Fringe: "Pilot" 9/9 - Grading & Discussion (SPOILERS)

[TheArsenal]

From this week's Entertainment Weekly (Fall Preview issue):

Abrams [...] believes the pilot, though entertaining, doesn't quite nail his character-driven series vision: "In many ways, the first episodes that follow are better. They're much more focused."

I wasn't at all impressed by the pilot, it wasn't good television. But I'll give the show another chance based on decent characters and the elements the show put into play. The last time I hated a pilot it was Heroes, a show which I came to enjoy quite a bit. That's why I said up thread its difficult to judge a show from a pilot. Sometimes shows start slowly, sometimes they're just bad.

We'll see.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Wow, I loved Heroes from the start. I thought the pilot rocked. Not as good as subsequent episodes but more than enough to grab my interest. If Fringe's pilot were half as good, I'd be sticking with it too.

The biggest differences are: I could tell immediately that Heroes did its casting well for the most part (and many of the flubs were disposed of along the way). With Fringe, John Noble was a good pick, but he can't carry the show on his own. Also, Heroes' premise is interesting, not tired or overexposed (on TV anyway), and something I've been wanting to see in a TV show for a while. Fringe's premise is very overexposed and uninteresting.

The actual plotline of a pilot isn't all that important in judging a show, but the actors and the premise won't change. If those are good, I stick with a show. Otherwise, I bail. It's a policy that's served me well to limit the amount of time I waste on bad shows.

 

[sidious618]

I enjoyed the pilot to Heroes, as well. It's just that things went downhill shortly there after.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Finally finished the pilot.
A big meh for me. It's just...I don't know...we live in a Post X-Files world now...and I couldn't stop thinking about X-Files...ok. That's a lie.

I stopped thinking about the X-Files and I started thinking about the Middleman...and how it's taking the cliches of these particular genre (the supernatural procedural) and turning them on their head. So, it's hard for me to watch Fringe as it takes it so RIDICULOUSLY seriously and not sorta laugh.

I MAY watch another one...but probably not.

I'll still with the Middleman...smarter, funnier, bigger heart, and hopefully not canceled.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I enjoyed the pilot to Heroes, as well. It's just that things went downhill shortly there after.

They did? I've seen every episode and even tho I admit, the first part of S2 was somewhat weak, it's been well worth watching and a hell of a lot of fun, but maybe that's because they got themselves a kick-ass recurring villain. According to the LA Times, that's one of five things Fringe needs to do in order to prosper.

I agree about the villain, even tho that's easier said than done. For every Sylar you'll get one (or more) Matt's-dad disappointments. Having a plan is a good idea, tho I have little faith in anyone's ability to come up with an Evil Corporate Global Takeover Bwahaha Plan that is anything other than a rehash of elements we've seen before. (Tho Abrams seems to have hit on a nice variation with Dharma - if that's his work and not Lindhof and Cuse.) Not having the leads slobber all over each other is an excellent idea; it would just remind us of Mulder and Scully and how inferior these imitations really are. I'm not sure the side characters have much potential, and the gross-out factor is a crutch.

 

[Iasius]

From this week's Entertainment Weekly (Fall Preview issue):

Abrams [...] believes the pilot, though entertaining, doesn't quite nail his character-driven series vision: "In many ways, the first episodes that follow are better. They're much more focused."

In that case I might check out the next few episodes if I have the time (I watch too many shows already) and I see more positive reactions in the threads here, but I doubt I will continue watching this show.
I gave up on X-Files relatively early because I got fed up with the "supernatural" episodes that quickly got ridiculous and the more interesting alien plot went nowhere fast. This doesn't exactly make me look forward to more Fringe episodes.

As The characters? Meh. Don't care for any of them. And that's the real problem. I would have given up on shows like Lost a long time ago if there weren't some intriguing characters on that show (YMMV of course).

I gave this an average. It wasn't bad per se, just not all that interesting compared to the shows I already like and watch.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

It wasn't really bad. But when I compare it to the pilots of Lost and Alias it clearly is the weakest of the bunch. So the next few episodes really have to impress.
Also, since no one else mentioned it, the German passengers on the plane couldn't have had stronger American accents. Really? How hard is it to get actual Germans as extras who appear on screen for 2 seconds? I'd do it!
Hear me, J.J.? Next time you need someone to decay 10,000 feet above ground AND speak REAL German, I'll do it for FREE!

 

[Iasius]

To be fair though, I could at times understand them. That is somewhat unusual with "Germans" on a US TV show.

 

[TheArsenal]

Wow, I loved Heroes from the start. I thought the pilot rocked. Not as good as subsequent episodes but more than enough to grab my interest. If Fringe's pilot were half as good, I'd be sticking with it too.

