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November 20th, 2009
12:02 PM ET
Mysteries deepen on 'Fringe' A mysterious Observer on the Fox series 'Fringe.' Last night's episode of "Fringe" - the culmination of a full week of hype - certainly delivered on answers, but added a heaping helping of new questions. So far, "Fringe" has done a better job of explaining itself in its second season than "Lost," co-creator J.J. Abrams' previous series. We've figured out this much: there are alternate realities, and Walter (John Noble)'s son Peter (Joshua Jackson) is actually from an alternate reality, he just doesn't know it, and therefore Walter is hesitant to tell him all he knows. One thing we still don't know is exactly how the bizarre Observers - yes, we find out for the first time on the show that there's more than one - fit into all of this. Since Walter is playing dumb on the Observers, which he actually knows a lot about, we get one of those scenes essential to any J.J. Abrams show where a scientist-type has to explain what's going on. Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and Peter pay a visit to Massive Dynamic, where we learn the theory that the Observers aren't traveling through time, nor are they immortal, but they "observe" time, especially major historical events. One Observer in particular breaks their code of not acting, except when correcting a mistake they made, by kidnapping a young woman prior to taking an airplane which is destined to crash. Because of this, we also find out more about their strange sci-fi instruments, and that they carry strange guns, which look normal, but throw people back and stun them. As it becomes more clear that Walter knows a lot more than he's telling, Noble really gets to shine here, being equally brilliant playing the absent-minded, slightly-mad scientist (I live for the scenes with his assistant, Astrid), and the man with all the answers who can advise an Observer on how to proceed. When an assassin's bullet takes down the rogue Observer, the immortality theory bites the dust with him, and he reveals that he has found the capacity to have emotions, to cry and even to fall in love. He felt that the woman he saved from the plane crash was important, having observed her all of his life. Was he just an inter-dimensional stalker or is there more to it than that? Aside from the fact that Observers are being seen more and more, foretelling some momentous event, Olivia, who recently took a trip to another reality, is someone they see having a particularly dark future. I was happy to see an episode focusing on the overall story-arc of this show again, as the weird-crime-of-the-week episodes aren't nearly a strong. Were you fascinated by the Observers as well? Do you agree that this show could stand to have fewer stand-alone episodes? What are your "Fringe" theories (what is the meaning behind the strange symbols before commercial breaks, anyway)? Share your thoughts on video, or the comments below. |
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FRINGE is my favorite show in television. this second season has taken the show to new heights. Bravo to the writers for creating a show that moves in continuously surprising directions!
I live for any moment where Walter makes a random comment! Some have me just rolling on the floor.
And less stand alone episodes would be better, I agree.
I love DVR'ng the show so I can by pass the commercials and maintain the suspense.
Hope the suits don't cancel this one.
I agree, the stand alone episodes make the "fringe" science interesting. Isn't that the point of the show?
The acting at the beginning was a little hard to take, but it was also an intro... but that's what I love about sci-fi shows, it's never really about the acting, it's about the science. In 10 years those first episodes will be cult classics.
There'll be a drinking game about Walter, if there isn't one already.
I LOVE the stand alone episodes! It feels very X-files when that happens. As for the overall story arc, sure it's interesting, but there are already hints that it's going to get as lost as "LOST".
I loved that show for exactly 2 seasons and then I felt it jumped the shark. Already in this Season, there are hints of Fringe jumping the Shark. Maybe Abrams just can't hold a story line. Too much money, too much story, not enough pressure to make it cohesive.
But then again, American TV loves to get lost. So obsessed with ratings and $$$, they never actually complete a broader story arc anyway, for fear of being dropped the next season.
It's sad really, American TV has so much to offer... if they'd just stick to a story!
This is the first show in a long time that I absolutely cannot leave once it comes on. Keeps and holds your attention till the end.
Fringe is the best show on television. The characters are real and believable. I love Walter and his son, their dynamic is very real. I do, however, have a bone to pick with the network. What happened to, "Fringe will return in 60 or 90 seconds". So, now that it is popular we have to be inundated with commercials, commercials and more commercials. I realize you have to pay the bills, but I'm sure you were paying them with the 60 and 90 second spots too. Commercials is what has taken so many people to cable.
My husband and I don't even mention our 9:00 p.m. "Fringe" date...we just sort of get ready, cook dinner....then "bam", the show starts. BTW, it is the only time during the week we watch a TV show together.
Excellent show – the actors, writers, producers have all my respect for an excellent show.
S
Am one of those who doesn't get to watch this wonderful show all that often so I think it is great that some of the episodes are stand-alone. It allows me to enjoy an episode without getting lost becuase I've missed out on the long term story line. Great show in the tradition of x-files.
Yes, Anna Torv needs to up her hotness factor and engage the audience more. And don't dress her in foodserver outfits! Unless she's pregnant of course.....
