A Bittersweet and Perfect Ending

1/31/2013

If you've read anything here before, it was likely in praise of the Fox series Fringe and its actors, writers, producers, directors, and crew. That's all I've really talked about for months, because this was the final season and I had so much to say. Like a lot of fans, I’ve been alternating between tears of sadness and joy. Tears of sadness for how it ended and that it ended. Tears of joy for how it ended and that it was allowed to have an ending. I put my trust in the writers and I was rewarded.

Overall, Fringe fans seem to be happy with this terrific and bittersweet finale that becomes more sweet and less bitter as time goes on. While it was an end to the series, as always it left room for a continuing story and we can speculate on where the characters would be now. But there were concerns and disappointments among a small group. They thought the entire season was a waste or there were too many questions left unanswered. The thing is many questions no longer mattered or were inconsequential in light of everything else that needed to be resolved. A series like Fringe is an evolving entity, and the writers may go off in directions they didn't expect. It would dilute the power of the story if they had to go back and explain every last inconsequential thing, so some remain unanswered. Fringe may have a lot of technical detail, but the emotion is the draw.

It makes me sad to see there were people who hated it. Of course, it's impossible to please everyone, so I understand and let it go. What I can't ignore, however, is the nasty conversation I woke up to one day on Twitter more than a week after the finale. A few people were extraordinarily rude to Joel Wyman (writer and showrunner), mentioning him in Twitter conversations so that he would have seen them if he'd been on, and they've continued to try to get his attention. They went on for hours about how he ruined everything and made Olivia into just a wife and mom, while also complaining that she didn't get to hold Etta in the end. They completely reversed their opinion seemingly because they didn't get one moment. They talk about how Olivia did everything for her daughter and act like Peter wasn't just as destroyed by her loss. The season started with Etta running to her father and in the end she reached him. Perfect. Walter gave Peter that precious thing that had been taken from both of them: time. The Observers didn't invade, so we knew all was right. To me it was implied that Olivia, Peter, and Etta lived happily ever after. A single missing scene doesn't change that or make it anything less than a superb conclusion.

I wouldn't have thought anyone who had ever read Joel's tweets or any interviews could actually accuse him of not caring about Olivia or the fans and writing only for himself. I take offense to this because he's been nothing but kind to us. They were completely hateful, telling him that he did nothing for the story, lamenting that Jeff Pinkner had left the show in his hands, and saying that it was all downhill after season 2. That's hilariously inaccurate. Joel wasn't even solely responsible for the direction until season 5. Fringe kept getting better, more emotionally true with every season. This was the immature bullying of Anna Torv obsessives. They said Fringe was about Olivia. That's not the whole truth. Fringe was about family and heart, as I've always said. It all started when a father lost a child. Just because that wasn't revealed from the beginning doesn't make it secondary. Peter and Walter's story was essential. Without it there would be no Fringe.

"It really is and has been a show about heart. So many people with heart have given their heart to the program. I have to believe in some way that because of that, that it connected with people. It was authentic."

And that's why this finale worked, because Joel knew exactly what the show was and he wrote to its strengths. But some people didn't get it and felt the need to throw around insults. They need to realize that, though Fringe was amazing, it is not real life. Joel is not a god manipulating living pawns for his own amusement. He's a storyteller leading characters on a journey that we can follow, rapt in the emotion he's trying to convey. He wrote from his heart, which those who felt slighted tried to hurt with their vitriolic comments. There is no excuse for their behavior. Nothing makes it more obvious that Joel gave everything he had than what Walter says to Peter through tears and a trembling voice: "You are my favorite thing." According to John Noble, it's something Joel says to his own son. The knowledge that he didn't just come up with that beautiful line as a way to make the audience cry turns the most perfect line of the entire series, a line certain to be said to loved ones of Fringies all over the world, into the most beautiful moment of art imitating life. It makes it even more special. If anyone doesn't think Joel was one hundred percent invested, that is the proof right there, so don't ever accuse him of not caring.

As for those complaining about some lingering questions, I look at it as I wouldn't have traded a second to answer them. There were so few episodes in the season that only the most important things could be addressed, and I'm okay with that. I can't even remember what they were right now, since I haven't yet watched every episode multiple times. I don't want to bring up Lost again, but you may have seen me complaining that it posed many questions it didn't answer. So you might think, "But how is Fringe any different?" The difference is Fringe answered the important questions, often many episodes or even seasons later, and never had me exasperated with a refusal to resolve anything. Every season ended with resolutions and led into the next by posing new situations and mysteries. They did nothing less with the series finale. It was an elegant close that left an opening for something more - books (three are in the works), comics (a number have been published already), a movie (we can only hope).

If you watched carefully and remembered the last two seasons clearly, you can see the two biggest headscratchers - Peter receiving the white tulip from Walter and the reset to 2015 - are actually not left solely to imagination. I haven't had the opportunity to rewatch last season, so reading comments helped tremendously. If you were confused about when Walter sent the tulip, remember that September told Walter about the invasion in the last scene of season 4. It was at some point after this they started the tapes, and the tulip must have been the final piece, to be delivered on the day of the invasion. It reached its destination after the reset. Seeing that part wasn't necessary and, after learning that Walter "lost" the tulip, it would have lessened the impact of the last scene. It was a beautiful way to wrap Fringe, with a nod to what the audience collectively latched onto as our symbol of the show.

Related to that, some wondered how Walter even received the tulip in the rewitten timeline of the last two seasons. If I remember correctly, a number of the same cases still happened without Peter. I assume the events of "White Tulip" weren't changed. Walter wouldn't have told Peck he was looking for a sign of forgiveness from God had he not crossed over to save Peter, had Walternate not been distracted by September, or something else if Observers truly no longer exist. I was just reminded by September's Notebook that Walter never received his sign of forgiveness in the new timeline. I knew this, but in the year since I've seen the episode I completely forgot that it was the alternate Elizabeth who gave him this peace of mind in the fourth season. This must mean that September took the tulip at some point, though it's unclear if he mentioned when. I also don't know if he told Walter about the case involving the White Tulip, but Walter certainly remembered after Michael restored his original timeline memories. I'll have to watch the final episodes again for everything to click into place.

Another question was, why didn't altering the course of human evolution erase Peter? I was wondering this when I went to bed and ideas kept rattling around in my head. I just couldn't grasp it until after a good sleep, and some theories of others helped me to come upon a realization. It makes sense when you think about the finale of season 3. Peter disappeared when September didn't save him in the timeline of season 4. He became an anomaly that defied reality. Peter survived independent of either timeline, so he couldn't be erased again. Yet the memories of everything that happened continued to live on in him and the people he loves. That makes it all worth it. If this is all wrong, I can find out with this month's SFX magazine.

And it's not that season 5 didn't happen. Time resets bug me in other stories because they always cause memory loss, making it seem like nothing really mattered, voiding character growth in the process and leaving the viewer to wonder what the real point was. Fringe is the only story that has done it right. Though Olivia and Peter's time has been reset, memories bled through before. They could well do so again. Olivia regained her memories of Peter, even though this version of her never experienced them. Walter was gifted with every poignant and treasured father-son moment that had been lost to him. All that mattered was restored, as it was meant to be. I would want them to remember the devastation of the loss of Etta, how Olivia saved Peter's humanity, and that Walter set the world right. Some people are certain with the way the camera lingered on Olivia's face that she remembered something, and others say the way Peter looked up sharply at the end meant that he knew. I'd like to think so. But at the least, I will assume that the tulip, though a sign of forgiveness for Walter, will give Peter hope and peace. I wouldn't want the entire season to be forgotten forever, but at least it happened for Walter. Knowing that for certain is more than enough. That he remembers regaining hope in the taxi listening to "Only You" is all that I need.

