Fringe

[raven]

Hello, flist. I am home ill, flu-ish, headachey and not a little bit over-anxious. (Case in point: I thought I would make use of the time by at least popping out and sending some parcels. Mission aborted when yours truly was too pathetic to find somewhere to park, and came home having smudged the parcels' labels in the rain, but not actually sent them.)

So I am lying on the sofa, whining gently, trying to write my yuletide (it is awful, all is awful, I am a horrible writer, all is woe) and watching Fringe. Y'all have been watching this show for a few years now, and I have realised I will never get another show like my heart wants - happy, optimistic science fiction! remember that? me neither - and, well, I did like The X-Files. I liked it a lot. So I'm giving Fringe a try.

Thus far, I am four episodes in and I sort of like it. Sort of. Okay. Here's what I like:

-Olivia! I didn't at first, but she has grown on me; she's such a sensible sort of heroine to have. Ditto Peter - in the pilot I thought he was one of those insufferable know-it-all manly types that, inexplicably, whole shows are built around (The Mentalist, I'm looking at you), but actually he's not that bad. He's kind of sweet, in his way. And Walter, too: I love his combination of super-clever and very naive.

-Also Astrid, although what the show means to do with her I have no idea. At the moment it seems to be, well, passing things and answering the phone. She's lovely, and the actress is epically fanciable. Want more Astrid. Yes.

-And the cow. Dear cow, I like you.

Here's what I don't like:

-Naked women get tortured quite a bit, don't they? And then there's screaming. And I'm like... okay. Don't want or need.

-And I don't exactly dislike the homage, but I have seen The X-Files. It's not so far in history you can reuse its plots wholesale. Although, I appreciate it doesn't do the whole incredibly-stilted-monologue thing or the "let's turn down the lights! no, more!" thing. Instead it seems to use a swimming-pool palette, washed out blues and greens, which is nice and creepy without being invisible on VHS. (Not that this is a problem now, but oh, X-Files, way to stamp on my love.)

-Also, fringe science? I get that that's the thing, yes, but surely I am not the only person who wants to laugh sometimes at a show with the aesthetic and tone of The X-Files and the scientific realism of The Middleman. I mean. Really.

-Probably this is just me, but. I have the attention span of a gnat. Watching fifty-minute episodes is too long for me. I get twitchy in the middle, and fast-forward through the bits I'm sure are going to be some species of revolting. Really, I just have too short an attention-span for being a grown up. Surely there's some age you reach when the little man in your head doesn't jump up and down and shout, "I'm booooooooooored!"

Anyway. I am told I have to stick with it until the second season before it gets really good, and okay, I will try. But do I really have to watch another sixteen fifty-minute episodes? A whole bunch of you have lists of episodes that I actually need to watch in the first season. Please tell me.

In the meantime, I shall keep on watching this episode about a bald dude with no eyebrows, eat teacakes and feel sorry for self.

Comments

[musesfool]

Yeah, the first 8 or so episodes are kind of ... yeah. especially episode 2, which I would have said skip at all costs! There really isn't much torture porn and that ep is the worst of it (though there is still grossness every week.)

This was my list of s1 and 2 eps to watch, from a post I made last year:
I would recommend watching the pilot, and then episodes 4, 7, 10, 11, 14, 17, 19, and 20. Then you'll be ready to watch all of seasons 2 and 3! (heads up, s2x11 is a season 1 episode aired out of order. It can be skipped.) And trust me, do not watch s1x02. Just pretend it doesn't exist.

And here's io9's take on it: http://io9.com/5652372/want-to-get-into-fringe-these-are-the-episodes-you-need-to-watch

Oh, also! The episodes become regular sized (i.e., ~43 minutes) in season 2.

[raven]

Ah, thank you! Much appreciated. I really want to like this show, I do, and I do like the characters a lot.

[musesfool]

They still need to do more with Astrid, four seasons in, but Olivia, Walter, and Peter will totally break your heart in the good way. And Broyles. I love what they do with Broyles. And Nina Sharp! And Charlie!

[philomytha]

Oh, that horrible thing where you drive somewhere and then parking is just TOO HARD and you have to turn around and go home again... that's happened to me a few times. *hugs* I hope you feel better soon!

Also, Fringe sounds interesting. I shall have to give it a try sometime.

[raven]

Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one! I do it all the time, and then beat self up about the petrol. It sucks.

[opusculasedfera]

It really does get much better, though I'm sure you've heard that. Especially about the naked lady stuff, honestly; most of the later eps that have women having SCIENCE! done on them are quite good about not shooting it in a sexy way and with lots of shots of faces (and faces actually emoting, not just looking blank and sexy) and realistic, non-revealing clothes for surgery/lab work. (Plus we also get a fair number of men having SCIENCE! done to them as well.) Though it is still a bit sad about Astrid who doesn't get developed as she should. The rest of the cast agrees though! They've brought it up a few times in interviews that she should get more to do, so maybe it'll happen! And when they start doing character development on the rest of the cast it was fabulous and nuanced and lovely so that's enjoyable, at least.

(I added you, btw, so, er, hello!)

[eruthros]

I have a very long comment to put here, because I found the list I was using for thingswithwings - though I added a couple things too. Also, it's spoilery in the sense of describing what eps are major arcs and mentioning when things are backstory episodes or do somebody's family drama or whatever, especially when it's an episode that I'm ambivalent about. Anyway. That said, here is the spoilery list:

spoilers!

spoilers!


Okay so, in season one, this depends on whether or not you care about the Olivia's-relationship-with-John-Scott mourning/investigation plotline - it basically doesn't come up in the later show, but it's character backstory, so.

