When it comes to picking television shows, you need to choose carefully. You need to pick a show you can get behind, one that you can rely on. It's like choosing a girlfriend, albeit one you only see for an hour a week. It has to be a show you can stand proudly behind, saying "That's my show!" when it wins awards or gets a smattering of critical adoration. It needs to be a show you can tell your friends about, one that you can bring home to your parents. For me, Fringe is that show. And it all goes back to the writing staff of the show, headed up by the wonderful Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman. I trust them more than I trust any other writing staff on television, bar none. That's a pretty big claim, and one I don't make lightly.
What does it take for a TV writing staff to gain my trust? The answer is both simple and complex: the show needs to be something I can rely on. It needs to be a show that's consistently amazing, week after week, while at the same time it needs to be something that commitment to pays off. A show can have consistently good episodes without really going anywhere in terms of overall plot, and conversely can have consistently mediocre episodes that advance the plot light years every week. Oh yeah, and you can't just make up the plot as they go along (LOST, as wonderful and dear as that show is to me, meets the other two criteria but falls a bit short on this last one).
But Fringe, unlike every other show I've seen outside maybe The Wire, feels like it's constantly going somewhere. Each episode is a propulsion forward: sometimes small, sometimes large, but always in the right direction. Every scene feels like it could be important, and often it is. Fringe doesn't utilize the slow burn technique that other shows in its vein do. It quickly brings the mysteries to a boil, and then answers them while they're still hot. Sure, the mysteries are smaller, but they're just as compelling, and provide for very watchable television. It's impossible to miss an episode without knowing you've missed an important moment, whether it's Olivia finding out about Peter's lingering feelings for Altlivia or the fact that Sam Weiss authored the books on the First People, as in "Concentrate and Ask Again." The story's constantly moving forward, never spinning its wheels, and it doesn't feel rushed in the least bit. Those mysteries haven't been boiled until they're too hot or too cool; they're juuust right. And, at the same time, the episodes by themselves are marvelous pieces of work. I point you no further than the episode "White Tulip," a well-written standalone that also advanced Walter's understanding of the events that were about to happen with Peter, or "The Box," which furthered the season-long arc of the machine while still providing more casual audiences with a compelling case... and exploding heads.
That covers the first two criteria, but what about the third? How do we know that Jeff Pinkner, J.H. Wyman, and the rest of Fringe's writers aren't just stringing us along as they quickly hurry to scribble down the next part of the story? They've told us they have a plan for both five-year and seven-year runs of Fringe, and I don't see any reason not to believe them, especially when you look at their track record. The show's storyline writes checks that it doesn't cash until a year later, in another season. Take, for example, the episode "The Arrival." In that episode, Walter tells Peter about the Observer saving his life after their car had an accident and went into the ice. Then, thirty-two episodes later, we see that scene take place in the episode "Peter." In fact, that Walter had even lied to Peter about that night was an indicator that something was amiss -- as we would later find out, he kept the truth under wraps because that incident happened right after he'd stolen Peter from another universe. It really seems too perfect. And perhaps the most telling part is that we have to make these connections ourselves. The show rarely puts these smaller pieces together as though asking us, "See how clever we are?" They expect viewers to be as clever as they are, and that confidence should be reciprocated. It says more about the show -- and whether the writers are just playing it by ear -- than anything else the show can do.
So when I hear people fretting about how season three ended, I'm a little frustrated. What do you mean, you think it's all a dream? Are you watching the same show I am? Have the writers not earned your trust this far? or Are you seriously asking how they're going to explain that, as though there's some chance that they'll botch it? These are the writers of Fringe we're talking about, dammit! They probably thought of that problem long before you did!
Is it foolish for me to place all my confidence in these writers? That's for you to decide. I, for one, believe that the writers of Fringe won't lead their show -- and, by extension, me -- astray. Fringe is the show I want to stand behind, to put my trust into. It's paid off for me (and millions of other Fringe fans) so far, you can't deny that. More than any other show on television, I have confidence that Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman will give me a great story, week after week, as they have for the past three years. That's a show you can bring home to your parents.
Very well written article! I agree 110%
Fringe is my baby. You can take Fringe away from me!
*cannot, not can lol.
I should say, CANNOT take Fringe away from me!
Yes, I agree the writers have (largely) earned my trust on Fringe. And considering the wild finale of this season, they need ALL of it.
However, I'm not the only fan who has felt that the writers lost their direction somewhat in the latter half of Season 3. Up until the "Reciprocity" episode, everything felt very surefooted, but then they seemed to introduce strands that were not followed up on promptly.
If Fringe's writers don't already understand this: They ought to zero in like a laser beam on the story they want to tell. No more "shocking throwaways" (like Olivia's "That's the man who's gonna kill me" line) which the audience feels they have to "wait and see" about. That's a little too obvious puzzle-seeding.
