BISHOP OF TOOBWORLD

On a recent episode of 'Alias' (in fact, the one which had a crossover with 'Lost'), the villain was known by the name of "Martin Bishop".

For all I know, he was using an alias as well. And if so, it helps illustrate that there is a difference between the movie and TV universes.

Certain movies are connected to the TV Universe, - spin-off franchises and maybe MAYBE a few remakes, - but for the most part, the so-called "Cineverse" is a fragmented series of alternate dimensions that would be impossible to gel into a cohesive whole.

More than likely, the Martin Bishop of 'Alias' took his nom de espionage from either one movie which was inspired by another, or from them both:

In "Sneakers", Robert Redford played Martin Bishop. But that's just an alias he had gone by for the last 20 years, since running from the authorities. He was wanted for hacking into things he wasn't supposed to, causing quite a bit of mischief in the name of his bleeding-heart causes.

He and his team of security experts regularly broke into high-security establishments to check for security holes, so that these places can keep bad guys with the same means out.

In "Three Days Of The Condor" (1975) which also starred Robert Redford, a CIA building was hit. Subsequently, a list of the casualties was displayed.... The final two names on the list being Martin and Bishop, which was Redford's alias in "Sneakers".

It could be that the Redford character in "Sneakers" saw his resemblance to the character played by Redford in "Three Days Of The Condor". Who knows? Doesn't matter to me; I work for Toobworld.

But the Martin Bishop of 'Alias' must have liked the connection when he saw both movies; he must have been a big fan of the spy genre in films to have noticed it.

Unfortunately - but only for him, - the name's mojo didn't translate to his own success in the field.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby