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"The Bishop Revival" is the 13th
episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning t ...
of the second season of the American
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts * Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe" * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * The Fringe, the ...
''. The episode's storyline followed Nazi scientist Alfred Hoffman (
Craig Robert Young Craig Robert Young (born 4 October 1973) is a British actor who began his acting career at age ten, starring in the stage production of ''The Price of Coal''. By the time he was 17, he moved to London to attend the Central School of Speech and D ...
) as he specially designed airborne toxins to kill only surrounding people with similar genetic traits, such as people with brown eyes. It was written by
Glen Whitman Douglas Glen Whitman is an American television writer and a professor of economics. Academic career Whitman is a professor of economics at California State University, Northridge, where he has been on the faculty since 2000. He has also serve ...
and
Robert Chiappetta Robert Chiappetta is an American television writer and lawyer. Career Chiappetta, along with his writing partner Glen Whitman, served as executive story editors on the FOX crime/ mystery series ''Fringe'', and contributed several scripts to th ...
, and directed by Adam Davidson. Along with Young and a number of small guest parts, the episode featured another guest appearance by
Clark Middleton Clark Tinsley Middleton (April 13, 1957 – October 4, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in '' Kill Bill: Vol. 2'', ''Sin City'', ''Fringe'', ''Snowpiercer'', and ''The Blacklist''. Career Middleton's first ...
as rare book seller Edward Markham. "The Bishop Revival" first aired in the United States on January 28, 2010 on the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
to an estimated 9.153 million viewers. Critical reception for the episode ranged from positive to mixed, as reviewers were divided on the episode's villain.


Plot

15 people suffocate at a Jewish wedding, appearing to have asphyxiated from the inside out. When the Fringe team arrives,
Olivia Olivia may refer to: People * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer * Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 19 ...
(
Anna Torv Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox science-fiction series ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for ...
) identifies that all the victims were from the groom's side, whose grandmother was a
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
survivor - and
Walter Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
(
John Noble John Noble (born 20 August 1948) is an Australian actor. He is known for his roles as Denethor in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Dr. Walter Bishop on the science fiction series ''Fringe'', Henry Parrish on the action-horror series '' ...
) surmises that they were all killed via their shared genetic traits. Later, a similar mass death occurs at a coffee shop, in which Walter recognizes the victims all had brown eyes, another common genetic trait. From fingerprints found at the scene, they discover the culprit is Alfred Hoffman (
Craig Robert Young Craig Robert Young (born 4 October 1973) is a British actor who began his acting career at age ten, starring in the stage production of ''The Price of Coal''. By the time he was 17, he moved to London to attend the Central School of Speech and D ...
), a
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
scientist apparently somehow over 100 years old. Walter realizes that the man likely worked with his own father, Robert Bishoff (a German scientist who defected to the US in 1943 and
anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
his name), in creating a chemical agent that, once heated as a gas, could be used to target any specific trait using DNA from the target subject—especially those not of the
master race The master race (german: Herrenrasse) is a Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific concept in Nazism, Nazi ideology in which the putative "Aryan race" is deemed the pinnacle of Race (classification of human beings), human racial hierarchy. Members wer ...
. Though Walter originally had his father's files on the subject, his son
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
(
Joshua Jackson Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the ...
), 10 years earlier, had sold them; Peter tries to recover the files but finds some have been used by an artist to create sensationalism art, causing Walter to become distraught. They trace Hoffman to his home, finding his equipment used to create the chemical agent downstairs but no sign of Hoffman. Walter nearly suffocates from an agent left by Hoffman, but Olivia and Peter are able to save him in time. As the FBI search the premises, they find evidence that points to a convention being held to promote world equality. Olivia and Peter depart to try to find Hoffman, while Walter remains behind, examining Hoffman's equipment. At the convention, Hoffman has replaced the heating elements for the
chafing dish A chafing dish is a metal cooking or serving pan on a stand with an alcohol burner holding chafing fuel below it. It is used for cooking at table, notably in Gueridon service, or as a food warmer for keeping dishes at a buffet warm. Historically ...
es with his own. Olivia and Peter struggle with locating Hoffman before Walter and
Astrid Astrid is a feminine given name of Scandinavian origin, a modern form of the name Ástríðr. Derived from the Old Norse Ássfriðr, a compound name composed of the elements (a god) and (beautiful, fair). Variants * Assan (diminutive) (Swed ...
(
Jasika Nicole Jasika Nicole Pruitt (born April 10, 1980), is an American actress and illustrator from Birmingham, Alabama. She is known for her role as Agent Astrid Farnsworth on the Fox series ''Fringe''. She has guest-starred in ''Scandal'' as Kim Munoz. She ...
) arrive. Walter uses a fogger to distribute his own chemical agent, this time specific to Hoffman, and soon the man is found dying. As the team regroups, Walter fully admits to killing Hoffman, a crime in itself, but Broyles (
Lance Reddick Lance Reddick (born December 31, 1962) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Cedric Daniels in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in '' Bosch'' (2014–2020) ...
) decides to let Walter go. Later, Peter has been able to recover the rest of his grandfather's work and returns it to Walter; Walter then goes through the files, finding an old photo of his father and Hoffman working together.


