Hello to all my fans in La La Land.  It’s Brother Fidel from Florida here.  Normally, I’m your first line of defense for the large silver screen, but today I’m here to hip you to something that might hit you right where you live (and hopefully on your oversized HDTV at that).

Fringe is a pilot written by none other than JJ (Lost, Alias, Star Trek) Abrams.  If you trust the internet (you’re reading this so I’m going to go ahead and assume… yes), Joshua Jackson (Pacey anybody?) is set to star alongside a couple of people I’m unfamiliar with.  (If it wasn’t WB, it wasn’t me).  I lie… I also know Mark Valley, said to be in the Pilot, from his fantastic and underrated work on Keen Eddie.  Yes, I have very specific taste.

Ultimately, this feels like an early draft as there are still a slew of typos and the script itself needs a decent trimming to make its two-hour TV delivery.

THE STORY

The fringe the title refers to is fringe science.  The weird stuff.  The stuff that will make X-Files-philes blush with anticipation.  This pilot goes into how three people – a Federal Agent, an institutionalized scientist and his genius son – come together to address the problems this field’s work births into the world.

THE SKINNY

The federal agent is Olivia Warren.  She’s a tough cookie and very willing to push the envelope when it comes to protecting those she cares about.  Unfortunately, due to the events of the Pilot, I’d imagine she’s going to have some serious trust issues.

You know how both House and Bones from the shows bearing the same name are equally socially inept in their own unique way?  The character of Walter Bishop ratchets that up more than a few notches.  You see, almost two decades ago, he was a hotshot scientist.  After a mishap of undisclosed origin and some resulting deaths, Walter is institutionalized and he’s sat there, broken, untouched and heavily medicated ever since.  He’s like a brilliant child – discovering the world anew.  To me, this character is the bread and butter of Fringe.  There is a sense of foreboding when the doctor releases Bishop and I’d like to see the writers play in that sandbox a bit.

Peter Bishop, the younger Bishop, is on the run from a serious gambling debt.  He’s cheated death so far by mimicking The Pretender and using his high IQ to do whatever job he can land.  Though there’s no love lost for his father, seeing him in his current state evokes at least a bit of sympathy.  Peter also has eyes for Olivia.  I’m interested to see what Joshua Jackson can do with the role.

These three people come together when Olivia needs help solving a case that seems to have links back to some of Walter’s work pre-institutionalization.  The standing order states that only relatives can visit Walter so Olivia tracks down Peter, who is hesitant to go through the pain of confronting the man who set his troubled life into motion.

Ultimately, the script reads like a 25/25/50 mix of House, Bones and X-Files and I say that as a person who enjoys/enjoyed all three of those shows.  The conspiracy seems to stem from a company called Prometheus founded by none other than William Bell – Walter Bishop’s old lab partner.  Yes, I know those familiar with mythology may think the company name a bit heavy-handed but I dig it.

Ultimately, the only part of the Pilot that needed a severe re-hash was when Olivia’s superior reveals to her the existence of the Fringe.  I can do without the spoon-feeding.

THE FINAL WORD

JJ Abrams, shit going wrong, a shadowy company and an ongoing mystery/conspiracy – is it just me or does that read like the fast track to successville?