# Fringe



## jodyguercio (Aug 16, 2007)

Well my wife and I have watched everything on the dvr and really have enjoyed it thus far. I know a few here have been watching, or maybe not judging by the lack of discussion. A few observations:

1) The show overall seems very monster of the week a la early X-Files.

2) Glad to see the John Scott story line vanish

3) What was the deal with the mysterious shell looking capsule? The one episode on it and that was it.

4) What was or is going to be the result of Agent Dunhams spinal tap?

Please comment


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

My biggest issue with this show is that it can't figure out what it wants to be. They keep going around and around with it, and they can't decide if it's about "the Pattern,", or Massive Dynamic, or the monster-of-the-week, etc. They brought in the new guy to try to rein in costs... why? Now Olivia has a sister and sister's kid to deal with? Why? 

It needs to settle down and decide what the storyline is.


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## jodyguercio (Aug 16, 2007)

"The Pattern",Massive Dynamic, and the monster of the week seem to be the one obvious way to go to me. I think they added in the "bad guy" from within as a way to add an edge that wasn't needed, and the sister and niece are just a distraction and possible targets for later.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

I enjoy the show, but it does seem very "unplanned". I assumed it would be like 24 where each episode built on the previous and there was an overall mystery and thwarting to solve and bad guy to take down. Instead, it seems to be more like Knight Rider, battling the "bad guy of the week".


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## jodyguercio (Aug 16, 2007)

rudeney said:


> I enjoy the show, but it does seem very "unplanned". I assumed it would be like 24 where each episode built on the previous and there was an overall mystery and thwarting to solve and bad guy to take down. Instead, it seems to be more like Knight Rider, battling the "bad guy of the week".


I think the "Bad Guy of the Week" thing is trying to go somewhere in response to Massive Dynamic and "The Pattern". Here's something else, Agent Broyles. What's his deal? He plays by the rules but still helps Massive Dynamic out?


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## Cmnore (Sep 22, 2008)

I think they brought Olivia's sister into the mix because Internet buzz about her character was pretty bad. Most of the bad commentary was from Female viewers who felt that her character was 'too cold' or some schnizzle to that effect. How exactly should a professional agent act? Warm and fuzzy? Familial ties give her a chance to 'soften'.


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## jodyguercio (Aug 16, 2007)

Cmnore said:


> I think they brought Olivia's sister into the mix because Internet buzz about her character was pretty bad. Most of the bad commentary was from Female viewers who felt that her character was 'too cold' or some schnizzle to that effect. How exactly should a professional agent act? Warm and fuzzy? Familial ties give her a chance to 'soften'.


To "soften" and to also add more "targets" outside of the existing team.


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

I also like this show especially because of its quirky nature. I do think they need to settle things down a bit so it doesn't bounce around quite as much from one week to the next. I like Olivia's character just the way it is.

John


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I think Anna Torv was a bad choice for casting. Agent Dunham should be serious but troubled, with deep emotions. I think that Ms. Torv comes off as a bit two-dimensional.


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## Cmnore (Sep 22, 2008)

Stuart Sweet said:


> I think Anna Torv was a bad choice for casting. Agent Dunham should be serious but troubled, with deep emotions. I think that Ms. Torv comes off as a bit two-dimensional.


I love the way she plays her character. In the scenes about John Scott and in scenes interracting with her family - she seems completely 'open' and 'realistic'. She compartmentalizes herself in 'work mode'. Seems believable to me. When Peter meets her sister, he seems shocked at the contrast between the two women, and drawn to Olivia's sister for the same reasons he is drawn to Olivia - only the sister flirts openly with him. I liked that scene. It was interesting. John Noble rocks, BTW!


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

All excellent points... but for me she just doesn't work. Gillian Anderson did a much better job in _X-Files_ conveying depth.


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## Cmnore (Sep 22, 2008)

I DO believe it is indeed a 'personal preference'. I didn't like Scully's character until Season 3. I thought G.A.'s performance was wooden and without depth. She grew on me. Hopefully Fringe will be around long enough to change your mind Stewart!


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## karlhenri (Sep 25, 2007)

A bit of an arc, but since you brought up Gillian Anderson, she felt too helpless to me. Maybe a tinge of Jennifer Gartner to complement her brains would have helped

Is it too late to get on the Fringe bandwagon? I have not watched one episode yet. I am still trying to catch up with Galactica and I like that new show 11th hour.


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## Cmnore (Sep 22, 2008)

karlhenri said:


> Is it too late to get on the Fringe bandwagon?