Great show, great cast, great story. Next to Lost and X-Files, my favorite show of all time.
Yeah this show is totally awesome – Interdimensional war! Sweet!!
The show is thrilling, witty and damn does it keep the gears whirring in my head until the next episode. And the character of Walter is just increadible.
If John Noble does not win an Emmy this year, it will be a travesty.
My question is - did Walter figure out the secret ingrediant for his milkshake???
I, too, LOVE this show. And I agree – since I do love it, it will soon be cancelled. I dread it being cancelled before all of the questions get answered.
I'd give it a chance if he hadn't ruined Star Trek (capitalism doesn't exist in their 23rd century, and it won't in ours either).
I like you am fasinated by the Walter/Astrid relationship. She seem to really enjoy the abnormal and it seems she accepts the paranormal as if it is expected as part of Walters world. Glad to see that they didn't take Olivia and Peter to any more than a possibility. The story needs to give Olivia a soul and not the direction that she to be alone as an individual, she was great when she was with her friend and felow agent before he was taken from her life. Olivia gives the emotional attachement that keeps it all together and without her fellow agent and her long lost love's death gave us the fact that we all know as the end of the writers ability to continue the growth of normal conversation. Those threads of hope as they develop into future episodes are really keen in the minds of those watching.
Bummer i missed the show this week. I really enjoy the conceps and acting, especially Walter. So deep. LOVE HIM. Keep the acid flowing.
This is the best show on TV right now but as we all know Fox will take this show and kill it like Firefly. I cannot wait to learn more about walter. If I only knew half of what this person know in real like it would be scary.
Love the show.
My favorite line was in the first season. Agent Olivia Dunham, asked Peter to stay on because he was the only one that Spoke Walter.
My family and I have been hooked on Fringe since we saw it in previews at ComicCon in San Diego a couple of years ago.
At the most recent ComicCon the cast was on a panel for Q&A. John Noble in real life has a heavy New Zealand accent. He was asked what kind of accent his character has and where is he from. Noble explained he spoke with many professors in New England as well as their counterparts in England that they often work with. Apparently they have developed a common academic accent that blends the regional accents, sort of a North Atlantic academic accent. So you really cannot tell if someone is American or English. So it is still a mystery as to to where Walter Bishop is from. I thought that was brilliant research and work on the part of John N0ble.
Prefer that each week's episodes continue to develop the main story line, i.e., "There's more than one of everything" and the observers. This is one great show, IMHO one of the best on the current TV schedule, and it woulod be a shame if it were canceled before it comes to a conclusion (better that this never happens, the cancellation, I mean, but on TV, all good things must end some time. Of course, there is House, now in it's sixth(?) season on Fox.
Jenifer, thanks for that. As for me, I'm totally lost on the alternate realm thingy. Perhaps I missed an episode but I thought I got 'em all. At least this is a show I won't mind watching in reruns to get the full plot.
Awesome, awesome show. Its one of the few shows I still watch on tv. And You can go back and watch them all at hulu.com, I missed the last three eps but watched them all this morning.
"and another one whose name escapes me about the guy who spontaneously time travels"
You're referring to Journeyman, which starred Kevin McKidd, and only ran 13 episodes. Another excellent show canned before it's time, I quite agree with you.
This is a great show and I look forward to an episode every week. Season 1 was good and Season 2 is making this series even better
It's all about Walter!
I love Fringe, it's my favorite, and really all I look forward to on television, with the exception of Lies, and BBC 'Sherlock Holmes. Just about everything on t.v. these days is less than pablum. Talk about an alternate reality, when is a corporation going to realize there's millions of people who couldn't care less about 'The Kardashions' and the like, etc ad nauseum, finding such 'shows' an affront to their mentality.
I haven't read anyone speculating on a relationship happening between Peter and Olivia- Peter does seem to care about Olivia, and even appears sad when Olivia almost looks right through him.
Please don't tell me she hasn't gotten over that creep of a b.f. she had when the series began. Geesh I'd take Peter over him in a heartbeat. I could watch him 24/7! I hope they don't turn out as bro/sis.
Hello Olivia.
About Walter, I'm amused re the negatives written here, not taking into account how rare a combination he is. Warm, sensitive, brilliant, funny, all beautifully and perfectly combined and portrayed by Noble.
I had read that the ratings were low for Fringe. It's such a treat to have this show recorded and watch it at my leisure. You would think that the Observers would be pretty much identified by now – considering the "look." I like the revelations of background pertaining to the characters that takes place each week.
Great genre show. Wish emmy voters would recognize its valueas a drama. I'm still hissed Noble did not get a supporting actor nomination last year. He is Walter Bishop as much as David Suchet was Hercule Perot, Connery Bond, and Baker Dr. Who.
