Fringe

Fringe



A new TV series from the cult creators of Lost and Alias? How could it possibly go wrong?

The title Fringe comes from Fringe Science, or Pseudo Science; A study of paranormal events brought about by huge breakthroughs in science. Things like Telepathy, invisibility or, as in the pilot episode’s case, a flesh melting virus.

To start we’re thrown into the middle of an electrical storm in a jumbo jet over America. A panicked passenger races down the aisle and is subdued by an air hostess. But, when he turns around, we find his skin is melting off his face. Now everyone is panicking. Faces are melting left, right and centre. It is the single best intro to a TV series you’re ever likely to see. It promises so much. You can’t wait for the credits to roll, to get back to the action.

Unfortunately, that’s where it ends. From hereon in, the Episode focuses on permanently sourpussed FBI agent Olivia Dunham and her love life. Her boyfriend (another Fed) is infected by the same virus, but due to some Icepacks, he takes longer to melt. It’s now a race against the clock for Olivia to find the cure to the virus and catch the man responsible. By this point you’ll be wondering when the face melting is coming back into it, but you’ll be disappointed. There is none.
No, now Olivia must assemble her team for the rest of the series by travelling to Iraq to bring back Pacey from Dawson’s Creek (Joshua Jackson)and free his Scientist father from the Nut house.

There’s some double crossing near the end with a shadowy organisation showing its true intent. That’s if you don’t turn the channel before then, because that’s all the excitement you can expect.
Jackson's acting grates like nails on a blackboard as he tries to imitate Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry growl. It seems his only role in this series is to voice the audience’s frustrations at how ludicrous the plot is. At one point Olivia strips down to her pants and injects LSD to communicate to her comatose man. Just because an old man that can’t hold his urine told her it was a good idea.

Watch out for the genuinely inventive way the series tells you the location. Large CGI letters imprinted on the building tell you that the story has moved to Harvard University and so forth. It does seem like they got carried away with it though, as every single location hop uses it. I half expected it to write ‘Shitter’ in six-foot letters outside a toilet door.

If this is what JJ Abrams’ imagination can produce, I’m seriously pondering whether or not to stick with Lost to the end.

Verdict 2/10
The first scene promised so much, but it’s downhill from there,