Fringe

[yendi]

So (after rebooting our Tivo), we were finally able to record an episode of Fringe. Of course, we missed the pilot, but the first "regular" episode was easy enough to follow.

My general assessment: Meh, with potential for more. It's certainly no better than other shows that have been yanked (and is way, way worse than Threshold was).

Things I liked: The nutty old professor (aside -- why, exactly, does he have a cow?), the giant three-dimensional letters popping out of Boston landmarks, and That Guy From Lost. Also, The Unsinkable Molly Brown!

Things I'm meh on: The actual "plot," which isn't exactly the "X-Files, Season 1" stuff I'd been promised, but has potential; Joshua Jackson, who's okay, but could be replaced by any of a zillion actors without changing a thing.

Things I can't stand: The lead female FBI Agent. Dear lord, please say she was interesting on the pilot. Between the writing and the acting, she sucks the life out of the show. Also, I don't care if this is a JJ Abrams show -- stop using the "oh shit" music from Lost!

I'll give it at least one more chance, but I'm not hooked.

Comments

[heathrow.livejournal.com]

The cow: the pilot "explained" it, sort of.

[blitheandbonny.livejournal.com]

No, she was, in fact, not at ALL interesting in the pilot. I HATE her. Not only is she completely uninteresting, she spent most of the pilot acting like a petulant child when she wasn't being completely unprofessional and hashing out her romantic relationship with another agent (hello, fraternization) while they were SUPPOSED to be investigating a CRIME.

Blergh, she was just awful.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

she spent most of the pilot acting like a petulant child when she wasn't being completely unprofessional

Yes. That. Ugh.

I like Nutty Professor. Joshua Jackson's meh except when he interacts with him - then he has good exasperation. Blondie should be written out altogether. I want the Professor-and-Cow show.

[blitheandbonny.livejournal.com]

What I don't understand is why, when a show has a main female character, so often she has to act like that. (Don't even get me started on Ally McBeal, the hate, it's like flames, on the side of my face.)

Seriously, is it such a stretch of the imagination to portray a female character as capable of acting like a GROWN UP?

[tablesaw]

Fringe! Pilot! On your blog!

[tablesaw]

Huh. I guess you can't embed objects in a comment? Here's the Hulu link.

[yendi]

Thanks -- I do have a Hulu account, but I just hate watching anything longer than a music video online.

[dindin.livejournal.com]

She wasn't interesting on the pilot.

Haven't watched the next two episodes yet.

Gave Heroes about...3 episodes? Fringe will get about the same.

[volta]

There was a plot reason for the cow in the pilot, but it was pretty weak.

The flying letters are seriously annoying.

The female FBI agent was *worse* in the pilot.

I am done with the show now, I will reconsider if it gets a second season.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

There was a plot reason for the cow in the pilot, but it was pretty weak.

What was the reason?

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

"Cow DNA doesn't differ by much from human DNA, so it's an ethical test subject"

No, not kidding.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

But...the...

huh?

[unwilly.livejournal.com]

Aside from the DNA DUH! moment, what they meant was that Crazy Scientist Guy used to experiment on humans, so cows is better.

[auryn29a.livejournal.com]

And the milk thing is a bonus.

[yendi]

I love the letters. I want to see a car crash into giant letters that pop up in front of the Ted William Tunnel.

[auryn29a.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was saying to some friends that every parody of that show will have someone crashing into letters and knocking himself out or some form of that.

[lurkerwithout.livejournal.com]

Dr. Scott of Polite Dissent (http://politedissent.com/) (who does brilliant post episode reviews of House) has reviewed both the last episode (http://politedissent.com/archives/2079) and the pilot (http://politedissent.com/archives/2075). So far I'll keep watching for Crazy Doctor and Pacey. And yeah Blonde FBI agent is very underwhelming...

It does however have Lance Reddick and until I get Season 5 of The Wire I'll take what I can get. I'm also liking what little I've seen of Jasika Nicole as Agent Astrid Farnsworth, Crazy Doctor's assistant...

[yendi]

Polite Dissent has been one of my must-read blogs for years. His reviews are one of the reasons I made sure to Tivo the show.

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

I, for one, am Sick Too Death of the "evil corporation" cliche.

At least the Evil Corporate VP had a cool robot arm in the pilot.

I'll probably let this one slide, if they can't manage to get the ostensible lead to be interesting. I'd like to blame the actress, but nobody else has good lines or motivations either, so she may be suffering from simply having more screen time with a bad script.

[penmage.livejournal.com]

I spent the whole pilot (and second episode, too) saying "Hi, crazy Denethor! Hi, Pacey! Hi, Boring Blonde!"

N disagreed with me on the Boring Blonde point. He called her Irritating Blonde. Which I agree with, though it doesn't have as good of a ring to i.

I like the interaction between Pacey and Denethor, though it was far more entertaining in the pilot.

[kradical.livejournal.com]

That Guy From Lost.

*beats head against wall* He's on, like, three episodes of Lost and is "That Guy from Lost," never mind that he was on all five seasons of The Wire, in which he got to actually act instead of look intense a lot (of course, he also looked intense a lot, as Lance Reddick excels at that). Sigh. I weep for the youth of our country....

[yendi]

Yeah, but I still haven't seen The Wire (although I do have season one sitting on my hard drive, something that might be useful if I could stand watching stuff on the computer). In fact, judging from his IMDB entry, the only other role I've seen him in was in Godzilla.

[lurkerwithout.livejournal.com]

but I still haven't seen The Wire

GET THEE TO THINE NETFLIX!

[leduck.livejournal.com]

I need some veneer of reality to make the show work, and the set up in the pilot was so far-fetched that I could never suspend disbelief. This second episode was far better than the pilot.

I give new shows 3 episodes before they're out. Unless the third episode really impresses me, I'm gone.

[auryn29a.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I enjoyed the pilot and found the second episode rather boring in a "wasn't this an episode of X-Files?" kind of way.

[ketzl.livejournal.com]

1. I also loved the floating letters and hated the Lost musical cues.

2. Watch The Wire already! Damnit.

3. AUGH you reminded me of Threshold's cancellation. *weeps*

[frawg-angel.livejournal.com]

I actually was kinda twitching about this, because when they set it up that she was an agent with a secret love afair and then *OMG, something happens to her MAN!* and ...

... I was praying a lot here, because I was having Alias flashbacks. Pilot Ep of Alias, she tells her man she's a secret agent, he gets killed, and then OMG... revenge for her man with obvious sexual tension with new guy!!!!

And then they avoided that...

... until the last maybe 7 minutes, and right back there.

Love Dr. Dude, kinda like JJ when he's not being whiney (which is when he interacts with Dr. Dude) and the cow is cool. How this is going to remain on my DVR remains to be seen. On the scale, it's resting at an "Eh", down from and "Ok", and quickly heading to "Uugh."