One other thing I heard concerns about is that Walter doesn't exist anymore or that he should have been erased from the past, too. Wow. Way to pay attention. It was actually said that Walter would be removed from the time period after the reset not that he would cease to exist or that he would be forgotten the way Peter had been. He left the tulip and the tape explaining what he had to do. He didn't cease to exist. He just took a one-way trip to the future. He can't be in two places at once. And just because Walter said he could never return that doesn't mean goodbye forever. This is science fiction, where anything can happen. Walter or Peter or someone could figure out a way. Walter isn't all-knowing. It's his assumption based on his current knowledge. But for now it's goodbye, and it was beautiful. 

Why do I think it was it beautiful? I believed Walter already had more than enough pain, so why didn't I hate this separation the way I always thought I would? Why didn't Walter get the time he should have had with Peter? Walter always felt like he needed to atone for his sins. He felt he never deserved the time he stole. This was not out of the blue, like so many shows where suddenly there's this new facet of a character that was never before hinted at that we're supposed to believe. This was redemption for Walter, saving the world. Though he thinks he will never see Peter again, he could let him go to be with his family, to get the time he lost with Etta, to have Olivia truly be happy again. That's what Walter could do for Peter, and as a father he felt the need to. A family who loves each other will do for each other, and sometimes there is no other way out. Walter was my favorite character and the fact that he could sacrifice his own happiness for others is true character growth and made me proud to have loved him. He didn't take the selfish way out. He was a hero in the end, my favorite hero. 

Beyond this I have no other theories, but that's probably because I have no other questions. The ones that really mattered, the big ones, I have a grasp on. In a complicated show like this there are little things that don't get answered, because so much is going on and stories are ever-evolving that certain details just cease to matter much, which is something Joel Wyman admitted to. The larger mysteries are the ones that need solving and there's not a lot of time in TV to do so, especially when the end is so close. The focus must be the main characters. I remember people mentioning little things with Olivia's memory, which I overlooked because I was so wrapped up with the emotion and talking about that aspect of the show. I guess they weren't significant enough to mention i the last episodes, or they were just errors, or I missed something that Fringepedia will clue me into later. Easily forgiven. Whoever took care of  Etta as a child isn't too significant to me either, as there was no room to fully explore her past in this rush to the finish. As I said, I wouldn't trade a moment. I would not be opposed to more, though. Hopefully, we'll get some great deleted scenes on the boxed set this May. 

As for those who had problems with the entire season, well I can't really help anyone there. That's just too much to address. Some had problems with the pacing. This is a pointless complaint to me. I never thought things were happening to fast or too slow. I took it as it came and it all felt organic. Some hated the tape hunt and thought it went nowhere, but I found no fault. Not everything in life goes according to plan, not everything can be controlled. It was a fun experiment, different every episode. Each year they mix it up and I'm always delighted, because so many shows get stuck in a rut, boring me until I quit or they are cancelled. This season had as many incredible moments as any. Even so, there are always those who have something to complain about and can't see that the acting and dialogue are more important than any small technical details. I even saw arguments about the timeline reset, sure they know the rules of something that doesn't actually exist. Storytellers can bend and break rules to create an extraordinary story, and that was accomplished here.

Others had no patience or a short memory for what Fringe always was. How it ended was exactly Fringe: unpredictable, gut-wrenching, and true to the soul of the show. I was the happiest I've ever been with a finale and the saddest, because we were losing something that felt so fundamental to television. It was the kind of bittersweet that you don't regret. It was the most satisfying series finale (and series) I've ever seen. I have loved very few finales before and Fringe tops those few. I loved every moment, the funny and depressing alike. I feel I need more and I feel it was enough. I am fulfilled and there is a hole in my life. I will always miss Fringe. I will always miss these characters. I will always miss these performers. I will always miss the honest heart of the narrative that's so very rare. There is not a whole lot out of television out there to deeply connect to. Oh, there's plenty to pass the time until the next exceptional thing comes around, but most series could be dropped without a second thought. I think the end of Fringe is going to inspire me to cut some of the shows that only fill dead space. 

Well, there it is. The end. I treasure every minute of this vastly underrated series. In "The Boy Must Live," Walter said to Peter, "I didn't think it was possible to love you more." This surprised me and a huge smile spread across my face. I have said this exact thing a number of times about Fringe. I always got to a point where I thought I loved it as much as possible, but then they did something to break through that certainty. Even though it's over, I'm sure my love for it will only continue to grow.

Now I leave you with the first fan video I saw after the finale, made by Beliveinwonder. It is an absolutely wrenching tribute and the tears came like a flood. The magnitude of it hit me all at once and it was too much. Fan videos have brought up emotions before, but I've never openly wept.

Just a minute ago I saw this video by the always amazing maitikaHan. I've been meaning to watch for the last few days. Glad I didn't forget it.

And one final time, the cast thanked the viewers.

Edit: For an insightful analysis of Olivia's journey, read Fringe Finale and Series Thoughts. It mentions the memory lapses and Resist posters being the product of Olivia's ability to manipulate reality. I never even thought of that. I had first assumed that those were going to be explicitly explained at some point. I haven't restarted the season yet, so it didn't click for me. I wondered about the posters at the top of buildings where a normal person couldn't have reached. I wondered about the posters falling down or being taken down, but I thought that was because the world at large didn't believe the resistance could be effective and that was the visual to represent a world that had no fight left in it. I even missed or forgot about the future dates on the missing children posters of 2015. I'll be looking for these things on second watch. Fringe has always been very deep, rewarding those who view multiple times.

The Final Push

1/19/2013

These are all the things I did in the last couple of weeks for Fringe. I don't feel like having them lost in the shuffle of posts. Fringe was the most important show in my life, the best thing that ever happened. Now that it's over maybe I'll post something once in a while, but I'm sure I'll be back to talking mostly about other things. A sad thought.

Poem written for the finale - also in "Until the Last Word, Part 11
A Short Story About Love in Fringe Titles and Glyphs
Joel Wyman, You are Amazing
Another of countless tweets thanking Joel
Thank You Messages from the Fringe Fandom - Search for "Reinbeast" or read all the beautiful sentiments.
Until the Last Word, Part 1 ~ A Long Road Ahead
Until the Last Word, Part 2 ~ Give Fringe a Chance
Until the Last Word, Part 3 ~ Why You Should Watch Fringe
Until the Last Word, Part 4 ~ What Fringe Is
Until the Last Word, Part 5 ~ From Episodic to Serial
Until the Last Word, Part 6 ~ The Space Fringe Occupies
Until the Last Word, Part 7 ~ A Journey of Thousands of Words
Until the Last Word, Part 8 ~ Misunderstandings
Until the Last Word, Part 9 ~ Unfortunate Ratings
Until the Last Word, Part 10 ~ Why This One is Special
Until the Last Word, Part 11 ~ Never Let Go

I also just updated my Fringe playlists at YouTube and recategorized everything. It took forever, and they're great videos, so I might as well include them.

Fantastic Fringe Videos: Fan-Made
Fantastic Fringe Videos: Interviews
Fantastic Fringe Videos: Promos
Fantastic Fringe Videos: Scenes

And my tweets for Fringe's final two episodes, "Liberty" and "An Enemy of Fate." I will miss this. It was fun showing my support for this tremendous show.

This one I messed up and didn't separate the first word from John's name, so I just now tweeted it again.

I also left comments here and there, such as...