Not at all. Do you have access to Fox.com's streaming? Go there and watch the repeats there.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I'd say as quickly as they're revising the backstory, there's no need to watch old episodes. You could pick it up with next week's episode.


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## Cmnore (Sep 22, 2008)

I believe they have video 'recaps' as well.


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## Ferenczy (Sep 9, 2008)

...I seem to remember a storyline developing about Joshua Jackson's character and his shady past but then *poof* nothing since the return from Christmas break. I'd like to see them explore that some more. Really interested in tonite's episode after seeing the previews last week. Should tie up some loose ends. Of course they'll probably create more to keep it interesting...


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Cmnore said:


> I think they brought Olivia's sister into the mix because Internet buzz about her character was pretty bad. Most of the bad commentary was from Female viewers who felt that her character was 'too cold' or some schnizzle to that effect. How exactly should a professional agent act? Warm and fuzzy? Familial ties give her a chance to 'soften'.


I think if her sister were on a Star Trek episode she would be issued a red shirted uniform. It is only a matter of time before the kid or her or both gets sacrificed.


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

I am one of those females who finds Olivia a bit cold. But I think some of it is her struggle to keep her accent from appearing, so she appears monotone. I wish they would either quit getting actors who have an accent to play Americans, or just let them have an accent!


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## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

I like the show. Among the newer shows I rank it up there with The Mentalist.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Pretty good "return" episode last night, IMHO.

I find it kind of interesting that my wife, who's otherwise not a fan of this genre, LOVES this show! /steve


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

It's still a tough sell at my house. A note to DVR users — American Idol ran long last night so check your recordings. You might have missed the last 10 minutes or so.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> [...] A note to DVR users - American Idol ran long last night so check your recordings. You might have missed the last 10 minutes or so.


If you did miss the ending, fox.com has the full episode here. /steve


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> It's still a tough sell at my house. A note to DVR users - American Idol ran long last night so check your recordings. You might have missed the last 10 minutes or so.


I noticed - I'm NOT happy!


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

Steve said:


> If you did miss the ending, fox.com has the full episode here. /steve


I'll be making a trip there.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Well, as I type this I have the episode running in background, muted until the last 10 minutes. We both like this show in our house, but it wasn't surprising it took it a while to settle down. It had three of the busiest guys in show business as it's creators trying to do it as a team - J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci - and it has had the feeling of something created by a committee of strong egos. But it's starting to come together nicely.

Anna Torv isn't what everyone wants which probably maked her an interesting choice. But it's risky because of the temptation to compare the whole show to X-Files.

EDIT: My thanks to Steve for the easy quick link to the episode on the Fox web site. Viewers absolutely needed to see the ending to follow the series plot thread.

EDIT 2: In the fall "Fringe" had over 2 million viewers watching it on DVR and was ranked #5 in that 18-49 Demographic in DVR viewing. By putting it behind an undisciplined live show Fox is creating a risk for it that didn't exist when it was on Monday's following "House".


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## Steve615 (Feb 5, 2006)

From zap2it.com:
Leonard Nimoy will reportedly be cast as Fringe's William Bell character.

http://blog.zap2it.com/korbitv/2009/04/breaking-spock-aka-leonard-nimoy-to-star-as-fringes-william-bell.html


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Checking if anyone experienced this on the April 8 episode:

That waste of airtime known as American Idol ran over by 8 minutes and cut the end of Fringe off on my DVR.


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## BubblePuppy (Nov 3, 2006)

LarryFlowers said:


> Checking if anyone experienced this on the April 8 episode:
> 
> That waste of airtime known as American Idol ran over by 8 minutes and cut the end of Fringe off on my DVR.


I was not a happy camper about this.:nono2:


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## ImBack234 (Aug 26, 2008)

LarryFlowers said:


> Checking if anyone experienced this on the April 8 episode:
> 
> That waste of airtime known as American Idol ran over by 8 minutes and cut the end of Fringe off on my DVR.


I agree with you about the waste of air time but I didn't lose any time. I turned it on 20 minutes after it start to find and fix the problem.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

LarryFlowers said:


> Checking if anyone experienced this on the April 8 episode:
> 
> That waste of airtime known as American Idol ran over by 8 minutes and cut the end of Fringe off on my DVR.