Walter Bishop and William Bell are doing each others' work in their respective realms. Therefore, we are seeing the "good" Bishop fight against the "bad" Bell but in the alternate universe we get the "bad" Bishop trying to get his son back. Wouldn't you be mad if someone took your child?
Fantastic show. Most arguably one of the best on air. Perfect entertainment and great suspense.
I think the symbols before the commercial breaks have to do with the length of the breaks. For example, one symbol might be a code for a one minute break and another for a two minute break. Remember, earlier in the series they used to say something like, "We'll be back in exactly 90 seconds."
Love the series. Hope to see more of Leonard Niemoy as Bell and learn more about his alternate reality.
I love this show for its quirky characters. I would like to know more about Peter.
I agree with Phil. Lost has left many people in it's wake that could not keep up with the plot lines. A sure way to get a show cancelled after a couple years is to have one that new viewers can't jump into. Stand alone episodes are important to the ratings to keep the show on the air.
Stargate Universe is a prime example of continuity and boredom. Nobody cares about any of the characters, so stand alone episodes would be better. I don't think that horror will last into next year.
I love this show! The writing and acting are superb!
yeah..this sounds exactly like a spin-off of everything that occurrs in the BOOK version of the Mothman Prophecies.
Seriously Fringe is an awesome show. Walter Bishop..I can't help but love him. I almost fell outta my chair when he called Astrid..."Astroid"!
Fringe won't be canceled because it's too intelligent, it will be canceled because it's boring an derivative. The whole second season has been one gigantic snooze-fest.
i like the story arc better and hope the story doesn't stray away too much like Heroes or Lost. And hope it has an ending somehow. like 24.
"You should put a spoiler alert at the beginning of this article for those who are not caught up on the newest episode. I had to stop reading before I spoiled it."
After a show has aired spoiler alerts don't apply. There isn't anything to spoil. If you haven't seen it that's your issue, not ours.
Emma, thanks for that Lord of The Rings info; I knew he looked familiar but couldn't place him and of course I never thought to google him. Denethor indeed was mad w/power.
If you see any of us performing our Primary Function please do not approach or interfere. While we cannot say why we Observe, we can tell you that what we do is vitally important to the Pattern. Thank you and please take care; we'll be watching. O7 ~|><*7*
I, too, love this show. I don't mind the mix of arc-based and standalone episodes, which follows the formula of the early X-Files shows whereby alien-based (arc) shows were alternated with standalone monster or supernatural shows.
I enjoyed the nod to the movie Altered States in the first season, which of course starred Blair Brown and William Hurt. Brown plays the head of Massive Dynamic. This homage included the use of a sensory deprivation tank very much like the one used in Altered States.
The writing is tight and thoughtful and delivered by fabulous actors. This show and Breaking Bad are my favorites.
Very well-written and acted show – very Matrix-like in many ways. And if John Noble is not nominated for an Emmy than the nominating commitee needs to pull there head out of their "alternate reality" butt.
This is the most fun show to watch. I'm never disappointed!!! The teaser's for next week have me calling all my Fringe people and telling them NOT to miss it.
I do love this show. However, I agree that the stand-alone weird crime events are not as compelling or important as the show's exploration of other dimensional realities.
I look forward to 'Fringe' and its continued union of great writing and great characterization with this very great plot.
This show is GREAT. I love Walter. I feel his acting is exceptional. He is a deeply troubled man who struggles with his past by snapping into his diversions. Olivia's acting is also very good. Her wooden persona is what defines her. She is intense! (sort of like the girl from Profiler). She also is deeply troubled by her unknown past that she is slowly coming to grips with. I hope to God that the idiots at Fox don't even entertain the thought of canceling this show. Give it a chance! I too was upset that NBC canceled Journeyman, just as it was coming into its own.
Love the show, but the thing I noticed on this episode was that when you see the watcher guy right after he got the flag pinned on his lapel, in most of the shots the flag was missing until the shootout at the car. Very weird to have that significant of a continuity error especially when the flag seemed to be important enough to the story. I supposed it was what Olivia used to differentiate between this one and the other watchers.
Love this show, wouldn't dare miss it. Set the DVR to record and save every show.
Wow, so many responses to this article, for/against, which means the show has an IMPACT ! As said before, let us hope it does not suffer X-Files Syndrome this year or next (?). I like a stand-alone plot format, the writers may get too tied up in their own nonsense for viewers to care about, but let's enjoy the ride...
I like this show, so it probably will get cancelled. Remember such shows as John Doe and the 4400? We didn't get a resolution. I hate it when a show is cancelled with no ending.
It is hard to find a show that keeps you interested week after week. This one delivers, and then some. It has been worth the time, and I am excited to see where it goes from her!
There are exactly TWO weekly programs I take time to watch. "Fringe" is one of them.
