Fringe Binge Time

12/26/2012

Of course I forgot to post about today's final Worldwide Fringe Binge. Oh, well, I've been very busy with getting ready for Christmas. I didn't even know it existed until a few months ago. I wanted to take part. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to, but I have to watch a couple at least. Good thing there are 97 episodes to go through over the next four days. Sadly, I have yet to buy season 4 and I didn't get it for Christmas, so those will be skipped. And my DVR randomly decided to delete the first two episodes of this season, even though they were set to be kept. More on my crappy DVR later.

We already said goodbye for now to our favorite actors earlier this month. Soon it will be time to say goodbye for now to our favorite story. Let's remind ourselves why this will be so hard by experiencing everything again from the beginning, from the first tear, the first laugh, the first cringe. Watch along with other Fringe fans with this schedule, adjusted for different time zones. If I were to start today, like I hope to, I would watch the pilot starting at 4 PM EST.

Doctor Who
The Snowmen
Series 7, Episode 6 Preview

12/22/2012

It's been so long since this show was on. Well, not as long as the ridiculous wait between proper seasons, but it's been long enough that I forgot about the Christmas episodes. If not for browsing a magazine, I would have missed it. Maybe my DVR would have caught it, but I doubt that. I'll have to check as soon as I'm done here.

Oh, great. Now Doctor Who is going to make me suspect snowmen when I'm alone with them. Thanks so very much. Nothing can just stay innocent and out of my nightmares.


"Cataclysm Raining Down" on Fringe

12/22/2012

After a bad week, I listened to Linkin Park's "Iridescent" four times in the car on the way to feed my brother's dog. And then later my day ended with "Anomaly XB-6783746," a mind-blowing episode of Fringe that I can't let go and never will - never want to. So, I thought of the song again and it's helping. Fringe is one of those exceedingly rare shows that makes you really feel. But that means that it hurts sometimes...many times...a lot. Last night was one of those times. It also can keep you up at night thinking about it. Joel Wyman, David Fury, John Noble, Blair Brown, and everyone did a tremendous job.

I won't go into detail. I'll leave spoilers up to the people of Tumblr with their incredibly emotional animated gifs. Proceed to spoil yourself if you wish, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Perception is the Key: Another shot with blood on the floor, again used to great effect.

Annietorv: "Forever sobbing."

AnnieTorv: Find out who Donald is...or just watch the damn show!

musadinessuno: "The boy is important - he has to live."

Perception is the Key: "Every time I see one of those posters..."

And everything else tagged Fringe.

Of course someone made a Fringe video with "Iridescent." I knew it had to exist.


Noble Intentions for Black Blotter

12/21/2012

There are only four episodes left of one of the greatest weekly events in TV history, and certainly my favorite. There are many incredible shows that can make me cry, laugh, think differently, spark creativity, and inspire love. But Fringe, with its epic and poignant story, has been the most effective at all of this and more.

If you haven't seen this show yet, it's not one that can be picked up just anywhere. But that's all right, because every episode has something memorable, another part of the big picture, and each is a master class in acting. And why would you want to miss any of it anyway? You don't skip chapters of a book to get to the end quicker, do you?

As an example of the weirdness and humor of Fringe, here is the Monty Python tribute sequence from last week's "Black Blotter." Fun fact: Fringe now has three episodes named after drugs.


Oblivion and Kerrigan

12/20/2012

Oblivion and Kerrigan are my latest weapon designs. Read about them here and here.

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

Fringe Benefits Project Poster ~ White Tulip

12/19/2012

Fringe Benefits Project - White TulipPhoto belongs to Anthony Petrie and Fringe Benefits Project.

Okay, in the past couple hours I worked on four posts. That's way too many, but I have to do one more. This beautiful poster is available now from Fringe Benefits Project for $30 plus shipping. I'm low on cash right now, but it was an irresistible purchase, especially since it's "White Tulip," one of the most important episodes, a symbol of forgiveness and the one fans have used to show our love. I don't have a lot of Fringe stuff to adorn my walls, so this was perfect. I wasn't planning on buying any of them, because I thought they would cost too much. They're actually less expensive than I thought, by quite a bit, so there was no doubt. I put it in my cart in less than a minute.

