Fringe - A Review

[Forbin]

I LOVED the alternate Olivia. She was so much more lively and fun than our Olivia!

 

[Agent Richard07]

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but the show "Fringe" was never actually greenlighted by any studio or aired by any network. What you are reacting to are afterimages from either an alternate universe or timeline where the show did air, and those images should fade in your memory unless they create some kind of fracture in our reality. I also must ask, have you been doing any psychedelic drugs or imbibed in an unusual number of high-fat milkshakes?

Um… ya maybe.

Anyhoo…

They spent like five episodes establishing a Peter-less universe which was rather slow moving (I honestly think they could have done that effectively in one episode). When they did indeed get the season arc underway, it felt rather rushed to me. When season four aired, a great many of the commentary threads were full of regular viewers announcing they were jumping ship.

I can see how the Peter thing may have felt dragged out but it doesn't totally feel that way if you're watching one episode after the other. As for the season arc, like I said, it didn't interest me, so I didn't mind that they didn't get to it sooner or that it was glossed over.

I'm glad I stuck with it, because the last episode wasn't just the resolution of the season, but also of plot threads that seemed to get dropped in season one.

I enjoyed the episodes but I was also surprised to see how mundane they were for a two-part season finale. Part 1 was pretty much a case of the week episode. And when the season ended, I didn't feel much in the way of closure. I thought that season 5 would continue what was going on in seasons 3 and 4 but that wasn't the case. I'll get to that when I'm done though.

Lost is a good comparison. Each season had a unified arc, and the next went in a different direction. Lost had a time travel season, Fringe had a season where every other episode was from the point of view of the AU "bad guys."

Season 5 has been the biggest shake-up yet. I'll be curious to know what people's reactions were to that.

I'm pretty sure that the alternate Astrid had Asperger's syndrome.

I see. So everyone else is more confident but she went in the opposite direction.

Bob persuaded me to watch the season with the Olivias switched and I have to say he was right. It was worth persevering with it. My only other comment that any French person on the board could tell you that 'faux' is masculine. Unless you're making knowing in-jokes about Olivia, in which case as you were.

Faux as a term is commonly used in arts and crafts in the US, and Fauxlivia is pretty commonly used amongst fans even if it is technically wrong (I am reminded of an old B movie called The Were Woman). People working on the show called the character Bolivia (B Universe Olivia), while I always preferred Evilivia.

Bolivia makes more sense and is less offensive. She wasn't evil. She was just committed to preserving her world. I like The Were Woman though. It shows a perfect disconnect of the film men to the idea that it shows they think women are a different species from men.

Good to know. "Fauxlivia" was used in the show at least once. That's where I got it. I saw "Bolivia" in a Netflix episode synopsis but I thought someone misheard "Fauxlivia" and wrote down Bolivia. "Fauxlivia" comes off better. I never would have guessed that Bolivia was derived from B-Olivia if no one ever pointed it out.

 

[Skywalker]

I prefer Fauxlivia, too. (Both the nickname and the character.) It goes nicely with Walternate.

 

[Pingfah]

My only other comment that any French person on the board could tell you that 'faux' is masculine. Unless you're making knowing in-jokes about Olivia, in which case as you were.

I'm guessing they're not too rigid about that when it comes to people's names, as Google tells me French people don't seem to have any problem calling her Fauxlivia.

 

[Forbin]

"Bolivia" sounds to harsh to my ears. Also, it's a country.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

I enjoyed the episodes but I was also surprised to see how mundane they were for a two-part season finale. Part 1 was pretty much a case of the week episode. And when the season ended, I didn't feel much in the way of closure.

This is pretty much what I meant when I said they didn't spend enough time on some things. The finale, which may have actually been the series finale since season five was far from a sure thing, felt very rushed. It brought back William Bell, it answered the Olivia must die angle, William Bell actually came out and said Walter was the villain of the series the whole time and didn't know it, and yet it was a little ho hum as an episode. Odd.

