I would say that if you like XF, you'll like Fringe. The pilot is fantastic, and then S1 is solid for the most part, though it really starts getting good the last quarter of the season. S2 is when things kick into high gear, and the second half of the season was amazing; I think it was more deserving of a Best Drama nod at the Emmys than XF was for its second season, and my childhood obsessive love of XF, let me show you it.
The Fringe mytharc actually holds together, and makes sense, and you can really tell how much time and thought has gone into it. They're not just throwing a couple cool things into the sweeps episodes and letting the audience make the connections. There's also lots of foreshadowing, set-ups that actually pay off. The show answers questions as it goes along, instead of dragging things out; of course, it keeps bringing up new questions, so you never quite feel like you've got everything figured out.
What I love most about Fringe is the cast and characters, though. John Noble alone is reason to watch this show, but everyone does really good work. If you start watching and find Olivia too cold or unsympathetic, just wait - there's a reason for that, and you'll end up loving her. (I had a friend watch the first two episodes and quit because she hated Olivia, and nothing I can do to convince her to try it again is working.)
It's just a very solid, very interesting show that doesn't rely on cheap twists; it has a strong internal logic; the world the show has created is just very, very cool; there's a surprising amount of humor. Also, everyone is very pretty. The show itself is also very pretty. I like pretty shows, so.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-09-20 08:40 pm (UTC)The Fringe mytharc actually holds together, and makes sense, and you can really tell how much time and thought has gone into it. They're not just throwing a couple cool things into the sweeps episodes and letting the audience make the connections. There's also lots of foreshadowing, set-ups that actually pay off. The show answers questions as it goes along, instead of dragging things out; of course, it keeps bringing up new questions, so you never quite feel like you've got everything figured out.
What I love most about Fringe is the cast and characters, though. John Noble alone is reason to watch this show, but everyone does really good work. If you start watching and find Olivia too cold or unsympathetic, just wait - there's a reason for that, and you'll end up loving her. (I had a friend watch the first two episodes and quit because she hated Olivia, and nothing I can do to convince her to try it again is working.)
It's just a very solid, very interesting show that doesn't rely on cheap twists; it has a strong internal logic; the world the show has created is just very, very cool; there's a surprising amount of humor. Also, everyone is very pretty. The show itself is also very pretty. I like pretty shows, so.
That's my pitch!