Production

"The Bishop Revival" was the third episode to be written by writing partners
Glen Whitman Douglas Glen Whitman is an American television writer and a professor of economics. Academic career Whitman is a professor of economics at California State University, Northridge, where he has been on the faculty since 2000. He has also serve ...
and
Robert Chiappetta Robert Chiappetta is an American television writer and lawyer. Career Chiappetta, along with his writing partner Glen Whitman, served as executive story editors on the FOX crime/ mystery series ''Fringe'', and contributed several scripts to th ...
. It was the only ''Fringe'' episode directed by Adam Davidson. "The Bishop Revival" revealed that the
seahorse A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...
shown in promotions since the series began was in fact a genetically encoded "signature" created by Walter's father Dr. Robert Bishop. In an interview after the episode's broadcast, consulting producer
Akiva Goldsman Akiva J. Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making motion pictures and adaptations of popular novels. Goldsman's filmography as a screenwriter includes ''The Client''; ''Batman Forever'' and its sequel '' Ba ...
cited "The Bishop Revival" when discussing the use of flashbacks in ''Fringe''; he stated his disinclination to use too many flashbacks in the series, explaining "I think flashbacks are really useful and there are a couple of places where it will be useful. But fundamentally, no, I don't think we're a show that will be doing a lot of jumping back in time despite the single horde of calls for the 'Walter's Grandfather Nazi Hunting' series. I think not, but it was fun to do
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
' episode]." Guest stars for the episode included
Craig Robert Young Craig Robert Young (born 4 October 1973) is a British actor who began his acting career at age ten, starring in the stage production of ''The Price of Coal''. By the time he was 17, he moved to London to attend the Central School of Speech and D ...
, Max Train, Sierra Pitkin, Brendon Zub, Barbara Kottmeier, John Macintyre, Lauren Attadia, Al Miro, Aaron Brooks, Magda Harout, Leonard Tenisci, Alberta Mayne,
Nancy Linari Nancy Linari is an American voice, film and television actress. She also has recurring roles on ''Duckman'', ''W.I.T.C.H.'', ''The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'', and has guest starred on a number of other TV shows like ''Two and a Half Men'' ...
, and Dan Joffre.
Clark Middleton Clark Tinsley Middleton (April 13, 1957 – October 4, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in '' Kill Bill: Vol. 2'', ''Sin City'', ''Fringe'', ''Snowpiercer'', and ''The Blacklist''. Career Middleton's first ...
, who was last seen in the first-season episode "Ability", made his second guest appearance in "The Bishop Revival" as rare bookseller Edward Markham.


Cultural references

The episode contained two pieces of music from the 19th century German composer
Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...
: his Piano Quartet No. 1, Op.25 in G Major: III. Andante Con Moto-Animato and Piano Quartet No. 1, Op.25 in G Minor: II. Intermezzo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo-Trio: Animato. Also in the episode, someone is seen holding a
Dharma Initiative The Dharma Initiative, also written DHARMA (Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications), is a fictional research project and organization featured in the television series ''Lost''. It was introduced in the second season epis ...
tea bag, a reference to the mysterious organization on the science fiction series ''
Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
''. The Nazi in this episode appears to be Reichsführer of the
Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe d ...
,
Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
. Aside from looking like the character, Himmler was also both a
Nordicist Nordicism is an ideology of racism which views the historical race concept of the "Nordic race" as an endangered and superior racial group. Some notable and seminal Nordicist works include Madison Grant's book ''The Passing of the Great Race'' ...
and a Nazi Occultist. At one point in the episode, a scared elderly woman points at him screaming, "It's him... it's him...!" This has a double meaning, as she could have been saying "It's him!" or she could have been trying to say "It's Himmler!"


