Now that LOST has left the airwaves, there's nothing more appropriate to fill that gaping genre hole than another J.J. Abrams series: Fringe. The series, which found its footing mid-season one, returned last fall for a rousing second season that was in my opinion some of the most tightly written sci-fi on television that year, perhaps even more so -- and I hesitate to say it -- than LOST. Now, the six season mystery drama was incredibly well done, but there is a big difference between it and Fringe: with LOST, there are questions of whether or not the writers knew what they were doing, or whether they were making it up as they went along. With Fringe, I've heard none of that. Fringe seems to be written so well that there isn't any doubt whether or not the writers have been telling the same story throughout its duration -- it feels like one big puzzle that we have all of the pieces to, but we just need the writers to snap them together.
That's not to criticize LOST, because Fringe seems primed for a lesser impact on pop culture. The series hasn't quite caught on with fans (it averages around six million viewers an episode), and it may never. But that doesn't keep it from being one of the most brilliant shows on network television -- perhaps the most, now that LOST is gone -- and it continues to surprise and impress every week with plot twists that are evenly spaced but nonetheless shocking.
Now that the drama has been picked up for a third, twenty-two episode season, let's look back at its second season, which drastically improved upon its first, and provided us with fantastic characters and engrossing mysteries.
Season two, unlike the first season, really delved into the deep relationship between Walter and Peter, the father-son team that make up the brains behind the Fringe division. Walter, who is struggling to cope with the fact that he is missing a part of his brain, is faced with an even larger struggle halfway through the season, when Olivia discovers that Peter is actually from "Over There" -- the alternate universe which is threatening to destroy this one. This internal conflict nearly tears Walter apart, and pervades through the mostly stand-alone cases of "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver," and "White Tulip," which focuses on Walter's inability to tell Peter, who eventually finds out in "The Man from the Other Side." His return home is the focus of the final three episodes.
In another wonderful trick, the villain of the season is also the hero: Walternate is the alternate universe's version of Walter, but with one fundamental difference: he isn't crazy. As "Grey Matters," episode ten of the season, revealed, Walter was lobotomized at his own request by his old partner, William Bell, in order to protect the secrets of the alternate universe. Before that, he had ventured to the other universe in order to save his son, Peter, who had died in this universe. However, he found himself unable to return Peter. The guilt of this led to his wife Elizabeth's suicide -- but it also led to Walternate wanting revenge. Perhaps most of the events of the series have been revealed to be a result of Walternate's cunning, including subtle references to the bus in amber back in season one, episode three "The Ghost Network."
As that story arc carried most of the season (including the tour-du-force second half), there were also brilliant stand-alone episodes, such as "Earthling," which introduced a parasitic alien (the only time extraterrestrials have ever appeared on the series), and "August," which delved deeper into the world of the mysteries Observers. Late in the season came "Brown Betty," a strange, musical episode that took place completely in Walter's mind. The episode was a risk, and it sort of accomplished what it tried to, but it could also be looked upon as the biggest letdown of the season, simply because of all the hype that led up to it.
The mythology-laden episodes were impressive, with "Peter" being the obvious standout. Taking place almost entirely in 1985, "Peter" focuses on Walter's quest to get his son, and it represents the first time that the series diverged from its typical monster-of-the-week design, though "Brown Betty," another pattern-changer, arrived soon after.
Then there's the fantastic season finale, "Over There," which aired over two weeks and took place mostly in the alternate universe as Walter and Olivia tried to rescue Peter from Walternate. They succeeded of course, but that resulted in the capture of one of their own, which left the season in perhaps its biggest cliffhanger since Charlie threw himself in the fire back in the premiere, "A New Day in the Old Town." The finale's ending also left the prospects of a third season very open, and it looks like we might be seeing more deviants from the typical formula next year.
But I can't get out of this season review without mentioning the best episode of the season: episode seventeen, "White Tulip." The episode was so beautifully done, and worked as a standalone in addition to a mythology-packed episode, especially due to the fact that the case itself didn't even happen.