1x02 - Skip. Victim cam.

1x03 - Skip.

1x04 - Possibly watch. It's not very good, but it's an arc episode that introduces a lot of the things that appear later; if you're down with spoilers, you can probably get the wikipedia rundown and ignore the ep.

1x05 - Skip unless you want to watch the fifteen minutes of it about Olivia and John

1x06 - Possibly watch. The A plot is ludicrous, but the B plot is all Olivia's family backstory, which comes up a lot later. I told Megan to skip this one, but I think I was wrong - I had to pause the show a lot to explain Olivia's family later, plus it has a great scene with Olivia at the FBI that is in all the vids/fic and is one of the things lots of people love about her.

1x07 - Watch; necessary for main arc.

1x08 - This is iffy - it's not necessary for the arc plot, really, but Walter is so great in it! I had Megan watch it because she loves Walter's face, but if you are not a fan, skip it.

1x09 - Skip, unless you're doing the John Scott plotline - there's a bit of it here.

1x10 - Watch; necessary for main arc.

1x11 - Watch; necessary for main arc. Also, it is many other people's first season ep that made them fall for Olivia. (Spoilers: it has some noncon/dubcon/emotional manipulation overtones - if you want more info let me know.)

1x12 - Skip, unless you want to lol. This episode is so ludicrous it's almost great? I spent the whole ep repeating plot point to chagrined on IM.

1x13 - Skip, unless you're doing the John Scott plotline - there's a lot of it here.

1x14 - Watch; necessary for main arc and for Olivia's backstory.

1x15 - Skip.

1x16 - Skip, unless you want to watch for the lolz or because you really like Charlie Francis.

1x17 - Watch; necessary for main arc and for Olivia's backstory. (Spoilers: contains Discount Lesbians. Also suicidal ideation. If you want more info let me know.)

1x18 - Ugh, watch I guess? It's got major arc plotlines but is SO BAD geez.

1x19 - Yay the good stuff! Finally!

1x20 - Ditto!

[raven]

THIS COMMENT IS THE BEST. Seriously, thanks so much for this; I may actually get through it all at this rate!

[surexit]

it is awful, all is awful, I am a horrible writer, all is woe

Oh God, I hate that stage in the writing process, I hope it's going okay.

[livrelibre]

Hope you feel better and good luck with Yuletide! And Fringe! *pauses to flail* Once you get through S1 things kick up a notch. And re: Jasika Nicole--though she is sadly underused on the show, she is indeed awesome. I usually pay little attention to actors' professional presences but her website is adorable (though flash-based)

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

If you are ill, better be on the sofa than at work, I'd say... and as for smudged addresses, I managed the same today, thanks to dropping an envelope address-down on a wet pavement.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

So sensible people tell me, but I have GUILT. Also, rain and post just suck. I wish you could post things through the internet.

[jennyrad.livejournal.com]

Your description of The Mentalist (and oh, how I hate that name! But anyway) strikes a chord with me, but I think it has one major redeeming feature which I feel the need to share: it's like Derren Brown, but without actually manipulating real people, because it's fictional.

[jennyrad.livejournal.com]

(P.S. Hope you feel better soon!)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I have to admit I don't know who Derren Brown is.

[bibliotropic.livejournal.com]

I don't really know anything about Fringe other than that it's filmed in Vancouver (after season one) and friends of a friend are in it. Red-haired twins? I was supposed to watch the episode to see them, but I never did (*is bad*).

I defaulted on Yuletide several weeks ago. You're already a much better writer than I am.

Anyway, I hope you feel better. Get lots of rest and do interesting things in short increments. xo

[icepixie]

FRINGE OMG!!!

Yeah, you do need to stick with it for a while until it becomes awesome. (Also much less like an X-Files knock-off.) FWIW, I think the turning point is episode fourteen, "Ability," which is massively important and also very good. From what I remember, the really necessary ones of S1 are episodes 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, and 20, but it's entirely possible I'm missing something or have mixed up in which episodes things occurred. (I...kind of watched all of S1 in a week last summer.) Also, this is a show where the least little thing is liable to come back in a big way two or three years later, so if you find yourself really liking it once you get to the awesome in S2, you'll probably want to go back and look at the ones you skipped.

Also, in re: optimistic sci-fi: I think Fringe is actually quite optimistic in its main plot, especially after this season. And the episodes quickly start ending on very hopeful notes. Despite the pain and woe everyone experiences, there seems to be a genuine underlying belief in the goodness of these people and of humanity in general.

I really should have a Fringe icon.

[macadamanaity.livejournal.com]

There are definitely skipable episodes but as I mainlined all three seasons in about a week and a half, I'm not 100% sure which ones they are. In some ways it starts out like Law and Order where it's all Procedural Procedural Procedural Procedural Is this because I'm a lesbian? Procedural Procedural... but as each season goes on the underlying character development comes to the forefront as part of the plot and it's freaking amazing.

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

Instead it seems to use a swimming-pool palette, washed out blues and greens, which is nice and creepy without being invisible on VHS. (Not that this is a problem now, but oh, X-Files, way to stamp on my love.)

BtVS and Angel are both guilty of that. *glares* I like to know what's actually going on in a scene, directors! How can I be excited if I don't know who's punching whom? (On a similar note, see any scene which has both Buffy and Angel in. They will speak in such low, heartfelt tones as to be completely inaudible. So maddening!)

I hope you feel better soon - try to relax rather than feeling guilty about being at home.

[sarah.livejournal.com]

-Also Astrid, although what the show means to do with her I have no idea
It's season 4 now and I'm still asking myself that same question. It's like she never leaves that lab.