Fringe has entered its final season--Discuss!

[Drinking with Skeletons]

Fringe is winding down, and I have to say that--barring a sudden change in the next 12 episodes--it is easily the most ambitious show I've ever seen. SPOILERS ahead. Seriously, if you haven't watched this show and you're curious, you need to go back to the DVDs. You can't even talk about what the show is about anymore without spoiling entire seasons.


It started off as a sort-of X-Files update, but it has become a heavily serialized show that has deployed multiple universes, alternate timelines, and now a jump into the future. It hasn't always been great, and I'm not sure that even the important stuff completely lines up in terms of continuity, but it has been shockingly bold. I understand why some people would've been turned off by season 4 (and I have some issues with it, myself) but completely resetting the timeline of the series? That takes some balls.

So what does everyone else think? I'm struck at how similar Season 5 is to Half-Life 2. Protagonists suspended for years? Check. Alien (uh, sort of) regime that needs to be toppled? Check. Dystopian future? Check. Underground resistance? Check. I could do with less of Peter and Olivia oohing and ahhing over Etta, though.

[Theblazeuk]

Fringe is winding down, and I have to say that--barring a sudden change in the next 12 episodes--it is easily the most ambitious show I've ever seen

I agree. First few episodes I felt were really rather poor but I'm so glad I've stuck with it as it has grown and grown into something unique and interesting whilst simultaneously still doing familiar storylines and devices with a bit of panache. The episode with Peter Weller springs to mind alongside many others.

Looking forward to seeing more of this season! Give it one episode Peter and Olivia will stop cooing over their daughter, you heartless fiend. And also strangely looking forward to it ending, properly, for good. And also to finding out what the hell is up with The Observers.

[Heliocentric]

I wont read anything as I'm ages behind, but it really is a fun show to watch, Walter is easily one of my favourite characters in anything.

[mashakos]

Fringe is America's answer to Dr. Who
/Discussion

I've watched a few episodes, and Fringe reminds me of this old TV series from the late 80s / early 90s (was too young to remember the details). Gives me a strong sense of nostalgia for the quirky sci fi shows from that time. I think it was called Alternate Reality?

[Xercies]

Yeah its pretty damn good the characters all are interesting and Walter is probably the best. I did have a worry about the 5th season thinking that really they didnt have any more story to tell since they have answered all the questions i think but the first episode convinced me there taking it in an interesting direction at least.

[Drinking with Skeletons]

I agree. First few episodes I felt were really rather poor but I'm so glad I've stuck with it as it has grown and grown into something unique and interesting whilst simultaneously still doing familiar storylines and devices with a bit of panache. The episode with Peter Weller springs to mind alongside many others.

Looking forward to seeing more of this season! Give it one episode Peter and Olivia will stop cooing over their daughter, you heartless fiend. And also strangely looking forward to it ending, properly, for good. And also to finding out what the hell is up with The Observers.

Man, you were spot on regarding them giving up on that. It was still a little heavy in the premiere. I'm not really digging Etta much, though; her performance is really wooden, and I doubt she'll have much opportunity to grow into the role.

I am wondering about the Observers, though. Have they ever offered an explanation for why they are conquering the past? It's an impractical, super-villainy scheme. I mean, is time travel some kind of fluke? Like a game of Civ where you've harnessed effective solar power but can't field anything better than a musketman? Just seems like they should have more options for saving their civilization than dooming their evolutionary ancestors. Also, how do they prevent paradoxes from destroying them all? Peter was wiped from existence when he reset the timeline, so that should probably be a concern. The classic example is killing your own grandpa, but imposing a totalitarian regime on an entire progenitor species seems a little more extreme.

[Theblazeuk]

I quite like Etta, though I was hoping she'd have some kind of cortexifan psychic powers (and we'd see more of Olivia's). I used to think Olivia was dead wooden but then they started writing her better and it was that she was emotionall withdrawn - imagine they're trying to convey the same with Etta. I would guess most people living in the dystopia are a bit messed up.

Observers were on the other side too, weren't they? I hope we hear something back from there eventually.

[Xercies]

i think she does have some powers in Letters of Transit she couldn't be read by the observers I hope that gets picked up on again.