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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

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.

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

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.

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:

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."

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.

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."

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."

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.

Some people with short attention spans and limited imagination would have you believe that Fringe was a better show when it was procedural. They're completely wrong, of course, as it never was so simple. Even if they didn't have it all figured out, it had an intriguing backstory from day one that was revealed a bit at a time and eventually became prominent through a natural progression. We learned that a number of cases had a connection to Walter's work (not a convenience, as one reviewer disdainfully put it, but a design that was tightly woven into the show) and that there was a secret he was keeping about Peter. Even when it seemed solely monster of the week, there were the relationships that went far deeper than I've ever seen, and it was obvious we were in for a treat. As the mythology grew, so did the format and storytelling skills. Fringe always had the elements it needed for the inevitable transition and it made it seamlessly and it was better for it.

I have never seen a show so willing to change for the sake of telling the story in the most emotionally effective way, and to do it so well every season is just extraordinary. Every year Fringe moved forward in its mystery, solving the problems at hand while revealing others with mind-blowing and perfectly executed cliffhanger finales. It kept me on my toes and on the edge of my seat...and upside down, with my stomach doing backflips. In other words, I was a wreck while watching it. Anything could have happened, and everything did. But don't let that scare you off. There are numerous moments of humor and joy, and countless moments to fall in love with the characters, creators, and even TV itself again. It's not often I feel a TV writer or showrunner is wholeheartedly invested in his work. Joel Wyman is one of the few. It made me fall in love with Fringe even more to see how enthusiastic he is about the show and how much he appreciates the fans.

"Like the fans, I think they love the same things I do, which is these incredible people. If I can tell the story honestly and with a degree of depth and make people think and go through things with them this last final season, that would be a great reward because they've invested so much time. So, I kind of just went, 'All right, I got to go with my heart and my gut and tell the story this way.'"

~Joel Wyman // The TV Addict, September 28, 2012