It’s worth it just to see Walter listen to Yazoo.
is fringe season 4 and 5 worth watching
- Thread starter tmosler
- Start date
I loved the X Designation easter egg in the 2nd season premiere.
Trying to make chocolate milk directly from the cow...!!!!
This show was beyond unique on so many levels.
Trying to make chocolate milk directly from the cow...!!!!
This show was beyond unique on so many levels.
Fringe was great all the way through. Just Walter's story alone is wonderful, especially because of how it connects to Peter and their relationship.
The ending is such a beautiful bookend for the series. Walter started everything by taking a boy through a portal. He nearly killed two universes, lost his wife, and was sent to a mental asylum with part of his brain missing because he was afraid who he was becoming. Then does the same thing but saves the world and more importantly to him, giving Peter and Olivia's (who Walter experimented on her as a child, drastically altering her personality) child back to them. All of which ties in so wonderfully with the symbol of a white tulip.
"I love you Dad."
"I love you Dad."
I got annoyed with Fringe when the focus was all on the alternate universe, rather than all the other crazy shit that they'd done before--kinda like how X-Files went all conspiracies and aliens. Still enjoyed it for what it was mind you, but it just became something different--though Season 4 did go back to the basics for a while, which I really liked.
As I remarked before, I felt the opposite -- the alternate universe narrative gave the show a focus it had lacked before and made it something more and better than just an X-Files copy.
It's been awhile since I watched Fringe, and I only watched everything once, but I don't remember a shark jumping turning point where the last seasons weren't as good. Others are saying it peaked in Season 3, and while I don't remember, that's possible, but it's not like it pulled a Sliders.
My regret was perhaps that the fifth season was too short. I need to schedule a rewatch of the whole shebang.
It holds together much better when you look at the entire show as a whole. Season 4 and 5 were pretty solid. I just wish Nimoy's health had allowed them to complete the William Bell arc. There was definitely more to his story - that season 4 anti observer tech; setting olivia up with the perfect abilities and skills; the comment about seeing history repeat itself enough times - imo, he was not the betrayer the last 2 seasons portrayed him as. I think it was all part of his master plan. There are still some season 1 questions left unanswered as well.
On the other hand, their need to find alternatives to using Nimoy let us enjoy Anna Torv's uncannily good Nimoy impression.
I don't think the series arc really made sense. Can't remember anything from season four or five that explains why any Walter would write Zerstoerung fuer Technologie, because Bischoff is not Bishop. And not the other way round either. In particular the Observer invasion suffered from all the problems of space war: "What does God need with a spaceship?" (But the theme song was really nifty!) Etc. Etc.
The very best episode of Fringe was "Peter Bishop," in which the only new that happened was we found out how Nina Sharp lost her arm. Its only real competitor I think would be "White Tulip." That one was not a plot advancing episode either. In other words, the real appeal was the characters. For me, the best part of Fringe was the father/son relationship. Often the Olivia specialness got tedious when it kept getting pushed forward. Thus problem for season four and season five was the continued revision of the characters. It was fascinating to see the first alternate versions, but I wouldn't put too much stock in that. After all, it was the singular Peter Bishop who was easily the most interesting aspect of the two worlds. On broadcast the advent of a third (or fourth or fifith? I forget) Walter wasn't a case of diminishing returns, it was negative returns. And it wasn't fascinating for patching together an arc that didn't convince.
The very best episode of Fringe was "Peter Bishop," in which the only new that happened was we found out how Nina Sharp lost her arm. Its only real competitor I think would be "White Tulip." That one was not a plot advancing episode either. In other words, the real appeal was the characters. For me, the best part of Fringe was the father/son relationship. Often the Olivia specialness got tedious when it kept getting pushed forward. Thus problem for season four and season five was the continued revision of the characters. It was fascinating to see the first alternate versions, but I wouldn't put too much stock in that. After all, it was the singular Peter Bishop who was easily the most interesting aspect of the two worlds. On broadcast the advent of a third (or fourth or fifith? I forget) Walter wasn't a case of diminishing returns, it was negative returns. And it wasn't fascinating for patching together an arc that didn't convince.
I gave up on Fringe in early Season 3 when they took Red!Olivia and neutered her by making her pregnant and shackling her to Peter.
