[scratt]

I did a check for a thread about this series already, but didn't see one..

Is anyone else watching Fringe?

Walter, the 'mad' doctor, is very entertaining.
It's amusing just how acceptable all the drugs references are in something when made by certain characters in certain situations. And some of Walter's one liners actually make me LOL.

Yes, the music is lifted directly from Lost, and well it's X Files relaunched with a bit of Lost mixed in, which is obvious when you look at who's behind it. But it's fairly fun.

I guess I like Walter for the same reasons I like House. Quirky but brilliant character.

Anyway.. Is anyone watching it? Has it been discussed here before?

[Kickaha]

Walter Bishop is my role model.

[Moogs]

Is that the Fox show where it's like the far out scientific experimenter dude? Sort of like a mix of X Files and House?

[FFL]

I watch it just for the cool 3D location titles that are rendered directly into the scenes.

[Trumpetman]

I watched my first episode last night. I was thinking the same, that it was pretty much an X-files relaunch that had been updated.

[709]

Originally Posted by FFL I watch it just for the cool 3D location titles that are rendered directly into the scenes.

That's the best thing about the show, imo. I've tried to watch it quite a few times, but the characters just bug me completely. The only guy I really like is the intimidating-looking black dude.

I loved The X-Files, and I like JJ Abrams enough, so I thought I was going to get into this from the start. No dice, however.

[Stone Of Love]

I'm digging this show, but then I never watched X-Files and haven't gotten into Lost at all.

Walter is a pretty cool character.

[scratt]

Glad to see some of you out there giving the show some lovin'.

It's certainly not high brow entertainment, but there are some refreshing aspects to it. Not least Walter, but also the fact that the female lead can kick ass, and does.. often!

[tomoe]

Who wouldn't love a show with the steward of Gondor as the lead scientist?

[Jerman]

I've thoroughly been enjoying the show. I had pretty low expectations, having seen all the previews. But I have been really surprised at just how good it is. I am loving the underlying story, too. It'll be interesting to see where they take it...

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by 709 The only guy I really like is the intimidating-looking black dude.

Cuz he's Daniels.



(from The Wire, for those who don't know already.)

[spotcatbug]

Walter is the only reason I watch the show. He's that cool of a character. I have enough (too much) TV experience to know that a television show with a running, "mysterious" storyline (the whole "The Pattern" thing in this case) will never have a satisfactory conclusion. I need for my TV to work on an episode-by-episode basis, because I know that's how the writers write it.

It's OK to have a time line (this episode comes after that episode), but no written-by-the-seat-of-the-pants, continuous storylines, please. I'm looking at you, Lost. My least favorite X-Files episodes were the conspiracy theory ones. I just knew they were making all that crap up as they went along. Yeah, they pulled it altogether (kinda, but not really) with the X-Files movie; those particular X-Files TV episodes still sucked.

[Yontsey]

I loved the X-Files but I have never seen Lost.

I noticed the other day that this show was on Hulu so perhaps I'll watch an episode when I'm sitting at work doing nothing.

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by spotcatbug It's OK to have a time line (this episode comes after that episode), but no written-by-the-seat-of-the-pants, continuous storylines, please. I'm looking at you, Lost. My least favorite X-Files episodes were the conspiracy theory ones. I just knew they were making all that crap up as they went along. Yeah, they pulled it altogether (kinda, but not really) with the X-Files movie; those particular X-Files TV episodes still sucked.

Twin Peaks didn't do it for you either, I'm guessing.

[709]

Speaking of that...CBS put some of their "classic" teevee shows up and both seasons of Twin Peaks are available to watch Hulu Style™.

A bunch of other cool shows are up too: Star Trek: TOS, MacGyver, The Twilight Zone, Have Gun - Will Travel, The Love Boat, Hawaii Five-0, Perry Mason ... and of course guilty pleasures like Dynasty, Melrose place and 90210 for those that are into that sort of thing.

[Yontsey]

This Fringe show, is it the type of show where each episode builds off the last or is each episode pretty much independent like the X-Files were?

[spotcatbug]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude Twin Peaks didn't do it for you either, I'm guessing.

I don't get it. I never saw a single episode of Twin Peaks, so, yeah, I guess you're right. I know what Twin Peaks is - it had Kyle MacLachlan (the guy from the Dune movie!) in it. I just never even tried to watch it for some reason. It was probably in a conflicting time slot.

Was it opposite Murder She Wrote, or something?

[spotcatbug]

Originally Posted by Yontsey This Fringe show, is it the type of show where each episode builds off the last or is each episode pretty much independent like the X-Files were?

The episodes do stand on their own, at least so far. There's annoying (to me) "other stuff" that's supposed to be building from episode to episode. That's the crap I don't like. "The Pattern", which you know the writers have no idea what the hell that is yet. And they'll hype it up so big that there can't possibly be a satisfactory explanation ever. Boo.

It's very much like X-Files, even to that level. X-Files did the same thing by having single episode stories with conspiracy crap laced through.

[Kickaha]

Hell, without the 'other stuff', it'd just be a boring monster-of-the-week show. Woo.

Continuity ftw.

PLANNED continuity ftfw.

[ezkcdude]

Originally Posted by spotcatbug I don't get it. I never saw a single episode of Twin Peaks, so, yeah, I guess you're right.

Waaa!!! That's a crime.

[scratt]

Originally Posted by Kickaha Hell, without the 'other stuff', it'd just be a boring monster-of-the-week show. Woo. Continuity ftw. PLANNED continuity ftfw.

