Toothpick TV: Fringe

A lot of great shows never even come close to getting the respect that they deserve before they are taken off the air because of lack of viewers. Firefly, Tru Calling, Dollhouse, Arrested Development, Deadwood, The Shield, The 4400, and of course The Wire are just a few of the many great shows that seem to slip through the cracks amongst a sea of much higher rated shows such as… ugh… Whitney, Will and Grace, and Jersey Shore. This week’s TV pick not only happens to be a phenomenal show struggling with the ratings problem, but a contender for my favorite show currently on TV.

Fringe is a science fiction/mystery drama that revolves around the supernatural cases investigated by the specialized “Fringe Division” of the FBI. It’s the third television brainchild of the always interesting JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias, Cloverfield, MI: III, Super 8) and right off the bat this series got a lot of attention because it sounded and looked like a beefed up, better version of the X-files. Instead of simply following two agents however, this show revolves more around the division itself, including a strong lead by relative newcomer Anna Torv as protagonist Special Agent Olivia Dunham, a talented Joshua Jackson as consultant and liaison Peter Bishop, the perpetually outstanding Lance Reddick as Agent Phillip Broyles, and John Noble as the eccentric and slightly schizotypal scientific researcher Walter Bishop in a role so brilliantly interpreted and portrayed that it astounds me he has not yet won an Emmy, let alone been nominated.  In many ways though, Fringe far exceeds even the best strengths of the X-files, with a much deeper main story arc, more interesting and likeable characters, and a more intriguing and mysterious antagonists.

Like X-Files, Fringe’s weekly stories revolve around the “Monster of the Week” storyline structure, which means that every week the division must investigate a new case of supernatural origin, but where most X-file monsters were usually isolated episodic events that typically had no connection with the occasional “Smoking Man” episodes sprinkled in, Fringe episodes go out of the way to have the story advanced every week, even if it is just a little. At first these episodes deal with an emerging series of strange events referred to as “The Pattern”, but as the mystery of these incidents slowly unfolds and the story advances the heroes begin to discover that there is a much more sinister and deeper conspiracy underlying these strange occurrences.

As I mentioned before, the creator and producer of this show is JJ Abrams, who gained a lot of fame (and notoriety) by becoming the master of conspiracy with his almost torturous creation of mysteries made famous in Lost. Throughout the entire series of Lost many questions were left unanswered, and every time one of them was explained the show would create two more for the viewer to pull their hair out over. This trend eventually created a storyline that was so tangled and contradictory that by the end of the show, even with a final season dedicated to explaining every mystery they STILL didn’t have answers to all of the questions brought up throughout the series. This created quite a backlash of anger from the viewers after the series finale, with many people calling it everything from “The Worst Season of Lost Ever” to “The Worst Season of Television Ever”, and eventually JJ Abrams himself issued a statement which was basically an apology for how the show fell apart after he left.

JJ Abrams seems to have learned from his mistakes however, and where Lost utterly failed with its’ handling of mysteries, Fringe excels. Questions brought up in the beginning of each season are more or less explained and dealt with by the end, and fresh mysteries never have a chance to grow stagnant and forgotten as seasons pass. The audience’s continued watching and dedication to the show is rewarded with rich, compelling storytelling that perpetually moves the story forward, and as mysteries are solved fresh questions are brought up to replace them in a sort of ever expanding web of mystery. There is, however, one critical question in the show that has yet to answer, an important mystery that was introduced in the first season, but this mystery is vital to the advancement of the story and it is handled with respect and deliberate pacing. When the time comes to finally answer it the answer won’t take an entire season to explain like Lost, so I don’t have much of an issue with it remaining a mystery.

At its’ heart Fringe is an excellent and well written mystery, but each episode brings with it powerful and interesting twists in the overall story. The direction is taut and exciting, creating a sense of tension when necessary interfused with moments of well written comic relief (usually courtesy of Walter). The show also deals with very important world issues on a more subliminal base, issues such as morality, segregation, fear (both of the unknown and in general), ethical science and research, and a truly believable and interesting love story arc between two of the main characters. The camerawork is excellent, so much so that you can often find yourself forgetting that this is simply a TV show and not a big budget movie. It’s not flashy or distracting like one of the many CSIs or NCIS, but it’s well worked, well framed, and uses the occasional camera trick to create a sense of supernatural undertone that goes a long way towards establishing the perfect atmosphere for a show like this.

One of the things sets Fringe on a higher plane of likeability that all the other shows on TV is the little touches and nods to other established works that it goes out of the way to acknowledge. Tiny details and storylines often help excel this show past the competition, everything from a small camera trick here, to a little homage here. A good example would be an episode that explores the work of Dr. Bishop before his eventual downfall. Now obviously the entire episode takes place in the eighties, but instead of simply using the same introductory theme the creators of the show put together this brilliant homage to eighties TV logos.

Here is the original…



And here is the eighties version…



All in all this is one of the most compelling television shows I have seen in quite a while, and one of the reasons why I am beginning to like TV more than film due to its’ expert storytelling over meaningless effects. The first and second seasons are sublime, and include episodes that are nothing short of the best television I have ever seen, chock full of incredible moments like the twists at the end of the first episode, the introduction of “The Observers”, and Olivia’s freakishly strange car accident in the season premiere of Season 2. Everything about this show is handled with the respect and appropriate pacing one would expect to see from a ratings powerhouse, despite the fact that this show has been perpetually struggling for viewers.

Which brings me to my final point, missing this show would be a crime, which is why I am so saddened to see it constantly fighting the ax as it tries to bring new viewers into its’ interesting story. I myself was a latecomer, and I didn’t start getting into this show until I downloaded the first season from my companies shared drive in Iraq, but as soon as I got home I watched every episode of it on Netflix, bought season 3 when it came out, and forced my wife and her family to watch it from the beginning (all of them are now caught up and addicted). One weakness this show has that the X-files doesn’t however is a weakness that it shares with Arrested Development, in that it is very hard for the average viewer to simply “jump in” to the show halfway through its’ fourth season. It is best enjoyed when begun from episode one, but many people’s schedules are flat out too hectic to start a new series from scratch just to catch up with where it is now.

This is also a good point however, as that first season is so exciting and so interesting that I am honestly envious of everyone who gets to watch it without knowing what they are getting into. Whether you’re a fan of mysteries, dramas, sci-fi, shows that are a bit different from everything else out there, or just have some down time to catch up on one of the best kept secrets on TV, this show has something that everyone can enjoy.