It's a limited edition, so get yours before it's gone. Only 100 are available for purchase and I have no idea how many have been sold, but Ari Margolis tweeted it about an hour ago to all us Fringies. If you miss it, there will be five other Fringe case-inspired posters you can get soon.

So Close to the End, But So Far from Normal

12/19/2012

It's almost that time again! The Fringe Twitter event is this Friday. Time to change your icon. Time to participate in getting the show to trend with the hashtag #FarFromNormal. Time to tell the cast and crew how much you appreciate all their hard work over the years...if you haven't a thousand times already.

Have no idea what you want to say? Here are a few examples. Normally I try to incorporate the hashtag into a sentence, but that just didn't happen last week.

Bonus Video //

I was exercising the other day, drawing Oblivion and listening to music on Pandora. This song came on and immediately brought flashbacks of Peter and Olivia. I would love if someone made a POlivia video with this song.


Free Your Mind, Fringies

12/13/2012

Since today is the last day of filming for our beloved Fringe, I thought it appropriate to mention the Twitter event now instead of waiting until the last minute, which is what I usually end up doing. I'm supposed to be working right now. But so what? Fringe is more important. Use the hashtag #FreeYourMind on Twitter this Friday at 8PM EST during "Black Blotter."

There are only a few episodes left. The last two are airing on January 18, 2013, the day a collective fandom breaks down and you hear a high-pitched wailing around the world. Yeah, we love Fringe. If you don't get it then you've never seen it. Or you were too impatient to stick around for a few episodes to see that it would become a beautiful experiment in weirdness anchored to reality by relationships that feel real, loveable characters you want to protect, incredibly soulful writing, and effortless acting of the highest skill. But that's all just words. Watch the pilot, just one episode, and see if there's not something there. Make it to "Snakehead" in Season 2 and I'll give you a cookie, because if you were just going along with it until then, you will suddenly realize the talent of John Noble and completely fall in love with the show. At least, that's when I did.

Update: And here's one of the reasons we love this show so much, showrunner Joel Wyman.

As an example, here are a few tweets from the previous event. Pointless now because I'm updating the day after the show aired. I just don't want to lose them. You can only go so far back when you search.

Be sure to follow these wonderful people of Fringe on Twitter.

The Saw Theme Should Be in More Trailers

12/09/2012

It's Sunday, so I'm doing the usual...cleaning. Going through a lot of old papers right now. I came across a note to myself that the Saw theme was used in the trailers for Deja Vu, Valkyrie, and The Box. I completely forgot about that. It's such a great, creepy song. I wonder if any other movies have used it. I haven't noticed and I always hear when it's playing.

Yes, it's Christmas-Chanukkah-Kwanzaa-Festivus-time and this is technically a Halloween song. It's just so amazing I don't care.

Starts at 1:13. I know I can set a start time, but I like the lead up, and it's not that long.

Starts at 1:37.

Starts at 1:40.

And here's the entire song (actually it's a pair). I swear I posted about them here before. Must have been at MOG, YouTube, and Twitter, because I can't find it.

A Little Human Kind-ness

12/07/2012

It's been three weeks, but Fringe is back! And my Fringe Friday, a day I usually reserve for an episode (or four) of my favorite show on Blu-ray when I don't have work, turned into a "help-me-clean-the-basement-and-other-random-things-because-I've-taken-a-day-off" day. Finally got away for a bit to write this post, which I was going to do earlier in the week, but I always ran out of time. Tonight we've got another Fringe event on Twitter. These are happening until the end. Get your campaign icon here and use the hashtag #HumanKind in all your Fringe tweets starting at 8PM EST. I was going to use the White Tulip because it's had so much significance for so long, but I'll be using the Dandelion for this final incredible season.