Hope you enjoy season five. Can't wait to hear your reaction to Black Umbrella.

 

[Agent Richard07]

I enjoyed the episodes but I was also surprised to see how mundane they were for a two-part season finale. Part 1 was pretty much a case of the week episode. And when the season ended, I didn't feel much in the way of closure.

This is pretty much what I meant when I said they didn't spend enough time on some things. The finale, which may have actually been the series finale since season five was far from a sure thing, felt very rushed. It brought back William Bell, it answered the Olivia must die angle, William Bell actually came out and said Walter was the villain of the series the whole time and didn't know it, and yet it was a little ho hum as an episode. Odd.

I can see that. The end of season 5 did something similar. In fact, I feel about season 5 the way you and many others do about season 4. Too slow in many parts and too rushed in others.

Here we go…

Season 5

If any season can be called a reinvention, this is it. It was the most radical change yet, but it wasn't without its faults. I went in with a lot of expectations. I thought that we'd get present day episodes interspersed with ones that took place in the future like the very end of season 4 did. Then I came to realize that the whole season would be in the future. I was disappointed because this meant that a number of things from season 4 wouldn't be addressed, namely the fate of the alternate universe as well as Fauxlivia, Peter's son and the supposed choice he was supposed to make between her and Olivia. All dropped. You could fault season 4 for not adressing these but since I thought they'd be picked up in season 5, I lay some of the blame here. I'm guessing that with the show struggling in the ratings, they wanted to move on quickly and get some of their other ideas made.

So, I continued watching, unimpressed with most of the season which was dedicated to finding the various pieces of some device. Then in the last few episodes, things really started to pick up and they revisited a few threads from the past to tie them up. At this point I became a little more forgiving. Things were coming together and paying off. They even took us back to the alternate universe for one episode and gave us some closure there. I was happy with that. And with this bit of satisfaction in place, I came to think of season 5's future setting as a pretty cool development. Another positive thing I liked was how the characters had become family and trusted allies. They weren't just co-workers or associates anymore. Okay, I take that back. It wasn't just a positive thing, it was a highlight.

Now for the actual ending… I thought it was anticlimactic. I don't have much to say about it. It was "mission accomplished" but it was sort of just "there". It's not something that will stay with me as one of TV's great endings.

I also look at season 5 this way… It was simply a season-long case, if you think about it, and if the show were to continue in some form, I'm sure we'd see Walt return and everyone else back in the lab. It's that kind of show and when you get attached to characters like these and come to know the format and how things are done, it's a nice thought.

The usual random stuff…

• Pretty convenient that the lab is still aroud and they can work there without anyone going to check.
  
  
• Thinking back to season 1, the people in the bus who were trapped in amber could have been revived but they didn't know that at the time. Who knows… Maybe the writers didn't either.
  
  
• Jenni Blong! That's who Walter's old assistant was. She's on The Booth at the End which is a great little show, by the way. Check it out if you can.
  
  
• Now onto "Black Blotter" and my one-icon review... Click here to see what I'm talking about. This is the kind of show to do this on occasion and Walter is the kind of character to make it happen. Well done. Watching it again, I see that some of the glyphs that appear before the commercial breaks appear as live characters. In fact, the sequence contains a lot of stuff from Walter's thoughts and subconscious. Gotta give a shoutout to Broyles' acid trip too.
  
  
• I never put it together that the kid they found a few seasons earlier was a child observer.
  
  
• We learned that the observers' condition is caused by the device they're implanted with. Then we learn that they're genetically engineered to be this way. Which is it?
  
  
• They said they were going to explain why there were no female observers but they didn't, unless I missed a throwaway line or something.
  
  
• I did wonder what happened to the cow. Glad it's alright. They didn't have to address that but they did.
  
  
• Fauxlivia colors her hair, yet still has some gray streaks?
  