The march to the alternative universe reveal ("Over There") was steady and inexorable through Season 2, which made it a great season indeed. Less inexorable was the march through Season 3 to its shocking conclusion. So, my respect for the Fringe writers is tempered somewhat by faint fears that they are losing their focus. Perhaps this apparent reset or reframing of the story at the end of Season 3, will bode well for a more focused Season 4.
Lost their focus? Never. It is clearly a setup for Season 4. If Fringe has to continuously answer things, it will just be dull. The story needs to propel.
Fringe seson 3 ties up a lot of easter eggs set in Seasons 1 and 2. Most importantly, in Season 1 episode TWO, yes that's the second episode, where we saw momentarily Olivia became pregnant – and this is in fact a VERY important scene that foreshadows Fauxlivia's pregnancy – accelerated pregnancy and the importance of the baby.
The amber is heavily used in Season 3 as well, which was planted in Season 1. Fringe writers are clearly on track with their plans. And the more I think about season 4, the more excited I am. Fringe has a clear direction, of which Fox should in fact give a good end date and not just leave it undecidedly if it's a go or a no. Sadly, the ratings is not as good, but honestly speaking, Fringe finale *will* be satisfying, if given a chance, than JJ's other show – Lost.
That wasn't a particularly strong foreshadowing, as Olivia is not Fauxlivia. :-) It was more like a shout-out, and shout-outs aren't exactly the same as storytelling.
Season 3 was by no means bad – don't get me wrong. Anything but! In overall quality, it's been the best season so far. BUT, in Season 2 there was a focused march toward a single thing: the issue of Walter's past with Peter, and how it related to the alternate universe. Everything built up to that, which made the season finale thrilling. In Season 3, it seemed the writers were more interested in "seeding" future mysteries, which we may or may not ever get tied up. Unlike Lost fans, I do not consider this "willful deception" by the writers. However, I now find it a little harder to get wrapped up in all these seed-plantings because I wonder if they will be dropped. I didn't have that skepticism in Season 2.
However, the shock of the season finale has worn off for many of us and I think most fans will be happily back to see what transpires – even though everything appears to be blown out of the water.
The amber thing was a more successful re-weaving of an old detail (if it wasn't pre-planned – who can be sure?) That's the sort of creative storytelling I like – even if they didn't intend the amber to mean anything more back in Season 1, the fact that the writers later plausibly wove it back into the storyline was very impressive. In this way, the writers can create continuity where there may have been none intended originally.
I just thought the Fauxlivia-fast-pregnancy thing had no real connection to the fast pregnancy we saw in Season 1. Unless there is some sort of connection between the soldier-growing project and the alternate universe, which isn't apparent at all.
i find it very difficult to believe that the writers knew back on the 2nd episode of season 1 that they would have an alternate universe version of olivia who would get pregnant in 3 seasons time. im sure they were just hoping to get a full season pick up at that time.
They knew she would have an alternate (which they have said many times in interviews) and i have to believe they also knew there would be a baby, because its a very conflicted way (for the characters and the audience) for them to get the DNA needed to run the machine.
And to Donna…it was never outright said, but many of the 'freak of the week's' from earlier in the season could have been the altverse experimenting on people from our universe in order to perfect their own technology…just a thought.
PS… I forgot to add: Fans are well aware also, that there has been a great deal of uncertainty about Fringe's future – how long remains for the writers to tell the overarching story? This makes me feel more inclined to forgive the lurches in Season 3. I would prefer that the writers go all-out to focus on their story in Season 4 as if they believed the show would run unimpeded to Season 6 or 7. Then, if cancellation comes, finish the story in a different form – as a graphic novel perhaps.
The show runs in chapter.
The overarching story will always be there, but each season 1, you can see it as one chapter of which you could very wel be satisfied with what happened on that season.
But of course, you always want to look at the next chapter, which the story should continue on.
Season 1 – the story of ZFT – end. (Olivia on the other side – set up)
Season 2 – the story of Peter's identity – end. (Olivia switch – set up)
Season 3 – the story of the Doomsday machine – end. (Peter missing – set up)
As seen above, you have story chapters ending, and story opening for next season. I am confident that if Fox says, we have to close Fringe, then it will be very well that the writers end the show.
(but supposedly S3 ended as a series finale, I could have accepted it. It is open to a lot of discussion and possibilities – could be very well ended Fringe, as the main root of the problem is the stolen Peter)
You make 'Fringe' sound like a religious cult. Lol Maybe some people just don't like the ending. Can't you simply accept that some people like the ending and like you said trust the writers and others don't?
Two things:
1. I trust my family and friends but not TV writers, people who I don't know.
2. the first half of season 3 of Fringe was amazing, the second not so much and if you watch a lot of genre shows, the ending was not that much of a shocker. ;D
I don't think he's saying he'd trust them with his life, so I feel like that first comment is a little out there. I agree that the second half of the season wasn't as strong as the first, but to say the ending wasn't shocking? Fringe was one of the most shocking (albeit confusing) season enders for me at least.
