Fringe: Pilot

I am writing about this episode with an eye to the present of Fringe. I may reference events that have taken place in this series through the end of 2010. Also, I would like to thank my family members for reading my blog and purchasing Fringe season’s 1 and 2 for me as a Christmas present.

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I need to give some thoughts on my re-watch of the Fringe Pilot episode. Before I do that, however, I should probably admit that I was not a huge fan of Fringe early in the life cycle of this series. I thought that the science was too easy/magic, I thought the characters were too cute by half, and I was frustrated by what I thought were pedestrian story lines.

I was wrong. Upon review the Pilot holds up remarkably well. Every key piece of the series was placed with care in the very first episode. William Bell, Nina Sharp, Astrid, Broyles, Charlie, and the Pattern were all introduced in this episode and given enough screen time to note their importance to the series as a whole. As I continue to revisit early episodes in this series the major question will have to be whether or not “the Pattern” is solely the work of Walternate or if it is something that the series will have to return to after his story is wrapped.

The plane of gelatin skeletons were not as gross this time around as I remembered it originally. In fact, I initially felt it was so repulsive that I was seriously considering dropping this series due to what I thought was an unnecessary desire to shock. I do not remember where all the pieces eventually ended up tying, but the bad guy in this episode seemed a bit lacking. What was his motivation, money, fame, or fratricide for the sake of it? How did Agent Scott tie into all of this?

I do not have the resources in studying Fringe that I did with a show like Lost. The popularity of Lost afforded me multiple podcasts which all did episode summaries (sometimes running as long as the 42 minute episode themselves), not to mention the formidable Lostapedia. Fringe does not have the massive fan community Lost did, and if it does I have not tapped into it. This is why I have decided my Fringe re-watch is my top television priority for the next few weeks.

I am a science fiction fan, with the Syfy Network’s boneheaded mishandling of Caprica and SGU, the only shows that could have challenged Fringe for the title of best show on television have now gone the way of the Firefly. Memo to FOX, please don’t cancel Fringe!

Broyles was all wrong in this first episode. His personality adjustment could be explained away by saying that he had yet to invite Olivia into his Fringe team and upon noticing her almost superhuman talent decided to not be an ass to her. However, as I have discussed in season three, Broyles is a good man and he had no excuse for make liaison a dirty word.

What was with Agent Scott’s cryptic warning about Broyles to Olivia? “Ask yourself, why did Broyles send you”. I would like to say it was one more misdirection he was sending her way, but if I remember correctly he really did love her. It was almost shocking to see how much Olivia loved Scott. She has spent so much of this series miserable, distant, and cold that her sense of overwhelming joy with Scott in that bedroom scene was more Folivia than Olivia.

The only key series aspect missing in this premier episode was an appearance from an Observer. I’ll try to make a note when that happens!