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6 Fringe questions Leonard Nimoy can answer (and 3 he can't)
Tonight's episode of Fringe, "Momentum Deferred," promises finally to let us see what happened between Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) after the season finale last year. So far, Dunham has focused on recovering from her trip to the parallel universe, where Bell greeted her in New York's still-standing World Trade Center twin towers.
Nimoy returns for his second on-screen appearance as Bell, and promos for the episode show Dunham finally recalling her meeting, with Bell asserting she is only just beginning to realize her powers. In a call with reporters on Wednesday, Nimoy previewed his episode and actually answered some questions about what's in store for Bell.
Here are the six juicy questions Nimoy answered, and three more that he dodged. Fringe airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.
1. What does Bell do "over there," and with whom does he associate? It's cool to hide out in an alternate dimension, but you've still got to have a life there. Bell's not just waiting for FBI agents to find the portal to his world, but he's so far up the chain of command that he just sits back and delegates. "William Bell is sort of a 'master of the universe,' a brilliant man, very wealthy man, very powerful," Nimoy said. "We'll find out a lot more about him in future episodes."
2. What does Bell want with Olivia? We'll find out tonight. "In the episode, ... the scene is between myself and Olivia," Nimoy said. "I think the most important thing is that ... we will get a sense of what his relationship is with Olivia. There are some very intriguing and very intense moments that take place. ... The rest remains to be seen."
3. What's Bell's endgame? Tonight's episode will tell us at least a version of what Bell is aiming for. Of course, whether what Bell says is the truth could still be interpreted: This is Fringe, after all. "I think we'll learn a lot more than we have known in the past about what their relationship is all about and what William Bell's intentions are," Nimoy said. "Or at least we will be told what his intentions are. We're not really quite sure that everything that he says is accurate or true."
4. When will Bell be back again? After tonight's episode, which Nimoy shot a few weeks ago, he expects to be back at work in another two weeks. So about a month or so in air time before his next appearance. "I'm waiting to see what these terribly imaginative writers come up with for the future," Nimoy said. "I'm expecting that I probably will be going back to work for them before too much longer. I'm looking forward to what they send me on the page, but right now we go a long way tomorrow night in discovering what William Bell is all about."
5. Are they shooting two Bell episodes at a time with Nimoy? No. Although we reported this summer that writer/producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman planned to shoot back-to-back Bell episodes, Nimoy is sticking to one episode at a time. "I don't know where that came from," Nimoy said. "My understanding is that [tonight] is the one episode. I did this work a few weeks ago, and that work is in the show. ... I don't think we did work for more than the one episode. Then I will be going back to work for them in about two weeks to do one more episode. Beyond that, we're in discussion. I don't think it's true that we're doing more than one episode at a time."
6. What is Bell like when he's not having interdimensional meetings? Most of what we know about Bell is still hearsay. A voice-over and a cameo don't give us much sense of his character. Tonight, Nimoy promises you'll start to know who William Bell really is. "It's great fun to be building the character from scratch with certain givens but so much to be developed in terms of the way he talks, the way he walks, idiosyncrasies, his tastes," Nimoy said. "Is he difficult, is he gruff, is he charming, is he a nice guy? What are his real intentions? All of these are great exploration for an actor. I think you'll see tomorrow night one very strong aspect of him and certain idiosyncrasies that are being developed, but I do think there's a long way to go. I think there's a lot to be discovered, and I'm looking forward to discovering it with the audience."
7. When will Bell and Walter Bishop (John Noble) face off? This is the showdown Fringe fans are waiting for. Of course, they're holding that card for later. "Unpredictable at the moment," Nimoy teased.
8. If there are duplicate people "over there," is there a second William Bell? As if one Bell weren't enough, but it's the logical question. "I don't think I can really answer that question very specifically right now," Nimoy dodged.
9. Finally, is Bell good or evil? The elusive Bell is the original mastermind behind the fringe science, but does that make him the Big Bad, or do the ends justify noble means? "Ah, ah, ah, that's a really wonderful question," Nimoy said. "Time will tell."
By Duke at 12:11 PM ON 10/08/09
Having "Supernatural" and "Fringe" on at the same time is a PITA for fans who like both shows.
By Memnock71 at 12:25 PM ON 10/08/09
I agree with Duke, it's hard to figure out which one to watch and which one to record.
By cassiach at 12:45 PM ON 10/08/09
I agree with you both. I have given up trying to decide and just watch fringe on HULU a few days late.
By ulic at 12:47 PM ON 10/08/09
Shoot. DVR both of them and then watch 'em without commercials... :)
By Kikstad at 12:53 PM ON 10/08/09
Fringe is so good, and getting better and better all the time.
By victor at 1:18 PM ON 10/08/09
Awesome, he used that buffy slang "Big Bad"
By Kittyluvspez at 1:31 PM ON 10/08/09
Leonard Nimoy rocks no matter how good or evil the character is! ;D (Fan since before Adam was born!)