I agree wholeheartedly with this article. The Fringe writers have proven time and again that this show has direction, while giving us continually quality individual episodes. I'm not worried about the whole "Peter never existed" thing because of the trust the writers have earned. I think Supernatural is in a very similar position with many fans upset about the way the season ended, but like Fringe, Supernatural's writers have earned my complete trust. Particularly now that Eric Kripke will be on hand for season 7. It's funny that sci-fi genre shows tend to garner the most trust in fans.
Since season third, this is one of the worst series… Writing is one of the worst, as they just copied all ideas, didn't write anything by theirselves.
That is just my opinion, which can't be changed :)
Really nicely-written piece, Sam M.
I totally agree with you.
Isn't it mindblowing how you can rewatch S1 AGAIN after S3 and STILL find new foreshadowing and new interpretations of old information?
'Fringe' is a multifaceted gem. Keep studying it and you learn more about it, see new sides of it, every single time you look!
"They expect viewers to be as clever as they are, and that confidence should be reciprocated." Absolutely! I try to study 'Fringe' whenever I can. For this summer that means reviewing every one of the 65 episodes, and I know others are doing the same.
I trust J&J(as I call them). I can't wait until it's time to buckle up again for the new ride!
Well, after what they did in the last 30 seconds of this season, you can't say the writers don't have BALLZ. They aren't resting on their laurels, that is for certain…
I only have one requirement… that they make it entertaining and cool. (and bring joshua Jackson back plz)
I have not been disappointed yet and will too trust that they know what they're doing. Fringe is the best show on TV and even if there would have been a weak episode, it's still better than most of the stuff out there.
Can't wait for September to find out where this is all going.
Well, the fact is that we have been burned before… I trusted Lost writers… And as you mentionned, they finally betrayed us… It's going to be hard for me to trust a writer again after that…
Lost sets a serious precedent on how writers and showrunners have asked audience to trust them, that they knew what they were doing and it worked… And then, they just copped out… I would love you to write a reflexion on how this can affect fans and trust issues for any other show in the future…
I agree that it is very well written, and although I don't think the LOST writers copped out (sure, it wasn't a perfect show; walt for example, but I thought the ending was satisfying), it didn't have the direction Fringe has. But… after all the seasons of watching Fringe, I still don't find any of the characters that interesting. I don't know what it is, I'm sure plenty of people do… but that's where the show fails for me I guess, because I think that aspect is as important as the other three.
Why should people trust the writers who made Peter Bishop dumb just to make him the bad guy and Olivia the most perfect human being who NEVER makes a mistake?
What show are you watching?
I definitely think Fringe is the best show right now and one where I feel I can trust the writers. If there's any other sci-fi show like that, it'd probably be Doctor Who, which is my first favorite. But Fringe is just as equal for me and seems to have a sense of direction, more than Lost or any other show.
They have built the characters up really well with a really moving backstory. The actors own their roles. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Walter and Walternate or Olivia and Fauxlivia are the same actors. That's how good they are.
I just hope the show and the actors get more recognition cause they deserve it. TV viewing is not what it used to be. People may watch it through all types of ways, or wait for the DVD to come out or anything like that. So when ratings are down it seems like not a lot of people are watching it, but I don't think it should be cancelled because of that.
The writers have said that they have 6-8 seasons of material if they can do it, and I hope they get to tell their whole story. I think they are also clever enough to make it in a way such that, if it gets cancelled, the story could have had a satisfying ending. Season 3's finale could've been a good ending for the show with a few tweaks.
I hope the writers are able to tell us the whole story, and Fringe is a wonderful show. I can't wait for the fall.
well wrtten article. couldnt agree with you more. cant wait for the next season to start
Fringe is the best show on television! Period.
P.S. Jeff Pinker is the man.
I would have to agree with that…both comments!
P.S. I LOVE JOSHUA JACKSON<3
I agree 100%! I used to get so frustrated with LOST because more often than not, I felt like the writers were scrambling. Plot lines were started then left alone, only to be written off as "well we can't explain everything." You know what I say to that…yes you can!
And I can't say that that hasn't happened in Fringe…just what was up with Peter and Big Eddie, what were the other 9 tests in the box that David Robert Jones had Olivia find, etc…but with this 're-set' of sorts, we get to start all over. And maybe we won't get the answers to those questions exactly, but there's always a chance for another version, another outcome.
All i can say for certain is that I too have put my complete trust and faith in the Fringe writers. I have been watching from day one and have loved every minute of every episode. I can't wait for season 4 and I hope that Fringe will remain my number one show for years to come!
Because the writers of #Fringe are the best writers on television they even listening to the fans opinions and feelings, this is so valuable!