Happy 10th Birthday to Fringe...and My Most Controversial Fan Opinion EVER!!

In September 2008, I saw a really cool promo for this new show that aired after Bones. When I decided to check it out because I had nothing better to do, little did I know that I’d still be talking about this little show called Fringe ten years later and calling it the best sci-fi show this side of season 5 of The X-Files.

Going into the show, I had no idea what to expect. Soon, I would tell friends that it was like a modern-day The X-Files. I’ve been a fan of The X-Files since I was brave enough to sit through it at age 11. I conceptualized the show to be like The X-Files because of the leads, Olivia Dunham and Peter Bishop (Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson), and because of its overall sci-fi themes. The show had a little something for everyone: sci-fi, comedy (the LSD references lol), action, and romance.

After re-watching the series earlier this year, immediately on the heels of The X-Files, I had a startling revelation. The X-Files made Fringe possible through its revolutionary take on the genre and incorporation of Dana Scully, but Fringe was certainly the champion of this genre. Granted, J. J. Abrams also had success in shows like Felicity (adore it), Alias (love it), and Lost (watching for the first time now and loving it) prior to Fringe. At the time, he was also gearing up to make the Star Trek movie franchise and would soon be making the next installment in the Star Wars franchise. Obviously, I’m a big J. J. Abrams fan, but here’s what drew me to form my most controversial fan opinion ever (yes, it’s that serious):

1. The plot is clean and well-executed.

By the end of season 1, we knew that the Cortexiphan trials and the alternate universe were huge. Each week, I eagerly tuned in to see the next piece of the puzzle. Each episode connected well to the others. Very few episodes were truly standalone once the overarching story became clear. I think this was a boon of sorts as viewers weren't often left questioning the why or how of an episode. Also, the short run of the series helped out. The writers didn’t really have time (or the need) to retcon the story until it made little to no sense. 

Listen, I will watch anything Chris Carter makes and links to The X-Files; however, it doesn't all make sense. I often joke about how US series should take notes from British/Australian shows where the seasons are short and the number of seasons are limited. Being limited to 100 episodes helped Fringe remain fresh and on point. On that note, I think never having the looming popularity of The X-Files also helped it along. I remember not really knowing if it would be renewed each season, as viewers took part in social media campaigns to keep the show on the air. Fringe has never been a cash cow to be drained to its last drop.

2. I love the story lines and homages.

I’ve always loved this idea of alternate universes, changing a few things, and seeing the results change. Also, who doesn’t want to see a different version of themselves? I think the one thing that I would’ve loved to know, and didn’t, is how the alternate universe advanced so much more quickly than ours. The actors played this story line so well, especially when they had to double in their own scenes.

Also, I love the homage to other series like Back to the Future, Twin Peaks, Star Wars, Terminator, The X-Files, X-Men, and Star Trek. Time travel, genetic manipulation, cooking in the lab, etc. It's all there and lines up! It many ways, the stories were both timely and timeless.

3. The show is quite literally built upon love and all of its varieties.

Who among us would go into a sci-fi series thinking it would be about love? I certainly did not. When I say love, I mean it in the absolute purest sense of the word, not infatuation, power-control, etc. A parent’s love for his child fueled the entire plot of the series. That same love nearly destroyed an entire universe. However, love also brought the universe back together several times. Every time I get to the end of season 2, and see Olivia jump universes just to get to Peter, I tear up. Folks like Walter Bishop (John Noble), William Bell (Leonard Nimoy), and Nina Sharp (Blair Brown) symbolized a love of science and ingenuity that allowed the plot to happen. Love of the human race quite literally saved it when an Observer shed his tech to become human and work in the resistance. Seeing people go to the absolute extremes for love and not being cartoonish villains was really something. It is also telling how something as basic and mundane as love is still so important in pushing along our understandings of the world.