The stand-alone plots can go, IMO. That's not to say every single episode must unravel significant layers of the ongoing plot, but every episode shoule provide a link, however small and subtle, that provokes the viewer to think, to go "Hmmm" or have an "Aha!" moment of illumination...even if later proven wrong.
When "X-Files" lost the original UFO thread, and when "Lost" started playing with flash-backs, flash-forwards and general silliness instead of genuine storytelling, I moved on.
Please, "Fringe," stay true to the qualities that made you fifty percent of my network viewing content.
~JWH
This is the best show on TV. I like both the one-off episodes and how they also reference back to the main story arc. X Files was the same way, both great shows. Fringe keeps getting more and more interesting
I enjoy the stand alone shows. It helps to keep you guessing whether or not it is part of the overall story arc. If all they did was the story arc, everything would have been revealed by now and the story would be over.
Phil – I noticed the product placement too. But instead of being disgusted, we just chuckled about it. Hey, Ford is paying the bills, might as well cut them a little slack.
i much prefer the "story arc" i think one of the things that wore out the
X Files was the the attempt keep stringing the audience along with "fill" . Here's hoping the big picture has enough legs to keep the show and us going for a long time.
X-Files meets Alias! Love this show!
Love this series and record it on my DVR along with Heros. Do you remember John Noble as a charecter in one of the movies of the Lord of the Rings? He was "crazy" there to. What mistake did the Observers make that needed correcting by saving Walter and Peter from their watery grave? Does it have somthing to do with Walter's unfinished work with Olivia when she was a baby? Why did Olivia come out of her coma saying that Peter had to be better than his father? I think Walter made a bargin with the observers inorder to get Peter back from an alternate reality. His life for Peter's (Christ figure). Help!
Emma
I stopped watching because the show started getting confusing and the pacing was too slow, just like Lost. I got lost. Then they went and put it up against CSI, the original CSI.
Sorry CSI beats out a slow moving confusing show every time. And I really love Sci-Fi or is it SyFy?
I absolutely love this show and the characters. This new focus with the observers asks alot of questions with hopefully alot of answers in time. I also like the asides of totally new concepts, some of them were excellent and others were not so, but overall this show is unique and really fun. Keep it up but dont fall into the trap of so many other shows where they are exciting and cleaver and then they drop off the cliff for lack of story and momentum.
Best and most intelligent TV show ever.
Great show. FOX, don't cancel this one, or we will cancel YOU! *grin
We love this show in our house, however, we hardly catch it now that it moved to Thursday nights.....so many other favorites on that night to see!
Last Thursday morning in Boston's South Station (commuter rail) The TV Show promoters had several FRINGE Observers just standing in various places throughout.
Many bald, some with briefcases – all dressed impeccably.
Very, very cool - Love the show. Glad we are finally finding out more about these strange interlopers.
Great show and great episode last Thursday.
I'm not sure about the symbols except that they represent fringe science experience. The only one that immediately makes sense is the one of the frog without a leg...I'm guessing that's about regenerative growth.
The one that is most intriguing is the wisp of smoke that forms the shape of a face crying out. I'm pretty sure that's Olivia and its a clue to events to come.
True, this show isn't for everyone. It is an amazing broadcast because it's entertaining first, alluring, witty and intriguing, in that order. We are always looking for creative and intelligent dialogue to raise new questions and provide lost answers. It is not absurd, and if it maintains this course it will draw a massive and dynamic audience. Only one suggestion. Dunham needs to let her hair down literally and figuratively.
Good show but I had to stop watching it because of the usual network tricks. Changing the air day and time and who knows when episodes will return. I am about to get rid of my cable too, I am sick of the logo's on the screen. Some even keep an advertisement for another show up with the logo throughout the whole time the show is on. I have about had it with this stuff. I would rather buy movies and watch stuff with a clean screen. Pretty soon the shows will be in a small box while the rest of the screen is advertising. If they ever start putting that crap in DVD's or blue rays I will stop buying them too.
I disagree that the stand-alone episodes are inferior. I think they keep it from getting too central to one theme, like the x-files did- I loved their stand-alone episodes. They're also avoiding the supernatural themes, which I hate. I think they're playing it just right.
Is Marvel Comics going to sue Abrams? For those who don't read their comics, 40+ years ago they introduced a bald-headed race of aliens called "Watchers" who observe (but can't change) historical events that take place on Earth and its various parallel dimensions. One Watcher is chastised from his race when he interferes to provide knowledge that will help save Earth from Galactus.Abrams needs to be more original.
Good show! The Observers bring back memories of the Men In Black that were in the X-Files from time to time. Other worldly beings that looked human but had advanced technology and mysterious purpose.
I prefer a mix of story arc and standalone episodes; or, perhaps, a modest blend of the story arc into the episodes, with it rising only occasionally to dominance.. The crazy machinations of the story arc ruined Alias, and something similar could reduce the Fringe audience to a fringe group of viewers.