By Marty B. at 1:54 PM ON 10/08/09
Uh, Kitty, reading comprehension check: Nimoy did not use "Big Bad" in any of the quotes presented here. Fred Toppel did to speculate on William Bell.
People do actually read the posts before commenting on them right?
I don't watch TV anymore unless it's a live sporting event (Go Phils!). I've emigrated to Hulu Nation. That is, I live by my schedule and look up things to watch when I feel like it.
By Dayleph at 2:35 PM ON 10/08/09
Uhm, Marty... you should do a reading comprehension check on yourself there, buddy.
the "Big Bad" comment was by victor, not Kitty, and I believe victor was referring to Fred's use of the term "Big Bad," not Nimoy's. All Kitty said was that, good OR evil, she thought Nimoy rocks.
Second, it's Fred Topel (1 'p') according to the 'By' line at the top. :-)
Sorry Marty, couldn't help it. C'mon, you know you were thinking the same thing after re-reading your post.
Never did get into Fringe; the one episode I saw I didn't get to focus on, so the bits I caught were a tad confusing, but it looked like it had an interesting premise. Once I can find some time, I think I shall look this up on HULU myself.
By DaShadow at 2:44 PM ON 10/08/09
Uh, Marty, victor make the comment about "Big Bad", not Kitty.
Do you read the comments before commenting?
By Marty B. at 4:32 PM ON 10/08/09
Awesome pigpile Da Shadow ... not. Presuming you thought you were doing a "fresh" dig, did it actually take you 7 minutes longer to come up with you slow barb than it took Dayleph.
Dayleph, "touche" repetitively for putting me in my place.
Fringe actually isn't as complicated as some fans put it. Easy to catch up on through hulu while eating or catching up on e-mail.
By Moghut at 4:55 PM ON 10/08/09
Yay! Looking foreward to this episode. Nimoy is great.
-another resident of the Hulu nation oO
By Fury161 at 10:05 PM ON 10/08/09
Just watched it. That was easily the best episode yet!!!!
By Dreamtime909 at 10:20 PM ON 10/08/09
Still not quite in your place yet Marty B. You still owe Kitty an apology.
By Shatterhand at 11:36 PM ON 10/08/09
LOVED tonight's episode. Gods, I'm so glad I gave this show a try. Watched the entire 1st season in a three-day stretch then caught up on the 2nd season premiere and the episode after. Watched the one before tonight on DVR, and now I'm all caught up. Best choice I ever made.
By 1idman at 12:12 AM ON 10/09/09
Is there a "Let Walter get lucky" petition to sign?
By ZoeChastain at 4:49 AM ON 10/09/09
Let see what happen, I cannot wait to see the latest episode Its really shake me...
By Aberzombie at 6:25 AM ON 10/09/09
@Duke & Memnock71 - For what it's worth, I always DVR Supernatural and watch Fringe as it is first aired. I figure that Supernatural is in its final season, what with the Apocalypse and all, so it won't hurt ratings to DVR it.
By PALADIN at 8:02 AM ON 10/09/09
I`ll take Fringe over Supernatural anytime.
Fringe has a compelling storyline with intriguing characters.
.....Meanwhile, on Supernatural, it`s same-o-same-o ; Dean blusters, Sam whines, they 'break up' over Trust Issues, and Bobby espouses Down-Home-Father-Figure-Corn-Pone-Common-Sense. Then they defeat ' EEEVIL! ' yet again and drive off in the bad-ass Impala ( the only element of the show that I have not grown tired of ).
I`m not saying that Supernatural is not fun, it`s just nothing that they haven`t done to death already. Sure, they are now caught up in some Grand Endgame to stop 'The Apocalypse' and the EEEVIL in question is 'Lucifer'....But it really is the same thing they have done sooo many times. Even snarky 'Archangels' and a rogue Angel like Castiel ( a guy with ONE facial expression; worried ) cannot inject drama into the Battle-Against-The-EEVIL-Of -The- Week plots. In fact, the entire Ultimate Battle plot is just a little too overblown in scope to be viable in a series. They should have made a movie with that.
I`ll stick with Fringe.
By the Beast at 8:14 AM ON 10/09/09
Its NOT even close. Supernatural is infinitely superior to Fringe. Go back to watching Dawson's Creek Pacey the Paladin.
By trauma21 at 10:02 AM ON 10/09/09
I think that the walter Bishop from the other deminsion is going to be the one causing all the problems as a retaliation for the other Bishop taking his son to replace the one that died.
By PALADIN at 3:30 PM ON 10/09/09
RE: "Go back to watching Dawson's Creek Pacey the Paladin."
---Grow Up, Little One.
