to publish a few papers before his con was discovered. The only time he spoke to his father during Walter's initial 17-year stay inside St. Claire's was when Walter phoned to tell him that Elizabeth had died in a car crash, though Peter later discovered that she actually committed suicide because of the guilt she carried from keeping him in this universe ("The Man From The Other Side.") Additionally, Peter has trouble with the mafia because he owes an undisclosed amount of money to "Big Eddie," a crime lord who had been hunting him for some time.
Season one Peter was first seen setting up a business deal in Baghdad, Iraq, when he was blackmailed by Olivia Dunham to gain access to his father. Peter releases Walter from St. Claire's so he can develop a cure for Olivia's lover, John Scott, though John is discovered to be a traitor (it is revealed in episode 1x13, "The Transformation," that John was actually an undercover agent working with the National Security Agency, and his love for Olivia was real).
For the majority of the early episodes, Peter despises working with his father, and in episode 1x04, "The Arrival," he prepares to leave Boston for good. But, he comes in contact with The Observer known as "September," who appears to read Peter's mind. Following this incident, Peter realizes that "The Pattern" does actually exist, and vows to remain in Boston until he discovers the truth, becoming a civilian consultant for U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the area of fringe science.
By the culmination of season one, Peter and Walter appear to have completely reconciled. Peter even builds his father a device that could repair his water-damaged records, in episode 1x19, "The Road Not Taken." By the first season finale, "There's More Than One of Everything," Walter reveals to Peter the existence of the alternate universe, without telling him that is where he was born. Peter plays a key role in stopping David Robert Jones from opening a door to the Other Side, to kill William Bell, by closing the hole shut while Jones' body is only halfway through, slicing him in half. By this time, Walter begins leaving Peter notes explaining where he has run off to, making Peter remark to Astrid Farnsworth, "our little boy has grown up," solidifying his newfound love for his father.
Season two In the beginning of season two, "A New Day in the Old Town," Olivia returns to the prime-universe after a visit to William Bell in the other dimension. She is gravely wounded on her way back and not expected to survive. A devastated Peter goes to say goodbye before she is taken off life-support, and after he kisses her forehead, Olivia awakens from her coma and cryptically tells Peter, "na eínai kalýtero ánthropo apó ton patéra sou (tou)," Greek for "be a better man than your father." Olivia does not remember saying this, or her experience on the Other Side, but this phrase deeply affects Peter, who explains that his mother used to say it to him every night before he went to bed. By episode 2x04, "Momentum Deferred," Olivia remembers meeting Bell in the other dimension, and learning of an impending war between both universes, and that an army of "shape-shifters" from the other side is working undercover in the prime-universe.
Peter and Walter's reconciliation reaches its peak in episode 2x10, "Grey Matters". Thomas Jerome Newton, the leader of the shape-shifters, kidnaps Walter and forces him to reveal how he opened an inter-dimensional doorway in 1985. Peter risks everything to rescue Walter and is horrified at the thought of seeing him die. In the episode "Jacksonville", Walter reactivates Olivia's Cortexiphan abilities, allowing her to identify objects from the Other Side because of a distinctive "glimmer" they display. When she looks at Peter, he projects a "glimmer", making Olivia realize he came from the Other Side. Olivia promises Walter that she will not tell Peter the truth, feeling that some secrets are far too damaging to be revealed.
In the episode "The Man from the Other Side", Walter decides he has to tell Peter the truth, but, as he is about to explain, they are called in to investigate a case. They discover that Newton is attempting to bring something—or someone—from the other universe into our world. The sonic vibrations released from Newton's device would inevitably kill anyone from this universe. When Peter shuts down the device and only sustains a concussion, he discovers his true origins. While receiving treatment in the hospital, he confronts Walter and blames him for his adopted mother's suicide. At the end of the episode, Olivia notifies Walter that Peter has checked out of the hospital and is on the run to resume his isolated and nomadic pre-Fringe life. Despite attempts to track him down, Olivia is unable to locate him.
