Starring: Anna Trov, Joshua Jackson, John Noble
Category: TV
Things are getting complicated in Season 4.
In the beginning, Fringe was the show that tried very hard to bring you into their world slowly. Very slowly. Key story concepts were re-introduced almost ever week. Things were overall complicated but it was easy to understand if you just watched two or more episodes.
Then something happened. Probably because they were moved to a difficult time slot. It was as if the writers said, 'Screw this. We're taking the gloves off". At first, it was the revelations that most seasoned sci-fi fans figured out already, like the true identity of Peter Bishop. These came out in fast succession. Probably to say what every fan knows and just get it out of the way. Even so, it was done so well and advanced the overall story arch. This is not unprecedented. Star Trek: Enterprise got really interesting in it's last season when the writers did what they were holding back.
In Fringe's season 3, things were settling down. Almost every one understood the 'rules' of the world of Fringe. The conventions and relationships were established and strengthened. The thought that came to my mind was that they were going to make the world familiar enough so that the storylines would shift back to the characters as opposed to building and expanding the mythology. Boy, was I wrong. There kept on expanding and building on the mythology at an accelerated rate. Towards the end of Season 3, things were moving so fast that I didn't have time to enjoy the story being played out. I knew things were coming to a head but it was getting ridiculous.
Now, Season 4 seems to be almost a reboot. Nobody is who we are used to. Established relationships were shifted and altered. Characters now have different motivations than in the past seasons. For a good reason, too. These are not the same people we are used to. But familiar enough to not break the connections we have made in the past. Now, instead of focusing on characters, the focus is back on the mythology and storylines are going everywhere. Past story arches are being revisited. So much so that it feels that the series has at least 4 long-term story arches. And every week, there seems to be a threat of adding more.
Is Fringe getting too complicated to follow for the average viewer? Are they closing the doors to new viewers and saying 'Go back and watch the previous episodes.' ? After three seasons, they do have that right. With all that is available now, going back to watch previous seasons is not all that hard. It is easier to watch previous episodes than it was a when Fringe started. Watching a TV series and immersing in the world of that TV series is no longer just an option, it is required to fully enjoy it. Making it hard to jump in could just be a way of making viewers work harder and making the experience more valuable.
It could also be a way of the writers to reward long time viewers who have stuck with the show. With their difficult scheduling slot, the majority of the viewers by now are long time and hardcore fans. Those who do find the show would not be as inclined to watch it now but could be intrigued enough to watch past episodes to figure out what is happening on the show.
While the ploy is getting more and more hard to follow, it has prevented something else from happening. Something that killed another great sci-fi TV series: Self-referencing. Over self-referencing and breaking of self-references, to be exact. This happened to the X-Files. They got the point where the mythology became a burden. Storylines were both breaking references to past, established rules or were so specific that only longtime fans understood what was going on. This 'reboot' allow the Fringe writers to use elements of the series's mythology in different ways while expanding it. And that is a good thing. It creates stories that are both new and accessible to new viewers and contain elements that would enhance the experience for long-time viewers.
I am just worried that the sheer number of storylines would eventually overwhelm the viewers. Fringe again is taking a cue from Lost. Lost juggled this by encapsulating storyline segements in different episodes. The storyline would center around a few of the main characters. Some characters wouldn't be seen for a few episodes before it would pick up that character's storyline and expand it. This way, we would focus on the story during that particular episode but would also come back to others in the futures.
Fringe seems to encapsulating storylines. Story arches are expanded episode by episode but rarely more than one story arch is expanded per episode. Events from other story-arches are referenced and have a permanent effect on the series. But they would rarely cross storylines. This may seem confusing to the person that missed a few episodes. But it does keep the series easier to understand while it layers on more complexity on the mythology. And keeping the fans guessing and coming back.
Category: TV
Things are getting complicated in Season 4.
In the beginning, Fringe was the show that tried very hard to bring you into their world slowly. Very slowly. Key story concepts were re-introduced almost ever week. Things were overall complicated but it was easy to understand if you just watched two or more episodes.
Then something happened. Probably because they were moved to a difficult time slot. It was as if the writers said, 'Screw this. We're taking the gloves off". At first, it was the revelations that most seasoned sci-fi fans figured out already, like the true identity of Peter Bishop. These came out in fast succession. Probably to say what every fan knows and just get it out of the way. Even so, it was done so well and advanced the overall story arch. This is not unprecedented. Star Trek: Enterprise got really interesting in it's last season when the writers did what they were holding back.
In Fringe's season 3, things were settling down. Almost every one understood the 'rules' of the world of Fringe. The conventions and relationships were established and strengthened. The thought that came to my mind was that they were going to make the world familiar enough so that the storylines would shift back to the characters as opposed to building and expanding the mythology. Boy, was I wrong. There kept on expanding and building on the mythology at an accelerated rate. Towards the end of Season 3, things were moving so fast that I didn't have time to enjoy the story being played out. I knew things were coming to a head but it was getting ridiculous.
Is Fringe getting too complicated to follow for the average viewer? Are they closing the doors to new viewers and saying 'Go back and watch the previous episodes.' ? After three seasons, they do have that right. With all that is available now, going back to watch previous seasons is not all that hard. It is easier to watch previous episodes than it was a when Fringe started. Watching a TV series and immersing in the world of that TV series is no longer just an option, it is required to fully enjoy it. Making it hard to jump in could just be a way of making viewers work harder and making the experience more valuable.
It could also be a way of the writers to reward long time viewers who have stuck with the show. With their difficult scheduling slot, the majority of the viewers by now are long time and hardcore fans. Those who do find the show would not be as inclined to watch it now but could be intrigued enough to watch past episodes to figure out what is happening on the show.
While the ploy is getting more and more hard to follow, it has prevented something else from happening. Something that killed another great sci-fi TV series: Self-referencing. Over self-referencing and breaking of self-references, to be exact. This happened to the X-Files. They got the point where the mythology became a burden. Storylines were both breaking references to past, established rules or were so specific that only longtime fans understood what was going on. This 'reboot' allow the Fringe writers to use elements of the series's mythology in different ways while expanding it. And that is a good thing. It creates stories that are both new and accessible to new viewers and contain elements that would enhance the experience for long-time viewers.
I am just worried that the sheer number of storylines would eventually overwhelm the viewers. Fringe again is taking a cue from Lost. Lost juggled this by encapsulating storyline segements in different episodes. The storyline would center around a few of the main characters. Some characters wouldn't be seen for a few episodes before it would pick up that character's storyline and expand it. This way, we would focus on the story during that particular episode but would also come back to others in the futures.Fringe seems to encapsulating storylines. Story arches are expanded episode by episode but rarely more than one story arch is expanded per episode. Events from other story-arches are referenced and have a permanent effect on the series. But they would rarely cross storylines. This may seem confusing to the person that missed a few episodes. But it does keep the series easier to understand while it layers on more complexity on the mythology. And keeping the fans guessing and coming back.
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