Fringe (Spoilers)

I think a problem with Fringe that it got really interesting after 1/3 of the season was done. The first episodes followed a formula and it really feels that it was just going to be a "freak-of-the-week" storyline ala Smallville. It's only until later that the arc of the season starts going full circle. The recent episodes have really gotten interesting, but the long breaks suck. It kinda kills the tension.
 
Bass said:
I just saw episode 2.

While still quite crappy, what surprised me is how quickly I am now liking Denethor and Pacey. They're very good. And their tender moment at the end of the episode where Pacey sings Denethor to sleep is particularly touching.

Tuning into the third episode and I realise that the main character, Olivia Floobeldeedoo, has precisely one expression: Frowning. Sometimes, she's so sad, she frowns. Other times, she's so perplexed, she frowns. And when she's angry... she frowns. Boring, dull character. Needs a better actress or a better writer.
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Honestly, when I started watching the show, I didn't like Olivia or Pacey. The only characters who seemed sympathetic to me were the Doc and the cute black girl. But you've got to give it a few episodes. Once the background starts to develop it becomes much better.

I felt the same way as you after watching my first episode.
 
I find this show to be very unsophisticated and poorly researched, both scientifically and within its own fictional mythology.
 
I watched up to the twelfth episode and I find it terribly disappointing and over-rated.

Explanation to follow.
 
Bass said:
I just saw episode 2.

While still quite crappy, what surprised me is how quickly I am now liking Denethor and Pacey. They're very good. And their tender moment at the end of the episode where Pacey sings Denethor to sleep is particularly touching.

Tuning into the third episode and I realise that the main character, Olivia Floobeldeedoo, has precisely one expression: Frowning. Sometimes, she's so sad, she frowns. Other times, she's so perplexed, she frowns. And when she's angry... she frowns. Boring, dull character. Needs a better actress or a better writer.
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Hell, even when she's happy she frowns.

Anna Torv isn't really given very much to do, and much of the investigative work is about people giving massive plot dumps than any actual investigating.

Joshua Jackson is likable, and thankfully redeems himself from the Pacey-esque plague that has been cast over his career since Skulls tanked at the box office.

One thing I dislike about this show is that there is just way too much "TELL" than there is "SHOW". You know things about other characters because they tell you so. So we're given the impression that so and so is a hard *** without showing you he or she is a hard ***, or that so and so has no morals, without showing you that he or she is amoral.

I also have difficulty buying into Massive Dynamic's as a premise. It's supposed to be this big *** multidivision conglomerate that we are supposed to not trust simply because it is a Big *** Multidivision Conglomerate rather than being shown why it shouldn't be trusted in the first place. We're supposed to be suspicious of the unseen William Bell because he's like Bill Gates as Satan but with a Ph. D. in OMGology, but we're never told why.

The only consistently good thing about this show is John Noble as Walter Bishop who owns every scene he is in, even if he's just muttering about pastries or asking people if they're stoned.
 
ourchair said:
The only consistently good thing about this show is John Noble as Walter Bishop who owns every scene he is in, even if he's just muttering about pastries or asking people if they're stoned.
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Someone should definitely edit together his choice lines and post it on Youtube. That wouldn't be considered copyright infringement by Fox, would it?

I ask because I know you know the answer. :shock:
 
Holy ****! Guess who has been cast as William Bell...
Leonard Nimoy!
 
Yesterday's episode was very good.

I have my doubts about the guy really being from the C.I.A. Or maybe he is, but he's also in contact with....SOMEONE ELSE! DUN DUN DUNNN!!


But next week's episode is gonna be great.
 
ourchair said:
Hell, even when she's happy she frowns.

Anna Torv isn't really given very much to do, and much of the investigative work is about people giving massive plot dumps than any actual investigating.

Joshua Jackson is likable, and thankfully redeems himself from the Pacey-esque plague that has been cast over his career since Skulls tanked at the box office.

One thing I dislike about this show is that there is just way too much "TELL" than there is "SHOW". You know things about other characters because they tell you so. So we're given the impression that so and so is a hard *** without showing you he or she is a hard ***, or that so and so has no morals, without showing you that he or she is amoral.

I also have difficulty buying into Massive Dynamic's as a premise. It's supposed to be this big *** multidivision conglomerate that we are supposed to not trust simply because it is a Big *** Multidivision Conglomerate rather than being shown why it shouldn't be trusted in the first place. We're supposed to be suspicious of the unseen William Bell because he's like Bill Gates as Satan but with a Ph. D. in OMGology, but we're never told why.

The only consistently good thing about this show is John Noble as Walter Bishop who owns every scene he is in, even if he's just muttering about pastries or asking people if they're stoned.
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I felt the same way about information dumping, and about the flimsy basis for the antagonists, but with the recent revelations about the ZFT and all that, it makes a little more sense. But yeah, some of the execution is fairly sloppy.



Getting back to the details of the series though..... I was watching "Inner Child". Is it possible that the little bald kid is the Watcher? If that guy's from 15-20 years in an alternate future, is it possible the kid's going to grow up to be him?

Edit: Never mind.... I just caught the last couple minutes. I missed them because American Idol cut off my recording. ;) I didn't realize the Watcher actually made an appearance.
 