Peter travels to Washington state where he works with local police to solve a series of murders. He believes that Newton is responsible, but is proved wrong. However, Peter later finds Newton in his motel room, and is held at gunpoint. With Peter subdued, Newton calls out to "Mr. Secretary" (the man he pulled over from the Other Side), who is revealed to be his biological father, Walter (Walternate), from the other universe.
Peter agrees to accompany his biological father to his home universe, which is captured on security cameras and sent to Olivia and Walter, who are devastated by the loss. On the other side, Peter lies comatose for three days to acclimate to his old world and reunites with his biological mother. Later, Peter reviews schematics of a machine (called the "Wave Sink" Device), which could heal his home universe, that requires his help for operation, but he later learns from Olivia, who has crossed over with Walter to find him, that his biological father intends to use the machine to destroy his adopted world. The Observers anticipated this outcome and warned Walter years ago that Peter should not return home. After Peter's return to his home world, September gave Olivia a drawing of Peter in the machine with energy emanating from his eyes. In an effort to save his life and the Prime-Universe, Olivia confesses her love for Peter, and they kiss. With this new information, Peter voluntarily returns to his adopted world with his adopted father, unknowingly bringing the parallel-universe version of Olivia, while the Olivia from the Prime-Universe is held captive in the other side by Walternate.
Season three After returning to his universe, Peter finds it difficult being able to accept Walter's reasons for kidnapping him. In 3x02, "The Box", Peter helps thwart a terrorist attack on a Boston train station; he discovers that the ultrasonic device used for the attack is part of the weapon Walternate showed him, making him realize there are pieces of it in this universe as well.
Peter also becomes romantically interested in "Fauxlivia" (the alternate Olivia), unaware that she is an impostor sent to manipulate him and Walter. Later in Season 3 in the episode "Entrada", Peter discovers the truth as prime-Olivia informs him of being trapped in the alternate Universe. After the prime universe Olivia returns, she tells Peter that her hopes of reuniting with him helped her to survive and come back, leaving Peter in a tricky situation regarding his feelings for Olivia. "Fauxlivia" returns to her home universe and finds herself six weeks pregnant, Walternate welcomes the news and offers his full support, though it seems he has an ulterior plans for the pregnancy and baby. Peter is unaware of the pregnancy or Walternate's plans.
In the episode "Marionette", prime-Olivia struggles with the thought that the man she loved could not realize Fauxlivia was an impostor. She angrily declares that she does not want to be with Peter anymore, claiming "she's [Fauxlivia] taken everything".
In the episode "6B" Peter and Olivia try to fix their relationship, but when they share a kiss, Olivia begins to see him glimmer and realizes she is afraid (as this ability is present when she is in a state of fear). She talks to him about it outside the bar opposite the apartment block they are investigating when she sees that the glow of the alternate universe can be seen emanating from the window of apartment 6B. Once the case is resolved, Olivia unexpectedly shows up at the Bishop's house with some whiskey to celebrate another catastrophe averted, talks to Peter, and tells him she wants to know how 'beautiful' she and Peter can be. This was in reference to his statement that any lingering thoughts he had of Fauxlivia were because he spent so much time dreaming of what it would be like to be in a relationship with Olivia and that it was, indeed, a beautiful thing. The two kiss and Olivia leads Peter upstairs, presumably to consummate their relationship.
In "The Firefly," September and The Observers resurface, hoping to correct a mistake he made 25 years prior. In the ensuing chase between them, Peter corners September on a rooftop and asks what will happen to him, if the "doomsday machine" will in fact destroy both him and this universe. However, September only cryptically states, "it must be difficult, being a father," before shooting him with his "air gun," knocking him unconscious. At the end of the episode, September and another Observer, December, watch the Bishop house, and reveal the reason why they orchestrated the day's events—to see if Walter is finally able to let Peter die, which he apparently is. "And, now we know," September remarks, "when the time comes, he will be willing to do it again".