Agreed. It's the oldest trick in the book, but still very effective.. Keep 'em guessing and they'll keep coming back.

Most of the individual stories themselves are really just a vehicle for Walter and his son to have some interplay, and for the lead girlie to kick some ass.

[spotcatbug]

Originally Posted by Kickaha Hell, without the 'other stuff', it'd just be a boring monster-of-the-week show. Woo.

Seriously? You think X-Files would have been a boring monster-of-the-week show without the conspiracy stuff?

[scratt]

Originally Posted by spotcatbug Seriously? You think X-Files would have been a boring monster-of-the-week show without the conspiracy stuff?

I think for a lot of people it was just that.

I know for me I would see episodes as good or bad based on three things.
i) Whether the story was interesting.
ii) Interactions between Moulder and Sculley.
iii) What happened with key characters in the conspiracy story arc.

It's very clear from those that the majority of my interest was actually the longer story arc, not the weekly backdrop it was set against. This got more and more the case as the series progressed.

For that reason the latest movie was a *massive* let down.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by spotcatbug Seriously? You think X-Files would have been a boring monster-of-the-week show without the conspiracy stuff?

Ayuh. Some stand-alones stood out (Fluke, Toombs), but most, after the first season, were kind of meh. "Oh look, another critter. Whoo."

It's why I stopped watching CSI and all its clones - when it's a steady diet of the same thing, it gets boring. Even filet mignon loses its appeal when you eat it every meal.

[scratt]

Heh. The only CSI I ever watch (and that's only if there is *absolutely* nothing on and I am too lazy to get off the sofa) is Miami. And that's only because Caruso is a freakin' nut-ball. I just love to hate him.

[spotcatbug]

Originally Posted by scratt It's very clear from those that the majority of my interest was actually the longer story arc, not the weekly backdrop it was set against. This got more and more the case as the series progressed.

Originally Posted by Kickaha Ayuh. Some stand-alones stood out (Fluke, Toombs), but most, after the first season, were kind of meh. "Oh look, another critter. Whoo."

I'm really surprised by this. I didn't think anybody preferred the continuing story stuff in X-Files over the self-contained episode stuff. At least I've never met anybody that did. It makes me like X-Files a little more to know that all that crap was enjoyed by somebody.

Also, I just gotta ask: what about X-Files episodes like Jose Chung and that one with The Amazing Randy (it had the father from Every Loves Raymond in it)? Those weren't "critter" episodes. The writers were very creative. I think they could have come up with very, very entertaining, self-contained episodes for many years.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by spotcatbug I'm really surprised by this. I didn't think anybody preferred the continuing story stuff in X-Files over the self-contained episode stuff. At least I've never met anybody that did. It makes me like X-Files a little more to know that all that crap was enjoyed by somebody. Also, I just gotta ask: what about X-Files episodes like Jose Chung and that one with The Amazing Randy (it had the father from Every Loves Raymond in it)? Those weren't "critter" episodes. The writers were very creative. I think they could have come up with very, very entertaining, self-contained episodes for many years.

The problem is that self-contained episodes either suck, or they don't... and in general, the sucky ones outnumber the good ones by a large ratio. Not everyone can have an on day writing.

Continuity, however, lets even a mediocre episode tie into a larger good arc with just a few moments here or there, and get the ol' noggin juices flowing. "Oh crap! Did they just say..." "Did you see that guy in the background?" Suddenly an iffy episode takes on a whole new life.

The trick is to make the arcs good. Counterexample: Heroes.

Given a good, solid, complex arc, it can lift the lesser single-shot episodes, and provide grist for some really kick-ass arc-devoted episodes. It lets the tempo of the show change from week to week, instead of sticking strictly to a formula week in and week out.

Without that, every episode has to rely solely on the skill of the writers for *that week*... and historical evidence of pretty much any show you care to name points to that being really hit and miss.

When it goes off the rails, though, it can be really fricking annoying. cf: Mulder going rogue. Weeks of buildup, and then suddenly he's back, everything is forgotten and forgiven, and we're back to the status quo. W. T. F?? (The Invisibles Vol 2 did the same damned thing, and my wife still hasn't forgiven Morrison for it.)

[709]

See, I thought the alien conspiracy/black oil/Martian Headhunter () stuff was the show, and I took all the self-contained monster/paranormal stuff as the "filler." Weird the way that works.

That said, some of the single shows are amongst my absolute favorites, and the "Amazing Randy" episode is definitely in my top 10. In fact, "Home" (the story about the mutant brothers that love Johnny Mathis songs) is my all time favorite. I can never hear "Wonderful! Wonderful!" again without it reminding me of that episode.

[Kickaha]

Oh definitely - a really excellent stand-alone episode that concludes tightly (or even better... doesn't: Field Trip, Season 6), is hard to beat. The top tier ones don't *need* arc assistance... but having that strong arc to pull in can just make the weaker eps stronger.

The trick is to have a solid planned arc. The make it up as they go along crap runs out eventually. Get the arc in place, get it solid, and use it as a backbone. B5 did this beautifully - even the weak eps were compelling when they tied into the larger story.

[tomoe]

Originally Posted by ezkcdude Cuz he's Daniels. (from The Wire, for those who don't know already.)

I'm a couple episodes back and catching up, but just noticed that Chris Parlow (also from The Wire) plays Peter Bishop's data recovery connection!