Kevin's Watch

ItisWritten wrote:
I think it's a time-honored TV Hollywood tradition to NOT show real locations.

Spoiler

Maybe you should think of Fringe as the alternate universe, and we're trying to go there.

Spoilered, just in case ...

I think you might be on to something. We'll know for sure if Olivia sees glimmering streets.

I like Fringe. The second season finale was great, it'll be a long wait until September. We're a bit behind here in the Netherlands, but thank god I can keep up with the US thanks to that miraculous contraption called the intarweb

Kil Tyme wrote:

wayfriend wrote:You know what I don't like about this show? It's FAKE!

No really. The towns that appear in this show - Acton MA, Westford MA, etc. - well, I live near these towns, know almost every road in these towns. And they don't look anything like what they show on the Fringe!

I mean, my god ... straight roads in Massachusetts?!?! Who are they kidding? And streets that run parallel to each other?!?! These people have obviously never been to MA. And there's WAY no red castle in Clarksburg, people!!!!

Every show is fake. When ever I see a DC shot of people walking or driving around DC, they are either taking wormholes from one spot to another in a split second or they are using some Burbank, CA building as a DC Federal building. X-files and 24 are notorious for making up DC street locations. I've seen movies where they will photoshop a scene to have a fake road in front of the WH or Capitol Building or a beautiful perfectally green Mall or Lincoln Mem Reflecting Pool scene when it's really half dirt. But I don't mind; it's helping the city look a bit less dirty than it can be in rl.

Quite right, the Matrix was supposed to be where Canada? It was filmed entirely in Sydney, you can even see the bridge a couple of times, I have visited the buildings that were shot to pieces and know people who work in them!

I like Fringe, but I find the son a bit of hard work. He's the Scully character but like X-Files its hard to pull off incredulity to something 'odd' when in the last four episodes the character has witnessed photographs on peoples retinas, aliens, monsters, ghosts and telepathy with the dead! The reaction of "come on get real your not seriously saying that......" loses its gravilty pretty quickly. It's a hard part to play and I hope as the series continues it gets a bit more maturity in this character to play the foil.

finn wrote: I like Fringe, but I find the son a bit of hard work. He's the Scully character but like X-Files its hard to pull off incredulity to something 'odd' when in the last four episodes the character has witnessed photographs on peoples retinas, aliens, monsters, ghosts and telepathy with the dead! The reaction of "come on get real your not seriously saying that......" loses its gravilty pretty quickly. It's a hard part to play and I hope as the series continues it gets a bit more maturity in this character to play the foil.

I think in earlier episodes it was necessary, but you're right, his perpetual eye rolling at his father's unimaginable musings seem out of place considering the things he's seen. He's gotten a little better toward the end of the second season. And after his experiences in the last few episodes

Spoiler

especially after travelling to an alternate reality to meet his real mother and father

...I'd say his disbelief in his father's theories should be limited!


I wasn't surprised by the twist ending of the season finale, but I still enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to next season.

Maybe Peter's automatic disbelief in his father's theories is more a reaction to the kind of relationship he has with Walter.

earthbrah wrote:Maybe Peter's automatic disbelief in his father's theories is more a reaction to the kind of relationship he has with Walter.

That's almost how I see it. I don't see Peter = Scully at all. Mostly because everything in Fringe is explained by science, as opposed to most things in X-Files being supernatural, extraterrestrial or just plain freak show (literally--see Humbug).

Peter's reactions in the first few episodes was skepticism, but that's evolved into a How freaky can this get? attitude.

I think its exactly like Scully in that the faux scepticism is an integral mechanism in the construction of each episode/plot. The Peter/Scully character is there to ask questions that then require answers that allow the plot to move forward.

I have no problem with that, the counterpoint to Walter/Mulder gives perspective to the degree of "wierd", whether it be psuedo science or the supernatural. My view tho' is that there has to be growth in the character that accepts that there was a episode last week where wierd existed and so can also accept that wierd is therefore both possible and plausible. The better that charcter is written and played, the better the series (IMO).

finn wrote:I think its exactly like Scully in that the faux scepticism is an integral mechanism in the construction of each episode/plot. The Peter/Scully character is there to ask questions that then require answers that allow the plot to move forward.

I have no problem with that, the counterpoint to Walter/Mulder gives perspective to the degree of "wierd", whether it be psuedo science or the supernatural. My view tho' is that there has to be growth in the character that accepts that there was a episode last week where wierd existed and so can also accept that wierd is therefore both possible and plausible. The better that charcter is written and played, the better the series (IMO).

Considering that the show revolves around the Olivia Dunham character, I don't find the comparison very apropos. IMO, Peter's skepticism ended in season 1 when he confronted the mysterious bald guy who beat him up. Without that skepticism, the comparison to the X-files is, in my mind, a simplistic view of Fringe.

We have yet to see anything more than season #1 down here so there is some perspective to yet uncover.

However I am not making a comparison of the two shows but merely one aspect common to both shows, which is fairly blatant. I am also accepting its legitimacy, but asking whether it could be done with a bit more creativity to try to make it more plausible than I think it has been to date.