"The Boy Must Live" Review at FringeTelevision - Comment 1

"The Boy Must Live" Review at FringeTelevision - Comment 2

Fringetastic Friends group on Facebook
"Whatever happens I know that Joel and company won't let me down. They did what they thought right for the story. That may mean that Walter dies. I assume as much, because my favorite characters always die. I've been expecting it since the end of the second season. I'll never be prepared for it, but I'm certain this will be one of those rare instances where it's done for an actual reason and won't take away my love of the show. I will love it more than I thought possible, as happens with every Fringe finale. And if Walter, Olivia, Peter, Astrid, and Broyles all survive, I will be surprised and think, 'How very Fringe.'" Again, Fringe blew past my expectations. I wasn't as nervous as I might have been, because Joel kept reassuring us he loved the characters, which was obvious in his writing and direction. He even said it was hopeful at the end. It was. It was beautiful. And, as usual, it surprised me.

These last two are from December, but I'm including them anyway.
The 8 Most Important Episodes of Fringe: Brown Betty - Comment 1
The 8 Most Important Episodes of Fringe: Brown Betty - Comment 2

Joel Wyman, You Are Amazing

1/18/2013

Dear Joel,

To borrow a line from my favorite movie: I have been in the Fringe business so long, now that it's over, I don't know what to do with the rest of my life.

It was probably not your intention, but I have finished just a few books since the middle of the fourth season. I used to read quite a lot. I also wanted to start seriously drawing again instead of only designing knives. Though I love it, especially the one I made for Fringe, the last two seasons have given me the desire to create more. The wonderful Fringe Benefits posters that just came out depicting individual episodes, such as "White Tulip," which I couldn't resist buying, were the kinds of things I had in mind. But at some point, Fringe became so important that any free time, including bedtime, would be filled with words running through my head about this amazing little show that could, and I would be forced to blog about it and search out interviews and videos for hours on end. I always put everything else off until later, though we never know how many laters we have.

Now, I don't want to make you all weepy, so I'm sorry to say I didn't like the finale...I didn't love the finale...I absolutely adored it. It was bittersweet, beautiful, wonderful, absolutely right, and perfectly Fringe. It was the best I've ever seen. I have had many favorites and Fringe steadily crept its way up my top ten, eventually leaving behind all the rest. I still enjoy a handful of other current incredible shows with amazing actors, writing, and imagination, but Fringe means the most to me. The story is uniquely out there yet always relatable, and every bit of it feels like it was crafted with a tremendous amount of care. The final episode was no exception.

Even while the best are still turning in great episodes, I am disillusioned again and again with the deluge of awful television. By the time Fringe came along, I hadn't really looked forward to any new show in years and I wasn't even going to watch it. The fall season usually brings apathy instead of the enthusiasm it used to, but Fringe gave me hope that there are still gems out there. You just have to know where to look. Not many shows have done that so effectively: Doctor Who, Firefly, Sherlock, Supernatural, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Buffy, and Angel being some rare examples. Most of my favorites, those that break through my walls, are sci-fi or fantasy, which should tell people something. They are limited only by imagination, and the best of the genre showcase the importance of love and family, among many themes, in impossible situations. They are some of the most human stories, and Fringe has been the most human of all.

I doubted for so long. I doubted because TV has taught me to expect ninety-nine percent of series finales to be terribly disappointing, when they're lucky enough to get one. I suspect that's why I tend to keep my connection with characters at arm's length. The writers either write themselves into a corner or they think they're being brilliant with an unexpected twist, which only elicits from me a reaction of "Oh, what a surprise. I'm not even sad, because this always happens and it was handled poorly, as I suspected. In fact, that was hilariously stupid. My favorite character died pointlessly? Yes siree, Bob. Right now I can tell you five better endings, both character- and plot-wise" instead of reducing me to a blubbering puddle on the floor with a scenario that feels right, that is loved even as it breaks me, which is the way it should be...or happy; I'll take that, too, if you don't mind. By the way, Peter's disappearance DID work. A misstep? No. Of course, I'm not the writer, but it was tragic and epic and handled beautifully, as I was sure it would be. I had no doubt Peter would be back because by that point I knew the show wouldn't let me down. Nothing is ever technically perfect. Even Fringe I'm sure has its flaws (love tends to gloss over those), but it felt right, and that's all that matters to me. That's what I remember.

I live for happily ever after, because real life is not so kind. I'm not opposed to down or outright depressing endings, but they have to be brilliantly written, emotionally genuine, impeccably acted, and not a complete departure from everything that it was. Ashes to Ashes always comes to mind as an example of how it should be done. It was the ending I was dreading, a knife in the heart, but it didn't come out of left field and was gorgeously acted and bittersweet. I'm not religious, but I love stories of the supernatural, and it's always a fine balance between being a great story and feeling like a trip to Church complete with hard pews, droning priest, and a single fan for the hottest summer day. Unfortunately, so many think it's the height of drama just to kill off characters. It seems usually they haven't thought it through or aren't good enough to realize when those deaths serve no purpose or a very thin one, and could have been written in a far more satisfying way. Instead of mourning the character and applauding the performances, a once great show loses the respect I had for it and makes me regret the time I spent.

With Fringe I know I don't have to worry about that kind of disappointment. Sometime last year I saw how completely invested you were; it was then I was certain Fringe could only have a perfect ending. Up until that moment, I was convinced, though I had no evidence to the contrary, that it would ultimately end up like most that came before. Whereas other shows are frustrating in a myriad of ways, I understood for a while that Fringe had never disappointed me in any of them. It was in its fourth season and was still going strong, surprising me at every turn with its depth of creativity, intelligence, and emotion. This revelation inspired complete faith in you...and I've never been the type to have faith in anything. I had stopped letting myself hope - for television, for anything. You helped turn that around. 

I am so convinced of your ability to treat the material and the fans with tenderness that I wrote this before bed on your last night of filming and barely changed a word. Actually, I've added some...well, quite a lot. Really, I think it doubled. And now I'm finally finishing up two nights after Christmas. I can hardly believe this is my third letter to you. I never imagined having so much to say. I hope I am finally done. I wish you luck on your next series, not that it's needed, not in writing or showrunning anyway. You listen to your heart and put every beat into your work, so I am always reassured. May you be blessed with actors and crew that are even half as passionate as everyone on Fringe.

All right, now that I've thoroughly embarrassed both of us, I must stop. See you on Twitter and your name in the credits of the next big thing.