I look forward each week to the show. I agree with most of you about the possible demis of the show. I do not think it is fair that FOX has cancelled so many good shows. There have been some great intellectual shows, I loved and was hooked on X-Files, Treshold, even the mind blower Millenninum, we need more Tv where we have to use
our minds. Enough reality crap.
I think that each actor has portrayed his character's personality great. Oliva has to grow on you, I think most people have trouble with the personality of her character not her acting. Walter and Peter are a oerfect match to each other. FOX please don't screw this one up.
I like how the observers are like Uatu the Watcher from the Fantastic Four.
I love this show because it's not like any thing else on Television today. Viewer Ratings are the key to it's success, so if you like, watch it and tell the world! Maybe the networks will stand up and notice (nuff said!) We fans certainly hope so. Rock on Fringe!
I watched Fringe when it first started but lost interest early on. I was disapointed with the weirdness. The early shows only were stand-alones with things like the cow as a constant. Astrid was an FBI agent in these shows and I had hopes she would be more than an assistant to a forgetful old man who might or might not be a genius.
I enjoy the show immensely. I prefer a mix of stand-alone episodes and a continuing storyline. I hope the show doesn't take the path of the 4400, where it became a never-ending melodrama about a crazy woman the future had put in place or X-Files which way overdid on the alien storyline for its last few years.
I watch Fringe every week. I didn't watch it at first..but I became hooked after watching the third episode. Walter is my favorite of all the characters..Fox cancelled Sarah O'Connor just as it was getting good. This show deserves to stay its entertaining and well written. Hey Fox get a clue!!
This is a great show as well..and like a few of the comments mentioned above...the moment you get hooked on a show, Fox cancels it. Really dont know how any network hopes to continue operating by ticking off the very viewers it needs to survive. But then again, the suits who run these networks are not really that bright.
"On Demand" only works for direct tv IF you have it set up to satellite internet which costs more than the normal set up. We don't have it and so cannot use the feature.
I was horribly disapointed that the show did such a blatant product placement plug for the Ford Fusion and the Sync phone/radio feature, including a closeup of the Sirius satellite radio screen . It was so obvious that it was insulting, and I thought the show as better than that.
I watch the show every week, and I support it because it's got enough variety in the plots to keep me interested. That said, a lot of the plotlines, twists, explanations, and uses of concepts are so brain-numbingly stupid, I'll wind up changing the channel for a few minutes in disgust. My girlfriend and I joke about it being "ghetto x-files".
The old guy is fun, though, and Joshua Jackson's fun as well. I sincerely hope "Olivia" manages to improve her acting, however. She's just not able to garner much sympathy with her alternatingly pathetically weak and overly tough personas.
MORE WALTER!!! Please.
I really love watching the show. Although, in India, it is still the first season being shown... It reminds me of the X-Files which I really loved (still watch the re-runs).
janelle November 20th, 2009 4:07 pm ET
Janelle:
If you have an DVR, then go thru the ON DEMAND section and find TV-Series, and thru there you can find all episodes, including ones you missed.
Hope this helped.
Tony
I love this show!! Just like the rest of you guys, I fear it will be cancelled so they can put on another dumb reality show or Jay Leno. I love the stand alone episodes, but they have made the arc so interesting and compelling that I'm always anxious to see what's next. Didn't realize about the symbols, so have learned something new from y'all. Thanks.
I LOVE this show and especially last night's episode. Everyone on this show plays their part perfectly! Walter is my fave. His scenes with Astrid are a welcome part to each show as it adds a little humor to lighten up the episode! Can't wait til the next episode!
I LOVE this show. i look forward to it and have been telling my friends too. the writing is strong and i like both the stand alone shows and as well as the arc shows. i used to love Threshold as well. it too was cancelled before it go traction. i want this one to stay around for a few years.
janelle November 20th, 2009 4:07 pm ET:
HULU.COM to watch all of the episodes dear.
Janelle –
You can watch all Fringe episodes on Fox.com.
I like the stand alones. X-Files was best when it peppered stand alones with the arc stories. When they went all in on the arc stories they lost their way and had little opportunity for something new and sometimes funny.
Agreed that a breath of fresh air. Just hope that it doesn't have a long break like last year, which could cause it trouble.
It does remind me of X-Files in the early 1990s crossed with Outer Limits. However, the depth or characters is deeper and wider.
Strange that all the shows it is compared to were also filmed in Vancouver, Canada for the most part. Sorry people, not filmed in the north east US for season two, but in my hometown of Vancouver, Canada. Noticed that in Episode 2 of Season 2. Strange, but I'd rather it be filmed in north east US as knowing most of the locations takes a bit of the edge off for me. I spend time trying to figure out where in Vancouver it was filmed.
