I just finished watching the first episode of Fringe, the new schi-fi series on television. I really liked the first ep, and am looking forward to more. At first it reminds meof an OLD show called the Tomorrow People, miced with Heroes. This FBI agent (the female lead) is thrust into a behind-the-scenes world of the paranormal, and is recruited by an agency that deals with these instances.
Anyone else catch this first episode? I watched it online, but i hope to catch it as it airs for the second one. Thoughts?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:This FBI agent (the female lead) is thrust into a behind-the-scenes world of the paranormal, and is recruited by an agency that deals with these instances.
Huh, that reminds me of a lot of shows... What sets it apart? What's its particular "hook"?
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
It's made by J. J. Abrams(Lost).
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
I forgot it was on and only saw the last half hour.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
I saw that kid from Dawson's Creek trying to say words like, "doll" or "babe" or something and not selling it, realized I didn't want to watch him any more, and changed the channel.
But it might have been my pre-existing desires: I don't need another show to watch. I have little enough free time as it is. I shouldn't even be on Hatrack. I should have left for work 17 minutes ago.
Yeah, but you do it so eloquently, it makes me look like an idiot child.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
You mean, I wrote way more than you .
Posted by scottneb (Member # 676) on :
I don't know guys, are you disliking it because it's not what you'd expect J.J. Abrams to put out? Or do you not like it because it is like other shows? Keep in mind there is nothing new about people being marooned on an island, either.
I liked it, I thought it was a good set-up for a good series. The premise behind J.J. Abrams shows are seldom new, but the way he (and his writers/ producers) take familiar settings and turn them on there heads is always fresh. On that assumption, I think we're jumping WAY ahead by calling this series bad. Sure it may not be completely fresh, but lets let them flesh the story out a little more before throwing this one back.
Posted by Achilles (Member # 7741) on :
I agree with Teshi and Scott.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
If you want to know why I disliked the pilot, read my review .
Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
Didn't like it.
The idea is cool, sort of (I liked the litany of weirdness Lance Reddick spouted at about the 1 hr mark; kidnapped children showing up years later without aging, classified information being recited by coma patients, etc.), but the overall execution was poor. None of the characters had any chemistry with each other (this was a problem both with the writing and acting), none of the twists were exciting, the chases were uninvolving (a good chase gets you in, but these distanced you).
I'm not going to give it another chance to waste my time.
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
Promos promised the show would be about all the outre mystical psi phenomena, like teleportion, telepathy, and so forth. But all we got was technology causing everything. Now, I know that "any technology sufficiently advanced is indistiguishable from magic." (Was that R.A. Heinlein?) But I was hoping for some kind of spinoff from Jumper. Instead we have hints of a sinister high-tech but evil secret society. It's like we have writers who do not believe in the supernatural trying to write a supernatural thriller.
The 3-D computer digital names of cities hanging in the air was cool--especially when a character walks through them. I wonder why no one has thought of doing that before. Just watch--soon dozens of shows will be copying that effect.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke, "Profiles of The Future", 1961 (Clarke's third law)
Posted by Occasional (Member # 5860) on :
I didn't like it much and I am not going to spend a lot of time explaining why. First, what I liked about it was the feeling of watching a movie. The cinematography and musical score were clean and had shape. The show tried not to be boxed in and and angle selective. It had movement that kept it from becoming a typical boring cop show.
What I didn't like about it was numerous. I am one of the few people who has never liked even one J.J. Abrams production. All of his shows stories are disjointed and feel not well thought out in execution. As the saying goes, there were so many plot holes I could drive a truck through them.
The character motivations didn't make any sense in the least. I understand the unfolding of character within a season, but there were so many unbelievable choices made that they seemed too dumb to even care why later.
Finally, all of the stories mentioned were already done way better in the X-Files. This seems, as another person wrote, like the Scully world view version. This time instead of the mean old governments it is the mean old corporations.
Now, did anyone watch The Sarah Conner's Chronicles? That one is at least fun and enjoyable.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
I couldn't get past the first three minutes. The dreadful FX made me change the channel, pronto.
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
Occasional--Yay for The Sarah Conner Chronicles! That is my number one favorite show. The season opener was not perfect, but it was vastly entertaining. (WARNING--POSSIBLE SPOILERS:) The plot twists were dangerously close to "jumping the shark," but in the end things came back close to the way they were--except now the open declaration that Cameron loves John is out there. And now we know there is a T-1000 who is about to get involved in the story.
