Fringe: Discussion Thread

[BadZoe]

I might watch another episode to see if the pilot was just a fluke and the series isn't going to be that bad. I liked the first scene on the plane but the rest was just over-contrived Crapola!

[EricMontreal22]

I thinkt he tone has to be defined a bit better--Abrams has said he wants peopel to know it's not set in a real world--but a sorta over the top wacky world--the end of the pilot hinted at this (the robot hand etc) but...

[EricMontreal22]

Well I watched ep 2 of Fringe tonight and I'm even more confused about the show now...

My main complaint/confusion was it felt an uneasy mix to me--half of it was a graphic serial killer type story that I felt like we'd already seen too much of on TV (Criminal Minds and the like has so many shots of women being tortured to death already that I really didn't need to see it on another show), and then that was mixed with the more mythology/continuing storyline aspect--and the way the two stories met (ie the killer was doing the killings for slightly supernatural reasons) felt forced to me.

I admit my view could be partly coloured that I caught the episode with a friend who found the scenes of women being picked up for sex and then paralyzed and cut into a bit much to handle on a 9pm network show--but I felt basically the same way (it's funny to be nostalgic of stuff like X Files but it just didn't feel as exploitive from what I remember, in similar stories--while being scarier). It also is weird--now that Abrams has said admitted that the show takes place in a sort of bizarro world I find the tone of the whole thing all the harder to grasp. On one hand you had the scenes in the big business "evil corporation" which I enjoyed, and the character interaction which I also, mostly, enjoyed (yes even Josh Jackson singing Row Row Row Your Boat) and then on the other you had the serial killer scenes which were largely filmed the way they'd be on a "realistic" cop show, which was tied into the freaky X Files rapid aging thing. I don't think it all balanced out at all. Maybe if the cop type scenes had a bit more of the Alias camp/fun factor going for them that Abrams did so well there--here they're very dark and maybe too bleak I felt--which doens't go ell with having a big bossy villainess with a robotic arm (I love her though).

Already I get a sense that Abrams and all are working hard to live up to their word of making the mythology and serial aspects not too pervasive so that newbies can still enjoye the episodes--but again the balance didn't work for me in this episode--I still had to explain all the weird comments about her old partner, the corporation, etc to my friend who missed the pilot and, frankly, I found them the mor einteresting aspect of the show. Since we didn't have enough time with the serial killer story the end where his plight was almost meant to be bathed in pathos jus came off very poor and a big "who cares" (so his father made him do all those sexual killings, for YEARS, out of love and he NEVER wanted to? ok....) Again that part of the story probably woulda bugged me less if it had been fleshed out more (though on the other hand, as I said I don't have much patience to watch another show focusing on the torture killings of female victims no matter how complex the story is).

I think the show might have to decide quickly what fanbase it wants to please and stick to that direction more. I did find the final *flash* shot (were those three clones of the Josh Jackson character? Something else?) compelling despite myself... Anyway it was just episode two, I still like some of the characters, and some more of the actors and a lot of the style so am sticking with it...

E

[applcin]

One thing I'm wondering is if every oddity they come across is going to be something that, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, Dr. Bishop once experimented with. Granted, it's only the second show but I think it would be a cop-out if they used that approach in every show.

I'm not sure if the last scene was of clones of Peter or someone else....if it was meant to tie into that episode or if it was a preview of next week before the preview, you know, like how they used to do at the end of Quantum Leap when Sam leaped into the next life and went "Oh, boy!"

[EricMontreal22]

I thought it was connected with the Dr talking about the medical history of his son? And yeah to have the second episode again be connected to him struck me as a bit forced... I sound so down on it--the serial killer story--which felt to me typical, uneedingly graphic and then wasn't even really explained or focused enough to make it interesting really put me off--but I liked enough about the show that I'm definetly gonna keep watching... for now.

I do kinda wonder if JJ Abrams is shooting himself in the foot trying this new "less mythology, more episode of the week" technique, when from Felicity, Alias to Lost that's always been his *appeal* (even if he is right that sometimes it truns people off how complex it gets). We'll see

[applcin]

I'm hanging in there for now, too, but so far, the "set up" has been too convenient...Dr. Bishop being so familiar and involved with both anomalies, the big corporation with a boss who likes the FBI agent and gives her whatever she asks for. It's like they have too many built-in answers and "way outs."

