Reason To Watch: The Observers take center screen.
What It’s About: A young woman in Boston is kidnapped in
broad daylight by a neatly dressed man with spooky eyes and — oh yes — he’s as
follicly unfettered as a billiard ball. Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and
Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) are called in and quickly realize this fellow is
none other than an Observer. These are the mysterious men who have been sighted
at three dozen bizarre events around the world known as “the Pattern.”
What’s “the Pattern”? Strange occurrences, or, as
lead FBI investigator Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick) once explained, it’s
“as if someone out there is experimenting, only the whole world is a
lab.” We learn more about the Observers who — in fact — were present and
accounted for at other important junctures in world history, which means they
don’t age.
The proof? If you study historical paintings or drawings
closely, the bald dude is in there, although usually attired in period costume,
not in the off-the-rack suit we’ve grown accustomed to seeing him in. They also
like really hot hot sauce. There’s also more than one.
My Take: Fringe is in
trouble. Viewers have thinned out, and, beyond the hardcore fan sites, it seems
buzzed-out, too. Whom to blame? When in doubt, always blame the network. The
move to Thursdays was like a giant lights-out switch. But wait! If Fringe really had a dedicated base of viewers, wouldn’t
they have followed? Or … what if they weren’t that dedicated to begin with? Fringe is a beautifully produced show with a wonderful
cast, and — best I can tell — some of the best gore anywhere on TV. But the
mythology has always seemed half-baked. Whole world’s a lab? Fine. Observers
are checking us out. Great. Weird things are happening. Got it. But … do I
and a few million others really care? I’m not sure. Maybe that’s the problem
here.
Bottom Line: Watch to learn more, but don’t be surprised if
you don’t learn that much.
Fringe
9 p.m. EST Thursday
Fox
Verne Gay writes for Newsday. Via McClatchy-Tribune News Service.
