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DVD Shopping Bag: Fringe Season 1 on Blu-ray
Missing 1 Episode Changed Everything. By
Robert T. Trate
September 08, 2009
Fringe Season 1 is now DVD and Blu-ray, giving you plenty of time to learn about the pattern before season 2 starts.
© Bob Trate
When Fringe premiered back in September of last year many of us were skeptical. We all thought Fox was letting someone else take another crack at the X-Files. I for one still feel the burn anytime Fox airs a new sci-fi show and think, well how long is this going to last? I decided to record Fringe just in case. I was a big fan of the X-Files and thought, hey maybe the guys from LOST and Alias could do it again. I also thought if this show does take off maybe there will be the opportunity to meet with the cast and crew at the next comic con. Before I even started watching the show I got an email in late January that there would be a chance to meet with the cast at the New York Comic Con. The show hadn’t been cancelled yet and this meet and geek could have been one of two things, a last ditch effort to push the show or a chance to really solidify it with the show’s target community. It was the latter.
I jumped at the chance to meet some of the cast, knowing some of their other projects. However I was unprepared to talk about Fringe except for the fan boy caparison to the X-Files. I turned to my trusty, though not too trusty as I would later discover, DVR to catch up. The race was on to get though twelve episodes before the Con. Twelve hours of TV may not be a lot to some people but I still had all the other Mania things to do plus live life. I calculated it in my head that twelve episodes wouldn’t be twelve hours because of all the commercials. Wrong. Fringe has limited commercial interruptions and my time in the Fringe universe would be a tad longer. Thankfully the show became an addiction and each episode surpassed the next in storytelling and effects. This was more than the X-Files. This was its own beast, a strangely unique one and one that I am glad to call myself a fan of now. I met with Joshua Jackson (see interview) and producer Jeff Pinkner (see interview). Having the show so fresh in my head I came prepared to talk.
Warner Brothers who produces Fringe released the complete first season on Blu-ray today with more special features than you could ever want. Everything from dissecting to “the pattern” to a profile on Gene the Cow is showcased in the Blu-ray set. I decided to watch the whole season over again so I could start looking for the pattern and dissecting the clues from a new perspective. I now knew more about Walter (John Noble) and Peter Bishop. I know more about the pattern so I could really begin to decipher it without having to worry so much about the other plots going on. Who I really wanted to keep a look out for was “The Observer”. The Observer (Michael Cerveris) appears throughout the season and to me was this mysterious character that had yet to be explained. He appears significantly in the last episode interacting with Walter. The Observer helps Walter shine the light on the door that he and William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) opened so long ago. When I initially saw the last episode I was confused and surprised how little was explained about character. The “Inner Child” episode set up an origin of sorts for the character but really was about another or future Observer and not this one in particular. Don’t get me wrong I liked the mystery and the confusion about what and whom The Observer was. I just felt that there was something missing.
Apparently what was missing from my DVR was the fourth episode of the season titled “The Arrival”. I suddenly realized that missing that one episode changed everything. When I was watching them, back in January, I never bothered to see if the DVR missed one or not. I just kept watching some sometimes two or three a night. I never even thought to double check this because as I learned from producer Jeff Pinkner, later, that Fringe was episodic television. A singular contained episode that might have some mythology for the show but not hinge on it. That guy really got one over on me. “The Arrival” episode is a huge part to the show and not only set up The Observer but explained why Peter Bishop stuck around instead of heading back to the Middle East. Sure the episode is about a strange sonic cylinder but in actuality it set up the show’s mythology for the rest of the season. Initially I thought Peter Bishop, who said he wanted out after his father got back on his feet, hung around because in our reality Joshua Jackson was cast on the show and this was his job to play that part. In the show’s reality Peter Bishop is scared straight, after being tortured, he believes that there is a pattern out there and that all this is happening for a reason. “The Arrival” is the one episode you cannot miss and it totally changed everything from that episode on. The season’s finale “There's More Than One of Everything” has new meaning as The Observer now, for me, speaks again with Walter supplying him with even more about his past. Before this was the start of a new plot thread where after watching it and seeing that one missing episode really brought the season to a complete circle. I said it before and I’ll say it again, watching a complete season on DVD or Blu-ray is really the best way to do it.
Since Battlestar Galactica went off the air there hasn’t been that one show that deserves the following title: “The Best Show on Television”. It might be too soon to bestow that on Fringe and hopefully it will not suffer a sophomore slump like Heroes did. It might not be “The Best Show on Television” yet but it is damn near close. I for one cannot wait for September 17th when Fringe returns to Fox on its new night. You on the other hand have nine days to get caught up. Trust me you can do it. That would be about two episodes a day up to and including the premiere. Once you get hooked you’ll be thrilled you did it.
Check out my interview with Joshua Jackson and Fringe and LOST producer Jeff Pinkner here on Mania. Look for Stephen Lackey’s continuing coverage of the series starting September 17th.