Sincerely,
Erin Bates

A Short Story About Love in Fringe Titles and Glyphs

1/18/2013

What Lies Below the surface of monsters and cold science? The broken Heart of a Father and his frailty Of Human Action to Arrive at the decision of using a Portal to Fracture and Betray two worlds. Welcome to Westfield...I mean Fringe...where you can visit, but leaving is an entirely different matter. It will never let you go.
When Fringe premiered it was a New Day in the Old Town. It was something different, completely unexpected, and never The Same Old Story. We were introduced to a Dream cast of incredible actors and their amazing characters: Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and the Bishop boys, Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Walter (John Noble), the lovely Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole), Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick), who became more than just a boss, and the enigmatic Nina Sharp (Blair Brown).
The mysterious Observers made an impression, none more so than with those who would protect us: August, September (Michael Cerveris), and Michael the Empath, a.k.a. Anomaly XB-6783746. And there are so many other great characters, good and bad, we have since let go of: Lincoln, Etta, and Charlie, a trio most important to us; William "Belly" Bell, the unseen manipulator, and David Robert Jones, the charismatic bioterrorist; brave Simon, little Henry, sweet Ella, Rachel, Gene, and all the Cortexiphan kids, such as Nick Lane and Cameron James (Subject 9).
It was the end of normal and An Origin Story of absolute beauty that we felt Bound to watch. In Absentia of much else on at the time, Fringe flicked a Switch, a sort of Reset in our minds, and we could appreciate great television again. Since then Those We've Left Behind, the shows with little of substance or The Human Kind, became so much filler, nothing of consequence, to us Neither Here Nor There.
The Arrival of Fringe was The Cure for boredom. It Unearthed the passion we'd once had for TV, whose Burial we'd thought long since passed. Fringe seemed from the start like an old friend, someone we'd known forever. Start watching and you'll feel like you're Back to Where You've Never Been. Every Friday became a Night of Desirable Objects, and it often kept us up past Midnight thinking about the possibilities, The Dreamscape of sleep far away.
Fringe is not A Short Story About Love but a long and twisty one. Every year this beautiful little show that could gave us a new start, Reborn like a phoenix; not from the ashes of ruin, but from the bonds of love. Fringe broke out of The Box early on, always changing, never reaching The Plateau, relentlessly topping itself to Tower over the television landscape. We seemed Fated for each other, The Abducted masses of feverish fans Taken from the Pilot. Our fascination would soon Mutate into something far stronger. In Return for our dedication we got an amazing, unprecedented, ever-evolving story, one where there is Nothing as it Seems.
The Equation of The Transformation of a casual viewer to a Fringie is our Ability to recognize the Vision and potential of what we're seeing + the preternaturally talented John Noble fascinating us in an episode like Snakehead + the forgiveness symbolized in a White Tulip. It's a very simple equation. Some of us even felt Saved when the only thing that could make us forget our troubles, our Bad Dreams and make us smile was Fringe. In retrospect, the decision to watch Fringe was The No-Brainer of our lives, the Agent of change in what we would tolerate from TV from then on.
There's More Than One of Everything is a phrase that applies not only to events in the story but the structure of the show itself. Every season it's a little different from before but still the same Fringe. As it's always changing and growing, we've never had the sense of Deja Vu we get from far less creative shows. We've never felt like their Marionette, "just a puppet on a lonely string," emotions manipulated and left to feel an emptiness instead of admiration for what they have accomplished. The Reveal of the big Secret was astonishing, and the emotions were real.
So much happened here. Lysergic Acid Diethylamide was taken - as were Brown Betty and Black Blotter - and opened a Window into a Hidden universe. When The Man from the Other Side appeared on the Bridge there was no turning back. They came over here to recon, observe, mark, and destroy (ROMAD). We went Over There on Five-Twenty-Ten to get someone back and things were never the same. Fringe was going places no other show had dreamt of, an emotionally-charged ride of unimagined consequences.
Whether for you it was In Which We Meet Mr. Jones, Dream Logic, Earthling, Johari Window, Olivia. in the Lab. with the Revolver, Amber 31422, 6955 kHz, Entrada, Os, or The Last Sam Weiss, there was a moment when you said to yourself "I can't ever let this go." It was different for each one of us. But for each it brought out our Inner Child, full of delight and wonder, while at other times it destroyed us, in the process becoming our favorite show on Earth, the only one we've had Reciprocity with, where the creators have been as grateful to us as we are to them.
There are many points of entry. Even if you feel lost at first, the performances and stories are captivating. 6B was not just any apartment number, but one where a couple in two universes were separated through chance and found each other again. One Night in October we wondered "Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?" And when an unintended Breach by little Olive from Jacksonville, our precious Subject 13, set a Power Hungry man on the right path to Avenge a terrible loss, another piece of the puzzle fell into place.
The Bishop Revival showed the significance of the seahorse, one of Eight glyphs, Codes for the loyal viewer that gave us words relating to the episode, such as Aeger, Avian, Peters, Weiss, and Multi. And Amber was more than the Weapon we thought it was, becoming a defensive measure and a means to preserve. It's a wonderful way to add more depth for fans: not just pictures between commercials, but symbols placed in the show itself.
The Bullet That Saved the World was not the first Wound, and neither was Letters of Transit. There was so much heartache before, but we never Split, never parted ways, because it was incredibly well-written and made us truly feel. We learned that The Boy Must Live. We went Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There was a Child who would be very important. And this final season the team would Hatch a plan to save the world one final time...as did we.
Fringe felt destined to fail from the start. It was complex and beautiful, demanded too much attention from those without a bit of patience, but it was a Stowaway in the Hearts of the loyal, and nothing could Erode our passion for it. At some point, any lingering Doubt from years of conditioning by other shows was gone, and we had complete confidence that the creators knew what they were doing. What we doubted was the dedication of Fox. Their talk of not being in the business of losing money set an Alert off in our minds, but most of us had no idea what to do besides complain. Ratings did not remotely reflect the quality, two statistics that were World's Apart. Individuals went Rogue, fighting the network with words and all the Cells of their being, but they were disorganized.
But fans were not Alone in the World. We had each other. We had blogs and podcasts, Ari Margolis and his wonderful cast videos and trailers, and Joel Wyman, our lovely showrunner. Then Fringenuity, born out of the minds of a few creative and hard-working fans, our own Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11 of sorts, put their Grey Matters together and found a way to Alter the seemingly inevitable future. Faith was not enough to keep Fringe Alive. We had to Fight the inevitable. We would Unite our Powers and say "No More!" We'd Adapt to our new situation. With one big effort, we'd regroup to Concentrate and Ask Again using hashtags to trend on Twitter on a regular basis.
Fears of our incredible show forced into a March of Death ignited the fandom, making each of us An Enemy of Fate, seeking an ending of Grace and Everything in it's Right Place. Just as we found the crack in the darkness of The Northwest Passage, we became like The Firefly, inner lights illuminating the ratings chasm. We brought a Surge of enthusiasm every Friday to show our support. We needed try to save it, because of the Novation (still not sure how to use that word) this series brought to the television landscape.
Yet late in season 4, after filming was wrapped, it would Appear that Fringe would not survive cancellation. We were Still, holding our breath after all we had done and could only wait. Fringe may be on the Limbus of television, not even a blip on most people's radar, but it's front and center for us. It Repatterned our lives. So, many of us became more than just an Observer. We each decided not to be a Wallflower and stood up for something beautiful and meaningful. We Unleashed the devotion of millions to save our show and created our own Fringe Event. Entertainment magazine articles in an alternate world could have read "Fandom Unites to Cross the Blight of the TV landscape."
We all had a Sense of ownership, and we used that to our advantage. We made sure our Energy and passion could no longer be ignored. At some point we no longer felt like The Ghost Network, invisible to Fox. We had succeeded. Our collective Voice was heard, there was a Quake in the industry, and together we ushered in a Brave New World in the way Fox looked at ratings. For once the network became The Enemy of My Enemy - of our enemy - the Nielsens. We learned that they Loved Fringe and they were willing to listen. We didn't Plead. We didn't try to Guilt them. We showed them that we were there always and the best decision they could ever make would be to give Fringe the ending it deserved. We Forced Perspective to Shift, and the Anger we have felt for so many past disappointments subsided into gratefulness.
The struggle is now over. Fringe got the season it needed to complete its story. We will never Purge the Memory of what it took to get here. And now that it's over there is a feeling of Liberty. We are now free to do other things again. Oh, who are we kidding? We'll never let Fringe go. We held a Mirror up to our lives and tried to be A Better Human Being. We were better just for watching. Hopefully, we will not all go to our Grave regretting The Road Not Taken. It's Safe to say I wouldn't Trade a second.
Fringe will go down in history as the most underrated yet most beautiful science fiction story and achieve Immortality, Making Angels out of the actors, writers, and crew in whom we had so much Trust. But the Bloodline will not end here. It's not The End of All Things in the Fringe universe. It may feel like The Day We Died for a while, but it will be Living on in us forever. We have the boxed sets to Escape to when it starts to feel too distant. There are official books coming, like September's Notebook. Aimee Long (Fringenuity link), The Recordist of our history, is even working on a fan book, putting Quill to paper (or just typing it up more likely), with The Consultant being all of those who participate. If she finished at 6:02 AM EST one day, it would be a cool coincidence.
Now we are at the Close, but if we wish really hard, maybe we will get to revisit this gorgeous world sometime in the Future in a new adventure. Our love will not Decay. Our Momentum Deferred only until we meet again.