 
For some reason this is the only tweet I can find for the previous campaign. Snapbird is searching other people's timeline in the thousands, but it's getting stuck at 228 for me. Ooh, so annoying.

 

If you missed them, these videos of Joel Wyman and J.J. Abrams came from the 100 Episodes party that was recently held for the show.

"A plot is a plot is a plot, but emotionally - that's what you remember. At least I do. I just really remember how I feel, not what people say a lot of times."

"The key to Fringe - and I think it's the thing that Joel Wyman's done remarkably, certainly this year - is never losing track of or connection with the heart and the soul of the characters."

 

Related Posts //
And just because I hate my posts at other sites to get lost, here are my most recent:

"[Joel Wyman] has been absolutely amazing and will undoubtedly give Fringe an unforgettable conclusion. How can I be so sure? Because of the way he writes, the way he talks about the show, the way he interacts with fans, the way he was so emotional in the video at the 100th episode party where he revealed the name of the finale."
The 8 Most Important Episodes of Fringe

"[Firefly] left a huge hole in my life and wasn't even on for a full half season. What will Fringe's passing do to me?"
Comment at Fringetastic Friends on Facebook

In Wyman I Trust

12/06/2012

I really do. Just to reassure myself, I was reading more interviews in which Joel reiterates how much he loves Fringe. Puts my mind at ease every time. I found a couple of great interviews yesterday that somehow slipped past. Why did no one tweet me these?! The first one is the best I've ever read. I really wish I had transcribed this. I'm jealous of the person who did.

Executive Producer J.H. Wyman Previews the Fifth and Final Season of Fringe

"The story that I’m constantly telling is that the heart is an organ of fire and that you can’t stop it from feeling or connecting."
"Never in my career have I got the support for what I’m doing any more than I have on FRINGE. So, I mean I got to tell you, as an artist, it makes you feel, 'Wow, people are feeling things that I’m feeling in the world and we’re all sort of concerned about the same things because you guys are telling me that.' That’s very satisfying."

'Fringe' Joel Wyman final season Q&A: "It's hopeful at the end"

"That's the only thing I can give... my own heart and my own soul..."
"Maybe time will tell, you know, down the road we'll look back on Fringe and people will say, 'Wow, there were truly some great performances and some inspirational storytelling and those guys were really trying'. That's how I feel about it."

Also, Science Channel is playing "Snakehead" next Tuesday at 10PM EST. I'm not sure if I've said different before and am now contradicting myself, but that episode is the one where I knew Fringe was unmissable. I had seen every episode up to that point, but I had only grown to really like the show. That turned to love when I saw Walter alone on a bench. I realized at that moment the depth of John Noble's talent and the growing bond between the beautiful and vulnerable characters.

And this year, after finding cast and crew on Twitter, I discovered how full of heart Joel Wyman is and how he has put it all into the show, how much he loves it. And how sweet he is. Usually I don't even know what the writers of my favorite series look like, let alone feel that connection usually reserved for the actors. I've read a few of his interviews before, but never actively searched them out. I was more looking for John, Josh, and Anna. I already knew their work and was enamored with it, but this season I also realized the depth of Joel's talent. And, wow, did his TV Addict interview make me blush...while reading it silently in an empty room. Joel is very big on heart, which I knew already just by watching the show; the writing credit for "Brown Betty" went to him. But while I'm someone who turns red and breathless at the mere mention and will only say the word out loud if I'm conversationally backed into a corner, he's the kind of person who can say it five times in an interview...in beautiful ways.