I maintain that Cameron has a soul. She is stuggling to develop it properly. But she can dance ballet artistically, which requires a soul we were told, and now we learn that this terminatrix can love!
Here is my theological speculation, based on the way I read all that the Bible says about the soul or spirit of life: The soul is not a complete entity that can think and be aware by itself without a physical brain to think and be aware with. The soul is an animating spirit that also contains an essential identity (but NOT a consciousness by itself). God gives developing human embryoes a soul when they reach the level of brain complexity where they can sustain thought and awareness.
I think that is reasonable. And if you buy that theological speculation, then there is no reason to say God cannot choose to give a soul or spirit to a terminator when it reaches a sufficient level of logical capacity and complexity as it is being built. In fact, when the Resistance reprograms terminators, the presence of both sets of programming can work together to give the terminators genuine freedom of choice, which is what is needed so the soul can be developed by the moral choices that are made.
[ September 10, 2008, 07:57 PM: Message edited by: Ron Lambert ]
Posted by Joldo (Member # 6991) on :
I actually really loved it. I never saw X-Files, but this did really grab me and I really did enjoy it. It's a first episode--I see it getting a lot better. As it is, I enjoyed it a lot more than I ever did Sarah Conner Chronicles, which started boring me two or three episodes in.
SPOILERS
I love the exchange at the end. "How long has he been dead?" "Five hours." "Question him. Thoroughly."
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I didn't love it, but I am going to give it a chance. I really like the actress. She reminds me of someone(an actress) and I can;t think who it is.
The pilot will be shown again on Sunda, I think. Also, most network shows can be viewed online these days.
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
Just a quick comment on Sarah Connor Chronicles. I think after the season premier they just aired, the phrase "jumping the shark" should be replaced by the phrase "unmorphing from a urinal into shirley Manson and stabbing a dude through they head with a finger." Seriously -- how does a show recover from such a colossally stupid moment?
I didn't like Fringe either. I thought it was wholly terrible. I probably mentioned this back in the thread we had about leaked tv shows.
I hate to be so negative about everything. Sorry, guys. I love a lot of things. Fringe is just so wacky.
Posted by TheGrimace (Member # 9178) on :
probably not worth delving into since the majority opinion agrees that the show did not wow on multiple fronts, but is anyone else really bothered by the plot device they used to get Pacey involved?
SPOILER/Summary:
As a punishment, they restrict all access to mad scientist to family only. Somehow this punishment trumps the ability of a federal officer on a case of national security to interview a potential suspect?
seriously...
there was plenty of other stuff to bug be about it all, but that one was amongst the first that was just driving me nuts the whole time
Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
quote:Originally posted by Elizabeth: I didn't love it, but I am going to give it a chance. I really like the actress. She reminds me of someone(an actress) and I can;t think who it is.
I think she reminded me of Cate Blanchett, and a little of Clare Daines.
Except with less talent. Much less talent.
Posted by Risuena (Member # 2924) on :
She reminds me of Poppy Montgomery from Without a Trace. Not only do they look alike, they both play FBI agents and they're both Australian.
Like a lot of other people, I wasn't impressed, but I'm willing to give it a chance, mostly because I like the actor who plays the bad guy. But it will have to improve a lot to make me into a regular viewer.
Posted by Puppy (Member # 6721) on :
I wondered why I didn't get to watch a show about the events Lance Reddick rattled off at the end of the episode. Those sounded way cooler than the show I got.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I really wanted to like it, mostly because ScottR has horrible taste, but I just couldn't.
Posted by Achilles (Member # 7741) on :
Good point, that.
It didn't really stand a chance with me, due to the fact that I'm really, really, burnt-out on paranormal premises.
Posted by Darth_Mauve (Member # 4709) on :
First, I pulled a bit of a Torchwood vibe from it. Group of gifted individuals secretly fighting the weird that threatens all mankind. Tough police woman takes charge.
Of course there's no Jack.
That's mainly due to the fact that they took most of the Sex out of the show.
Whether it will be worth while or not depends on the role the super-corporation plays. (SPOILER)
In the first episode it is hinted that it is the one behind "The Pattern" of super-science based destruction. This would be too easy.
Have it fighting "The Pattern", using science to fight science, would add a layer of depth to this show.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
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