I haven’t been reading anyone’s posts on this series because I’m only now getting around to watching the eps that have been accumulating on Ye Ole DVR. But its predecessors–X-Files, BtVS, Angel, Alias–they all had, well I don’t want to say an “agenda”, but certainly an ideology of sorts, however complex and occasionally muddled it was. Distrustful/disdainful of big government, distrustful/disdainful of big business, distrustful of the rogue organization/individual, what have you.
So what about Fringe? Any theories about its ideological leanings yet?
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Published by Nancy E. Shaffer
NANCY E. SHAFFER has been an experimental psychologist (M.A., Cognitive Psychology, Rice University), a philosopher (Ph.D., History and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Davis), and software developer. She taught history and philosophy of science at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec and the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Her philosophical work has appeared in the journal Philosophy of Science and her pop-culture philosophy website, All Things Philosophical on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: the Series.
Dis/inhbition is her first novel.
She currently resides in Tempe, Arizona.
View all posts by Nancy E. Shaffer
Author Nancy E. Shaffer 
I’m having an issue (well many but this one pertains to your question) with the science in general. Doc was put away for nearly 20 years so that would make him a relatively young man at that point, certainly no older than his 40’s and probably younger than that.
If we’re going to contend that the scientific experiment du jour was one of his from back in the day, I’m going to find it very hard to believe. Scientific experiments can take years to produce results. Even if he’s a genius there is no way he could do so many cross-discipline experiments before he was put away. I could buy into him having heard of them but not that they were all his work which they keep suggesting as one of their foundations.
For that matter if his work was this successful, i doubt the government would have let him rot in a psych ward all this time. I would see them waving a magic wand, giving him a new i.d. and setting them to work for them.
Fear of connection. The center will not hold.
The story is about a series of odd events, which are connected, but which cause disruption to the smooth running of society.
The main female character, who is not good at relationships, has her romantic relationship implode due to his involvement in the central mystery. The main male character has an estranged relationship with his father. The scientist has been disconnected from science, and yet is still perversely connected. The dead lover was a friend of the other lead FBI guy, so there too friendship connections may be suspect. There were references to difficulties between agencies in several episodes now. The government is in disarray. The only group that seems hegemonic and organized is the mysterious corporation, which is represented by a woman who is part human, part machine. The help she offers is suspect.
So, I’d go with distrust of connection until further evidence appears.
How is she part machine? Did I miss that part?
Well, it’s like Fred on Angel. Generic Scientist Person who is a master of all sciences and does expert-level experiments in widely varying fields simultaneously.
TeeVee.
yeah that bothered me but my problem here is more fundamental. It’s one thing to understand the science like Fred, and another to have this many ongoing projects.
Well, if I took the show seriously for a second, I probably wouldn’t watch it. As can be said for so much t.v.
It’s in the first episode. She discusses how she is literally a company woman, because company products diagnosed her illness, treated her, and ultimately when her arm had to be removed (think it was lymph node cancer, which if I’m remembering correctly has it’s own thematic symbolism) it was replaced with a company made robotic arm. At which point she pulled off the skin on her arm and wiggled her mecha fingers.
well true. I’m only mildly bothered by it to be honest but sinceyou asked…
i’m not thrilled with the show but i don’t hate it either and since it’s not up against anything I’d rather watch…
Love Fringe. Its my favorite new show of the season. It’s very much X-files, but tweeked more towards Fringe science of the kooky and insane… and i love it.
The show seems less like monster of the week and more about “the pattern”. Everything that the scientist guy has done in the past is becoming part of this weird “pattern” in the present. With the introduction of “the observer” last week, the show has deepened its mythology but I won’t elaborate unless you have seen all the episodes..
I missed the first episode because my DVR erased it before I got around to watching them, so I read a synopsis. I have seen all the other eps up to now.
Missed the first episode because my DVR erased it. Had to read a synopsis.
What’s up this season with robotic female CEOs?
well to elaborate then, I find this show very appealing in that it really focuses more on the Father/Son aspect than on the plainless FBI agent. As for expanding on the Father/son theme, there is the underlying parallel to God and his creations, I feel Fringe will have a common theme of the Scientist and his creations or scientific experiments. We also know that Joshua Jackson’s character is special, and has a very high IQ. We are sure to find out that he was probably experimented on by his dad in a future episode.
We have also seen another example of this father/son theme with the other scientist and his special children in the Clone episode. I’m almost curious to see if “the pattern” that is a current mystery, will relate to something biblical..
Episodes online:
http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=fringe
The first episode just did not turn my crank…or rather turned my crank right off, so I haven’t been watching at all. presents an interesting theory, but I don’t think I can get through all the ickyness, plus Joshua Jackson. If it gets really, really intriguing, I guess I’ll be sorry.