Fringe up to 4-15

[avrelia]

I know, everyone has moved on, but I wrote it earlier and forgot to post. Still need to get it out.


Well, I finally watched the much-maligned episode of Fringe (4-15), and I, too, want to malign it muchly.

We (my husband and I are watching Fringe together ) started watching the show a year ago, and we immediately hooked, so that we watched the first two seasons in three months and the third one over the summer – pretty fast, considering our limited TV-watching time. The popular opinion over the Internet, it seemed that first season is so-so, but the we were hooked from the first episodes of the first season, and now I am looking back to it with nostalgic longing about everything I like then that was dropped later on. I liked Olivia for being smart and brave, and tough, and warm, and altogether awesome. I loved her slow dealing with John Scott and his death; I loved her relationship with her sister and niece, I loved her work ethic, and her word comradeship, and building relationship with Peter – oh, so slowly but surely, starting with foundation, putting brick by brick. I loved that Peter had a life of his own, somewhat dark past, useful acquaintances, former loves and wasn't the center of the Universe, both Universes. I loved Walter slowly waking up; I loved Broyles and Nina; I loved Astrid and Charlie (sniff). I loved even the format – many small mysteries combining into a big one.

Where did it all go? How did it all turn into “All about Peter, The cornerStone of the World”? And “One True Love Saves Everything”? It is suddenly a much less interesting story. It is even less interesting than fairy-tales where I can get behind “one true love” trope, because it's built in from the beginning.

I understand metaphoric writing. I've been a Buffy fan, after all, I am used to make sense out of nonsensical story and uncover several layers of meaning in an exchange of glances and a handshake. I am used to good metaphors and faulty metaphors and downright bad metaphors, but I do want to know what story I am watching – or reading. And the story does have to make sense at least on one level. In Fringe I too often feel lately that the metaphoric level overwhelms the action level, and I resent it, because it was not the story I set out to watch. Maybe my resentment is misguided, maybe the authors all the time were telling me the story about One True Love that conquers all and SoulMates Destined to Be Together, but... Where was the warning label? This show can be so much more than that...