foxofthedesert:

elialys:

Did I know, when I first watched the pilot on September 9^th
2008, that in 2018 Fringe would still be that one show I would never get over?

Nah.

To be entirely honest with you all, back in 2008/2009, I mostly
kept watching Fringe because it was just before or after House MD. I can’t even
remember which now. I do remember enjoying the first season mostly because of
Walter. I also remember being frustrated by the frequent hiatuses imposed by
the channel, because I would never know when it was going to come back, and
then I couldn’t be bothered catching up. I didn’t bother catching for an entire
season, that’s how not involved I
was. Yet here I am, exactly ten years later, having spent the better part of
the past eight years actively engrossed and obsessed and all kind of in love.

It doesn’t really matter how you first came to love Fringe,
if it was in September 2008, somewhere in between the pilot and the series’
finale, or if you’ve only discovered it two weeks ago and you’re still crying
over Walter telling Astrid her name is beautiful. Time is quite irrelevant now,
as it is with so many of those beautiful stories that have left the screen for
good, yet prevail in the heart of their fans years after years after years.

“It really is and has been a show about
heart. So many people with heart have given their heart to the program. I have
to believe in some way that because of that, that it connected with people. It
was authentic.” J. Wyman.

That’s the magic of Fringe. They’ve poured so much emotions and truth throughout those 100 episodes, that it will keep on gaining followers five years from now, ten years from now, twenty-five years from now.

Our Little Show That Could.

I still remember watching the pilot, how Olivia’s life came unraveled in such a fascinatingly twisted way, and knowing this show was going to be something special.  At least for me.  It checked off every box that makes me love television/story telling.  It was weird, a little bit crazy, and like the quote above from Wyman states, had so much heart. 

The characters, in particular, were so rich and real and wonderful that they stopped being characters to me along the way and became a part of the tapestry of my own life.  Our intrepid heroine, Olivia, who spent five seasons needing the biggest hug ever, who is strong yet vulnerable and so full of love that it was excruciating to watch her suffer.  Then there was Peter, sarcastic and acerbic but a genius who slowly realizes that his life was so, so empty before an audacious blonde blew it up.  Astrid, meanwhile, was so much more than the background character/assistant trope, as it was her secondary calming, positive influence on Walter that was ultimately responsible for him being able to do what he did at the end of Season 5.  And, I mean, who can not love Walter Bishop?  He is one of the most iconic characters to ever grace television screens.  Fringe is worth watching for John Noble’s sublime performances alone.  I, too, watched House, M.D., and at the time I didn’t think anyone could equal Hugh Laurie’s performance as the titular character.  I was wrong.  John Noble awed me on a weekly basis.  And that’s not to mention how amazing the rest of the cast is, from Broyles to Nina Sharp to Charlie to September to the alt!verse gang!  

In the end, Fringe wasn’t a sci-fi procedural successor to X-Files like so many predicted it would be.  Fringe was story about a quirky little family unit who got thrown together in a world gone insane, overcame so much adversity and pain and heartache and loss while learning how to accept one another for their uniqueness, and all the while they were saving the day on a weekly basis.  So no, this was not just a TV show.  It was a love letter from people who love making amazing television to people who love watching amazing television.  I, for one, echo the sentiments above.  My life is fuller for having watched this show.