Fringe: "Earthling" 11/5 - Grading & Discussion

[MeanJoePhaser]

The episode was like the X-Files episode "Space" except done really well.

Mixed with "Soft Light".

I can't recall that one off hand. I may not have even seen it.

After some accident, a scientist's shadow is a "black hole" that consumes anyone who comes in contact with it.

 

[Worf2DS9]

^ Didn't it have something to do with his shadow being dark matter? Been a while since I've seen that episode, but I liked it.

I liked this week's episode. The effects of the "ashed" people were pretty neat, and it was good to see some of Broyles' life.

 

[startrekwatcher]

Average. It was okay. I can see why Fringe's ratings aren't that great. The show seems to have abandoned what made it interesting in the last half of its first season and has fallen back to the very problems I had with the show in its first half when I almost quit watching it altogether. I'm not against standalones but they need to be interesting since most of us have seen The X-Files which was a series that excelled at those type of stories.

I also find the endings rather anti-climatic as was the case last night when Broyles just shot the cosmonaut in the head. And the characters are still not as interesting as they could be. Granted last night it was a mostly plot-driven episode but even in such episodes there are usually a scene or two that is a highlight for a character. Broyles' personal connection to the case was underwhelming, thin and stale.

This really is a series that needs to become fully serialized and centered on its mythology. Right now, it is just a show that I watch mainly for the mythology not the characters and not the one-off pedestrian fringe science plot of the week. With an arc they can at least begin to etch out its own identity rather than feeling like a weaker XF in terms of both main characters and plots.

 

[Aragorn]

Kirk Acevedo's name was off the opening credits. I wonder if he was on set just to visit and Charlie ain't coming back in any reality.

 

[Hyperspace05]

I voted Average as well. Enjoyable, but I was hoping for far more.

Hopefully they will get back to the mythology episodes soon.

 

[Aragorn]

I have to wonder if, while they're out on these field trips, if anyone else is looking into the IMPENDING PARALLEL UNIVERSE INVASION!!!

 

[sidious618]

Fringe got terrible ratings last night. I'm guessing it was because the world series might have been on and people assumed it would not be on. Bones took a hit as well, although it was smaller.

Still, they really need to move the show to a better timeslot.

 

[Aragorn]

Sometimes networks deliberately try to kill their own shows. CBS had a hit in Shark. Moved it to Sunday for its second season and the ratings went down, so of course that's the show's fault and they canceled it.

The Unit was doing fine after NCIS, but then CBS also moved it to Sunday, ran lots of repeats -- and once they stuck one new episode in between a bunch of repeats without any fanfare -- and then they axed the show after the season.

 

[startrekwatcher]

I have to wonder if, while they're out on these field trips, if anyone else is looking into the IMPENDING PARALLEL UNIVERSE INVASION!!!

This reminds me of the tangents on DS9 in season six and seven while the more interesting Dominion War was going on we had Ferengi episodes, Vic Fontaine, baseball. I suspect much like DS9, the studio wants more standalones and less arc storytelling.

Still, they really need to move the show to a better timeslot.

If they do move it, it will most likely be to Fridays.

 

[sidious618]

Sometimes networks deliberately try to kill their own shows. CBS had a hit in Shark. Moved it to Sunday for its second season and the ratings went down, so of course that's the show's fault and they canceled it.

The Unit was doing fine after NCIS, but then CBS also moved it to Sunday, ran lots of repeats -- and once they stuck one new episode in between a bunch of repeats without any fanfare -- and then they axed the show after the season.

Eh, I doubt they're going to delieberately ruin a JJ Abrams.

 

[propita]

Meh. One of my least favorite episodes, but some exceptional moments.

Loved the Broyles info, especially peek-a-boo. Loved Peter picking the phone back up after Walter set it down (his "aha" moment). Loved Walter's description of family holiday fun (drawing genitalia on the reindeer pictures?). Loved the ash effect.

Overall, though? Meh

 

[watermelony2k]

This really is a series that needs to become fully serialized and centered on its mythology. Right now, it is just a show that I watch mainly for the mythology not the characters and not the one-off pedestrian fringe science plot of the week. With an arc they can at least begin to etch out its own identity rather than feeling like a weaker XF in terms of both main characters and plots.

Agreed. Fringe is like the reverse X-Files for me; I enjoyed the X-files' standalone episodes much more in general than the series arcs. When it comes to Fringe, it's the opposite -- I don't think they're taking advantage of their own series mythology -- which, with its parallel universe focus -- is brimming with... impossibilities.

That said, I really want this show to survive. It could get really interesting again by the time they return to the main story and I want to see a properly developed conclusion, damnit! I just played the last episode both on hulu and fox.com in the background with the sound off to add a couple more recorded viewership notches.

 

[Mr Light]

So... was that supposed to be an evil space alien living in space that the cosmonaut picked up in space that then wanted to go around killing people? Wasn't that the same premise of the X-Files season one episode "Space"?

 

[startrekwatcher]

If it weren't for the association with Abrams FOX would have already cancelled this show.

It also confirms to me that Abrams has nothing to do with the brilliance of LOST--he hasn't been involved in the day-to-day operations for years but has a hand in the middling Fringe and Star Trek XI which was all flash with no substance or logic.