The only recent pilot that I can remember grabbing me from very start was Lost.

Heroes is currently one of my favorite shows, but it has always been guilty of using the characters to move the story along, and not the other way around. It's a Story First show. If it requires someone to do something completely out of character to get a piece moved on the chess board, the writers don't hesitate. That's one of the problems I had with the pilot, underdeveloped stock characters populated out of central casting. They didn't need interesting characters, they needed board pieces with superpowers. But the story was strong enough to keep me invested, and the characters became more interesting along the way.

Fringe is the opposite for me. Interesting characters in service of a - as someone said up thread - routine "been there done that" story, no matter how many varied and strange elements they chucked in there to make me feel differently. There may be help for this show, there may not be. I'll find out next week. Two hours is generally the amount of time I'll give any project this ambitious before bailing.

 

[davejames]

Yeah I think when you have such a familiar concept as this, the only direction you can go is either make it very fast moving and twisty like Heroes, or make it so well written and intelligent in it's own right that we don't mind the familiar storylines.

Unfortunately judging from the generic writing of the pilot, the first option is the only one they can really take.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

How hard is it to get actual Germans as extras who appear on screen for 2 seconds?

In Hollywood? For an American audience who wouldn't know the diff anyway? Even if it's slightly difficult, I see no reason why they'd bother.

 

[Velocity]

I liked it. The characters are pretty good. It can be difficult to get into new characters in a pilot, but there is a lot of potential here. The "crazy" scientist who may or may not be criminally insane, the son who has a secret that might be dangerous or criminal, the FBI agent who was emotionally remote until she fell hard for a guy who betrayed her, who is on what side and who is working both sides and was the scientist made the chump for the rich business guy. Plus, it has that creepy guy from Lost in it. I like the son and how he's written with wry humor. I think this has potential to go in many different directions with lots of action. I'm looking forward to the next one.

 

[Skywalker]

I thought it was a decent pilot, but I'd be a lot more interested if they focused it on the Bishops and just dropped the excruciatingly dull FBI chick.

 

[Jack Bauer]

It didn't blow me away like the pilots for Lost and Alias did but I did enjoy it. Above average. Th weak link for me was Jackson. He doesn't appear to have the chops to play a charming rogue in a charming roguish way. He fell flat...maybe he'll improve.

 

[sidious618]

I enjoyed the pilot to Heroes, as well. It's just that things went downhill shortly there after.

They did? I've seen every episode and even tho I admit, the first part of S2 was somewhat weak, it's been well worth watching and a hell of a lot of fun, but maybe that's because they got themselves a kick-ass recurring villain. According to the LA Times, that's one of five things Fringe needs to do in order to prosper.

Once you saw Sylar I didn't find him very threatening. Overall, the show just felt dumb to me. Obviously, opinion varies.

 

[stj]

From this week's Entertainment Weekly (Fall Preview issue):

Abrams [...] believes the pilot, though entertaining, doesn't quite nail his character-driven series vision: "In many ways, the first episodes that follow are better. They're much more focused."

Sorry to resurrect the thread, but this still boggles the mind. The pilot is totally about FBI-Barby. The plot is completely driven by her desire to save FBI-Ken (and how FBI-Ken wasn't worth it.) The focus on the lead and how she wins is so intense that major leads like Mad Scientist and Son are introduced without any story logic, and act without any discernible motivation. The mean bald guy has a personal animus against her so strong he shows no concern for the case. Then he suddenly admires her and wants to recruit her. The bionic woman instantly gives motherly advice. The villain does stuff that makes no sense, twirls mustache on cue, and promptly takes a dive so that the story focuses on her, and her alone.

How is it possible to get more focused on character than this?

 

[Samurai8472]

I'm guessing the mysterious items like the half apple, hand, frog, leaf are each a division of Massive along with an mysterious island with an odd magnetic disturbance

 

[exodus]

How do you keep a mental patient convicted of murder out of a mental ward on just his son consent?

How do you take that much LSD and not die?

How do you take that much LSD and not have any symptoms of detox?

Does every J.J. Abrams show pilot start with a plane?

 

[Professor Zoom]

You wouldn't need detox from the LSD, but if you take that much, you're tripping for some time...like a day...

Basically...the LSD thing was a OOOO aren't we out there....

The more I think about it, the less I care about the show.

 

[LitmusDragon]

I like it. I think it has a lot of potential.

I probably wont be watching as it airs, however. DirecTV has yet to pick up our local channels in HD and watching standard definition broadcasts has become an excruciating ordeal I will only endure for shows I'm already hooked on like Lost and House.

Based on feedback on how the rest of this season goes I will likely pick it up on DVD or blu-ray.