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ourchair said:
Hell, even when she's happy she frowns.

Anna Torv isn't really given very much to do, and much of the investigative work is about people giving massive plot dumps than any actual investigating.

Joshua Jackson is likable, and thankfully redeems himself from the Pacey-esque plague that has been cast over his career since Skulls tanked at the box office.

One thing I dislike about this show is that there is just way too much "TELL" than there is "SHOW". You know things about other characters because they tell you so. So we're given the impression that so and so is a hard *** without showing you he or she is a hard ***, or that so and so has no morals, without showing you that he or she is amoral.

I also have difficulty buying into Massive Dynamic's as a premise. It's supposed to be this big *** multidivision conglomerate that we are supposed to not trust simply because it is a Big *** Multidivision Conglomerate rather than being shown why it shouldn't be trusted in the first place. We're supposed to be suspicious of the unseen William Bell because he's like Bill Gates as Satan but with a Ph. D. in OMGology, but we're never told why.

The only consistently good thing about this show is John Noble as Walter Bishop who owns every scene he is in, even if he's just muttering about pastries or asking people if they're stoned.
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I agree with everything. Especially the phD in OMGology because that is fantastic.

John Noble is awesome. Mr Jones is also pretty cool. But the show is just stupid and pretends its smart. It's STAR TREK spin-off ****ty.

DIrishB said:
Whoa...thats kinda cool! Cool enough to motivate me to catch up on the show.

:D
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It is cool. I want to watch the show just for him. It's Alan Tudyk in DOLLHOUSE all over again! (Although, DOLLHOUSE is surprisingly excellent now - although Echo is still rubbish.)

Also, the 'code' for FRINGE - what a load of toss. It doesn't mean anything. If it's real, I don't get the point. There's no insight gleaned into the show's mythology. There's no point despite a viral marketing campaign for a series that's already on the air. Waste of time.
 
Bass said:
I agree with everything. Especially the phD in OMGology because that is fantastic.
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I was waiting for this validation.

Especially because I thought you'd agree with everything.

I can watch Fringe. I don't hate it. It's just terribly over-rated and I'm surprised the same TV blogs that usually agree with me over shows like Jericho and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chroniclesseem to be giving this series a free pass in the recap/reviews every ****ing week.

I also agree with your assessment of the code. It's utter nonsense, and means even less to me than it does to a country that doesn't know what TV viral marketing campaigns are for.
 
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Ice said:
You guys can be such a kill-joy sometimes.... :(
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Seriously. I don't know where all this "Fringe is overrated" talk is coming from either. Most TV blogs or forums I read share the same opinion as Bass or Ourchair - it either sucks or is okay at best. Hell, it was even removed from the viewing schedule in this country because no one cared about it.

If you don't care about it, stop watching it and start spending your time watching something you like so the rest of us can continue to enjoy the show.
 
ProjectX2 said:
Seriously. I don't know where all this "Fringe is overrated" talk is coming from either. Most TV blogs or forums I read share the same opinion as Bass or Ourchair - it either sucks or is okay at best. Hell, it was even removed from the viewing schedule in this country because no one cared about it.
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All the blogs I read give it the awesome awesomeness of awesome ratings, and I'm saying over-rated based on the number of people on my social network feeds addicted to it.

This is not to suggest that the absence of overratingification from yr social sphere is wrong, it just means we're obviously exposed to different people and different blogs. However, it is a fact that Fringe is a darling among critics and on the ratings, so either way, there is room for any naysayer to say it is over-rated.

Also, I only comment on Fringe because I actually watch it, and I don't come here to pooh pooh something I don't watch. It's called criticism, and I may in fact continue to watch the show at a later date to provide further criticism. It's not like I'm here to hate for hate's sake, otherwise TV blogs wouldn't be allowed to say anything less than praise in their recaps.
 
ourchair said:
All the blogs I read give it the awesome awesomeness of awesome ratings, and I'm saying over-rated based on the number of people on my social network feeds addicted to it.

This is not to suggest that the absence of overratingification from yr social sphere is wrong, it just means we're obviously exposed to different people and different blogs. However, it is a fact that Fringe is a darling among critics and on the ratings, so either way, there is room for any naysayer to say it is over-rated.

Also, I only comment on Fringe because I actually watch it, and I don't come here to pooh pooh something I don't watch. It's called criticism, and I may in fact continue to watch the show at a later date to provide further criticism. It's not like I'm here to hate for hate's sake, otherwise TV blogs wouldn't be allowed to say anything less than praise in their recaps.
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Hey, while you're not watching, do your UC2 lines!!!!! :D
 
Amazing, my hometown got two shoutouts on the new episode. The hybrid beast caused all sorts of havoc there and got hit by a car! If only they actually filmed here, then I'd see them all the time. I've seen my college in a couple of shots, but just in shots taken from a helicopter.
 
Watched 1x15 and 1x16. I liked both episodes. I was thinking that the Observer is a time traveler - he's gone back in time to witness these Pattern-related incidents because he knows when they occur and his connection to Olivia when he was a child would explain why he seems to watch her too... but then the CIA guy said "we've found another one."

1x16 was insane. That giant hybrid creature. That was crazy.
 
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