Well, that was my attempt to use all the titles and glyphs (in italics) in a hopefully understandable "Why We Watched Fringe" type of post. Wherever you see a list of things, that's where I ran out of ideas for placing them. ;) This was originally from my perspective, but I got sick of seeing all the I's and me's. It just seemed off. I wanted to include every fan, so it became about all of us, the collective Fringe Family.

Until the Last Word, Part 11 ~ Never Let Go

1/18/2013

A sick child and father full of regret
A world-ending war fought in secret
Danger that will not abate

The fabric of the universe torn asunder

Gods in the lab, surpassing humanity
A man lost for years, regains faith and sanity
Shifting shades of future directions

A rather complex, emotional blender 

Devastation of loss at the start
The destructive potential of a broken heart
A tapestry of human actions

August first and then September

The boy is important, a running thread
A resolution to astound the heart and the head
A pattern of love and connections

Some gave their all along the way

Years of speculation, fear, and doubt
That our favorite characters would not win out
We've taken Fringe in and not missed a beat

And through everything, a family at the core

Of strange events, of parallel worlds, and timelines rewritten
To hope, to sacrifice, and be forgiven
Always on the edge of our seats

Another tear, another Red Vine before

The last scene, last smile, and gasp
Until the last word, last moment, and laugh
We will stand at the edge of defeat

(And we will survive)

Please just one minute, one lifetime more

Having faith and forgiveness
Not giving into destiny but creating resistance
We are all enemies of fate

Until the last word in the last episode of Fringe is spoken, I'll have faith that the writers know the right direction no matter the paths they lead us, that they'll not let us down with an unresolved or unsatisfying ending, that turning it away from everything it is isn't a goal, that alienating fans is to be always avoided. They will make us proud to have been loyal viewers.

What would I say to sum up Fringe for someone who hasn't seen it? In a few words, a scarred heart and beautiful soul, an experience not to be missed. And love. Love made Walter cross worlds to save his son. Love emerged between Walter and Peter after a long absence. Love drove Olivia to bring Peter home. Love bridged two worlds. Love bled through reality to find the way back from oblivion. Love drove Olivia and Peter apart and then brought them back together. Love found the team in this final season. And love is what is holding them up, broken and bloodied, to the end.

If you need more: season-long arcs, mostly a fluid procedural/serial mix, award-worthy acting throughout, achingly beautiful emotions, intelligent writing, an imaginative world, steadily increasing stakes, loveable characters, tension-relieving humor, gut-wrenching decisions, and an overarching storyline that becomes more prominent in a natural, unforced way, as episodes reveal past actions the future may hinge upon. Every moment has been lovingly crafted, superbly written, and powerfully acted. Fringe is criminally overlooked and vastly underrated.

If you made it to the end of this ridiculously long whatever this is but still need a push, try the following video. Warning: There are major spoilers up to at least the end of season 3, but if you haven't decided by now maybe you need an amazing visual. Of course most of it may not make sense unless you've seen it, and when you do it may be a letdown because there were some major scenes. Anyone who's already a fan, please enjoy. This is a beautifully-made video set to ethereal/epic, slow build music.

There is so much packed into Fringe that I almost can't believe it's only been on for four and a half seasons, even while I'm lamenting that time has passed so quickly. There's enough material to go on for many more years. Fringe is nearly bursting at the seams with the sheer amount of content packed into it. Each episode is dense but elegantly constructed, designed to hook you on every word.

But be careful. Know what you're getting yourself into. A Fringie thinks about Fringe all the time, buys the sets and has marathons, watches the commentary and all the extras, devours every interview, goes to Cons or hopes to one day, blogs incessantly, spends hours tweeting about in hopes of saving, and creates art and videos. Fringe claws its way into your world and refuses to let go. The final thirteen episodes were just icing on this delicious cake we'd been savoring for four years. We have been treated to something that has made an impact that we will never be able to forget and would never want to.

"I don't think I'll ever replace that little spot in my heart for Fringe, because the characters meant so very much to me..."

~Joel Wyman

Wow, I can't believe I'm done! It took a year. I put this off so many times. I added words when all I wanted to do was edit and make it readable. At one point I almost abandoned it. I've been seriously working on it for the last month and finally whittled it down to this. I hope you enjoyed it. If I ever say I'm going to do something like this again, please tell me NO! All right, I'm off to get my life back, i.e. play some Borderlands or Halo 4.

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Until the Last Word, Part 10 ~ Why This One is Special

1/18/2013

In short, Fringe is a show you gladly give your heart to. The draw is the creepy what-ifs, but what keeps you glued is the power and honesty of every look, gesture, laugh, or tear in all the small moments. The human emotion is spot on and deeply affecting, tragic but uplifting in the depiction of a father and son repairing their relationship...and so much more.  It's all about family, the capacity for forgiveness, and the survival of love through betrayal, realities, and history rewritten

Delightful and meaningful, Fringe has been more relatable than shows that take place in the real world, because it's presented as the real world but with secrets that threaten to destroy humanity. Every season brings something new and answers almost as much as it asks. Every decision feels right. Every scene is a reward. Every moment is earned, a thought I had while watching the promo for "Through the  Looking Glass and What Walter Found There," a lovely title in a show full of great titles. There is so much leading up to this season that the impact is extraordinary if you experience it from the start and give it all time to sink in. You'll appreciate the care that went into every frame.

Not only is the show amazing, but the actors are a sweet and gracious group. If they weren't then they wouldn't be as nearly as beloved and good at what they do. The love they have for Fringe permeates their work, interviews, and appearances.

I have a long list of shows that I want to watch that grows all the time. I'll get to them some day, but there's no hurry because I'm certain none will ever affect me more than Fringe does unfailingly. Only a few shows have ever been so important to me, such as Firefly and Doctor Who. And while I've seen many poignant storylines (e.g., Sophia in The Walking Dead), none had ever disturbed my sleep for an entire week the way Fringe did in its second season with the commercial for the finale, where Walter said, "I never meant for any of this to happen." I was certain it sounded like a goodbye, and the thought of such a beloved character leaving actually made me physically ill. That was a new experience for me, and it's happened again since. I never knew it was possible to be that attached to a character, to feel as though they're so vulnerable and real. No show has ever matched Fringe in my sheer concern for the safety, sanity, and emotions of someone who doesn't exist. And now I feel ready to let him go. I don't know that it will happen for sure. All I'm sure about is that the end will be more than I can imagine.

However it turns out this final Fringe Friday, I will not have regretted a minute, because I never wanted anything to be different. The writing seemed effortless, the acting so natural. Until Fringe came along, I didn't know I could get so involved in a show. I always yearned for more when an episode was over, because it was so amazing, not because it was holding back. As such, I don't think I can avoid talking about Lost since it was a big part of why I almost didn't watch Fringe. I don't want to make any Losties mad, so maybe skip this part...