Just fact-checking here, but hasn't there, uh, been episodes with more than one Observer? I remember one episode implying there are more and then the episode with the underground kid who apparently was a young Observer.
So, uh, that would counter this journalists' assertion that this episode was the, uh, to quote "Observers – yes, we find out for the first time on the show that there's more than one"
I can't agree less with people who don't care for the stand alone shows. The story arc got started with the old CBS series "WiseGuys" and it's just gone right off the rails. It's a lazy, anything goes way of story telling if it's even that! When you have to tell a full, coherent story in 60 minutes (less commercials) you impose a structure and a framework for getting a Good Story up, on and out. The Story Arc manner just let's things go off in any direction, it allows for padding and confused plot lines that in many cases dead end. No. Give me a good stand alone story. Case in point is LOST. At some point a lot of people just gave up on that show (me included) and for good reason. It just was NOT good story telling. I don't want that for Fringe....
I love the show just the way it is. Keeps you guessing. And i just love walters part in it .Olivia and the rest of the cast are just great !!!!!!
The concept for each show is pretty good. However, I find Walter to be annoying; I'm pretty sure it's the acting.
Fringe is finally starting to find it's path. The show started off strong last year, and then went astray so I stopped watching. Only at the end of season 1 when Oliva travelled to the other reality to meet William Bell did I return to watching on a weekly basis. Season 2 is getting better and I do like following the story arc mythology. Noble is excellent and I really care about Olivia, Peter and Astrid. Last night's episode with the Observers kicked the series into high gear for me. I'm now hooked.
Re: Chris
"Sounds like lots of fans here... I have a question for you guys. I eagerly awaited the start of Fringe last year, and was hoping for something along the lines of X-Files. However, I only made it through the first two episodes. The main female character (sorry, it is Olivia?) seemed wooden in her acting... distractingly not good. The professor was also over the top – almost as if it was a comedy. Have things improved acting-wise since those first couple of episodes? The storylines looked promising..."
IMO John Noble delivers Walter movingly, gracefully nuancing the character's inner tightrope: brilliant-but-tortured genius vs. brain-damaged clown. Anna Torv's gravitas suits the character, is compelling/convincing, though I sometimes detect her struggling to maintain her American accent. Revisit the series.
love this show......i have to go to bed early for work but i set my alarm and wake up to see it every week.
Doesn't the concept (and name) of The Observer sound an awful lot like the Marvel Comics character The Watcher? Same job, same non-interference ethic, even the same haircut! Just swap the '60s suit for a toga, and bingo!
to Chris-yes, I was tired of "Olivia" in the first few episodes and I didn't think I could handle "Walter" one more minute. I continued watching the show because of "Peter". the acting has improved considerably since the very first shows. I am now in wait every week for the odd things "Walter" will say to "Asterisk-its Astrid, Walter".
I love the stand-alone episodes and that we also have the story arc. I am never bored. I look forward to this show all week. I also loved "Life" and it was cancelled and I was crushed. I love the show as it is. I would honestly be very sad if it were cancelled. I don't think I would appreciate a show where I had to watch every single episode to keep up-like "Lost" or "heroes" because I would be frustrated all of the time. this show, I WANT to watch every week and WANT to stay current.
I've no clue as to what the symbols between breaks are but they are facinating. I have no idea where Fringe is going but where ever it is, I'm following!! A great new show with a truly unique story line. No cgi crap and no carbon copy of other shows on tv. BRAVO.
I agree with other comments that odds are FOX will cancel because show is TOO intellegent. WHY can't these producers see that there is a huge audience of intellegent people who crave the opportunity to be treated with respect as a viewer! I mourn the greats like Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, but especially Nowhere Man and Carnivale.
waiting for it to be cancelled.
This is my absolute favorite show!
I watch this show every week, Heck I even have the Box setup to change the channel to 11(KTTV-FOX) on the Dish box in HD, Those Observers, Their watching alright, But to what end? I guess We'll have to just wait and see and hope FOX doesn't cancel the show without at least allowing the series to try and tie up all the loose ends with a finale episode. Cause this show tends to suck people in like a vacuum cleaner.
Has anyone ever noticed the show's paralleles to chess? You have two distinct but identical sides, two Bishops on each, with one who captured another, a pawn who got to the other side and turned himself into a knight (Charlie), A king that mainly stays rooted to one spot (Bell), a Queen that freely travels back & forth, and one side that still has both rooks, while the other lost both (9/11). Not perfect, of course, since Bell's big move seems more akin to a castle than anything else, but still...
I watched the first few episodes when it started and couldn't stick with it.... has it really gotten better?
Try fancast.com to see any episodes you missed. Episodes are free to watch, but there are commercial interruptions. It sometimes takes a day or two to post the latest show.
