So, the other day I'm in the local Big Lots here by the house and I'm looking over the discounted video. Normally, this is something I do with no real interest as the video they have are usually discards or items that couldn't or wouldn't sell at other video stores in the area, but you never know. Hey, I was in a Family Dollar store once and found the entire run of the series The Greatest American Hero. Pure shlock at it's best. The cast? Try this on for size:
William Katt
Robert Culp
Connie Sellecca
Michael Paré
And it was funny. And it was entertaining. And it had a really, really irritating HIT song "Believe it or not" as a theme. Don't think it WAS a hit? Try listening to it and then try getting it out of your head.
But I digress.
This isn't about The Greatest American Hero, this is about my trip to Big Lots and the great find I bought there, one of the greatest sci-fi series, in its entirety, for only $32.
All five seasons of FRINGE.
Fringe began its journey, as most shows of this type do, on wobbly legs, but with a clear direction from creators J.J. Abrams and Alex Kurtzman. Though the show was episodic and each stood on its own, there were, even in the first season, undercurrents and subplots being developed that would carry the serial forward and ultimately create the intense, satisfying experience the viewer could look forward to every week.
It was, in a word, addictive.
What had started out as a mix of the Twilight Zone, the Outer Limits, Lost and Star Trek had become, by the third season, a runaway sci-fi thrill ride with twists and turns galore.
At its center, the tale of a quite mad scientist who cannot save his son from a certain death, but is just crazy and brilliant enough to be able to cross over into another universe and get the version of his son that exists there.
This proves a mad, impulsive decision that virtually changes two universes and the bridge between them.
And down the rabbit hole we go.
Symbols, mythology, pseudo-science, gimmicks, and yes, mad cow…
This series had it all.
History may recall television before J.J. Abrams left his mark, but one thing is for certain, it was a lot duller back then.
The first episode of Fringe reportedly cost $10 million to make. The series would reach its pinnacle in season 2 as far a viewership, but it is believed that many viewers were simply watching other things and taping or recording the show on a digital video recorder and watching it later. I know, for example, that I was.
This is some of the best television ever aired, folks, but if you have to see just one of them, see the 18th episode of the second season, White Tulip.
Starring the amazing Peter Weller, I won't spoil this for those of you who haven't seen it. It is a stand alone episode and what many consider THE episode of the series. Often it is called, the missing episode of Fringe.
Next time… more television.