I loved Lost's depth of characters, the acting (especially the magnetic Michael Emerson), and the dialogue. I thought very highly of it, but as the years dragged on, the casualties mounted, and the answers never came, I started growing frustrated. My faith in J.J. Abrams was waning when I heard of Fringe, so I very nearly didn't watch. I'm so happy I kept the TV on Fox that night, because Fringe is Abrams' best, most affecting creation, and the writers have taken it far beyond what I could have imagined. It's everything that Lost was: intriguing, surprising, engaging; and brilliant with atmosphere, performance, mystery, and feeling. Where Fringe far surpasses is in being satisfying, understanding that answers are important. And there are characters who are just as complex and three-dimensional, but I love them like I've known them my whole life. I was just waiting for them to show up. 

In contrast, by the end of Lost I was exhausted with the constant dissension among the group and death threatening around every corner, but the "alternate reality" reinvigorated and kept me very interested. That a part of the final season turned out to be purgatory pissed me off. Another show, Ashes to Ashes, had done that already and far better. Even if it had been the least desirable outcome, it was a bittersweet and wrenching yet perfectly executed punch to the gut, whereas Lost felt more like a slap in the face. 

I was actually fine with Jack dying the hero that he was and seeing his father. I started crying, but the tears dried as soon as I saw everyone waiting for him. It only angered me. I wanted to at least have a glimpse of the lives of those who made it off the island, and I certainly didn't want to see them end. After all was said and done, it was a huge tease: always one more mystery, one more cliffhanger, one more obstacle, one more setback, but no answers to cling to. I don't regret my time with it, but I don't want to revisit. There are those who loved where it wound up and I'm happy for them. I wish I were one of them. 

Is it possible that Fringe will do the same to me? Could it have an unsatisfying ending that makes me never want to watch again? I don't think so. It's been a treasure the entire time, and more beautiful moments from Fringe have stuck with me these past four and a half years than in Lost's six-year run. I know Joel Wyman, our soft-spoken, warm-hearted showrunner, would not leave us to cry foul. He's never given me a reason to doubt him, always doing his best to deliver the most captivating and gratifying show he can.

"I want to leave people with that feeling, that it's hopeful at the end of it all."

~Joel Wyman, DigitalSpy

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Though Fringe is Ending, Keep Looking Up

1/17/2013

Here it is, the final Fringe Friday. I will mourn the passing of this incredible, brave, heartbreaking show. And I will celebrate it for all these reasons. It never got the audience numbers it deserved, but it certainly got fans who gave everything they could. Normally I can keep on and on about Fringe, but this is a time to rest.

"The fight is done. War is won. Lift your hands towards the sun."

30 Seconds to Mars, This is War

Please use the hashtag #KeepLookingUp an hour before the first of the final two episodes airs. "Liberty" will start at 8PM EST followed by "An Enemy of Fate." The second hashtag is being kept a secret by Fox. Watch it live and find out what it will be.

A few of my tweets from last week...


Until the Last Word, Part 9 ~ Unfortunate Ratings

1/17/2013

...But We Survived.

On April 26, 2012, Fox renewed Fringe for a final half season of thirteen episodes, to a simultaneous thunderclap of heartbreak and cheers of millions around the world. It's not ideal, but it's enough to give the story the conclusion it deserves instead of the cliffhanger we would've had if it had been cancelled so late in the year. I wrote that last sentence before I saw the fourth season finale and before I knew that the final scene would have been left out to give some sort of closure. I was so sure it wouldn't have time to end satisfactorily, but the writers made me very happy with a lovely life-goes-on resolution. Even though Fringe had much more to tell, it served as an emotional close. Not every last question was answered, which would have been unfortunate had it been the series finale, but it remained open for a continuing story. That they were given the daunting task of ending this last chapter in a way that ensures it goes down as inarguably one of the best science fiction stories in history, and my personal favorite, is a wonderful gift. So many great shows don't get that opportunity.

I consider Fringe top-tier in drama. Some other shows I love currently are The Walking Dead, which imagines the horrors of a violently inhospitable world and its affect on the survivors; Doctor Who, which takes the viewer along in a mad dash with an eccentric alien to save all of time and space; Breaking Bad, which builds palpable tension in the desperation of a man trapped in the drug trade who is slowly becoming the monster he's trying to escape; Supernatural, which follows two brothers who sacrifice themselves for the world and each other, but has a great sense of humor to see it through the darkness; Game of Thrones, which shows the corruption and brutality of power set in a gritty fantasy world; and Homeland, which gives insight into the delicate psyche of a soldier held captive and possibly turned by the enemy.

This is television that's flawlessly acted and inspires love, empathy, joy, fear, sadness, and the whole spectrum of emotions in its audience. All of these shows are successful and deserve to be so. Each may be different in feel, tone, setting, ideas, and atmosphere, but all deftly play with your emotions and share a quality of storytelling and character development that raise them above countless others. Fringe, a story of love that will stand the test of time, does all of that as well as anyone, but it had to fight for life every step of the way.

There are other superb shows that I've loved and others I've heard are must-sees, but it's hard to find the time for it all. @enargins and @raphaelbragen have been telling me to watch The Good Wife, and I know @docsaico loves it, so I'll get to that after Fringe. I recently started Nikita, after finishing the fun Burn Notice and the brilliant Sherlock, and I am so far am impressed with the emotion and excitement of the show. I'm also watching Sons of Anarchy, which I like but, as of the third season, still haven't connected with despite the terrific acting. I think that might be because I take so long between each episode. Another I have been avoiding is Mad Men. I just saw a clip the other day of Don Draper saying nostalgia is "a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone." That line was delivered beautifully. Jon Hamm impressed me in just a few seconds, so I'll have to start on that at some point, hopefully soon. More than anyone saying how great the show is, how many awards it wins, or how many commercial I see, that moment is what immediately made me regret not watching from the start. 

And that's the problem with commercials. Opinions are instantly formed, and if a show doesn't look interesting then I'm likely to move on. They can so easily turn me off when a show might be the best thing ever. Even if the reviews are great, I often won't give it a chance since time is so limited. It was because of commercials that I almost didn't watch Fringe. They should have emphasized the humanity instead of the impossible, because there seemed to be nothing to distinguish it from what came before. It's sad to think if something else had been on that night, I wouldn't have bothered, because the commercials didn't capture my imagination in the least. I suspect that's what happened to a lot of people.

That's not to say Ari Margolis and Bart Montgomery haven't done an outstanding job since with editing and producing interviews and promos. The promos are great teasers for fans. And the "Noble Intentions" and "Fans Ask Fringe" videos are insightful and will be missed. But it's all really only in service to fans. There was just something missing in Fox's effort to attract more viewers. I wish they had been given the task of creating some trailer length commercials to really get to the core of what Fringe is, to give potential viewers a longer look at the show and promote the feelings and ideas instead of just previewing the next episode, which only fans would be excited by. More music video commercials also would have been interesting and attention grabbing.

I would have loved if it were possible to show fan videos as commercials or even have a contest to create one. Anything to get more attention. Observer appearances on shows like American Idol were not enough. It seems like promotion wasn't important to Fox after the premiere.

Videos like this worldwide collaboration made after the season 3 finale. I would have loved to see it on TV.

Fringe might have a much smaller audience in the U.S. than Fox was hoping for, but it's not for lack of quality. The one thing that was never a problem was the mind-bending, sweet, and human story. In order to get the ratings, Fox needed to be more active in promotion after season 1. They should have done more, much more. It seems they gave up, relegating promos to the spot immediately after the latest episode and hardly doing any advertising during the week, at least during everything I watched. Over five seasons, I probably saw fewer commercials for Fringe than Glee has in just one season.