 Yep, watched my recording this am and I lost the last couple of mins because of that. Luckily I was able to watch the last couple mins online on Fox's website, and they do let you FF to the end so you don't have to sit through the whole ep again. I also padded my timer for Fringe 10 mins from now on just in case.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Fringe is just one show I can't get into....they seem to thrive on getting more and more outrageous every week.

The characters seem pretty good...but the writing?

No thanks.

Wonder if it will last long.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Fringe has been a major hit for Fox... already being sold into overseas markets....



hdtvfan0001 said:


> Fringe is just one show I can't get into....they seem to thrive on getting more and more outrageous every week.
> 
> The characters seem pretty good...but the writing?
> 
> ...


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## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

According to Yahoo, Fringe is on a list of shows that should make it but might not!


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Steve615 said:


> From zap2it.com:
> Leonard Nimoy will reportedly be cast as Fringe's William Bell character.


The writers should be able to have a field day with Walter interacting with Nimoy as his old partner. I'm really looking forward to seeing what new eccentricities they may come up with.

John Noble as Walter was a brilliant bit of casting, IMHO. Without knowing anything about the character, Nimoy as Bell "feels" right too. /steve


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## ImBack234 (Aug 26, 2008)

phrelin said:


> EDIT 2: In the fall "Fringe" had over 2 million viewers watching it on DVR and was ranked #5 in that 18-49 Demographic in DVR viewing. By putting it behind an undisciplined live show Fox is creating a risk for it that didn't exist when it was on Monday's following "House".


You have to love fox. Infact I love it so much can I kick ass-wipe oreilly.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

LarryFlowers said:


> Fringe has been a major hit for Fox... already being sold into overseas markets....





rustynails said:


> According to Yahoo, Fringe is on a list of shows that should make it but might not!


Then its on the right list anyway....


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Then its on the right list anyway....


Sorry you don't like the show, but many of us here do, so it's not amusing to see the joy you seem to be feeling that it's in danger of cancellation.


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## BubblePuppy (Nov 3, 2006)

Drew2k said:


> Sorry you don't like the show, but many of us here do, so it's not amusing to see the joy you seem to be feeling that it's in danger of cancellation.


 +1


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## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

+2 

I watched a few eps before we decided not to continue, but I'm sure others follow it regularly. Hope it hangs around a while.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

+3.

I'm surprised how many FOX shows we now watch regularly. _24_, _Bones_, _Fringe_, _House_, _Idol _and now _Lie To Me_. _'Til Death_ as well, though I'm not sure if that's been cancelled, and a _Simpsons _every now and then.  /steve


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

+3


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Steve said:


> I'm surprised how many FOX shows we now watch regularly.


That's been a surprise in our house also.


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## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

Drew2k said:


> Sorry you don't like the show, but many of us here do, so it's not amusing to see the joy you seem to be feeling that it's in danger of cancellation.


I love this show! I was just pointing out a fact that I saw on another forum thread! I really hope it sticks around.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Fringe is just one show I can't get into....


I tried it for the first 3-4 weeks then deleted the timer. I just never quite got it, and that Dr.(?) character was just too weird for me.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

LarryFlowers said:


> Checking if anyone experienced this on the April 8 episode:
> 
> That waste of airtime known as American Idol ran over by 8 minutes and cut the end of Fringe off on my DVR.


Its been happening every week now. Usually the last 2 minutes. Luckily I have had my Fox 10 o'clock news recorded on a manual recording to watch the end of Fringe. Now I pad every episode by 5 min to allow for this. Why the guide data doesn't pick it up I do not know.


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## Christopher Gould (Jan 14, 2007)

armophob said:


> Its been happening every week now. Usually the last 2 minutes. Luckily I have had my Fox 10 o'clock news recorded on a manual recording to watch the end of Fringe. Now I pad every episode by 5 min to allow for this. Why the guide data doesn't pick it up I do not know.


the guide data has nothing to do with it, when a live tv show goes over the set time.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

I think that all that has been mentioned will come together in the end. I think that Bell and Walter were hired by the US Gov't to fight an interdimensional 'enemy' (bald guys). They were given free reign to do 'whatever' needed to be done, including building an army of modified humans, e.g. Anna Torv. The gov't finally put a stop to the experiements and Walter went to the wacky farm (framed?). Bell went on to build Massive Dynamics (with the gov'ts help?) to continue the experimentation.

I think Walter found out that the bald guys are not bad and was stuck in a mental ward to get him out of the picture. Bell was given carte blanche by the US gov't to continue - that's why Broyles seems to be helping MD. He's in it up to his eyeballs and knows more than he says. 