It is because I despise tv soap operas that I am tired of watching Spin and Marty, er--Sam and Dean--say the same tired crap to each other as they preen and posture for the fangirls out there (oh, and the FanBOYS such as yourself ) who seem to want to see the same scenes played out time and time again...
How many times has Dean said 'So Long, Sammy, I Just can`t Trust You", anyway ?? It seems like twice a season.
Is there no growth? Is there no competant script writer?
Apparently not.
By Marty B. at 4:03 PM ON 10/09/09
Wow, Paladin, "Spin and Marty" probably flew over everyone's heads. I agree though about Supernatural. Fringe is interesting, I like the little jokes, like the recent claiming of the X-Files' legacy (the hearing that mentions how Fringe is the current incarnation of the cases that used to fall under the "X" designation, you all caught that, right?)
But yes, Kitty, I apologize that I slipped out of blog comment reading to the more conventional tactic of seeing the name under a text as a signatory. Thus misattributing another's stupidity to you. I support your unabashed Nimoy fandom.
By PALADIN at 2:51 AM ON 10/10/09
Supernatural is still a fun show, but I just do not find it particularly interesting. Fun, but not intriguing.... I really do not care what happens with the whole pending Apocalypse thing because it`s being handled in slow-motion ...painfully so. The Doorway To hell plotline from the previous season was much more intriguing,( although when the Damned Demons escaped, I half expected Ezekial Stone --or at least Sam Oliver -- to go after them. They could have handled it with more panache` anyway)... Sam & Dean Winchester are just not that interesting as characters anymore.
Hell, it`s always been bad enough that they are consistentently out-acted by the Impala ( and you know it`s really bad when a car has more personality than the driver) ... I care about the Impala. When it got smashed, I was devastated...But Sam and Dean? When they die, sell their souls, go to Hell, get arrested, committ credit card fraud on a regular basis or screw around with she-demons and have unprotected sex with strange women...man, I just figure that they deserve whatever comes at them. ...
Why care ? After all that, it`s just going to be more whine, whine, from Sam and more chest-pounding bluster from Dean. Even when they try a little role-reversal, it is short-lived and never very believeable, and they always revert to type in short order.
For a long time, the most interesting characters have been their dead Daddy, Good Buddy Bobby, who is their surrogate Daddy and of course, The Impala. If Daddy John would come back ( again) it would be interesting, but I doubt that Jeffrey Dean Morgan has the time these days.
Supernatural has produced some great episodes, and I`ve enjoyed it...But The Glory Days are GONE.
Fringe on the other hand, is just beginning to be intriguing, and I want to see where they takeThe Other Side plotline...( altho I admitt that whenever the Shape Changing Assassins pop up, I look for Brian Thompson to show up with his high-tech Ice Pick....and that clever 'X designation' reference did not lessen the urge to whistle a certain haunting theme now-n-then )
Fringe is growing on me...Perhaps like a mould or fungus, as Walter might surmise...But growing nonetheless.
Hell, once in a while I even wish that real places actually had big-ass white letters hanging in the air in front of them.
By theBeast at 8:34 AM ON 10/10/09
Listen Pacey, Supernatural's first 3 seasons are easily the best seasons ever of any show. That includes your precious Fringe and Dawson's Creek. When a super cool guy like Dean ganks a vampire and says "Eat me, Twilight", he's talking to 13yr. old boys just like you who probably have James Van Der Beek and Robert Pattinson posters in your room. I would imagine the whole show is probably just a little too intense for you. For a CW show its incredibly violent.
By PALADIN at 9:07 AM ON 10/10/09
RE: "Supernatural's first 3 seasons are easily the best seasons ever of any show. That includes your precious Fringe and Dawson's Creek. When a super cool guy like Dean ganks a vampire and says "Eat me, Twilight", ..."
Oh, Sparky, Sparky, Sparky....
You poor Little One.
You just are not paying attention, are you?
No one has said that Supernatural did not have a good run.
Hell, I have said so repeatedly.
But it is over now, Sparky. O-V-E-R.
Pounding your little fists on the computer at me and bleating like a stuck piglet that Supernatural is the bestest show EVER is not going to change the repetitive plotting, the tired dialogue, the lack of interest, OR make Padalecki and Ackles better actors.
One can only go so far on bluster and BS ( as you yourself are finding out right about now)
I am not going to resort to peurile 'betcha ' cracks to try and smear your character or impugn your posts with crude attempts at personal insults.....
The FACT that you are panting ..hard ...over "Super-Cool Dean" as you term him says all that needs to be said.
Now, unless you are planning upon becoming more intelligent in the near future, you may want to go play somewhere else.
All that I require to ruin you is the mirror of your own posts, reflected back at you
By QNUTZ420 at 10:33 PM ON 10/13/09
HA!!! SUPER COOL GUY.....HE'S AN ACTOR SON...GROW UP!!!!!!!
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