Fringe hooked me good...

I've griped before about the lack of interesting sci-fi-type of shows on TV, but now it's time for me to dish some praise.

When Fringe first premiered on Fox (I'll forgive them that), I was quite psyched. The first few episodes (which are only a hazy memory now) drew me in, BUT I was put off by the writing.

The acting was decent and the plot was interesting enough...it was the 'let's spell everything out for the stupid viewers' approach to dialog that drove me nuts.

Regardless, I stuck with the show and this last week's episode FINALLY paid me for my loyalty.

Season 2 Episode 15...Jacksonville.

Okay, so here's the deal. Fringe's plot is ALL over the place. There are a handful of creepy and personal (not necessarily mutually exclusive) sub plots regarding parallel universes, pale bald Observers, psychic abilities, dead sons, all sorts of crazy stuff that would make no sense to anybody who hadn't been watching the show from day one. Even that I'm one of these people, I still wonder if I've missed stuff because there will be multi-episode gaps in some of the meta stories that leave me wondering if they're just going to drop that sub story line...but then, WHAM, the story kicks back in.

This was the case with the latest episode.

The season one finale showed agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv, who also played a very hot lesbian on the BBC show Mistresses...she's British btw) demonstrate some psychic power, then we saw nothing of it for 14 episodes, then it's back.

It's like reading a gripping prologue, then going 200 pages with the hopes of something hooking me, and just when I'm about to throw in the towel, I turn the page and there's the hook.

Okay, forget that part.

This last episode really truly endeared me even more to the characters themselves, which is critical in any viewer's commitment to a program. I've long had a soft spot for Walter Bishop (John Noble...you may remember him as the crazy steward in LOTR, Denethor). This character is wonderfully brilliant, emotional and crazy, and John Nobel does a brilliant job playing him.

Best line from Fringe thus far:

Peter Bishop (son to father about a middle of the night call to head to New York to check something creepy out): "Wake up, Walter, you just won an all expense paid trip to New York."

Walter Bishop: "Fantastic. I've never won anything before." ...and the character is completely sincere.

This entire episode tossed in a little bit of everything I've been missing about this show...the glue to hold together all the pieces of the story. It's a shame it had to come so late in the second season, especially knowing there are probably only 5 or so episodes left. However, maybe this is a sign that the writing has turned a corner.

So there's my praise for a new-ish TV program.

Peace

A Pink American