  
• I still don't know what the glyphs during the commercial breaks mean. Abrams said that they mean something. Haven't thought much about it though.

What did everyone else think of season 5?

 

[NCC1701MF]

• I still don't know what the glyphs during the commercial breaks mean. Abrams said that they mean something. Haven't thought much about it though.

Check this link for the glyph's translations
http://fringepedia.net/wiki/Glyphs_code

 

[Takeru]

What did everyone else think of season 5?

I hated it, it was a waste of time, it wasn't Fringe anymore.
The ending annoyed me because of Walter's "sacrifice". So Walter's gone, big deal, we all know that if there's ever a continuation, in comic books maybe, he'll just show up at the end of the first issue,

I was already pissed off when season 4 dumped the blue universe and the original characters, except for Peter they were no longer the same characters we saw for the first few seasons. Giving new Olivia memories of Peter didn't make her the original Olivia, it was a cheat to bring back the relationship but I thought it was awful, she's in a relationship with Peter because she remembers the live of another woman.
Then it got worse, they got rid of the red universe (which also stopped being the real red universe in season 4), Lincoln Lee and everything that made the show great for me, until then I still had hope they would restore the blue universe but they didn't, they did some dystopian future crap.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

I also look at season 5 this way… It was simply a season-long case, if you think about it, and if the show were to continue in some form, I'm sure we'd see Walt return and everyone else back in the lab. It's that kind of show and when you get attached to characters like these and come to know the format and how things are done, it's a nice thought.

When season five was far from a sure thing, people behind the show released a statement that if the show wasn't picked up, they'd wrap everything up in a graphic novel. When it was picked up, they said they were basically making a thirteen hour movie. So, yes, it's one story stretched out and it feels a little thin in the first half. I am however, happy to have an ending. I think at some point John Noble said a movie wasn't out of the question, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

• Now onto "Black Blotter" and my one-icon review... Click here to see what I'm talking about.

One of the best scenes of the entire season. Maybe, show.

• I never put it together that the kid they found a few seasons earlier was a child observer.

When the episode aired, I seriously wondered if the end scene was September looking at himself.

• We learned that the observers' condition is caused by the device they're implanted with. Then we learn that they're genetically engineered to be this way. Which is it?
• They said they were going to explain why there were no female observers but they didn't, unless I missed a throwaway line or something.

The physical nature of the Observers is apparently genetically engineered. However, all of their "super powers" come from implanted devices. They are all test tube babies and I guess their future society sees no need for women. Hat's funny about this is that when we first see this future in season four, there's a night club full of Observers sitting and drinking with what appear to be high class female escorts. Maybe they couldn't resist the novelty of trying out the old fashioned way?


One thing that irritated me was the mystery of the Observers powers. The Peter captures one and it turns out he already knows they come from implants. Um, how?

Fauxlivia colors her hair, yet still has some gray streaks?

No kidding.

Here's another gripe: When Peter sends bombs into the future, he says it has no effect. And yet, all of the empty walls of the streets now have posters of his daughter. I thought it was going to mean something to the plot. It didn't.

 

[Morpheus 02]

Any thoughts on the final scene with Astrid & Walter?

 

[Agent Richard07]

I've been thinking about the white tulip that Peter received at the very end of the final episode and I still don't know what it meant. I know what it means for Walter but what did it mean here?

Anyway...

The Verdict

I'm glad that I've now seen Fringe. Weak fanciful science but mostly decent arcs and stand-alone episodes with great characters that grow on you. The world-building and attention to detail was incredible but it did drop a few things that were set up. In the end, its strengths out weigh its weaknesses and I'd call it a good show.

Here are some questions posed in this article…

• If the Observers have been wiped from existence, why is Peter still in our universe? Walternate should have been able to cure him Over There (because he wasn’t distracted by September) and none of the series should have happened.
  
  
• What on earth was up with Nina and Broyles snogging way back in the season two premiere?

