by Bruce W. Coffman

Created on: October 06, 2008

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 occured 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 Oliva, Walter suddenly announces that he has pissed himself. "Just a squirt," he announces to a beleagured but not particularly surprised

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>