The seeds of reformed mad scientist Walter on “Fringe” were sown years ago, in the basement of producer J.J. Abrams’ grandfather.
Growing up, Abrams spent a lot of time with his mom’s father discovering how electricity worked, along with other science mysteries.
“I’ve always felt drawn to stories about eccentric, creative types in a basement lab or building things out of raw materials,” Abrams said. Abrams’ latest creation, the Fox freshman drama “Fringe,” (Tuesday nights at 8 on KDVR-31) has a plum position following ratings behemoth “American Idol.” The fantasy series centers on the exploration of creepy crimes investigated by the FBI.
The show is to air its season finale May 12 and is awaiting official word on a second-season renewal.
In “Fringe,” Walter (John Noble) has been sprung from a mental institution to help solve the crimes, but the bureau needs his estranged son Peter (Joshua Jackson) to wrangle Walter. Peter is sucked into the job by the comely agent Olivia (Anna Torv), who serves as the action hero of the series.
From the beginning, the gore factor was off the charts. Humans exploded. A fetus grew into an adult within hours inside the mother’s womb; mom didn’t survive.
Still, there’s always been an undercurrent of humor mixed with horror, such as trading the traditional lab rat for a large milk cow.
“The cow, it turns out, is a better test subject as opposed to rats,” Abrams said. “There was a preposterousness that felt in line with the series.”
In each episode, there’s a puzzle and a mystery that needs solving, with the backdrop of a sinister corporation controlling things it probably shouldn’t.
Walter plays an integral part in the FBI’s continuing investigations that have intersecting story lines with a high-tech company that seems to have its finger in all of these bizarre cases.
Leonard Nimoy has signed on for the season finale to play the often-talked-about William Bell, founder of the ubiquitous Massive Dynamic and Walter’s former lab partner.
This ongoing mythology is familiar territory to Abrams, whose other projects include “Alias” and “Lost.”
While Olivia plays an integral part in the series, the strongest relationship on the show has evolved between Walter and Peter. “I was pleasantly surprised to find how much of the heart of this show lives with these two characters,” said Jackson on his role as the son.
“It’s a bumpy road in any relationship between a parent and a child, but this also includes redefining that relationship with your parents once you are an adult.”