Ads or articles in magazines were sparing, as were TV interviews with the cast. The last time it was heavily advertised was probably before the pilot. I've seen comments of people watching for the first time on Science Channel. They didn't even know it was still on, and others had never heard of it! If only they had put as much effort into promoting Fringe during the entire run as they did at the start (at least as it seems) then we might have had many more viewers and an extra full season or two to further explore this incredible world, to many more times be in awe of the cast, and to look forward to the possibility of the Emmys finally wising up and recognizing all the blood (maybe a drop here and there), sweat (surely quite a bit), and tears (undoubtedly a flood) that go into it.

Timeslots were also a problem. Fox couldn't figure out what to do with it and shoved it to Friday, the death slot. But we followed it and made sure we made up for our lack of numbers by tremendous enthusiasm and loyalty. Fringe is loved worldwide, but those fans aren't counted in ratings. I know I didn't see any behind the scenes of the promotional efforts of Fox, and I have no idea how much hard work they may have put in, but this is what it's seemed like for the last four seasons.

But that's the past. They are people and they make mistakes, and it's a business that needs to make money. I don't fault them for that. I used to be bitter about everything that they did wrong in my eyes, but I have seen that they actually loved the show. All of the viewers owe a huge thank you to Fox for sticking it out as long as they could. Most of the time it seems as though the networks don't watch or care about the shows that aren't immediate hits. It's amazing to me that Fox did. They let Fringe finish on its own terms instead of cutting it off like so many before.

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Until the Last Word, Part 8 ~ Misunderstandings

1/16/2013

Fringe started as a very good show and it quickly became exceptional. It's a far-reaching story that remains grounded in people and relationships, that is constantly changing in surprising and emotional ways, and that needs time to explore all its dark and surprising corners. But there are those who don't really give it a chance.

At one point I was looking for some reviews, and I came across a reviewer that dropped Fringe after the pilot. Three years later they wondered if they should have and asked readers which episodes would get them up to speed. Just eight from season one, if you must know. They were also told to watch the first episode of the next season and then skip to "Jacksonville" and go from there. This is the wrong attitude to bring into the show. All episodes of the first season should be watched, not just because important plot points may be missed, but for the beautiful interactions and character development that Fringe does exceedingly well. 

I could not ignore the points that were made:

1 Olivia is a blank slate. According to the reviewer, Olivia didn't have much of a personality and cases were always solved conveniently. First off, Olivia is a damaged character who needs time to warm up to new people. She is also an FBI agent, so being emotional all the time would be a bit unprofessional, but she does display emotion. She broke down in the very first episode after her perception of reality was changed and her life ripped apart.

2 No chemistry between Peter and Olivia. Why should these two who barely know each other, neither one open or trusting, have a instant connection? And, actually, they kind of did. They were a treat to watch throughout the pilot, and I remember Peter looking concerned for Olivia at the end. One of the many things Fringe is expert in is the depiction Of Human Action (yay for working in an episode title) and feelings.

3 Peter didn't have enough to do. Yeah, this criticism again. They got the impression that Peter was more like window dressing. Watching only eight non-consecutive episodes will do that to you. Peter is a much more fleshed out character by now. His development has been completely believable and natural. Everyone is important. Everyone has a reason to be there.

4 Repetitive. Where they got this I have no idea. It's never felt repetitive. Even though it started as a procedural, it soon evolved into so much more. Of course they had a case to investigate every week, but it was not solely for the sake of investigation. If there were no cases there would have been no reason for this team to get together, no reason for son to see father again, no reason for the star-crossed Peter and Olivia to meet, no world-devastating events to stop. 

5 Cases solved conveniently. It seems they failed to realize that though cases are solved by the end of the episode, each episode doesn't have a set time frame and elements of the episode more often than not will matter down the road. The convenience comes from the fact that cases are personally tied to the characters instead of being totally unrelated, which they seemed to have no clue about. It was not a design of convenience, but a pattern of a larger mystery.

6 Story lines were dropped. Were they? I don't remember. That's because any of the major ones they pick up again later, unless they don't really matter anymore. Part of the reason for that is the story shifts and what once was important may not continue to be. The other part is there's only a certain amount of time in television, and the relationships are more important than follow up about something that may still be brought back later on.

One thing they got right, though, was that John Noble has range and his scenes with Jackson are enjoyable.

I'm not saying they were picking on Fringe. It's just that the grading system made no sense to me for someone professing to love television. It's very strictly objective, seeming to take feelings (the most important part of Fringe) completely out of the equation. Great shows like The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Homeland, Friends, and Parks & Recreation all were unable to crack an average of 70 out of 100. Some individual episodes fared better, but not usually by much. Points would be taken off for things that didn't meet the standard, like repetitiveness or plot holes, so nothing would ever get the highest score, because nothing is ever objectively perfect. Unpredictable, original, and emotional were requirements for getting the higher scores. If they'd kept with Fringe then they'd realize all of these things were a regular occurrence.

It was a good show from the pilot and kept me interested until the shocking cliffhanger finale, and it soon after became unmissable. There is great fun in going back to the first season to see all the hints of what was to come, not all of it intentional as pieces changed in importance when the writers had new ideas. Every episode is different and adds something more to the mythology, reveals something more of the mystery. There are no static characters or a set way of doing things. By the end of the first season we were riveted to the edges of our seats. It was never stuck, unable to figure out where it wanted to go. The writing seemed effortless. It felt like more than a show, like the characters were real in a living, breathing world, and it never broke that illusion.

I feel sorry that the reviewer missed this scene, one of the most beautiful in the entire series. As always, don't watch unless you have caught up. This is from season 4, episode 16, "Nothing as it Seems."

It's unfair to review random episodes of a show you apparently know nothing about, especially when those episodes are from the first season and it's already had more than three years to develop characters, relationships, and story. This would turn off potential viewers, who will wonder why they didn't just try it for themselves long ago if they one day happen to catch Fringe on Science Channel, Netflix, or at a friend's house, as so many brand-new fans recently have been saying. The reviewer certainly has a right to their opinion, but without seeing all or at least most of it, instead of less than half of one season, they can't really understand it, see how the characters are changing, feel the moments between them, or realize that something far bigger is about to be revealed.

For this reason, I don't give reviews for fledgling series too much weight. I appreciate them saving me time when ads for a new show are interesting but don't really make clear the quality. But when somebody grades a show like Fringe, one with huge potential that is obviously keeping something back, I get quite annoyed. I'm glad I let an opinion be just that and try things for myself instead of taking any one reviewer's word for it.

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Thank You, Mary and Louise

1/15/2013

Dear Mary and Louise,

It's never too late for a Fringie...

I'm sorry to say I had never heard of you two until late in season 4. It wasn't until season 3 ended when I got really into looking for more Fringe things because it was summer break and I NEEDED more. It was kind of a confluence of events over a few month period: I had thought the show was already as amazing as possible, but somehow it was getting ever better; I was watching the DVD extras - behind the scenes, commentary, interviews with Joel and Jeff, everything; people were starting to get on my case at Hulu about fawning over Fringe (on the Fringe board!), so I left to start a blog; and then the finale took my breath away. 

I had really been by myself for the longest time, just one little Fringie (before I knew we called ourselves that) swimming around a huge but empty pond, not counting great sites like FringeTelevision and Fringepedia. I didn't even listen to The Fringe Podcast then, because I didn't want to have my opinion swayed or to hear harsh criticisms, which always get a response from me and end up wasting my time. And I didn't really have the time to spare. Yeah, I made a poor choice there.

