Farewell to Fringe

Tonight is the final episode of one of my favorite television shows of all time...Fringe.

As with many shows, I came late to the party with Fringe.  My son Jonathan introduced us to the show after it had already been airing for some time, and we caught up on DVD.

I was intrigued from the beginning.  Only in recent years have I realized that I am a fan of science fiction (particularly time-travel).

But it wasn't only that aspect that won me over.

As a huge fan of Lost, I tend to gravitate toward shows that have a connection to J.J. Abrams. Rarely has this disappointed me.  Most of the Abrams connected TV shows don't hide the connection, and will sometimes have call-backs to Lost and other Abrams shows.

But again, that wasn't what really won me.

Fringe does have fascinating and intriguing storylines, but it was the characters I fell in love with.

If I am going to continue watching a show on a regular basis, I have to care about the characters.  And the characters on Fringe are wonderful--beautifully drawn, developed, written and acted.

And the humor! Fringe isn't a comedy by any stretch, but just as "Lost" provided comic relief at just the right time and in just the right amounts, Fringe has often given me a reason to chuckle...usually at the brilliant but endearing and more-than-slightly nutty Walter.

Olivia (Anna Torv), Walter (John Noble), Peter (Joshua Jackson), Astrid (Jasika Nicole), Nina (Blair Brown), Broyles (Lance Reddick)...I'm going to miss them. And I think it's pretty high praise when fictional characters are so real that you actually miss their presence in your life!

The actors who play them are deserving of much more recognition than they've ever gotten.  John Noble in particular, as Dr. Walter Bishop, would be awarded an Emmy in a perfect world...but instead the Emmys are    obsessed with cable shows, often ignoring top-notch acting on network television.  (Pardon the mini-rant.)

I'm hoping the series ends on a good note.  This last season has often been more grim, gloomy and dark than previous ones.

But however it ends, I'll miss Fringe.

 Farewell to one of the best TV shows ever.