Sounds like lots of fans here... I have a question for you guys. I eagerly awaited the start of Fringe last year, and was hoping for something along the lines of X-Files. However, I only made it through the first two episodes. The main female character (sorry, it is Olivia?) seemed wooden in her acting... distractingly not good. The professor was also over the top – almost as if it was a comedy. Have things improved acting-wise since those first couple of episodes? The storylines looked promising, but I'd get thrown out of the moment every time "acting" was required in a scene.
Thanks for any serious responses
You can watch the first 2 episodes either via HULU, Fancast or even at download them from iTUNES to your phone or iPOD....that's how I caught the 1st episode.
To "hopeful but cautiously so": the name you're looking for is "Journeyman". Loved the premise of that show, enjoyed all the episodes, and had great hopes it would grow into something really good. I was angry, too, when it was cancelled before it really had a chance.
this now my second prescheduled TV time of the week (House is the other). This is well written, compelling and INTERESTING ( a rare quality).
As much as i do like the whole observer storyline, i do think that the show needs the stand alone episodes which provide additional interest.
As far as the observers there is very much a Shining quality to the whole thing. Like Jack Torrance in the bathroom with the "ghost"(?) of Grady. "You are the caretaker...You've ALWAYS been the caretaker...I know because I've ALWAYS been here". Visons out of place and time. Can't wait to see where it goes.
You can catch past episodes free on hulu.com!
This show is actually being broadcasts into our reality by one of the other realities. They don't even see it in their reality as it is only shown in our reality.
Life is on in the other reality but should be on in our reality. Really.
Here's the Fox link to Fringe and you can watch any episode from here:
http://www.fox.com/fringe/
Be sure to download their viewer. It makes the video run flawlessly...
Love the show! I think the comment from the observer at the end where he said "She has no idea what is about to happen" or something like that was directed to her niece not Olivia. The little girl had no real reason to be written into the episode. Something is comming...
Mr. Z – I really like this show also. And, as in the past, this show will probably be cancelled. I thought Eastwick was a great show, and sure enough, out it went. Why is it every time I really get into a show, don't miss an episode, it gets cancelled??
Fringe is one of the best written, highest quality shows out there today, and yet it's always behind Grey's Anatomy, 30 Rock, The Office, and CSI in the ratings. I don't get it. But I hear it's in danger of getting the ax. It's a sad world where shows like Dancing with the Stars and The Biggest Loser get top ratings and great shows like Fringe, Life, Invasion, Kings, and Life on Mars get the ax.
Long live Fringe! (I hope)
Previously shown episodes can be viewed at fox.com.
Anyone whose missed episodes can see them on fancast.com and tv.com for free. Some might not be available until day after airing though.
I do really like the show. Reminds me of X-Files. I like the format as is.
My family and I absolutely LOVE Fringe! I really hope the rumors aren't true that it might get canceled. It has some off the wall stories that keeps you glued to the edge of you seat. And ya what do those symbols mean at commercial breaks, I'd like to know too. Anyone know any secrets about the show they'd like to share with us?
I heard that the symbols were actually take from Mayan paintings that predict the 2012 Armageddon and are eventually going to be weaved into the series.
Good series. I agree one of the best in a while.
janelle, looks like Fringe episodes are available on hulu.com
I for one enjoy the stand alone episodes as much as the story advancing ones. I can't wait to kind out more about why the Observers are here and find out who they report to! I also am looking forward to finding out what Walter's pay back will be for "stealing" Peter from the alt universe.The entire cast is hugely talented, especially John Noble, and the writers are amazing! FRINGE is my favorite of the last two years and is quickly becoming my favorite TV show of all. Noting the symbols shown at commerical breaks and de-coding at the end of the show is fun! I'm always excited to see what word it will be. FRINGE is just a really excellent program, let's hope FOX keeps in on for many seasons to come!!
This is a great show. Lots of puzzles, plots and little predictability. The commercial symbols help to add to its mysticism. I am truly looking forward to seeing how this story arc will progress and how this arc will progress into future arcs. However I unfortunately must agree with Mr. Z, This show is too good for Fox executives to allow it to last. Fox has an unusually high proportion of good series concepts and an even higher likelihood of killing them without any real explanation disappointing any posiible loyal fan base.
In my opinion, Fringe is the best show on TV not only now, but the best there's been in a long time. The writing is incredibly strong and the cast couldn't be better. J.J. Abrams has successfully channeled everything that made The X-Files and The Twilight Zone great into a show that is still unlike anything before it.
Thank you Mr. Abrams for bringing intelligent paranormal sci-fi back to primetime.
I wonder, is the dark future for Olivia, or perhaps the little girl she was riding with?
Utterly fantastic. Noble is terrific. He seems to have the skill of acting 'mad' down pat. First LOTR, now Fringe. Terrific to watch. Distrurbingly funny.
