A quick confession … I’ve never gotten into any series created by JJ Abrams. I know, I know, there must be something wrong with me to have never been a fan or at the very least a frequent viewer of Felicity, Alias, or Lost.
I did try, they just didn’t click for me and the same goes for Fringe when it first premiered. In fact, my distaste for Fringe ran so deep that I was excited when House moved to Monday nights just so I wouldn’t have to see the promos for Fringe throughout the hour.
Fringe – You Had Me at Alt World
I suppose I didn’t really have a solid reason to dislike the show, so when my roommate turned the second season premier of Fringe on last fall I was just lazy and interested enough to stay on the couch. She sort of filled me in during commercials breaks and I intended to keep watching but it soon became clear that I needed to see the first season first, but unfortunately I was rather busy with school. So my roommate and I made a deal. If she watched Firefly and Serenity I would watch Fringe. Well she held up her end of the bargain and I remained ‘busy’. Then the deal became if the show gets renewed for a third season I’ll watch. (I’ve been heartbroken by FOX before, a lot before.) So after May sweeps and the renewal announcement, I finally kept up my end of the bargain.
So let me first say, I was wrong.
I can admit that now and also that I’m addicted to this show. I’m eagerly awaiting its return this Thursday at 9pm. But just because I’m super excited for the new season and would classify myself as a fan doesn’t mean that Fringe is perfect by any means.
Honestly had I not know where the second season was headed when I finally put the season one disc one in my DVD player I don’t know if I would have been able to stick it out. Much of the first season reminded me of X-Files, a show I wasn’t entirely fond of, and Dark Angel, a show that had its own set of flaws. It was difficult for me to connect with any of the characters and each episode was so stand alone-y in a formulaic show kind of way. It’s not that I don’t like shows with formulas, I love House MD and still watch CSI but everyone kept talking about how awesome the mythology was and it just took a really long time for it to be built and become integral to the series and each episode’s plot.
I’m not going to go into episode details, plenty of other sites recap, but I do want to comment on what I perceive is the most fascinating aspect of the series – the threat of the two worlds colliding.
Maybe I’m a pessimist or a cynic but I’ve always enjoyed books, movies, and TV shows with a bleak outlook on the world. Not all need to involve an apocalypse of some sorts but it certainly can’t hurt to include one. Buffy and Angel’s world always ran the threat of one, Jericho started with one, Dollhouse failed to prevent one, and Fringe is facing one. It should be awesome. I think it was in one of San Diego Comic Con interviews that the cast members discussed how the goal of this season was to create two worlds, both dynamic and morally grey. The ambiguity created should make for a fascinating season three. I can’t wait!
