I started watching Fringe because I had to—I work at TV.com. I remember being thoroughly confused by the Season 2 premiere, underwhelmed by Anna Torv's acting, and dissatisfied with the lack of Lance Reddick (The Wire) on screen. And yet I was intrigued. There was something magnetic about J.J. Abrams' youngest brainchild. Over time, I began to understand "the Pattern," I warmed up to Torv, and I found comfort in the fact that, while Lance Reddick is sometimes in the background, Joshua Jackson is very much in the foreground, and who can complain about that? To top it off, last night's episode, "Earthling," gave me the Philip Broyles (Reddick) storyline I've been waiting for.
Fringe is one of the few shows on television that successfully balances the week-to-week procedural plots with the season's bigger story arc. Last night, "Earthling" barely addressed Dunham's (Torv) time in the alternate universe and her subsequent season-starting car crash—but it didn't feel like anything was missing. Instead, we got a glimpse into Broyles' professional and personal past, and we found out that he's just as broken as the rest of the team. He can crack a smile—which he does playing peek-a-boo with a child in a restaurant—but he can also mask a lot of sadness behind his dignified exterior. Last night, we learned that a case of people turning to ash had once controlled his life and caused his divorce. When it resurfaced in this episode, and the CIA wanted to take control of the investigation, Broyles broke the rules and insisted on keeping it within his Fringe Division. And now that his rebellious streak has been exposed, we can begin to explore more about his character.
See, that's what Fringe does best. It tells us what we need to know, when we need to know it. It doesn't bombard us with unnecessary details. It doesn't favor certain characters because they're played by big actors, and it doesn't exploit other characters to force something unique. Joshua Jackson is probably the biggest regular on the show, but his character Peter's background is still largely hidden. And that's a good thing! The show has a wonderfully steady pace—and we can be sure that the writers will get there in due time. Meanwhile, lab assistant Astrid (Jasika Nicole) is adorable, but not so eccentric that it's over-the-top. Walter (John Noble) is strange enough already.
The future of Fringe is bright. The show has reeled in legendary actor Leonard Nimoy for the recurring role of William Bell. It's got plenty of territory left to cover, from Walter's past to Peter's childhood to Nina Sharp's (Blair Brown) mysterious motives. And when it comes down to it, Fringe is messing around with alternate universes and wacky technology, which is pretty sweet.
Comments (26)
More Broyles, more William Bell, less Nina. Move the story along more quickly. Taking way too long to develop the main plot line. And please refrain from adding any UST between Peter and Dunham. Also, move it back to Tuesday night. Thursday is way too busy.
I actually agree about the fact that "Fringe is one of the few shows on television that successfully balances the week-to-week procedural plots with the season's bigger story arc" and I think this is what makes the comparison to X-files even more likely, but I also belive this is one of the main reasons for its declining viewership... the competition of other show might have a part but let's not forget the reason Fringe was moved in the first place is because the end of the first season was a hit-peak of ratings, just when they dropped the stand-alone episodes to return to the bigger storyline with a jaw-dropping season finale... the beginning of this season was the same and, would you look at that, just when the ratio settled on 1 episode forward - 2 still the ratings for the latter began to disappoint...moreless
I love Fringe, but season two has been disappointing. I'm waiting for it to start living up to the potential it was hinting at all throughout season 1. Don't get me wrong, I'm sticking with the show throught its entire run, but I'm ready for them to ramp it up a bit. I did quite enjoy the post-transdimensional-car-crash and the human bomb episodes, but I am ready for some more. I was hoping that Leonard Nimoy's role would be a lot more prominent and that we'd get to see more of the parallel universe from the jaw-dropping season one finale. Still there is plenty of time for Season 2 to redeem itself, so I'll keep watching.
I agree Broyles smile took me totally by surprise, I hadn't seen it before. They all seem to be almost robotic and Spock like which makes me think that something else is amiss. Love Nina Sharp would like to see more of her storyline. Walter Bishop and his sidekick Asterix (Astrid, Astro, etc) makes for fun comic relief. The show is mesmerizing and the jolting. :)
I recently started to watch Fringe and I am really in love with the show. Yes I am corious to know all the secrets and all but the stories development is perfectly done.
This is one of my FAVORITE shows. I already bought the first season on dvd and am loving the second season. Walter is my favorite! I am craving more!!!
Loving this show as it has plenty of character depth and mystery as well as plenty of comedic relief in the wackiness of the cases and Walter. If this pacing continues and the quality persists then roll-on Series 10!
I love Fringe too, I've been watching since the first episode and it's still one of my favourite shows. Don't get the ratings, there are so many crappy shows on television that get good ratings, and Fringe has trouble doing the same while it is excellent. Doesn't make much sense. Anna Torv does a great job portraying Olivia in my opinion, she is dynamic and at the same time human, and she doesn't revert either to the "sexy-confused-fragile-female" caricature, nor to the "tough-on-the-exterior-soft-on-the-inside" one. She's real and contemporary, I like her very much. Hope Fringe continues next year.
I love the show!!
The future is bright? how so? they were talking about ending the series like 2 weeks ago because of the ratings...
I've always though Joshua Jackson had a great presence that never seemed to match his roles. That is still true in Fringe, although when the non-mystery about his character's childhood resolves at the end of the season (Fringe is many things, but it's not great at hiding its cards) he will hopefully get a chance to shine. This is one of those shows in which the cast has outgrown the premise. The pseudoscience is unbelivable to the point of smashing suspension of disbelief to bits, but here's hoping that the single episode plots start improving and catching up with the acting and the overarching plot.
Which IMHO is a pity really ...
It's funny you'd say that Joshua Jackson is the biggest regular ... I rather thought that he's been too much of a bystander lately, not doing much more than nodding and smiling ...
Fringe is one of my fav's on TV currently, last i heard the ratings were good..
With the ratings cratering this will be the last season. Too bad, it's a terrific show.
I am really getting to love this show. I decided to give it a season before really passing any judgments, and I really enjoyed it. The season 2 opener was very exciting, and since then I've actually jumped in my seat a few times! :D
Best show in the past... eh, ten years, at least. But last night's episode, while still pretty good, ventured into aliens. This isn't X-Files, this isn't Battlestar, this show should remain in the "unexplainable, impossible, but technically possible weird crap" category.
Fringe is very talent show TV. That is awesome. I love Fringe show better than HOUSE is very boring. I hope Fringe is continue on show T.V Rating is keep up.
I agree with you about Anna Torv - I found the character too cold (aside from the time between the sheets with her traitorous partner/lover) for most of the first season to be able relate to her. But seeing her in interviews, she is warm and enthusiastic, and that contrast shows how well she is acting the part. the occassional glimpses of her humanity, normally showcased with her sister and niece, also help the character more, well, bearable. It took a while - for me and many others - to warm to Scully as well...
FRINGE its the NEW "The X-Files"...
XO XO
:):):):)
It's ratings are low right now though so will it have time to conclude those storylines before it is canceled?
Great show, but the ratings are going downhill..
Sadly, I think it had its lowest ratings last hovering in the 4 millions. CW's vampire Diaries beat it if you look at some of the ratings. But I actually enjoyed this episode :O)
nice review!Fringe Rocks, best show right now on tv
Great review!
Interesting comment about your initial impression of Anna Torv: from the get-go I thought she was quite brilliant, and I liked that we had a strong, capable female character who was neither a blonde bimbo nor a harridan...which are the two usual extremes on successful TV shows.I also think John Noble is fabulous and its a sin that both he and Torv were overlooked at Emmy nom time...I love the show overall, but sometimes I am so lost...not quite "Lost" lost, but lost nonetheless!