TV Show Review: Fringe

Fringe is a breath of creative fresh air in a world of substandard, idiotic and just plain dull television. Just when it seemed that network TV had given up and allowed cable to carry the burden of entertainment, Fox gives us an intelligent, engrossing, thrilling, compelling and even tongue-in-cheek hilarious new series that promises to deliver even more as the mysteries unfold.

I must admit I was skeptical about the show from the previews and I don't feel Fox did the show justice with their promotional efforts. It made the show appear as if it were going to be a nonsensical mess which couldn't be further from the truth. The writing, directing and acting take what could potentially be unbelievable stories and make them feel so natural that you can imagine yourself having the same experiences as the characters, even when those experiences involve armies of beings who go from birth to old age in a day.

Yes, some of the subject matter is a little out there, but that's the point. Oliva Dunham, played by Anna Torv, has been drafted from the FBI to head a secret team investigating "The Pattern," a series of strange, unexplained phenomena. That's where the X-Files similarities end. Though I loved the X-Files, this show doesn't suffer from many of the problems the X-Files had. It is much more cohesive, realistically played and intriguing. It is also not so overly secretive and mysterious that it leaves the viewer behind. Yes, there is an overall mystery and lots of things we don't know yet, but each episode is a self-contained adventure that can be enjoyed on its own while still adding to the overall story.

The chemistry between the characters and the witty, realistic dialogue are two things that sucked me in immediately. Josh Jackson as Peter Bishop and John Noble as Walter Bishop are incredibly believable as an estranged father and son with a tenuous yet obviously loving relationship. When you put these two together with Anna Torv's Olivia Dunham, the results are often hilarious as Peter acts an interpreter for his brilliant scientist father who has spent the past seventeen years in a mental institution.

One of the funniest scenes I have ever witnessed on television in my life occurred as Peter and Olivia were driving Walter to his lab after springing him from the institution. In the midst of an intense conversation between Peter and Olivia, Walter suddenly announces that he has pissed himself. "Just a squirt," he announces to a beleaguered but not particularly surprised eye roll from his son and an even funnier lack of reaction from Olivia.

The exchanges of witty dialogue are delivered with excellent acting and punch up the believability factor. These characters actually talk to each other and interact with each other in ways that people do instead of the ways that TV characters often do which is often flat and one dimensional. The actors bring life and texture to their characters and make the viewer care about their journey.

The journey itself is equally intriguing as Peter struggles with his desire to care for and get to know his father on the one hand and his desire to get the hell out of town on the other. He also finds himself caught up in wanting to unravel the mysteries of "The Pattern" after he witnesses first hand some of the strange events. Olivia finds that she has entered a world where knowing who to trust is no easy task. She already knows she's not getting the full story on anything from the man who set her on her mission and wonders how many answers the head of Massive Dynamics, the Microsoft-esque mega company can provide. Are they truly hoping she will discover the secrets of "The Pattern" or are they behind them?

Only time and many intense and riveting adventures will tell, but I, for one, will be watching to see exactly how it unfolds. Let's just hope that the writers and producers of Fringe realize the good thing they've got going and not try to tweak it unnecessarily as so many shows seem to want to do

Do mainstream media outlets favor bad news over good news?

If it bleeds, it leads. That is the stereotypical mantra of the media and, to a certain extent, it's true. While we'd love to blame the media for airing only bad news, we have to realize that in the world of television especially, ratings rule and giving the viewers what they want is the most effective way to get increased ratings and, in turn, advertising revenue. Since America is a capitalist society and the majority of news venues are for profit, there is the unfortunate reality that those advertising dollars are the bottom line.

If people didn't tune in to watch the horrors on the nightly news in such vast numbers, those responsible for the content would change it to meet the wants of the viewers. So, we are actually in control of what we see more than we might be comfortable taking responsibility for.

Another reason it seems all we see is bad news is the fact that, unfortunately, bad things are news. The fact that something went well or turned out right is as it should be and is therefore not newsworthy. Something going wrong or turning out badly is outside the norm, making it worthy of a headline in a newspaper or a segment on a news program.

The media even takes steps to counteract the overabundance of bad news by throwing in human interest stories that are meant to be uplifting and inspiring. You've not doubt read or seen stories of brave, courageous people who have overcome obstacles in their lives, or stories about organizations that are doing good in the community. This is good news. While viewers would more than likely get bored and tune out or put a newspaper down if this was the only content, it is there.

We as Americans tend to spend a lot of time analyzing and putting down the media in this country, but one thing to remember the next time you're watching a particular bit of bad news on television is this: at least you're not watching a state-run "news" broadcast which is made up of nothing more than government propaganda. You are free to see and read about what is really going on in the world around you. A lot of the time, those are bad things. It is those bad things we need to pay attention to so we can learn from them and learn to rise above them.

If you want to only hear how wonderful everything is and that there is nothing to worry about or fear and that the government will take complete care of you so there's no need for you to think on your own, move to a country that doesn't have a free press. If, on the other hand, you want the good, the bad and the ugly so you are free to form your own opinions and think and discuss freely important issues, thank God you live in the United States and lighten up a little on the media.