Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson Star in Fringe
Fringe has been compared to television shows like The X-Files, Alias, and Special Unit 2. The hivemind child of J.J. Abrams (“Star Trek”) and the writing team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Hercules: The Legednary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Alias, and “Star Trek”), Fringe presupposes that the Department of Homeland Security has assembled a special unit to investigate what ultimately are trans-dimensional phenomena, events triggered by or because of an attempt to bridge the gulf between alternate realities by one or more hostile parties.
The audience of Fringe was led a merry chase throughout most of the show’s first season as F.B.I. Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) gradually pieced together disturbing facts about events and Peter’s own father, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble). By the last episode it had become clear that Dr. Bishop’s top secret experimental science had been bound up with the trans-dimensional invasion and the efforts to combat it — and that Olivia had been recruited as a child by Walter and his partner, William Bell (Leonard Nimoy), to be a “soldier” in the coming war.
What is not so clear (yet) is whether William Bell is a good guy or a really, really bad guy. Nor is it entirely clear whether Peter belongs in the same reality with Walter. One curious scene shows Walter visiting the grave of Peter Bishop — who died as a boy. The obvious implication is that Walter may have crossed over to the alternate reality and kidnapped Peter to replace his own son — but what became of Peter’s real father, if that is the case?
Fringe has won a large, loyal audience of fans who love convoluted logic, obscure thrillers, and deepening mysteries. The modern day setting appeals to people who loved The X-Files and police dramas, but the trans-dimensional warfare appeals to classic science fiction fans. The second season has already shocked fans with the tragic death of one of the popular members of the first season lineup. It remains to be seen what other surprises the show has in store for its audience when it returns in November.
