Comic Con is now come and gone, and I didn't go as crazy with it as I expected to. I'm not there, so who am I to comment on it? Nevertheless, the Con did give me an excuse to return to my favorite show on television, Fringe. The show has had quite a rough going for the longest of times, with some critical difficulty in Season 1, which is undeniable, and an unsteady transition to mythology based television in Season 2. That had quite a negative effect on the ratings, and that has continued through Season 3, to the point where the ratings on Thursday tanked, the show moved to Fridays, and it's gotten even worst since then.
Not the show, mind you, but the ratings. Through all this struggle, and every trial thrown at the producers and cast, they have performed exceptionally well. Season 3 was a very exciting story, dealing with quite a few moral qualms and difficulties, some of which should be carried into Season 4. There were several great episodes, but my favorite, and this is still a trigger point, is the still mindblowing season finale. Why is that? Because it's probably the first time Jeff Pinkner and Joel Wyman have truly 100% grasped what their show was, which is a subversive, potentially avante garde, uncompromising piece of genre television.
Yes, the show naturally has had its pitfalls across the years, such as the continuous deflation of Anna Torv's natural sex appeal. If you ever see her in real life, she is just fantastically gorgeous, on top of her amazing performances. Both Torv and those working behind the scenes need to do a better job of enhancing that to the screen. The Alt-Olivia wig needs to at least get better. Or, eliminate the comparison between the two Olivia's hairstyles. Have our Olivia get a new haircut. I know I'd be all for that. Make the characters' looks change progressively across the years. Don't stay simple. Change it up! It can't hurt to do more to sex up the series, aside from the Walters. But some sexy John Noble never hurt anyone.
As far as the road to the future of the series, I have a few suggestions. They may go well unheeded for now, as production on Season 4 is already well underway. Still, I'm very much speaking to Jeff and Joel on this one. I've been a fan of the show since the beginning, and I've grown up critically as the show has grown similarly. The main obstacle that I can foresee right now is how obvious the show can be at times. Each episode seems go BANG BANG BANG BANG, and even the episodes where not too much happens. This is given with most procedurals, with something needed to carry the audience through commercial breaks and back to the show.
Still, I am urging some more subtlety in this coming season. It can only help to emphasize the moments that are meant to go BANG more than the rest. This show must tread as carefully as possible, just so that it keeps up with ever maturing audience it has. Intelligence is the key here. I'm not saying to tone things down in terms of storytelling. By all means, I want the show to go even crazier. With everyone assuming that reviving William Bell through Olivia was a bit too much, I was giddy as a schoolgirl. I want the show to go further, because that's what it's always been about. The show is about pushing the limits where other shows won't. Push things as far as they can possibly go! Do what other network shows won't! Let Fringe be Fringe!
P.S. The Season 4 premiere title has just been announced as A Sort of Homecoming. Speculation begin, but I like it.
P.S. The Season 4 premiere title has just been announced as A Sort of Homecoming. Speculation begin, but I like it.
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