To those who have doubted Joel Wyman, who have questioned the decisions made on Fringe, he's not the only person responsible for the directions the show has taken. I personally feel every part of this journey has been magical and I gloss over (or forget) any flaws that others nitpick, because what matters is this family trying to stay together through twisted and difficult circumstances. I take it as a whole, epic, intimate, inspiring, and gorgeous story. I am completely in love with Fringe. So, I disagree with anyone who still thinks that Peter's disappearance didn't work. It made the story that much more gut-wrenching. It made fans come together from around the world to create an inspired and emotional video. It wasn't about erasing hard-won relationships and character development. It was about what makes us who we are, who makes us who we are. I knew as soon as it happened that it would set up a struggle for him to return to a world where no one remembered him, a path to walk down to find out that he didn't really need to go anywhere, that these people were the people he loved and they needed him.

Yes, that was season four stuff, but I came across more of the complaints while looking for interviews and needed to comment. Joel doesn't want to hurt us. He wants to tell an amazing story, and he has. I know he'll pull off a perfect ending, even if it's one I never wanted, or imagined I wanted, because he is an expert storyteller. He knows how to break and mend us without it feeling like manipulation. It's obvious in his writing, interviews, and fan interactions that Fringe is very important to him.

Six episodes to go now. I don't want it to end, but I can't wait to see how much more emotion Joel can fit into Fringe before we part.


Related Posts//
My own comment I left at FringeTelevision.com about their assessment of "Brown Betty" being one of the 8 most important episodes of Fringe in which I mentioned the first article.

"It happens to be one of my favorites, if I had to choose, for being so unmistakably about the heart."

I Love the Series Finale Title

Thank You, Joel Wyman

I Love the Fringe Series Finale Title

12/02/2012

All the titles are great and obviously not afterthoughts. I won't comment on the one revealed in the video below specifically (trying to be spoiler-free) except to say it's lovely and ambiguous. I don't want the end to happen, of course, but I'm so excited to see it.

Here are a few more words from Wyman on the finale.

When I saw the video early this morning, while I should have been sleeping, I had to write another little thank you to Joel. What I really wanted was to give him a big hug. He wasn't on Twitter at the time, though, so he didn't see it. I assume he was emotionally drained and exhausted and quite ready for bed himself.

@JWFRINGE I just woke up for no reason & had to check Fringe news. Saw you almost lose it on camera revealing the gorgeous and nerve-wracking finale title. Aww. You usually sound emotional when talking about the spectacular little treasure that is Fringe, but this time it looked and sounded like you'd been crying. I wouldn't doubt it, having had to put the show to rest and saying goodbye to so many wonderful people. It's depressing to think about, but at least I know you will have made lasting friendships. You also made a huge impact in my life and the lives of millions. That must feel amazing.

'Thank you' doesn't begin to say enough, but thank you for everything. Thank you for all the smiles, all the laughter, all the tears. I know you didn't do it alone - that's why I've written long letters to a few of you - but your voice is so well-defined in Fringe. You made your mark and you deserve to be remembered. Thank you. I hope you move on to more wonderful things, where you're allowed to use your beautiful heart the way you did here.

Love,
Erin


Related Posts //
Thank You, Joel Wyman
Thank You, John Noble
Thank You, Joshua Jackson