Then one day I realized I could find more like-minded people on Twitter, which I had signed up for a year earlier only because of a few celebrities and which I hardly ever used. There I found my home, other Fringies, the amazing Fringenuity, Joel, Josh, John, Lance, and so many more. Eventually it led me to you through a retweet. While I haven't made it through much yet, I hope to eventually. There is enough there to keep me entertained for a long time. Your recaps and reactions are wonderfully entertaining, help take some sting out of the saddest moments for a little while, show me things I may have missed, and add to the personality of this fandom. I'm so happy that people like you are part of my Fringe family.

Thank you,
Erin Bates

Until the Last Word, Part 7 ~ A Journey of Thousands of Words

1/15/2013

...begins with a single comment. Much of this seems pointless now, but I spent a lot of time writing it earlier this year and even more time editing it down to a manageable size over the last few days. I hate to throw away words, so here goes.

Finally, we come to the reason I started this post a year ago over at FringeTelevision.com: complaints about the fourth season when it was only seven episodes in. Fringe was about to return from winter break, so I was reading some articles. My day was then ruined by some very annoying comments about the show not living up to the standards it set in the past. Even though the season was young, complaints were being thrown about as if it were a habit for the show to string viewers along and be anything less than a highlight of the television landscape. This nonsense was along the lines of the show not being as emotional as previous seasons, that it wasn't the same without Peter (even after he reappeared in a world where he wasn't supposed to exist!) and that he never had enough to do, that it was better when it was monster of the week, and all other kinds of baseless whining you see from those who have no patience to wait for a story to unfold in its own time.

There had been only seven episodes this season when I started writing this. That is no time at all for Fringe, always utilizing a season-long arc, to get started, yet someone complained that Fringe has too many questions and not enough answers. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a viewer with no attention span. This show does have answers all the time. It just chooses to hold a few important revelations back. Without them there would be no point in watching. Fringe does not just drop things to never be revisited. The fact that there are unanswered questions is a beautiful thing, because it has so much material it could go on for a very long time in other forms, such as comic books, which have already been published, and a couple upcoming novels. It's not a simple task to resolve everything, but I'm confident the writers know what the most important pieces are. No one is perfect, but this show, with its astounding performances and emotionally true writing is as close to that ideal as possible even if some smaller details don't come together. Some mysteries can remain so, because the bigger picture has been revealed. It's a complicated narrative with many branches, written by flawed but beautiful people. In the end what you remember is how it makes you feel.

One person said she wished Fringe was cancelled and the rest of the actors "are out of a job, just the way Josh is." I can't even begin to fathom the stupidity, selfishness, complete ignorance, and lack of respect on display. To wish good people lose their jobs (not to mention the entire crew) because one may have a reduced role for a while is pathetic. She somehow missed the fact that the season was obviously going to be an emotional journey for Peter about what makes the people you love who they are and to find a way back to that. She seemed to truly believe that Peter was gone for good and decided that she wasn't going to watch anymore, ignoring every clue that he was returning, such as teasers and trailers, the voice that Walter kept hearing, and the apparition that Walter and Olivia were both seeing. I really hope she did stop watching, because Fringe deserves a far better audience.

That third season finale took my breath away, and I loved it because I knew they had to have something amazing planned. I have a hard time believing how anyone needed more evidence that the following September would start an incredible journey for Peter. What taking Peter out of the world did was give Jackson even more weighty material. Peter was never relegated to the background. Without him there is no Fringe. But some believed that Josh should always have all of the best lines, and his character should never have to struggle in any way, no matter the detriment to the story.

It's sad that some "fans" think their opinion is all that matters and will try picking apart every bit of the show they think needs fixing and will lash out at anyone who disagrees. Do you tell an author how they should write their novel? No, it's not a collaboration. You read it and love it, hate it, thought it was slow to start but turned out to be great, liked the idea but not the execution, et cetera. You can tell them where you thought they screwed up, but you can't expect them to follow your advice on a character or story direction in mid-tale. The creators need to follow their vision. But no matter how well-written there are always those few with a problem that are the loudest, at least in forums and blog comments. Not that they can influence anything, but they're just damn annoying and can make a fandom look insane. Luckily, Fringe fans are some of the nicest and most supportive I've ever had the pleasure to meet, so it's easier to ignore those others.

I also read some more rational complaints (by a few different people, I think) about how the story was progressing in its fourth year, even going so far as to say they didn't care for the new timeline at all until Olivia's original timeline memories started bleeding through, because they obviously forgot everything that came before and that Fringe had never let us down. They accused the show of changing for the worse, a show they professed to be a fan of, when they didn't get all the answers immediately. It shocked Wyman and Pinkner, and I couldn't believe people would turn on them so quickly. This is a journey they took us on each season, resolving problems at a natural pace and asking a new set of questions at the finales, so the short-sightedness baffled me. They demonstrated with every episode that they knew what they're doing and that they respected the story and the audience. Yes, Peter was stuck in a world where the relationships he built over the last three years were seemingly erased, a powerful loss. But Peter remembered. We remembered. It would have to come into play and it did in a huge way, and we felt every bit of it with him.

Watch only if you've seen up to season 4, episode 5, "Novation."

There was half of a valid point in there somewhere, though. Fans do talk endlessly about Noble and Torv's performances. Josh Jackson having fewer chances to show his range (until the final season) was due to the nature of the story not his ability or importance. It's not about the number of lines or screen time but about how effective the actors are with what they are given, how the characters are utilized, and how they affect those around them. All the people in this show have their moments and Jackson, with an understated quiet sadness, is no exception. He certainly holds his own in this notewothy cast. Peter is inextricable from the story and never a secondary character. He is unique, the reason behind one father's grief and another's rage, an innocent tied to the fate of two words and two timelines. There is only one of him, but that does not mean Jackson is relegated to the background or that true fans think less of him. He is essential and part of what makes the heart of Fringe beat so strong.

So, how was season four not the same old Fringe we fell in love with? It may change, but it stays the same in the message of love and family , through trials like death, time, and realities. There is no stagnation, no feeling that this has all been done before. The writers know the relationships are why the show works, why the fans are so devoted. They demonstrate that in every poignant exchange... 

Watch this beautiful example only if you've seen up to season 4, episode 9, "Enemy of My Enemy."

By the way, I learned soon after that the posts that got me so riled up were the work of one nutjob, as I suspected, but it was too late; the writing was already well underway. I'm going to try to ignore this bull from now on. People like this really don't deserve to be acknowledged, but instead to be banned and have their idiotic comments removed. 

No matter, since this applies to anyone who thinks the world revolves around them and grew far beyond just a response to complaints. I'm fine with people having their opinions, except when they clearly aren't paying attention. The creators' vision is their own and you need to take the path they have laid out. If you think Fringe didn't go the way it should have, if you think Jackson doesn't have enough screen time, and if you're tired of hearing how affecting Torv's and Noble's performances are then maybe this just isn't the right show for you. But just know, you're behind and complaining to the past, because Jackson has more than enough to do in this final season, and I've never seen anyone saying he was not as good as the rest of the cast. They are all superb. That's why it works so well. Seeing as this is one of my favorite shows ever my favorite show ever, I know what I'm talking about. I have to say that it's going the way it should, consistent with how it's always been: intelligent, surprising, fun, humorous, achingly poignant, and beautiful. Speaking of beautiful, you will hear that word quite a lot in connection with Fringe if you spend any time at all reading interviews or watching the actors' videos, like those above.

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