You should put a spoiler alert at the beginning of this article for those who are not caught up on the newest episode. I had to stop reading before I spoiled it.
Love this show!!! It's both intelligent & fun, a combination that seems to be almost non-existent these days. Intellectual doesn't have to be boring, depressing, or dark, and it's nice to know that someone out there in tv land understands!
Awesome show! I hope it doesn't lose its way like the X-Files did. I do believe though that the producers have an idea of where they're going to end up. At least I have hope. Time will tell.
I've been pretty patient with Fringe.My 15 year old daughter was looking at me and saying "You're still watching Fringe?" at the start of the episode with the same kind of annoyed disgust in her tone that only a 15 year old girl can manage. Half way through the episode, however, she was on the couch glues to the tv and I couldn't get her to leave. "Why did he save her? What's with the bald guy? I want to know!" If the second season has more episodes like this one, the show should do just fine, and my patient waiting will have paid off.
I had such promise for this show, but it's gone way off the rails. It's a mess and the actors seem to already be sleep-walking through.
Haven't watched this show yet. But from the description above, it sounds almost exactly like the early seasons of X-Files.
While I do like the shows that help flesh out the main storyline of the show, it's nice to have some that finish in one hour and actually explain what's happened. The episode from a few weeks ago with the shadow-man was way eerie and suspenseful. I use to worry that the show will end up being another X-Files, where nothing is ever resolved for certain and you are never sure if what's happening is for real or part of some "conspiracy" perpetrated by some unknown group. So far that's not happening with Fringe. Even the long term storyline is coming together well and is being explained as it progresses.
I watch this show every week but i don't know why. It is not even close to the best show on tv. it is really ridiculous sometimes.
I love the show and I am glad to see it focused more on the story arc. I am starting to grow a little weary of the Walter character though. Really, what is his deal? At times he seems lucid and at other times he seems incoherent and a drag on the story. I also hated it when agent Dunham's partner was killed off; he was the outside balance to the other characters. I hope to see more Leonard Nimoy; he was great.
I love this show but I've missed the last 2 episodes does anyone know where I can watch the past episodes?
I love the show and agree with the earlier comment, I keep waiting for it to be cancelled. I do not mind the stand alone episodes and especially enjoyed the one recently where the people became ash!!!
The cast is great and Blair Brown has been a favorite of mine since "Altered States." When I describe the show to people trying to get more fans I say it is a cross between The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits (the original series) and The X files. I hope it stays on at least one more season!!!
I also love this show and find it creative and intriguing. Unfortunately, shows of this caliber generally do not seem to last long because the TV networks cater to the lowest common denominator of viewers who aren't bright enough to get it.
Hate to sound cynical here, and I'm really hoping I'm wrong, but I'm still a little bitter about: Nowhere Man (years ago), Life on Mars, The Unit, Worst Week, (and another one whose name escapes me about the guy who spontaneously time travels).
I thought that J.J. Abrams' purpose in creating a show with more "stand alone" episodes was intentional. I believe he was trying to create a show where a casual viewer could still tune in on occasion and enjoy themselves for an hour without scratching their head because they couldn't understand what was going on (as is the case with Lost). I agree that the story arc episodes are more enjoyable, but I understand what Mr. Abrams was going for, and I think he achieved it. Can't wait til next Thursday!
That there are 12 or 13 versions of Earth and that each Observer either occupies one or they live between the versions and their job is to make sure none colldie. There are 12 observers or observer positions named after the months of the year. I'm waiting to see other-world-Olivia and evil-Astrid and all the other familiar faces just one world over.
The symbols during the commericial breaks match the 26 characters of the alphabet and if you watch enough you'll crack the code, each of them is a five letter word.
The strange symbols are actually a code, one that was cracked by a writer at Ars Tecnica:
arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/04/ars-cipher-expert-cracks-tv-fringe-code.ars
This is the only show I look forward to all week!! I taped it last season because of the short commercial breaks but don't have to do that this year. I love the cast of characters of which Walter is my favorite by far!! I really enjoy the love / frustration relationship between Walter and Peter. I was glad to get some answers about the Observers in this week's episode, however, I do like some of the stand-alone episodes because they can be pretty freaky. Can't wait for the next episode!!
Fringe is arguably one of the best shows on TV now, and this episode was a good example of why.
Also, I just like seeing something other than Twilight getting covered in the entertainment section.
Although I don't mind the stand alone episodes, I prefer the story arc variety much more. Haven't seen last night's episode yet but I'm looking forward to it. And I LOVE Walter and Asterisk's ( that's ASTRID!)
scenes. Hoping to see more of her in general too. GREAT show.
I absolutely love this show. excellent, excellent, excellent. because I love it so much it will only be a matter of time before Fox cancels it.
I love this show. Very creative and enjoyable to watch.