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1.21.2011

Day 20 - One Of Your Favourite Shows

I originally only had one show in mind here, as per the subject of the day, but then I received a rather exciting email from a fan group I belong to so I have now decided that I will talk about two shows. Also, because I can, I'm going to avoid talking about specific plot developments as best I can. No spoilers here!



First, and also the original, is what I personally consider to be the best show on television right now - genre or otherwise. My interest in Fringe was piqued after seeing all the posts and positive recommendations it received on io9, and so I proceeded to... acquire all the episodes that had aired by that point (I think that they were just finishing season two). Best. Decision. Ever. I will admit, there are some problems with the first season that can make you wonder why you are even bothering to watch this somewhat amusing if not entirely there X-Files clone. Then you get to season two and they smack you over the head with a frying pan. And suddenly the first season makes a lot more sense. And then they go and out do themselves with season three and you go from X-Files clone to "X-Files wha?"

Fringe is great because it is smart. They don't have to dumb down the plot line so that you can follow along. They give you enough of a mystery so that you have something to create wild and crazy theories about between without dragging them out overly long ala Lost. It is a tensely written thriller with enough of a procedural feel to satisfy the Bones/CSI/NCIS crowd, and yet wears its genre colours very openly.

Easily the best part about Fringe is its characters. They are engaging and complex. It isn't very often you see characters as multi-dimensional (ha!) as Olivia, Walter, Peter and the rest of the gang. Their background and the stories about who they are and what they have gone through are deep and the changes that the characters face as the story goes on feels like they are actually centred around the multitude of tiny details that make the characters work. John Noble certainly deserves recognition for his role as Walter Bishop, the somewhat mad-scientist with a penchant for hallucinogens who kicked off the entire chain of events the series covers. I mean, this guy gives depth and some absolutely amazing character moments to someone who is literally missing parts of his brain and who can swing from serious scientist to taking his pants off in front of a group of his employees in the blink of an eye. And then you have Anna Torv, who was criticised early in the series for her wooden acting. Then the end of season two happened, people saw how much of an acting genius she really is, and now she has been juggling the equivalent of four different character roles at the same time. Kudos for that.

I could go on for much longer about how much I love Fringe, and often will if you let me, but I want to leave some things for discovery. I will leave you with a whole-hearted recommendation to check this show out though.



Now for the exciting news. One of my favourite shows when I was little was ReBoot, a show from Canadian animation studio Mainframe Entertainment. IT was a great show and the first of its kind: fully 3D computer animation. I loved watching it and my dad still says that is was one of the better kid's television shows. Anyway, apparently they are going to be re-releasing the entire series on DVD and I received the email today saying that it was up for pre-order. Naturally I was very excited, and here we are. Awsome tv, here I come!

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