I guess we'll see how the episodic approach goes. Of the shows you mentioned, I only had watched Lost and I gave that up after Season 2, not really because of the mythology, moreso a combination of long hiatus, new characters, not really having much of an attachment to regular characters anyway, etc. And in that show's case, if you do miss something, it affects your being able to pick up on later shows so it makes a return that much less inviting. Basically, I just stopped being interested. Maybe the fact that this show seems less serialized may help.

[EricMontreal22]

Well as I said earlier the very whole basic setup of the whole thing--that Josh Jackson HAS to be there because his father can only be released from the mental asylum, or even INTERVIEWED by the FBI with his permission and presence makes SO little sense, I can't even think about it. (why would an all powerful government, who locked him up, not eb allowed to interview him to find out about a deadly plague killing hundreds of people in the pilot??) But i guess that's partly what Abrams means when he says the show takes place in a completely fictional wacky world--still half the show is done so "real world" that it's hard, for me anyway, to change my mind back and forth. (if that makes any sense). Alias--and this show really feels like Alias meets X Files to me--was completely wacky--and kinda lost me near the end, but it introduced all the silly rimbaldi, etc, stuff over many episodes and always had a more fun/camp style to it anyway that made that all easier to swallow.

[applcin]

I'm already half expecting a mother/daugher reveal between robot lady/FBI lady with a mysterious daddy somewhere. I can't even remember their names at this point. I see the actress and I think of Without A Trace.

[Toups]

I'm so happy that the House lead in help Fringe's ratings.

I thought it was very cool how they extracted the memory from the eyeball. LOL

I don't think the last scene had anything to with Peter. I think he was just a teaser for next week's episode.

I like that the show is 50 minutes long with only 10 minutes of commercials, while most primetime shows are like 42 minutes long.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah will that last longer? I noticed the commercial breaks were VERY short (I usually know I have enough time to make tea or a drink during commercials and this time I'd have to rush back cuz I'd hear it starting lol) I still don't think it was a teaser

The memory eyeball thing I found stupid just cuz it's been overused SOO much--though crediting it to Verne was a first for me.

[Toups]

It hope all the episodes are 50 minutes. But yeah, we'll see if it's gonna last.

It was the first time I saw it, so I thought it was very cool.

[EricMontreal22]

Caught up with ep 3 of Fringe... I won't post one of my long rambly reviews cuz there's not much to say, and I don't feel like it ;D But... I liked it much more than last week's. While maybe too similar to the pilot's "pattern plot", the "pattern plot" this week was more interesting than last week's and felt WAY more integrated with the characters and continuing story elements to me. A few quibbles--it looks like every case IS going to be tied into the professor some how which seems silly... Some of the humour just came off as kinda dumb to me (the clueless students knocking and interupting a potentially gory scene, etc). And this is prob my fault but I'm already confused--we got a name (John someone) for the body in the weird chamber at the end, in the "Evil Corporations" place (this is the room we had a quick flash to last week)--but I still don't remember names and wasn't sure if we were meant to recognize that name or not (was it her dead original partner?). Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time a pretty obvious clue completely misses me by on a JJ Abrams show (this was the first ep so far that he didn't help write too...)

ALso I appreciate that for some reason, so far, Fox is letting the episodes run to around 50 minutes--VERY quick commercial breaks. I wonder if sponsors are paying more, if this will last, or what that's about--I can't think of any other current network tv show with that priviledge.

E

[Toups]

Yes, John Scott (Mark Valley) is the FBI agent, and Agent Dunham's boyfriend from the pilot.

Dollhouse is going to have less commercials too.

Hmm.....so Massive Dynamics is keeping an eye on Agent Dunham. I wonder why they want her.

[EricMontreal22]

So that WAS Olivia's boyfriend?? HAHA God I feel dumb for not fully catching on... HAHA thanks for clearing it up

[Sylph]

You can read the script for the pilot here.