Check this link for the glyph's translations http://fringepedia.net/wiki/Glyphs_code

Thanks, and wow! I didn't know the glyphs revealed anything like that. I see that one of my favorite episodes, "Making Angels", says EMPATH. Gotta think more on what that means.

I hated [Season 5], it was a waste of time, it wasn't Fringe anymore.
The ending annoyed me because of Walter's "sacrifice". So Walter's gone, big deal, we all know that if there's ever a continuation, in comic books maybe, he'll just show up at the end of the first issue,

I was already pissed off when season 4 dumped the blue universe and the original characters, except for Peter they were no longer the same characters we saw for the first few seasons. Giving new Olivia memories of Peter didn't make her the original Olivia, it was a cheat to bring back the relationship but I thought it was awful, she's in a relationship with Peter because she remembers the live of another woman.
Then it got worse, they got rid of the red universe (which also stopped being the real red universe in season 4), Lincoln Lee and everything that made the show great for me, until then I still had hope they would restore the blue universe but they didn't, they did some dystopian future crap.

Apparently the show runners wanted to change the character dynamics at the end of season 3 and came up with a scenario where Peter never existed. The cast wasn't sold on it but came around eventually and as I outlined above, so did I. Thinking back, I share some of your feelings in that it wasn't ideal, but I think it worked out, more or less.

When season five was far from a sure thing, people behind the show released a statement that if the show wasn't picked up, they'd wrap everything up in a graphic novel. When it was picked up, they said they were basically making a thirteen hour movie. So, yes, it's one story stretched out and it feels a little thin in the first half. I am however, happy to have an ending. I think at some point John Noble said a movie wasn't out of the question, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

A lot of shows end and then movies are promised that never materialize. Then again some do, so I'd say it's about 50/50 for Fringe but like you I still have some doubts.

Now onto "Black Blotter" and my one-icon review... Click here to see what I'm talking about.

One of the best scenes of the entire season. Maybe, show.

And it's yet another way they kind of emulated The X-Files. Then there's Supernatural, a similarly themed show with FBI agents, albeit fake ones.

The physical nature of the Observers is apparently genetically engineered. However, all of their "super powers" come from implanted devices.

From what I gathered, the implant causes the user to become more like an emotionless drone. Then we learn that feeling was engineered out of them. Seems like a change of explanation there.

One thing that irritated me was the mystery of the Observers powers. The Peter captures one and it turns out he already knows they come from implants. Um, how?

Don't know. Oversight? Editing?

Fauxlivia colors her hair, yet still has some gray streaks?

No kidding.

They seem to have some pretty good anti-aging technology too. If they can reverse 3rd degree burns, why not aging too. By the way, when Lincoln was burned and undergoing treatment over several episodes, I thought something was going to happen that would reverse his healing but that didn't happen. I was glad to see that.

Here's another gripe: When Peter sends bombs into the future, he says it has no effect. And yet, all of the empty walls of the streets now have posters of his daughter. I thought it was going to mean something to the plot. It didn't.

Good catch. I saw all the posters but didn't think much about how they got there. The lack of an explanation is either an oversight or something we're meant to interpret for ourselves.

Any thoughts on the final scene with Astrid & Walter?

This scene? Funnily enough, what stood out for me the most was seeing that the cow was alright. I didn't pay much attention to anything else. Listening to what she said though, she's right. They will be back in the lab sipping strawberry shakes. She meant that the mission will go alright, but I'm looking at the bigger picture. Things didn't ultimately go their way but the mission was a success none the less and everything will be back to normal. Like I said in my review above. It's that kind of show.

Walter also called her Astrid. That's the other thing I remember.

 

[Spider]

I just loved seasons one thru four. Season five was a waste of time. I may have to go back and watch the first four seasons after reading all this. IMO you can just skip all of season five and watch the ending if you are that interested.

I just loved the alternate universe cross over character stories.

 

[E-DUB]

The episode "Peter" has to rank as one of the best hours of televised SF ever.