Fringe - "Pilot"

Although making its debut tonight, the pilot episode of Fringe got out, making this early review possible (I'll avoid big spoilers as much as I can, but you may want to wait until after watching the show to read this). Since the writer's strike sabotaged pilot season this year, Fringe was the only new show that I was looking forward to (since Dollhouse doesn't come until January). And all in all, despite a being much slower than what we've come to expect from JJ Abrams, it did not disappoint.

Pitched as J.J. Abrams makes The X-Files (a description that's pretty on point), Fringe kicks off with a bang. We're on an airplane (again) where something horrible is about to happen. I don't want to give it away, but what happens on the plane is pretty messed up and starts off the show nicely. Unfortunately, after that things kind of grind to a halt to introduce us to the two main characters. First is Olivia Dunham, an FBI agent played by newcomer Anna Torv. Dunham certainly has potential to be interesting, but none of that potential really manifests itself as she goes through the expository motions that lead her to main character number 2: Dawson's Creek's Joshua Jackson (who, if we're being honest, will always be Charlie from The Mighty Ducks) Jackson is Peter Bishop, the conman son of a mad scientist named Walter whose knowledge of "fringe science" (which apparently is like pseudoscience, but crazier) is the only lead Dunham has. To break him out of his asylum, Olivia needs Peter's help. Jackson's charming enough, playing the voice-of-reason type character, but again he doesn't actually contribute much of value to this particular episode.

If it sounds like I'm being too hard on Fringe, that's because the first hour is somewhat tedious to get through. But if you make it to the second, you'll be rewarded with all kinds of great stuff. John Noble dominates the show as Walter Bishop, who really kicks things into motion when he attempts to have Olivia blend her subconscious with that of her unconscious partner (a scheme which involves her dropping acid and submerging herself in a tank of water). Its also here where we begin to get an idea of what the big picture might be: something called The Pattern. The Pattern is a series of crazy, unexplained phenomena, almost as if someone (or something) is using the entire planet as some kind of laboratory. That someone may be Massive Dynamics, a Dharma Initiative-style corporation whose founder has ties to Walter. In many ways, this represents the most interesting tweak to The X-Files formula: no longer is the government the primary concern. Instead it seems that to be a genius with a desire for a massive conspiracy in the 21st century requires one to go into the private sector. Its the Walter-Massive Dynamics-Pattern relationship that drives the show, although I'd be remiss not to point out the presence of the always awesome Lance Reddick. Reddick is somewhat underutilized here (except for one scene where he basically lays out the concept of the show), but he's clearly going to be around for a while and his interactions with Anna Torv were quite strong.

Once it starts getting into the crazy science and corporate conspiracies, it seems like Fringe finds its legs. The show suffers from being the shadow of Abrams' other two greater, paradigm shifting intros (Alias and Lost), but both of those shows also suffered in the long run from having less malleable premises. Abrams and Co. are dealing with some interesting ideas here and the show sets up a dynamic between its three leads that should develop well over time.
Grade: B

P.S. In case you haven't been following the Fringe ARG (I don't know about you but I always find those things take up too much time for too little reward), but this post on io9 summarizes the coolest part. As long as they can come up with crazy stuff like this, I'll be watching every week.