4. The writing for the female characters was, dare I say, unprecedented for women in the genre at the time.

Nina was a badass scientist and leader in her own right. She was the CEO at a large research & development corporation. I’ve never been able to figure out whether this was on purpose to turn the show on its head, but early on, you can’t help but think she’s suspicious and is really a villain. Nope! She’s just William’s business partner and scientist. I tend to think it’s our own notions as to what women should be like that lead you there, but she’s always on the level. As the series progresses, you learn just how much she’s had to serve as a mediator of sorts for Walter’s and William’s temperaments.

Another unprecedented character was Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole). Though Astrid could’ve used more screen time, she had moments of absolute awe. “Making Angels” (episode 4x11) is easily one of my favorites of the series. Seeing Astrid and her alternate counterpart interact will never not be the sweetest thing. Astrid and Walter had a great relationship...even if he never could get her name quite right. I do think this character was underused, but her visibility spoke volumes to me.

Olivia Dunham. Olivia was never quite the typical genre female character. Early on, she’s standoffish and lonely. And considering her tumultuous first meeting with would be boss, Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick), that was probably for good reason. She's a smart, capable, young agent who is curious but steadfast in her principles. However, we slowly see more of Olivia and learn that she’s someone who does experience emotions. In fact, we see her anger turn to fear. We see a hero (yes, she’s quite literally a hero) who’s propelled by her fear. She can only access her power when she’s afraid. Granted, childhood trauma plays a huge role in his, but the fact that her fear is seen as normal and not a weakness is profound. We even get to see Olivia cry(!), create and maintain boundaries for herself, and feel love and loss. Bottom line: Olivia wasn’t the punching bag or used to push along male character development (and she literally died for our sins twice).

(I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Etta. Though we got so little time with her, she literally held the line for the Fringe team and led the resistance. She was on some Princess Leia stuff that I’m 100% here for. Georgina Haig was an incredible casting choice.)

How women were represented here is huge. While The X-Files gave us an awesome woman in science, Dana Scully's character was still plagued with problems. Granted, those problems could be attributed to an anachronistic application of today's morals to 1990s television. Scully was great, but most of the time, we never got to see her be an individual. She was Mulder's ride or die, even when she didn't really want to be. For me, this is the pleasant distinction between Scully and the women in Fringe.

5. The core cast delivered brilliant performances.

Everyone’s favorite 90s heartthrob, and always Pacey in our hearts, Joshua Jackson brought a lot to the role of Peter Bishop. The guy has some sort of magic that he works in these scenes. He can go from the worst manchild ever to super vulnerable. Season 5 was some of the best acting I’ve ever seen from Josh (and I’ve seen a lot of it, thank you)!

As this was Anna Torv’s first gig of this scale, she struggled a little in the first season, but boy, did she really come into this role! She went from playing Olivia, to playing the alternate version of herself, to channeling Leonard Nimoy as William Bell, to playing yet another version of Olivia. She’s super talented. If you don’t believe that, catch her in Mindhunter or Secret City on Netflix.

It is so eerie how John Noble can go from bumbling, sweet grandpa to murderous sociopath so quickly, but he does. Everyone loved Walter, even when we probably should not have loved Walter. He’s probably the true villain of the series, and at best, he’s an anti-hero. But one simply does not hate Walter Bishop!

Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown, Seth Gabel, Georgina Haig, Jasika Nicole, and Lance Reddick rounded this cast out beautifully. They all brought unique, stunning performances into their roles.


Fringe will always be a show that captures my heart because of its themes, storytelling and cast. Perhaps it's disingenuous to compare it to The X-Files in any way because after all, without Chris Carter, would Fringe have been possible? I can't really answer that question. Though, I doubt it. I just know that Fringe built on this genre in a way that The X-Files, including post-season 5, movies, and most recent limited series runs could not. It's a whole different kind of magic.

Happy 10th birthday, Fringe!!! Can't wait to binge a couple of my all-time favorite episodes tonight!
If you haven't watched this show, it's a bit hard to find, but it is definitely worth checking out!