Thank You, Joshua Jackson

12/01/2012

Dear Josh,

When I first heard about Fringe, there was one thing I was sure of: I would not be watching. Though I'm fascinated by science fiction, it didn't look like anything special, and I was already spending too many hours in front of the TV. I think I may have been unknowingly distancing myself from J.J. Abrams, because Lost, though it was intriguing and had wonderful characters, was endlessly stringing me along. And I'm sorry to say this, but you weren't a draw. I had seen maybe two episodes of Dawson's Creek only because my cousin loved it.
Fortunately, the timeslot happened to be free of competition for my attention that night, and I was curious about what could have possibly interested John Noble. I'm grateful for this random chance, because at some point during the pilot I was won over with sharp writing, brave acting, and an intriguing story that has only deepened episode over episode. And this year Fringe has again delivered far more than I expected. It was unmissable and unforgettable before, but now...now I really don't know what else I could possibly say. It's so much more than I have words to describe. I thought the first season, where it was finding its voice and we were getting to know the characters, was very good, and the second blew it out of the water. Every season builds until I think it can't possibly get better, and then I'm proven wrong.
I usually only believe in destiny as an idea in a story, but if anything was meant to be it was Fringe and you lovely people. Fringe is one of those exceedingly rare shows I've been waiting for my entire life without realizing: a perfect blend of talent and chemistry that conveys not one false emotion, action, or word. Even most of the guest stars are excellent. That reminds me, I stopped watching Cold Case because there were some laughably bad guests. The rigid procedural format had been getting annoying, the characters and writing weren't strong enough, and the last episode I tried to watch was just embarrassing.
Even in great shows it's unusual to have more than one or two truly talented actors, those who seem to be reacting to a real situation instead of reading their lines off of cue cards. That's hardly ever a problem on Fringe, where the entire cast is remarkably accomplished and even weaker episodes have more depth than most shows' best offerngs. The performances are outstanding, relationships realistic, and lines perfectly-written: "I have experience with this, this sort of pain, and you can't escape it by building walls around your heart" being a rather beautiful example and one of the most emotional conversations in a series already overflowing with emotion. That scene was expertly played by Anna and John and became a favorite of mine as soon as the line was delivered. There really are so many gorgeous moments, especially this season. Whether it's Peter and Walter on the train at the end of "Through the Looking Glass..." or Walter alone at the end of "Transilience...," every week brings something new to be treasured.
An abundance of love has gone into Fringe, infusing every moment. You and John seem to have a tight bond, as though you've known each other your entire lives. I immediately gravitated toward the dynamic of father and son, so well played as estranged in the beginning and settling into each others lives over time, the love and pain both characters feel always evident. The concern in their eyes for each other is something I haven't seen before. Sadly, that is quickly diminishing as Peter changes, which is hard to take after everything that's happened over these five wonderful seasons. I fear the transformation and losing Peter, yet I'm having a blast seeing you transform. Your work has been memorable the entire series and now, when the stakes are highest and the end ever closer, you have pulled out all the stops.
Peter's journey has been a great thing to witness. So much heartache you have played to perfection, but none more than in this final unparalleled season. It's very interesting to see Peter lose control when presented with a similar situation to Walter, to be so full of rage and despair that those who are still there for him aren't enough, to not be a better man than his father. Peter's choice was as much about vengeance and dulling his pain as it was about saving the world. I would love there to be some happiness in the finale, for Peter to be saved, to be with Olivia, to make up for lost time with Walter. But whatever happens, it's been a wonderful time in my life that I will never forget and never regret.
You have taken me on a journey of beautiful twists and wrenching turns. Though you have hurt me countless times - seeing young Peter's grave still manages to bring tears - I've loved it all, even when I feared where it would go next...especially then, because then the joyous moments wouldn't be as meaningful and real. The pain is proof Fringe was here. There's also always been a vein of humor even through the dark, which is the other piece of the puzzle. Characters who can find that bit of happiness are more endearing, make me care, make it worth every minute I invested in them. It hits me the hardest when they're gone, because they have the most personality. Without this perfect combination of drama and levity, I wouldn't have cared nearly as much about the characters, and the memory of what they had and are striving to return to will carry me to the end.
The end. Still such a strange thing to say. It's far too soon. I am nervous about it, even with John and Jasika's reassurances, but even though I'm certain it will be agonizingly bittersweet, I will accept and adore it. That's the only way it can be, because Joel has a big, beautiful heart, as you all do, and I know he knows what he's doing. I know he loves these characters as much as the fans do. Joel is the only showrunner I've ever trusted completely. This is a relationship that goes against all my years of disappointment training as a television watcher. I will gladly take this journey without expectation, free of theories or desires, except one: I want it to end the way it should end, whatever that needs to be, wherever the journey leads.
I have no doubt Fringe and its cast will be admired, loved, and respected long after I'm gone. Thank you for everything.

Sincerely,
Erin Bates