It’s not on the Fringe; it’s beyond the Fringe
Agent Olivia Dunham’s life is going to change in one instance. Her lover, and fellow agent, John Scott is on the trail with her trying to hunt down a reason why people melted on a plane heading to Germany. They find clues that lead them to a storage facility where biological experiments are running freely. In an instance, Dunham loses her boyfriend and loses the trail thanks to a very large explosion. Her boyfriend suffers side effects from the biological explosion that has his skin slowly melting from his body. Her only chance to save him comes in the form of a genius drop out named Peter Bishop and his mental instituted father Dr. Walter Bishop. Thanks to their efforts they find a way to save Scott, but the after effect opens more doors and mysteries that connect a shady company named Massive Dynamic (who might be the ones behind the original plane incident). From this point on, Dunham and the Bishops become a fringe team (as in fringe science).
The pros of this show come in large quantities. First, most people compare Fringe to the X-Files, but that’s sort of misleading. While it certainly has some elements of a ‘sci-fi’ nature to it, Fringe uses concepts that are, in theory, possible. No leechmen hiding in the sewers or smoking men here. This show is completely based off of plausible theory and what’s even better about the show is that it fully explains how XYZ work when brought into the story. For example, there is an episode about bank robbers (or you think they are) who can walk through walls to obtain materials. Walter Bishop explains how through heavy vibration of molecules anything can fit anywhere. Creepy, hard to pull-off I’m sure, but in theory it works and is explained in the show. While the neat side of fringe science is the driving force behind the entire series, the story itself has to get some praise as well. One woman’s drive to uncover the truth behind a very ruthless corporation is plausible. There are plenty of corporations out there that probably delve into this material, or fringe, and experiment on humans unknowingly. How Dunham discovers a piece to the large puzzle, through the Bishops’ help, and gets closer and closer to exposing Massive Dynamic is nothing short of a wild, organized ride. Massive Dynamic is ruthless and hardcore in its methods. Much like the X-Files you’ll find that Dunham’s plight to uncover the ‘truth’ of the overall situation is constantly getting thwarted, but slightly pushed forward with each episode. What’s great about the show is that the first episode is good and it gets better and better as the story progresses. Much like Dollhouse, I found myself enjoying Fringe as the season progressed. For most shows there is a lull somewhere in the middle, but Fringe seems to move forward at a lightning fast speed and it climbs towards a dramatic climax.
As for the actors, I never thought I would ever like Joshua Jackson. I almost watched an episode of Dawson’s Creek once and I could never have imagined that actor from that show could do something this entertaining. He plays a perfect compliment to John Noble’s Walter Bishop. If this wasn’t a show I could certainly believe they were father/son. Speaking of Noble, all I can say is, “WOW!” The guy is one of the greatest evil geniuses in a story. Sure he plays for the good guys, but his methodical way of thinking, and his oddball methods, as Walter Bishop really makes the character and the show that much better. He really is the driving force behind the story arc and what makes the other characters around him more entertaining. Bravo to John Noble! Finally, giving props to Anna Torv isn’t enough. She takes the character of Olivia Dunham and makes her so good. For most female characters these days, they are drowned with sex appeal and only that. Torv brings that (don’t want to take her beauty away), but she has built this character into a ‘thinking’ role first. You’ll want to know what’s on her mind in the story before you admire her looks. I know that sounds extremely sexist, but sex sells and it’s refreshing to see a main character sell her mind before her body to the audience (not sure if that sounded good, but hope you know what I mean).
As for the cons….. season two isn’t here yet.
The greatest asset that this release has is that it’s available on blu-ray. I’ve seen better-looking blu-ray in my time, but this one is pretty well done. You’ll get all the action, suspense and grotesqueness in HD. Simply put there is no other way to watch this show (well, technically it is available in HD). The first episode will turn your stomach as you watch (in HD) the skin of people melt off. There are a few moments where some graininess does enter the picture, but for the most part this transfer to blu-ray is amazing. I really loved watching this on a 1080 and 720 set.
As for features on this blu-ray, prepare to be wowed:
– Fringe Pattern Analysis with BD-Live features
– Evolution: The Genesis of Fringe featurette
– Behind the Real Science of Fringe featurette
– A Massive Undertaking: The Making of Fringe (on select episodes)
– The Casting of Fringe
– Fringe Visual Effects featurette
– Dissected Files: Unaired Scenes
– Unusual Side Effects: Gag Reel
– Deciphering the Scene
– Roberto Orci Production Diary
– Gene the Cow montage
– Three Full-Length Commentaries from writers/producers, including J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtman, J.R. Orci, David Goodman, Bryan Burk, Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner
Let me just add that outside of Heroes on blu-ray, it’s tough to find this many features that are of this quality. Warner Brothers went above and beyond the call for including extra entertainment and I hope they continue to provide this amount of love for their television shows. The scary thing is these features are really good quality as well. They didn’t simply put features on for the sake of it; they put features on to bring you closer to the show.