All in all, Fringe season two was a worthwhile television experience that left me wanting more as soon as it was over. A
You can pre-order Fringe: The Complete Second Season on DVD
Agree? Disagree? That's what the comments section is for, people!
Agree!! FRINGE is the most amazing show on television at the moment!!
Nice, short and sweet review of the entire season 2 of Fringe. I have to agree with you that Fringe is the most brilliant and clever show on TV right now, especially after Lost ended. Sometimes I even feel that Fringe surpasses Lost in some ways, considering how well planned it is. The stand alone episodes of Fringe make it easier to follow as compared to Lost, while still having the overarching mythology. The writers also revealed answers to mysteries that were introduced, while introducing more questions, unlike Lost where mysteries were introduced but some answers were only revealed in its final season. That said, it might also be due to this that Fringe does not prompt as much discussion as Lost because audience know that the writers will provide the answers soon. Fringe is also purely sci-fi based, which may be why it drew in less audience.To me, Fringe is really the best show on TV right now. For a sci-fi show to be able to explore the characters so well at the same time, Fringe is brilliant.Like you, I think "White Tulip" was one of the best, it was very well executed. But I also love "Peter" and the 2-part finale. What are your thoughts on "Over There Part 2"? I actually preferred Part 1, as Part 2 still felt like a set-up for me, a set-up for season 3. I can't believe Olivia got stuck in the alternate universe. I had hoped that Peter would stay there so that we can catch more glimpses of the alternate world. Looks like we will still have that chance, but instead of Peter, Olivia is stuck.
Part 2 was sort of a letdown for me. It wasn't anything close to bad at all, but the entire doppelganger storyline just felt exhausted and a little cliche, especially after having the same thing happen to Charlie earlier in the season. Of course, there are differences, and there is potential for Altlivia to turn sides, especially considering that she'll be spending time with the "monsters" of this universe. After all, who could see the relationship between Walter and Astrid and find that evil?
LOST was interesting and had its ups and downs and suffered, in the end, from incoherency of plot but it was pretty good television. For a little while I was sure they were going to pull it out and it would go from "pretty good television" to a "timeless classic" one could watch over and over. Although I know your opinion of LOST's ending is very high, I am not one of the bemused or bewitched; I am one of the bewildered who continues to wonder why I didn't quit the thing sooner.Fringe, on the other hand, looks to be learning from its close cousin, and seems to have a good handle on their mythology and what they're doing with it. Much smarter to go for the mystery resolution/creation of new mystery style than stretching out mysteries beyond credibility and, finally, beyond an ability to resolve in any reasonable way. They've introduced enough elements into the plot (alternate universe, alternate people, the observers, Massive Dynamic, William Bell) to keep it fresh and alive, if they manage to keep the mysteries fresh until solved and then create new ones to take through the process.I will say that I am a little gun-shy after LOST and won't stick with Fringe one second after it jumps any of the sharks always within reach of shows in this genre. It can have me as a dedicated viewer and "fan" only as long as it makes sense. I waited with LOST long after it stopped being a credible story and all I have to show for it is a vague sense of time wasted and hint of having been conned somewhere on the very back of my taste buds.The thing Fringe is NOT doing, which speaks highly of it, is being coy. Cliffhangers and suspense are natural elements of the story and not being written with crayons in the coy language of people too in love with their creation to give it a time-out or a spanking when needed. Fringe seems like it's a more mature and well-rounded beast.Walter, Peter and Olivia are all excellent characters who are easy to like, if not understand. Noble plays the out-of-our-league scientist with a perfect blend of apology and aplomb and Jackson could not have been better cast to play the anti-establishment super-intelligent bad-boy with a good-heart. Torv is beautifully enigmatic with just the right amount of never-gets-in-the-way-but-is-there vulnerability. Nice characters who don't go against their own personalities except when the story changes them – and then the changes stick. Impressive writing.Let's hope Fringe sticks to its rails.