Five shows I’m glad I gave a chance
I have to admit, there are times when I can be a snob when it comes to a new TV show. The fact that a show is getting rave reviews and millions of people are tuning in each week often only adds to my disdain. With the dumbfounding success of reality shows that do little more than exploit its stars or contestants, and procedural dramas that rely more on special effects than creative storylines and compelling characters, I don’t exactly have a ton of faith in the American public as far as entertainment goes.
However, my TV snobbery often comes around to bite me in the rear, as it were, and many a show that I deemed unworthy of my attention at first glance has turned out to be one of my favorites, once I gave it a chance. Here are a few of the shows that have proven me oh, so wrong.
Fringe – The picture coming into focus & Olivia gets a personality!
(Season 1, Episode 10 – “Safe”)
So I guess you spend nine episodes gathering different ingredients, and its only in the tenth episode that you start stirring things together toward whatever it is you’re cooking. Little Hill is a destination and tonight we got some idea as to what it’s all about.
Beyond that even, we get some idea as to just how freaking brilliant and amazing Walter Bishop has been and still is. There were so many amazing moments in this episode, I think this is the episode in which I fully and completely fell in love with Fringe. I’ve been digging most of the characters and even Olivia has been growing on me. Tonight, she came fully into her own and stands proudly next to the rest of this cast as another great character with depth. Took them long enough!
Fringe – Walter Bishop gets recommitted for a cause
(Season 1, Episode 8 – “The Equation”)
Well, after eight episodes I can say I’m officially hooked. While things started off a little slow on this show, I can now see why FOX was willing to throw out that full season pick-up in early October. They’d probably already seen at least scripts or early screenings for some of these episodes, and we’re finally starting to get somewhere with the Pattern. Oh, we don’t have any idea what the hell it is, what it’s about, and what they’re trying to accomplish, but at least we’re touching on it.
The “Find the Observer” contest from last week went down as planned, and commenter Jay won. The Observer was in the airport when Olivia got there. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to hook up in time for him to write this intro so you’re stuck with me. Sorry about that, Jay. We’ll get something worked out to get you your day in the sun very soon.
Fringe – In Which We Meet Mr. Jones
FOX
(Season 1, Episode 7)
Well, it looks like things are starting to come together on the set of Fringe. It’s interesting that in the “What has come before” recap segment that started the show they pretty much only covered what happened in the pilot. I guess everything between then and now has been completely disposable. Maybe this is the first episode to have come out since they started getting the critical responses to the early episodes.
There was a frenetic pace from beginning to end, even though Olivia managed to squeeze an international flight into it. And the Pattern almost stood up front and center screaming “Look at me! Look at me!” Oh, and I saw the Observer. Did you find him? No, I’m not going to tell you. I suspect he may appear in every episode, so we’re going to make a game out of it! The first person to comment and correctly identify where he was gets to write this intro sequence for next week’s episode.
Fringe’s floating letters: What Were They Thinking?
scranScribble
I’m all for special effects, if done well. I love the gross-out anatomy effects used on House; they take me back to my freshman science dissections. Bleh! And how about the classy explosions over on Burn Notice? A bit gratuitous, but pretty cool nonetheless.
I’ll even head-bob some respect to the not-so-well-done special effects on TV these days, like the dream sequences on That ’70s Show. You have to appreciate the hokey, though, and it worked for them.
Fringe, however, just created their own category of special effects, and it crossed the line for me. Seriously, Fringe folks, what were you thinking with the floating 3D letters, indicating a scene change?
Fringe picked up for a full season
Joshua-Jackson.com
Mark your calendars people — FOX made two good decisions this week: canceling the boring Do Not Disturb and ordering nine more episodes of mystery sci-fi series Fringe. Along with the usual initial 13 episodes order it received a few months ago, Fringe’s first season will be of 22 episodes.
The series, starring cutie Dawson’s Creek’s Joshua Jackson, has been doing well in the ratings, which is why the network decided to order a full season.
Fringe – The Arrival
Joshua-Jackson.com
(Season 1, Episode 4)
It’s a little thing, I know, but I love how they put the location text in huge block letters that are static parts of the establishing shots. It’s unique enough to be memorable and just looks kind of cool to me. As for the cast in the picture there, the relationship between Walter and son Peter provides some good comic relief. Primarily because Walter is crazy. Unfortunately, Olivia is thus far just so bland she’s downright boring to watch.
I want to like this show. I really do. They’re tapping into cool elements of science and science fiction on the, pardon the pun, fringes of known reality but they’re just not making it exciting enough. I’m not sure if it’s something lacking in the main characters, or just not enough on the larger picture that you know Abrams has in his head but there’s no sense of urgency to immerse myself into this world. And I know that Abrams was wanting this to be a show you could easily slip in and out of without feeling, pardon this pun, lost but at the same time there needs to be something bigger there to encourage those fans to keep coming back. Sci fi fans like big stories and deep mythologies. So start showing it to us.
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