You are entitled to you opinion of course but the weighting in the partnership or perhaps gender of the character seems irrelevent to the apropos of my assertion. That the scepticism happens in both seems to me at least, to be the only really relevant factor.

finn wrote:We have yet to see anything more than season #1 down here so there is some perspective to yet uncover.

However I am not making a comparison of the two shows but merely one aspect common to both shows, which is fairly blatant. I am also accepting its legitimacy, but asking whether it could be done with a bit more creativity to try to make it more plausible than I think it has been to date.

You are entitled to you opinion of course but the weighting in the partnership or perhaps gender of the character seems irrelevent to the apropos of my assertion. That the scepticism happens in both seems to me at least, to be the only really relevant factor.

Oh. No wonder we're at odds. Here I am arguing from the start of season 3, which I must say is a much different show from the first season. And that's taking nothing away from the first season.

There's a little X-Files in it, sure. But there's a lot of MillenniuM in it as well. So far it's managed to stay in the realm of "interesting", rather than "weird for the sake of weird".

ItisWritten wrote:

finn wrote:We have yet to see anything more than season #1 down here so there is some perspective to yet uncover.

However I am not making a comparison of the two shows but merely one aspect common to both shows, which is fairly blatant. I am also accepting its legitimacy, but asking whether it could be done with a bit more creativity to try to make it more plausible than I think it has been to date.

You are entitled to you opinion of course but the weighting in the partnership or perhaps gender of the character seems irrelevent to the apropos of my assertion. That the scepticism happens in both seems to me at least, to be the only really relevant factor.

Oh. No wonder we're at odds. Here I am arguing from the start of season 3, which I must say is a much different show from the first season. And that's taking nothing away from the first season.

Yeah we are little behind in some things down here under the rainbow.....It's really frustrating because the TV companies won't buy the series unless the release of the DVDs is delayed locally till after the episodes have all been aired.

Well, damn. In January, FOX is moving Fringe to Friday evening, which is apparently know as the 'Friday evening death slot'. That really sucks. I don't watch that much TV, but am looking forward to Fringe each week, especially now the third season is turning out to be really good.
I really hope it will keep enough viewers to stay alive.

Ya, I missed the whole 1st season, but am lovin it since and to hear about this Friday time slot deal is a big disappointment. I hope that if Fox does cancel that someone else will pick it up. Be a great SciFi pickup, but doubt they can afford the production.

Season 2 just released here in the land down under..... will be getting it tonight and watch it probably next week, real keen to do so now that you guys have reviewed it so highly.

I've been watching this since it started, the first season was very patchy, with flashes of brilliance - I think if I hadn't been a student with minimal lecture hours I probably wouldn't have bothered with it. Season 2 got a bit better but they still had runs of 2-4 monster-of-the-week episodes that were both stupid (radioactive space ghosts? I know it's all sort of pseudoscience but come on) and irrelevant to the overal plot. But I think around ep 15/16, and ignoring the travesty that was the musical episode FOX forced on all their shows, it got really strong. And this season has, so far, been totally consistent - and even the MOTW episodes, thanks to the end of season 2, can't NOT advance the main story arc.

So yeah, pretty depressed about the Friday night move. Hopefully they can at least get a season 4 out of it to wrap things up though, maybe?

I hope there is a conclusion to this series. I'd hate for it to be cancelled at this point. This season has been great so far. I agree Somberlain, every episode has been integral to, or at least nicely placed into, the story line.

Spoiler

I was wondering what the deal was with the Observers---they haven't been around in season 3. Found these clips on IMDB message board:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pywb_qLhtqU
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB3YvmevcQ8

The arc story line is exactly what keeps it interesting for me. My other favorite series was Babylon 5, which was all about the ongoing story as well as the series progressed. I'm just interested to see where they take the story.

Tulizar wrote:I hope there is a conclusion to this series. I'd hate for it to be cancelled at this point. This season has been great so far. I agree Somberlain, every episode has been integral to, or at least nicely placed into, the story line.

Spoiler

I was wondering what the deal was with the Observers---they haven't been around in season 3. Found these clips on IMDB message board:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pywb_qLhtqU
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB3YvmevcQ8

I'd have to rewatch it but I could swear that one of the first episodes in the alt. universe (either the 1st or 3rd one of the season I guess) had one of the Fringe guys mentioning some "Watchers"; I wonder if that's what they call the Observers who have been present at the various Fringe events in the alt. universe, just not featured in the plot (that may be what your links show, I can't watch vids here).

The Somberlain wrote: I'd have to rewatch it but I could swear that one of the first episodes in the alt. universe (either the 1st or 3rd one of the season I guess) had one of the Fringe guys mentioning some "Watchers"; I wonder if that's what they call the Observers who have been present at the various Fringe events in the alt. universe, just not featured in the plot (that may be what your links show, I can't watch vids here).

Nice catch. I missed that reference. It makes sense that they would be familiar with the Observers in the alt.universe. Watchers would certainly be an appropriate name for them.

btw my vid links simply show an Observer in the background of two different scenes from this season. Difficult to pick out unless you're actually looking for them. The linked clips freeze the scene to point out the Observer.