So who/what is Josh. Clearly Walter did his own experimentation on his own son. Who knows...

Still like the show. As far as Anna Torv being two dimensional...have you ever met a real FBI agent? Two dimensional is being kind! She does show a bit of emotion when dealing with her sister and niece. Especially a little jealousy when Peter calls the sis. SHe's very suppressive about her emotion which may be a built in defense. In the last episode, whatever power she has manifested when she got upset (as a child) and people were killed. Her stoicness may be a governing mechanism for her power.

It is cool looking for the bald guys in every episode.

I imagine Walter


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## jeffshoaf (Jun 17, 2006)

dmspen said:


> It is cool looking for the bald guys in every episode.


I envy you - I just need to look in the mirror...


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

I think I mentioned in the past, (maybe not) but I think Torv comes of as 2 dimensional because of the need to supress her accent. I have noticed the same kind of stiffness in the actors who portray House and Joe DuBois on Medium. They all have accents that they supress and come off a bit stiff. When an actor expresses emotion, it is harder to disguise the accent. (In my opinion...)


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Christopher Gould said:


> the guide data has nothing to do with it, when a live tv show goes over the set time.


Your right.
Ok, I'll bite. Which show is considered live? That singing show before it? :lol:
Fox knows exactly what it is doing here. It is using that as a loophole to not update guide data and screw with dvr owners.:nono2:


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

I did not know until a recent Fox PSA that the actor playing Walter is Australian (or maybe from New Zealand). He does a great job of disguising his accent.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

armophob said:


> Your right.
> Ok, I'll bite. Which show is considered live? That singing show before it? :lol:
> Fox knows exactly what it is doing here. It is using that as a loophole to not update guide data and screw with dvr owners.:nono2:


 Fox and ABC regularly schedule shows 61 and 62 minutes or 92 minutes in the case of tonight's "Dancing With the Stars". It is shown correctly on the online schedules but not on my Dish guide which apparently can't automatically handle scheduled overruns except in 5 minute increments. Tuesday's Fringe is scheduled to start at 9:01. But it is possible for Paula to push AI over longer, so I pad substantially.

On Tuesday, I now have to pad "Fringe", FX's "Rescue Me" and TBS' "MY Boys". On Monday, I have to jump through hoops to get all three episodes of HBO's "In Treatment" and I just regularly record shows like "Desperate Housewives/Brothers&Sisters" and "Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice" as a single recording. This is the networks way of getting even with me for season shifting. (What, me paranoid?)


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Drew2k said:


> I did not know until a recent Fox PSA that the actor playing Walter is Australian (or maybe from New Zealand). He does a great job of disguising his accent.


Yea, he is another of those overseas actors like the guys on House, Eleventh Hour, and the Mentalist.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

armophob said:


> Yea, he is another of those overseas actors like the guys on House, Eleventh Hour, and the Mentalist.


Olivia's a Brit as well, I believe. /steve


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## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

Olivia is from Australia!


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## ImBack234 (Aug 26, 2008)

Last night show wasn't one of the best in fact it was the worst!!!!:eek2:


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## Dario33 (Dec 15, 2008)

I actually enjoyed last night's episode.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

ImBack234 said:


> Last night show wasn't one of the best in fact it was the worst!!!!:eek2:





Dario33 said:


> I actually enjoyed last night's episode.


Gee, this should be interesting as I'll be watching it tonight.


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## pfp (Apr 28, 2009)

Dario33 said:


> I actually enjoyed last night's episode.


I also enjoyed it very much. One of the better ones


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

phrelin said:


> ImBack234 said:
> 
> 
> > Last night show wasn't one of the best in fact it was the worst!!!!:eek2:
> ...


We liked it! It continued to effectively build on the backstory and the future primary plot thread. The show does get a little weird pushing it's scifi credentials too close to fantasy/horror, but "The X-Files" set a precedent for that.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Wife and I finally watched and enjoyed it as well. /steve


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

From TVWeek:


> Fox has given its first-year sci-fi drama "Fringe" a full second-season renewal.
> 
> The show, co-created and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, ranks as the No. 1 new series among adults 18-49 for the 2008-09 TV season.


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

Glad to hear it's being renewed. That show is one of my guilty pleasures. Not too many of those on the tele these days.

