Speculating Television: Mid-Season Reflections
Fringe
Season Four
Fridays @ 9:00 pm EST, FOX (returns 01/13/12)
I feel a little cheated this season of Fringe, and it's not wholly the show's fault. Part of it's because there's been the central mystery of Peter Bishop, and I don't feel I've been give enough episodes so far to really sink my teeth into what's happening. I blame the other part on the World Series, which, thanks to a rain delay, pushed Fringe back a week, which meant what should've been the midseason finale will now be the January premiere episode. The only good thing about that development is that I'll only have one week to wait for the resolution of the cliffhanger episode, and that's good, but thanks to the relative lack of cliffhanger in November, there's not much buzz ringing the show into the New Year.
I worry about Fringe. I've already stated that I really fear that this will be the last season, and that would be a shame: Fringe deserves a least one season (or maybe a half of one) to allow the writers to give the show a proper ending. There's enough complexity in this show that sudden cancellation will be a cheat (much like Profiler's was back in 2000, and if Fox were to tell Fringe right this instant they were canceled after season four, which would give them a half of season to rewrite and work towards an ending, it's still a cheat, because the writers are scrambling to bring closure.
And it's not a bad season. Sure, the ratings are crap. And I'll admit, season three ranks as my favorite to date. But I'm loving what we're exploring this season. I'm starting to think (and the show has suggested as much) that what we're seeing is not our original timelines rebooted sans Peter Bishop, but rather an alternate timeline of the original timelines in which Peter Bishop never existed.
Confused yet? I'll explain more behind the cut to avoid spoilers:
Okay. Remember season one and what we started with? Consider that Fringe Universe A. There is a parallel universe that we were introduced to in Season Two that dominated much of Season Three's storyline. Consider that Fringe Universe B. These two universes are parallel to each other.
What I think we're seeing this season is an alternate universe of A & B where both Peter Bishops died in both A & B. This means that according to my screwy way of thinking, universes A & B are always parallel to each other, no matter what is altered in the timeline.
So in short, we've now got four Fringe universes:
Fringe Universe A (what we consider the original) and Fringe Universe B
AND
ALTERNATE Fringe Universe A (the original as it would've happened if Peter hadn't been in their lives) and ALTERNATE Fringe Universe B (the parallel as it would've happened if Peter hadn't been in their lives)
So the tension, now, is that Peter, who belongs in the original A & B universes, is now stuck in an alternate reality where he's not supposed to exist. Like he said, it's not the timeline that needs to be corrected, it's him.
Right or wrong about this theory of how the parallel/alternate universes/timelines work, one thing I really like about what's going on is that I don't feel bad for wanting Alternate Olivia A to hook up with Alternate Lincoln Lee A. Because Peter (who doesn't get an A or B designation because there's only one of him -- hey, he's the Highlander!) can still be with Original Olivia A, which is the pairing we've been wanting all along, you know? So in other words, this show is a shipper's dream, because you can play with all kinds of pairings and chances are, in some universe, it's happening.
Regardless of who ends up with who and where they're at, I am interested to see how all this alternate universe storyline will affect the original storylines as we know them. Remember the season three finale? Where we get FUTURE Original Fringe Universe A after Fringe Universe B has been destroyed? Remember when Peter makes a remark about Detroit to Broyles, and there was the impression that Future's Broyles blind eye had something to do with whatever happened in Detroit?
I predict that Peter will return to his original timeline, that he will return in Detroit, and however it happens, it blinds Broyles and somehow creates an insane Fringe event that they talk about for years afterwards (and puts Original Walter A back in prison). But what scares me is that such a scenario would indicate the future is going to happen, and in that future, Walternate shot our Olivia. That said, if Peter bridged the two universes in our original A & B timelines like has been done in the alternate timelines (though that's a question: if there was no Peter for the machine in the alternate timeline, how was it activated? Using Walter's DNA somehow?), then both universes should be in tact when he returns to his timeline, and Walternate will have no cause to kill future Olivia.
