The passing of actor Lance Reddick at the age of 60 has, as is always the case for great actors, led many to reflect on his most memorable performances. Reddick received perhaps the most prestige for his role onThe Wire,in which he played police officer Cedric Daniels. Many know him for his role as Charon in theJohn Wickfilms, while video game fans recognize his deep, resonant voice from his performances as Sylens in theHorizonseries and Commander Zavala in the Destiny games.
However, one of his major television roles is less frequently discussed in retrospectives of Reddick’s career. From 2008 to 2013, Reddick played Colonel Phillip Broyles on thesci-fi procedural drama,Fringe.Though discussions of the show often focus on the fascinating concepts it explored and the brilliant performance of John Noble as Walter Bishop, Phillip Broyles' character — and the actor who played him — deserve recognition for helping make the show what it was.
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Lance Reddick’s Character On Fringe
A sci-fi procedural drawing onThe X-FilesandThe Twilight Zone,Fringefollows a team of government agents and scientists as they investigate cases involving unusual scientific occurrences. Reddick’s character Colonel Broyles first appears in the show’s pilot episode, when protagonist and main character Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) arrives to investigate a plane crash that occurred under mysterious circumstances. Initially, Broyles is cold towards Olivia and comes across as apotentially antagonistic character. Olivia reveals to her partner that she convicted Broyles' friend of a criminal act, and correctly assesses that Broyles is bitter towards her for it.
However, by the end of the episode and the case, Olivia has proven her mettle, merit, intelligence — and perhaps most importantly, open-mindedness towards unexplained phenomena. This is what prompts Broyles to trust her, and grant her access to classified information.
Broyles is the one who reveals to Olivia (and thereby the audience) the existence of the Pattern, a series of cases all similar to the one they have just solved. Broyles describes it “as if someone out there is experimenting, only the whole world is their lab.” He is the one who puts together the ragtag Fringe division: Olivia Dunham; junior FBI agent Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole); disgraced scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble); and Walter’s son Peter (Joshua Jackson). This is the team that audiences follow on each episode’s investigation, but at the top, Broyles is supervising it all. He almost always has a hand in the case — whether it’s with sage advice, or frustrating red tape.
What Phillip Broyles Brought To The Show
As a lifelong soldier, Broyles has a strong sense of duty to the government agencies that he has sworn to serve. However, he frequently has to deal with bureaucracy that limits the Fringe Division’s reach. Some superiors may not be aware of the Pattern, while others ignore the evidence ofparallel universes, psychic abilities, and similar phenomena encountered in the Fringe Division’s cases. Despite his appearance of being quite by-the-book, Broyles creates room for the Fringe division to investigate where they might otherwise be barred. He tends keeps his motivations close to his chest, but gains trust with the main characters (and thus the viewers) through honorable actions rather than words.
The conflicts that Broyles faces often boil down to the difference between the way things are supposed to be done in the FBI and Homeland Security, and the way he knows they need to be done. He is often torn between his obligations, and those he feels he must protect. In an alternate timeline, this is what leaves him open to manipulation byantagonist and evil scientistDavid Robert Jones. However, even in this alternate version of himself, his sense of justice prevails in the end.
Lance Reddick’s gravitas and intensity made him perfect for the role of Colonel Broyles, which demanded a commanding presence. He wasn’t afraid to call out his superiors when their hesitancy put lives at risk, or to chastise Olivia and her team for getting to close to things they weren’t ready for. It was this upright, often calculating exterior that made the character’s vulnerable moments so much more poignant. Despite their fraught beginning, Broyles comes to regard Olivia not only as an exemplary agent,but a trusted friend. Viewers get a sense of how far their relationship has evolved in season 1, episode 11, when Olivia’s life is in danger. Reddick portrays Broyles' concern and fear without breaking his soldier’s demeanor, never losing control of himself or the situation.
To put it simply, the Fringe Division would not exist without Phillip Broyles, who oversaw the team and opened up avenues for their investigations. And Broyles would not exist without Lance Reddick, whose intense yet nuanced performance made the character feel real, and resonate with those watching at home.
Lance Reddick’s Sci-Fi Legacy
Following the conclusion ofFringe,Reddick took on plenty more roles in film, television, and video games, in a variety of genres. Following his role as Broyles, though, much of his best-known work was in science fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi horror.Resident Evilfans will recognize him as the face ofthe villainous Albert Weskerin the 2022 live-action TV series. He is set to appear posthumously as Zeus in the upcomingPercy Jackson and the Olympiansseries, his last live-action performance. And in the wake of his passing, thousands ofDestinyandDestiny 2players visited Commander Zavalato salute or stand in silence by his side.
Throughout his career, and especially afterFringe, Lance Reddick brought deep, compelling performances to science fiction in a variety of media.Fringeis a magnificent example of character-driven sci-fi, and its story — and others like it — wouldn’t be as profound without great actors bringing them to life.
