What is The Pattern?If you watched the launch of FOX's new drama Fringe--from creators J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci--you might be asking yourself just that question.
Hopefully, you tuned in tonight to watch as Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) finds herself sucked into a world that she didn't know existed.... one that is comprised of the very limits of science itself: mutation, astral projection, reaninimation (heh), teleportation, and other phenomena yet discussed.
I've been talking about Fringe for nearly a year now, ever since I first read the pilot script last year and I gave the pilot episode a glowing advance review back in May. (At the time, I called it "eerie, gripping, and still haunting even after the final credits have rolled" and "spellbinding.")
Now that you've had the opportunity to watch the pilot episode for Fringe yourself, I am more than a little curious. What did you think of the opening installment? Were you sucked into the overarching mythology of The Pattern while digging the mystery-of-the week format? Did you love or loathe the on-screen chyrons announcing the location which seemed to be a part of the landscape itself? Did you fall for the chemistry between the series' leads? Did it seem at all reminiscent of The X-Files?
And most importantly: will you tune in again next week to see what happens to Olivia, Peter, and Walter Bishop?
Talk back here.
Comments
I really like the kyrons, although they remind of the similar style on Heroes.
And as a huge fan of both X-Files and Lost, I am thrilled that Fringe, while sharing only a few nuances from both shows, distinguished itself as unique from episode one.
Little Junkie
I'm glad I tuned in last night and finished the pilot though. I really enjoyed the rest of the show, and the twist with John really threw me for a loop. I'll be tuning back in to see where this show goes.
Plus JJ has gone on record saying he thinks the next few episodes are better than the pilot, which isn't something you hear often these days.
I found the kyrons screamed HEROES to me every time I saw them but if they had gone with the courier font and normal placement then they would have screamed X-Files ;-)
I think the writing on the hard science aspect was noticeably weak -- a usable lab in a few days (or a few hours?) from after it has been used for storage for 17 years? Really? -- and fancy (custom?) equipment that still works after all that time?
However, I love the conspiracy aspect of it and did not see the twist (of John being involved) coming, AT ALL. Always nice.
I'll tune in again but haven't completely made up my mind :)
As for the kyrons, I'm up in the air. A few of them were distracting rather than helpful.
Of course the most distracting element for me was the name Massive Dynamics. It's too close to Global Dynamics. (And I keep imagining what Jack Carter would say . . .)
I'm still not sure I followed all the leaps of logic -- maybe it was a little incoherent or maybe I was just tired.
It's worth another shot or two, in my opinion -- the characters and premise definitely have promise. The fact that they use almost the identical music of Lost is annoying.
We met Sydney Bristow with her head under water, gasping for air, and speaking a foreign language. We found out her father never sold airplane parts. The very first "Alias" saw Sydney's boss send his goons to a parking garage to kill her. We saw her colour her hair, break Will's heart, lose her man (like Olivia). We saw her go on an unsanctioned mission abroad using her best buddie's sister's passport, steal a car, trash a lab, go to college. We saw a tear dangle on the bottom of her chin and drop to the ground when it became too heavy to bare. We saw her leave her boss's office and walk with confident swagger and beautiful shoulders through the mean streets, on her way to CIA headquarters to become a 'walk-in'. And she did it accompanied only by her conscience and Sinead O'Connor. We saw her size up her future husband and question his motives, accusing him of trying to play her for a triple agent. Who even thinks about triple agents?
And best of all we saw her in the cemetery, her hair blowing in the strong summer breeze, holding the phone given to her by her father moments earlier to her ear, and calmly saying "hello", lighting the fuse on a whole new way of life for her and those around her.
That's what was missing from "Fringe". It's not irreparable, they just have to make the effort that was so obvious with "Alias". I'm in and I'll be patient, but there is work to do.
Not, as yet, in the same league.
The writing is competent and clever and cinematic, but a mile wide and an inch deep. Much like Giacchino's music, which is similarly clever -- and cinematic as well -- but also willing to descend into outright hackery when the spirit (or deadline) moves him. Using the Lost ooky violin button-sting to add tension to the end of a scene? I dunno. Do they honestly think people won't notice? That may sound like a little thing. But it may be emblematic of larger problems to come. Because when Abrams is good, he's very good. But when he's bad/lazy or otherwise engaged?
You get a different Alias franchise every season.
Once again I find myself puzzled by people's ecstatic reaction to something that was reasonably entertaining but dramatically very unfulfilling. Some nice characterization with the odd bit of zippy dialogue to get us started, thumbs up for that.
But the episode lacked any tension. They spoon fed the audience, and gave far too much away in terms of the over-arching structure of the series. TV Guide recently had Lost rated as the best ever pilot, and recall how you felt on seeing Lost - the sheer jaw-dropping wtf-is-going on?!? of it all. You didn't have a clue what was happening at the end of the pilot, and all the better for it.
With Fringe we already know where we're at and what to expect. Sure there will be twists and puzzles and wrong-turns, but for a show that is all about mystery I'm left feeling that there isn't any. And knowing the big corporation is the bad guy, part of some very high secret cabal - who knows where its tentacles might reach?! - please, it's all very unimaginative and seen-it-all-before.
Stealing the music from Lost, the gimmick of the kyrons or whatever they are called, these are just minor gripes. Three other examples of poor execution lacking tension were the chase scenes - two on foot, one on wheels - which were really just quickly edited scenes of people running (or driving) without a clear narrative. Unable to structure an actual exciting chase scene, they tried to fake one with fast editing.
If Abrams says it gets better I'll stick around for a while. If people are so undemanding of their shows then the shows we get will be undemanding.
The only redeeming feature could be that J.J. Abrams says he's learned his lesson and can wrap up the show in the 9th episode or the 99th. We'll see ... I think that'll be tested because I expect an early cancellation.
The chyrons were interesting although clearly inspired by Heroes.
And, at the end of the show, when he was shot (and really did die), I said, "Reanimation."
There were many other instances of this. It's like the writers aren't even trying and just reach for the formulaic play book every show has a copy of.
And having Walter "piss himself"? That was disgusting and wholly unnecessary. Are they going for the 9-year-old boy demographic?