We'll see. Speculation like this is why I really want just one more season so the writers can go out with a bang instead of a whimper.
The Walking Dead
Season Two
Sundays @ 9:00 pm EST, AMC (returns 2/12/12; renewed for season three)
The second season of The Walking Dead has been an interesting exercise in patience. On one hand, I've read the comics: I do know what's coming. On the other hand, when they deviate, it leaves room for surprise, and the Sophia storyline in its entirely is NOT in the comics. That's where patience was required. I remember reading an interview with Robert Kirkman during season one where he talked about how, in the comic industry, he felt the pressure to push through all the stories and write as fast as possible. The luxury of the television show, then, allows Kirkman to go back and really develop some storylines he felt he cut too short back in the comics. If you've read the books and are watching the show, you've already seen this in play on many levels, but watching this season was a wee bit frustrating. And here's the kicker: Kirkman's not betraying the spirit of the comics.
The Walking Dead has always been a story about the people, not the zombies. It's not a story about fighting zombies and kicking ass, it's about how the characters survive in a horrific landscape and how they may or may not lose their humanity in the process. If you're expecting more from the show or the comic books, you're going to be disappointed. If you're into the characters, you're going to be kind of satisfied with the show. Because while the spirit of intent is there, the execution isn't always right on. The beginning of the episode recap of the mid-season finale, "Pretty Much Dead Already" explains the disconnect much better than I can, and I highly recommend you read it here (spoilers ahoy!). But it boils down to the fact that the show hasn't quite found its groove yet, though if that last episode was any indication, they might've just sealed the deal.
What's interesting is that that episode was also the last with Frank Darabont producing. When the show comes back in February, we'll get to see something new thanks to a new showrunner. Good new or bad new, that's unknown at this point. There's a part of me that's really hoping it was Darabont to blame for the show's disconnect between realism and fantastic and the pacing issues. However, the last handful of The Walking Dead comics have been suffering the same pacing issues: it's as if once the show started, Kirkman wants to take his time with the story, which means that each issue does push the story forward, but only by a wee little bit, and it's easy to get impatient. There's a part of me hoping the series will end with issue #100, but like my husband pointed out, if that was going to happen, it would've been announced already. And with the current success of the show, there's no way they're going to end the comics.
I'm still enjoying the show, don't get me wrong. Andrea's slowly, finally becoming the character i love in the comics, but she's not there yet. I absolute adore the casting of Maggie and hope the show doesn't deviate from the comics too much in regards to her fate. She's the strongest character on the show right now, and has earned her keep. Glen's still a favorite and surprisingly, I like Carl a lot better in the show than the books, probably because the kid's doing a pretty solid job acting. I'm quite curious to see how the second half of the season shakes out, but we've got to wait. That said, they left us with a helluva cliffhanger that keeps us interested and excited, and I've got to give them credit for that.
BTW: a random fear of the end of the comic series (and/or show): what if this was all just a dream? After all, the whole series started with Rick waking up from a coma. Is it too much of a stretch to believe that this is all a figment of Rick's medicated and comatose mind? I'm not sure if that ending would be satisfying or not. I'm guessing mostly not, unless it was handled in such a fantastic way that, well, you could forgive it.
There: since the show's already been renewed for season three, I've given you something ELSE to fear! :)
So that's my mid-season recap of the spec-fic shows. I've already talked Terra Nova and why I quit watching after four or five episodes. American Horror Story is going to get its own post once it wraps up in four episodes. Person of Interest didn't even last one episode for me (I started doing other things while watching the pilot, so yeah, bad sign; I'm not saying it's a bad show either; it just didn't catch my interest). The others shows I watch are still kicking and aren't spec-fic, but with the exception of New Girl (ugh, only watching because husband likes it) and Hell on Wheels (interesting, more engaging than Terra Nova, but the jury's still debating), everything else I watch I've been watching, so there's no surprises there.
So how's the first half of the television season been treating you? What shows have surprised and delighted you? What shows have disappointed? If you watch Fringe or The Walking Dead, what are your thoughts?