John


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## nickfrye (Apr 8, 2009)

I watched the pilot a couple of weeks ago and I was extremely disturbed about how the police officer's body appeared exactly like the body of those humans infected with alien virus in X Files Fight the Future. I was kind of excited to see something that reminded me of my all time favorite show but I must say, with all due respect to those who like it, that nothing compares to Mulder and Scully. There are plenty of series today like Fringe and Bones that try to live up to the X Files but are missing something. I don't know, maybe I'm just biased plus the fact that there really is something eerie in the 90s. :eek2:


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

nickfrye said:


> I watched the pilot a couple of weeks ago and I was extremely disturbed about how the police officer's body appeared exactly like the body of those humans infected with alien virus in X Files Fight the Future. I was kind of excited to see something that reminded me of my all time favorite show but I must say, with all due respect to those who like it, that nothing compares to Mulder and Scully. There are plenty of series today like Fringe and Bones that try to live up to the X Files but are missing something. I don't know, maybe I'm just biased plus the fact that there really is something eerie in the 90s. :eek2:


"Bones" is a police procedural with good characters. I don't even think of it in the same context as "X-Files".

"Fringe" on the other hand is very "X-Files" but without the partnership and with some screwed up folks. The problem is that this first season struggled a bit to find its footing, but I think it's gotten there. So I'm glad it got picked up.


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## Draconis (Mar 16, 2007)

Thought I would resurrect the thread because the new season is on, if you missed a episode I found that Fox has also put them online here.

http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=fringe


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

We did have a thread Fringe Season Premier 09/17 but it's good to have an ongoing discussion about this show beyond the clever "X-files" references in the season opener.

So what happens if Agent Dunham gets her memory back? I still can't quite figure out the ramifications of that beyond the not-Charlie problem.


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## LOCODUDE (Aug 8, 2007)

I'm a few episodes behind, but hope to catch up this week...


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

I tend to enjoy this show when they bring in some real science. I'm something of an armchair quantum physicist (_very_ armchair). I just can't wait to see what the whole parallel universe travel all about!


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

Ok, those of you who have been watching since day 1, I have a theory I need to test. In the early days, on commercial breaks, they would show an image and tell us how long the break was going to be. Half apple, butterfly, and so on. Now that they no longer display the down time, does anyone remember if these images always corresponded with specific time periods? Is it possible these images still are linked to specific break times?
I do believe the last break before the shows end, is, and always was variable, and never had an image. It just jumped right into commercial.

Update:
Half apple seemed to be 3.5min, leaf and butterfly 2.5. On this episode hand showed up as the last break, but I did not time it.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

armophob said:


> Ok, those of you who have been watching since day 1, I have a theory I need to test. In the early days, on commercial breaks, they would show an image and tell us how long the break was going to be. Half apple, butterfly, and so on. Now that they no longer display the down time, does anyone remember if these images always corresponded with specific time periods? Is it possible these images still are linked to specific break times?
> I do believe the last break before the shows end, is, and always was variable, and never had an image. It just jumped right into commercial.
> 
> Update:
> Half apple seemed to be 3.5min, leaf and butterfly 2.5. On this episode hand showed up as the last break, but I did not time it.


IIRC, the images were a mini spoiler of sorts for the next segement. The apple ment "Olivia in trouble", butterfly = "something else", along those lines.

Can't remember where I read that, or if was true though.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

RobertE said:


> IIRC, the images were a mini spoiler of sorts for the next segement. The apple ment "Olivia in trouble", butterfly = "something else", along those lines.
> 
> Can't remember where I read that, or if was true though.


I am thinking that is more likely. After farting around with it last night, I could not get a pattern worked out.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

RobertE said:


> IIRC, the images were a mini spoiler of sorts for the next segement. The apple ment "Olivia in trouble", butterfly = "something else", along those lines.
> 
> Can't remember where I read that, or if was true though.


Sort of:

Producer's comments:






Here's the "solution":

http://www.juliansanchez.com/2009/04/07/solution-to-the-fringe-glyph-cipher/


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

rudeney said:


> Sort of:
> 
> Producer's comments:
> 
> ...


Good grief, this is not what I had hope for at all. Here I thought they were thumbing their nose at the removal of the commercial break times. Now I find out it is an interactive puzzle.

Thanks for the research rudeney, I am not bashing the messenger, just the info.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

I was a bit disappointed to discover how simplistic it was. Sort of like, "Be sure to drink more Ovaltine" :lol:


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

rudeney said:


> I was a bit disappointed to discover how simplistic it was. Sort of like, "Be sure to drink more Ovaltine" :lol:


What a perfect time of the year to observe the humor of the joke.
Nicely done sir.:lol:


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