From my understanding, it wasn't Walter that wrote the ZFT Manifesto, but William Bell, using their old typewriter from when they were partners. Alternatively, it could have been Walter before they removed the piece of his brain. There is a bigger shell / loop involved here - Bell has outside knowledge from the original timeline, where the Invasion would have occurred without September ever going rogue because of experiences with Peter. Bell and Bishop were creating Cortexpiphan kids like Olivia to be soldiers to fight the invasion - the whole alternate (red) universe was a (red) herring the entire time. The "other world, more advanced than our own" that they needed soldiers to fight the war against was *always* about the Observer Invasion. Once inside the loop with no knowledge, they misinterpret things as the Red/Blue Walter/Walternate war, but that war did not exist initially, and the original adversary and plans were always regarding the Observers. Its why Season 1 and 4 parallel each other so completely - in both timelines, Olivia had to be activated and trained via David Robert Jones to use her powers properly to be in the position to defeat the Observers in Season 5. Its also why Season 3 and the child were such a big deal - the motivating factor for Peter and Olivia was their daughter Etta, so in Season 3 when Peter hooked up with the wrong Olivia, and produced the wrong child, it doomed the future.
The fifth season is different, but far from bad. It's the culmination of the series's periodic reinventions, elevating things to an epic level and bringing everything to an effective resolution.
For me, one of the most impressive things about Fringe was how it managed to reinvent itself and change direction so often, yet still make it all feel like a cohesive larger saga where each stage fit organically into the whole.
For me, one of the most impressive things about Fringe was how it managed to reinvent itself and change direction so often, yet still make it all feel like a cohesive larger saga where each stage fit organically into the whole.
Having looked at some info about Season 3, I think I got my reasons for quitting the series mixed up due to the passage of time; it wasn't the Red!Olivia story that I had issues with, it was the Blue!Olivia story.
Fifth season was a let down for me. I had such high hopes. But this series had struggled to get to that 5th season due to a notable drop-off of viewership over time. JJ Abrams clout was the saving grace here, as it was his "pet project." If he wasn't so devoted to it, the series would've ended at season 3. It was a shame for those financial struggles, because there was so much to appreciate in Fringe. Walter Bishop was the crowning achievement--most compelling character of all. But the stress on Fringe production worked its way into the writing and producing... which caused them to cut corners and take paths that didn't work out all that well. And as a result we end up with a shortened 5th season. I still enjoyed it... but walked away feeling like the wrap-up season could've been handled better.
Sure -- making television is an art of compromise. But the alternative would've been cancellation with the story arcs still dangling. I'll take what we got despite the obvious budget cuts, since at least it let them wrap up the story. I think Fringe works remarkably well as a unified saga, even though many of its individual parts are flawed. I enjoyed the show much more in a binge rewatch than I did a week at a time in first run.
Season 5 must be binged, thats for sure.
There are so many moments of winning.
So many pieces of the first few seasons brought back together for the wrap up.
The perspective given on S1 and why ZFT/Bell/Massive Dynamic were involved in so many acts of terrorism is fantastic. When they use all of the old Fringe tech and Fringe cases to attack the Observers its amazing. The Observer child from S1 becoming relevent was pretty cool as well.
I still wish more was answered about the first season; especially Peter's grandfather, and the empty grave, and the whole background of the guy who was pitted against September in that early appearance. The comics and some implied history of Walter and Bell's was never referenced at all. I'm sure some storylines were adjusted and/or dropped along the way. Hilarious and ironic that the "Star Trek 2009" bit with the conspiracy kid that claimed he was Spock at the end of season 1 ended up exactly predicting the Observer invasion and was more than just a Trek 2009 easter egg.
I am still convinced that the Observers were never from the future of OUR (blue) timeline, and was a disconnected 3rd universe.
There are so many moments of winning.
So many pieces of the first few seasons brought back together for the wrap up.
The perspective given on S1 and why ZFT/Bell/Massive Dynamic were involved in so many acts of terrorism is fantastic. When they use all of the old Fringe tech and Fringe cases to attack the Observers its amazing. The Observer child from S1 becoming relevent was pretty cool as well.
I still wish more was answered about the first season; especially Peter's grandfather, and the empty grave, and the whole background of the guy who was pitted against September in that early appearance. The comics and some implied history of Walter and Bell's was never referenced at all. I'm sure some storylines were adjusted and/or dropped along the way. Hilarious and ironic that the "Star Trek 2009" bit with the conspiracy kid that claimed he was Spock at the end of season 1 ended up exactly predicting the Observer invasion and was more than just a Trek 2009 easter egg.
I am still convinced that the Observers were never from the future of OUR (blue) timeline, and was a disconnected 3rd universe.
Similar threads
