It’s been awhile since we’ve posted here, but I’m back to watching tv so I might as well share some thoughts on what I’ve been watching. I’ll start with what I consider the most frustrating new show of the season, “Fringe” by Lost creator J.J. Abrams.

I keep watching it, convinced that it really should be good, but each episode it disappoints me.  The premise of the show is that stange, unexplainable things, referred to as “the Pattern”, are happening (although only around Boston, it seems). These involve mind-reading, flesh-melting viruses by clones, and strange super-fast ageing babies. (Seriously, I couldn’t make this up on my own).  Called in to assist is super-special FBI Agent and quiet talker Olivia Dunham, assisted by crazy old scientist Dr. Walter Bishop (who, as far as I can tell is actually responsible for developing all of these twisted phemenona - Nuremberg Code anyone?).  Assisting Olivia in dealing with his mad scientist father, and providing a slight bit of sexual tension, is Peter Bishop, played by good old Pacey from Dawson’s Creek, a.k.a. Joshua Jackson.  Rounding out the cast is Olivia’s boss, played by The Wire’s Lance Reddick.

So it has a relatively good cast, good creator pedigree - why does it kind of suck?  There’s an overarching “bad coorporation is at the root of everything theme”, but J.J. Abrams has said he doesn’t want to make Fringe the type of show that has to be watched from every episode.  He wants each episode to be “complex and accessible”.  The result, in my books, is a show where you want to know more about the overarching theme, but they spend the first 15 minutes of each episode recapping it, then they offer you a very very tiny piece of it at the end.  Completely unsatisfying.  Am I being too hard on it?  It just doesn’t strike me as quite as smart as it thinks it is.