| “ | You make two assumptions Ms. Dunham, both incorrect. The first is that there is nothing more valuable than my freedom. The second is that I am responsible for the infection of Agent Loeb. | „ |
| ~ David Robert Jones to Olivia Dunham (while manipulating the conversation when Olivia tries to negotiate his only condition - to ask a single question). |
David Robert Jones is an antagonist in Fringe, being the primary antagonist of the first season and the secondary antagonist of the fourth season (2011—2012).
He is a biochemist and former employee of billionaire scientist William Bell and the Massive Dynamics corporation, a connection that wasn't revealed until the season one finale. In the fourth season, he is a protege for Bell's newly designed shapeshifters, in a plan to collapse both universes.
Over the course of the first season, he is proven to be the leader of ZFT, the organization responsible for most incidents investigated by the Fringe Division during season one. Despite his death, he is revived in a new timeline following Peter Bishop's death as a child in a readjusted timeline. The Redverse Nina Sharp is one of his followers.
He was portrayed by Jared Harris, who also portrayed Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Mac McGrath in Mr. Deeds, and Axel Bellman in The Shadow in the North.
History[]
First appearing in the series while incarcerated in a German prison in the episode "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones", Jones soon becomes the main antagonist of season 1. He is first shown whilst being contacted by Olivia, who is trying to find the antidote for a parasite in Agent Loeb's body. Jones agrees to help her, but only in exchange for the opportunity to ask an associate one question. The response is a coded message picked up by Loeb, who is secretly working for Jones.
Receiving Jones' message, Loeb is soon able to proceed in creating a teleportation device once designed by Walter Bishop, and successfully teleports Jones out of prison, freeing him.
In "Ability", Jones turned himself over to the FBI, in exchange for Walter's help with the life-threatening side-effects of his teleportation. He then presents Olivia with a test: to prevent a biological bomb from detonating by turning off a series of lights only using her mind. Eventually, Olivia is able to do this, thanks to Walter's and Bell's Cortexiphan experiments conducted on her when she was a child. Jones then disappears again, leaving only a cryptic message: "You Passed".
In the Season 1 finale, Jones' former relationship to William Bell is revealed, as is his goal of trying to escape to the parallel universe to confront Bell, whom Jones believes never saw his true potential. Everything done by Jones since his introduction in the series has been either to get in contact with Bell, or to prove himself worthy of Bell's approval.
He finally succeeds in opening a portal to the parallel universe, where Bell is located. However, the portal is dangerously unstable, threatening to cause severe harm to both universes, but Peter is able to close the portal in time for it not to result in any real disaster. Jones, being only halfway through the portal, is however cut in half and dies immediately.
In the Season 4 episode "Back to Where You've Never Been", David Robert Jones returns as a character in the alternate timeline created by Peter Bishop's deletion at the end of Season 3. With Peter's removal, Jones appears to have survived the portal crossing and is present in the alternate universe. He is revealed to be behind the "Human Shapeshifters" that are plaguing both universes and the alternate Broyles and Brandon appear to be under his control. He was taking his orders from William Bell. He takes up a missions to awaken Olivia Durham's Cortexiphan powers, which presumably caused his death. He realizes too late that this had been Bell's plan all along.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- David Robert Jones is the real name of legendary English singer David Bowie.
- Mr. Jones speaks English, German, Spanish, (plus at least one other language – not viewable in the screen capture).
- Jones is "1601 CLASSIFIED".