Reception


Ratings

In a Thursday night filled mostly with repeats, Fox's airing of new episodes ''
Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...
'' and ''Fringe'' finished #1 among adults aged 18–49, with an estimated 9.153 million viewers tuning in. ''Fringe'' was up fifteen percent from the previous week with a 3.0 rating, tying its highest 18–49 ratings share for the season. It was the second most viewed episode of the season after the season premiere "
A New Day in the Old Town "A New Day in the Old Town" is the season premiere and first episode of the second season of the American science fiction drama television series ''Fringe'', and the 21st episode overall. It was co-written by J. J. Abrams and Akiva Goldsman, wi ...
".


Reviews

The episode received mixed to positive reviews from television critics. Jane Boursaw of
TV Squad Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be ...
wasn't sure what to think about "The Bishop Revival", but loved the plotline about Walter's dad being a German spy working for the US government. Alternately,
Annalee Newitz Annalee Newitz (born May 7, 1969) is an American journalist, editor, and author of both fiction and nonfiction, who has written for the periodicals ''Popular Science'' and ''Wired''. From 1999 to 2008 Newitz wrote a syndicated weekly column call ...
of
io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...
called the episode "surprisingly meh"; while appreciating "all the weird family revelations about the Bishops", she believed the revelations about Walter's father to be "too much" because "we didn't need that extra backstory". Newitz wished ''Fringe'' had brought back Olivia's childhood subplot and its ties with Walter and Peter.
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
columnist Noel Murray was also critical of the episode, explaining "Plotwise, there wasn't much going on in 'The Bishop Revival.'... The FD tracked down a criminal and felled that criminal; that's really it." Murray did however praise the killer's methods and "Aryan aloofness" as "cool" and "delightfully old-school". Like Newitz, Tim Grierson of the magazine ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
'' believed the episode contained "stupid revelations"; for instance, the Nazi connection of Walter's father "just felt like a variation on season one's episodes in which bizarre phenomena could always magically be linked back to Walter's work for the government. Obviously, this info about Peter's grandfather was supposed to be 'shocking,' showing how the Bishop family's scientific work can so easily be perverted for evil, but by this point it just seems like a very artificial, unnecessary ploy to keep us engaged." Other than a few minor complaints with the episode's logic,
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
writer Ramsey Isler thought positively about "The Bishop Revival" and the
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
story element in particular, stating "there's a definite unique ''Fringe'' flavor that makes this story work". Isler disliked the unsolved mystery of Hoffman however, writing the "story really had the feel of one of those intriguing but ultimately disposable stories in the ''Fringe'' library". Jennifer Walker from TV Fanatic called the episode "amazing" and a "heart stopper", while Andrew Hanson of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' enjoyed the father-son dynamic. Ken Tucker from ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' wrote "The Bishop Revival" was "one of the series' most satisfying stand-alone episodes" because it featured a "good threat" and gave more information about the Bishop family's backstory. Tucker praised
John Noble John Noble (born 20 August 1948) is an Australian actor. He is known for his roles as Denethor in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Dr. Walter Bishop on the science fiction series ''Fringe'', Henry Parrish on the action-horror series '' ...
's performance, as his "portrayal of Walter encompasses everything from endearing daffiness to ferocious concentration and commitment".
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's Josh Wigler believed the episode was "terrific," but wished there was more of a balance between the show's three leads, and that Olivia was featured on a regular basis. He, Hanson, and other critics agreed that this and the previous week's episode gave ''Fringe'' some strong momentum heading into the winter finale. Though normally skeptical of the series' many fringe cases, ''
Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...
'' called the episode ''Fringe''s "most plausible case yet".


Awards and nominations

At the 2011 Young Artist Awards, Sierra Pitkin received a nomination for Best Performance in a TV Series under the category "Guest Starring Young Actress Ten and Under".


References


External links


"The Bishop Revival"
at
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop Revival, The 2010 American television episodes Fringe (season 2) episodes