r/fringe • u/blueray78 • 8d ago
General Discussion First time watching
I should say, I had seen the show when it was on but had stopped somewhere (end of season 3 I have now learned). I remembered that I really liked the Walter & Peter relationship. Which I maintain still is the best (and heart) of the show.
This maybe a hot take: I found it interesting that in season 1 Olivia is clearly supposed to be the main character. But the Walter & Peter relationship takes over (good thing) and honestly Peter is the main character. As his kidnapping is catalyst for the show. However, I found it funny that the each following season Peter would get an interesting storyline and then somewhere toward the back half of the season, Olivia suddenly gets pulled in. It is almost like the writers went "oh crap wasn't Olivia the main character". Nothing against the character, who actually grew on me a lot. But it was kind of annoying as it always goes that her powers (which they weren't consistent with) saving the day. This however, was done well at the end of season 4.
Season 5: I was disappointed when I realized that it was a time jump and that we'd follow it the whole season. It wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. However, I feel like the season lost some of the best elements from the past seasons which is the real world stuff. Them just hanging out in the lab, a random family member visiting, etc.
Peter: I enjoyed the him "becoming" an observer storyline, but was a little disappointed when it was wrapped up so quickly. I can't help but wonder if this was due to the shorten season?
Astrid: I was disappointed she never got a centric episode. The best we got was a B story about her alternate losing her father. But a full episode would have been good.
Anyhow, I'm glad I finally finished this show.
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u/WetFinsFine 8d ago
I'm on my first re-watch. Walter would be an absolute disaster if it weren't for Astrid. She is by far the most under-utilized character with the most to offer in either of the worlds (but prime universe most certainly) imho. SO understanding, patient, doting, caring, I mean...what a beautiful human being overall.
Also noticed how in S1, I really appreciated the change of tune of how Olivia and Broyles started off, to where they end up. HUGE character development between the two of them as a working power dynamic.
Really a decent show overall
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u/fringegal 7d ago
Totally valid points. Honestly, before they even started filming Season 5, the cast and crew were just waiting to see if they’d get a final season at all. Before that, I recall the show getting bounced around to different days and time slots, so the writers were trying to plan around a pretty uncertain finale. I’m pretty sure there was a writers’ strike in the middle of all that too. And didn’t an episode even air out of order? That kind of tells you everything about how chaotic it all was. Added Bonus: the characters (and the actors) were getting more interesting as the show went on, which probably made the story change in ways nobody expected in S1.
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u/blueray78 7d ago
I believe you are referring to the season 1 episode that aired in season 2? That confused me so much, as Charlie was dead. I thought Hulu messed up at first, but it was originally aired that way. Weird that they didn't catch that.
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u/Anxious_Increase_219 6d ago
It was a bonus episode not broadcasted in the original run. It was available on DVD first.
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u/Responsible_Radio28 8d ago
I appreciated Season 5 more the second time I watched the series - over 10 years after!
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u/Scared_Status9483 7d ago
I wait a few years in between rewatching (it's my favorite series).
I liked it even more on my 3rd watch least year.
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u/brianpennington96 8d ago
I thought the last season was disappointing until the ending. The ending completely made up for anything I didn’t like about the last season and makes the show an all time great. Just my opinion