“Oh! I just pissed myself. Just a squirt.”
Skin melting viruses, dark matter, mind reading, an internet video melting your brain (it’s true I tell you!) and a bald man observing from the shadows are just a few of the treats in this J.J. Abrams produced television show that examines the fringes of science.
Be warned, there must be a visual virus embedded in the show since it is positively addicting.
A flight from Hamburg Germany lands on autopilot since everyone onboard has dissolved into a gooey mess thanks to an unknown virus. Governmental agencies are called in to investigate and agents Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and John Scott (Mark Valley) are on the trail of the party or parties responsible for the horror on the plane.
During the investigation, Scott is exposed to the chemicals that made the virus and is slowly succumbing to it. Dunham also happens to be Scott’s lover and is desperate to find a cure and save him. She comes across a paper written by Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) that could lead them to cure the virus.
However, Bishop has been in a mental asylum since a lab accident nearly twenty years ago. She has to go to Iraq to track down Bishop’s son Peter (Joshua Jackson) since only relatives can see Dr. Bishop. She succeeds in getting Peter to sign out his father and become his caretaker. Dr. Bishop is brilliant but his mental status has been adversely affected by his past and incarceration. He does succeed in figuring out the virus from the plane, but Dunham’s joy at saving Scott is short lived.
Homeland Security agent Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick) sets up the Fringe division to investigate these strange goings on and puts Dunham in charge of the Bishops. Bishop’s mysterious lab partner William Bell set up a company called Massive Dynamic, currently headed by Nina Sharp (Blair Brown), that seems to specialize in strange technology and might have more to do with the odd happenings than anyone realizes.
Fringe can’t help but be compared to the X-Files. Sure there’s the cousin like subject matter, conspiracy storylines, and the compelling characters. The characters might be the thing that sets Fringe apart from the X-Files though, well sorta. Just as you tuned in to see what was happening with Mulder and Scully, you’ll be tuning in to see what madness that Dr. Bishop has spouted now.
John Noble has crafted the maddest of mad scientists in the form of the childlike Dr. Bishop who is prone to spouting nonsensical prater at any moment, then turning around and solving difficult equations and problems. He recalls little of his past and many interesting plot points surfaces out of the fog of that past.
Even more mysterious is the corporation Massive Dynamic headed by the also mysterious William Bell, which leads to a fabulous season finale reveal by a sci-fi legend. I’ll not spoil it for you (not that the numerous news stories about it probably didn’t spoil it for you already).
Where Walter is an idiot savant, his son Peter is a potential conman who has some shady dealings. Their interaction is both fascinating to watch as well as heartwarming. Dunham is our everywoman who is plunged into these odd dealings and has to figure out the various mysteries presented.
Torv plays her well and each character is created so that you’ll want to keep tuning in. Though you’ll find that Noble pretty much steals the show as the eccentric Dr. Bishop. It’s an excellent show and will not liquefy your brain but it probably sends subliminal messages to keep tuning in. You’ll certainly be tuning in to see the odd mysteries and the chemistry that brews between the characters.
Fringe is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.78:1). Special features include three audio commentaries on the discs. Series creators Alex Kurtzman, Robert Orci, and J.J. Abrams are on the Pilot, writer/producer J.R. Orci, writer David Goodman, and executive producer Bryan Burk are on “The Ghost Network, and writer/director Akiva Goldsman and executive producer Jeff Pinker are on “Bad Dreams.”
If you have a BD-Live capable player you can download an exclusive commentary for the series finale as well as other goodies. The only high definition special feature, exclusive to the Blu-ray, is the 25 minute “Fringe Pattern Analysis,” on disc five, in which experts and scientists weigh in on some of the concepts from the series. The remainder of the special features is presented in standard definition.
Each episode has a short featurette (totaling about 35 minutes in all), there are about 10 minutes of deleted scenes, and around 20 minutes of “Massive Undertaking” featurettes about production design all spread out over the five discs.
Discs four and five had some production featurettes (45 minutes total), but they’re going to spoil it for you if you haven’t watched the show first. Disc five has 13 minutes of Robert Orci’s production diaries, a 5 minute gag reel, and a 3 minute featurette on Gene the cow.
Fringe could be dismissed as a clone (that’s a fringe technology right?) of the X-Files. However, it’s so much more in that it has a solid cast of characters that the geek in me has fallen for. John Noble steals the show, but it’s the underlying mystery that will keep me tuning in when the new season starts up this month.
Fringe: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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