well! I love fringe, and it's really great at the one thing no other show like it seems to be good at, which is mythology. (by "other shows like it," I mean network procedurals.) I don't usually care that much about mythology, but as someone who's loved a lot of shows that can't handle it, I find it thrilling to watch a show do it well, and to see what it's capable of bringing to the narrative, especially when it comes to characterization. the more the story takes off, the more it pushes the characters forward. they're at their most interesting when the plot is at its most complicated. season 1 is slow because it's laying the groundwork (aside from a handful of great ones, case-of-the-week stories are not fringe's strong suit), and the final season, season 5, has a lot of missed potential when it comes to connecting the dots to social commentary (fringe is almost a show about climate change, but the last season undercuts everyone's personal responsibility for it). but the height of the story — especially the first half of season 3, which goes so hard — is an absolute blast: it's ambitious, it’s weird, and it feels like it's been plotted in advance even when I'm sure it hasn't been. it's a parallel universe story about destroying the world for the sake of love.
I wonder how fringe would play if you haven't really loved a network procedural before. what I find so interesting is the way it works within its limits, but there are limits. it's very obviously a network procedural from circa 2010, sometimes in harmless ways (ford product placement), sometimes in low-key frustrating ways (it's weirdly atmospherically christian without interrogating how little sense that makes for the characters. and again, all the pieces point toward an allegory for climate change, but what is it really saying?), and sometimes in ways that really diminish it and can be hard to watch (the two black series regulars are underwritten and subjected to carelessly racist storylines. jasika nicole apparently was not treated well by a lot of the producers and directors, and it comes through, and it sucks). it's the sort of thing that makes me hesitate to straight-up recommend it; we don't have to put up with that from our TV procedurals. evil cbs exists! but if you can hold those problems in tandem with the great things about it, fringe is fun. maybe it shouldn't be this exhilarating to watch a procedural acknowledge what happened in the episode before, but it is. olivia dunham is just like a stoic male detective with a special gift and all kinds of emotional intimacy issues stemming from a difficult childhood, but a girl; peter bishop is just like a slightly too perfect female character with enough charisma to make up for an underwritten internal life, but a guy. they're perfect for each other.