ACTION / ADVENTURE / KUNG FU/ THRILLERS / WESTERNS
Anti-Terrorist Cell: Manhunt ~ Arnold Vosloo, Michael Ironside, Ben Cross, and Colin Salmon
Battle of the Warriors ~ Andy Lau, Sung-kee Ahn, Zhiwen Wang, and Bingbing Fan
Blood Rain ~ Suk-Won Chang, Seung-won Cha, Ji-na Choi, and Jong-won Choi
Catwoman [Blu-ray] ~ Halle Berry
Crank 2: High Voltage [Blu-ray] ~ Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Corey Haim, Dwight Yoakam, David Carradine, and Bai Ling
Crank 2: High Voltage (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Dead Calm [Blu-ray] ~ Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, and Billy Zane
Dead Calm (Keepcase)
Elipsis ~ Edgar Ramirez, Seu Jeorge, Gaby Espino, and Erich Wildpret
Enter the Dragon (Keepcase) ~ Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Kien Shih, and Ahna Capri
Exit Speed [Blu-Ray] ~ Lea Thompson, Fred Ward, Desmond Harrington, and Alice Greczyn
The Fugitive (Keepcase) ~ Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, and L. Scott Caldwell
Harper's Island: The DVD Edition ~ Elaine Cassidy, Christopher Gorham, Matt Barr, and Gina Holden
Matchstick Men (Keepcase) ~ Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman, Sam Rockwell, and Bruce Altman
Memphis Belle (Keepcase) ~ Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, and D.B. Sweeney
Outbreak (Keepcase) ~ Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey
Point of No Return (Keepcase) ~ Bridget Fonda, Gabriel Byrne, Dermot Mulroney, and Miguel Ferrer
The Poseidon Adventure/Blackbeard
Prodigal ~ D. Al'Deighmian Jackson, Jefro, Jeff Moise, and Jason Tischer
The Quick and the Dead [Blu-ray] ~ Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio
Set It Off [Blu-ray] ~ Queen Latifah, John C. McGinley, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Blair Underwood
Set It Off (Keepcase)
Tango and Cash (Keepcase) ~ Kurt Russell, Sylvester Stallone, Teri Hatcher, and Clint Howard
ANIME
Bleach Movie 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion
Daphne in the Brilliant Blue Collection, Vol. 2
Jinki Extend: The Complete Series
Nana: Uncut Box Set, Vol. 1
Red Garden: The Complete Series Box Set & OVA
CARTOONS
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Very First Alvin Show
Alvin and the Chipmunks Go to the Movies: Star Wreck
Inspector Gadget: The Go Go Gadget Collection
Zorro: Generation Z, Vol. 3
COMEDY AND LOVE Mania Style
Friday [Blu-ray] ~ Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, and Tommy 'Tiny' Lister
Maverick (Keepcase) ~ Mel Gibson, James Garner, Paul Brinegar, and Steve Chambers
Michael (Keepcase) ~ John Travolta, Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, and Jean Stapleton
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 ~ Emilio Estevez, Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Lovitz, and Tim Curry
Scooby-Doo (Keepcase) ~ Rowan Atkinson, Andrew Bryniarski, and Sarah Michelle Gellar
The Whole Nine Yards (Keepcase) ~ Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Rosanna Arquette, and Michael Clarke Duncan
Criterion Collection
That Hamilton Woman- Criterion Collection ~ Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Heather Angel, and Leonard Carey
Homicide- Criterion Collection ~ Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, and Ving Rhames
The Human Condition- Criterion Collection ~ Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Tamao Nakamura, and Yûsuke Kawazu
HORROR
Creepshow [Blu-ray] ~ Ed Harris, Stephen King
Creepshow (Keepcase)
Deep Blue Sea (Keepcase) ~ Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jacqueline McKenzie
The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen (Keepcase) ~ Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, and Lee J. Cobb
Fallen (Keepcase) ~ Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, and Embeth Davidtz
Forever Young (Keepcase) ~ Mel Gibson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Elijah Wood, and Isabel Glasser
Freddy vs. Jason [Blu-ray] ~ Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Kelly Rowland, and Monica Keena
Greetings ~ Kristy Cox
Hell House: The Book of Samiel ~ Mike Carlis, Jessica Marie, Geof Libby, and Sheila Kraicks
Hot Rod Horror
Live Animals ~ John Still, Christian Walker, and Patrick Cox
Night of the Dribbler ~ Fred Travalena, Greg Calpakis, and Claude Genest
Night Stalker ~ Elissa Dowling
Rise of the Gargoyles ~ Eric Balfour, Tanya Clarke, Nick Mancuso, and Ifan Huw Dafydd
Uncharted ~ Demetrius Navarro
MODERN CLASSICS ON BLU-RAY
Menace II Society [Blu-ray] ~ Khandi Alexander, Christopher M. Brown, and Marilyn Coleman
The New World (The Extended Cut) [Blu-ray] ~ Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, and Christian Bale
Over the Top [Blu-ray] ~ Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia, Susan Blakely, and Rick Zumwalt
Requiem for a Dream [Blu-ray] ~ Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Keith David, and Louise Lasser
Silverado [Blu-ray] ~ Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, and Danny Glover
SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY
Bedknobs and Broomsticks ~ Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall, Reginald Owen, and David Tomlinson
The Black Hole/The Last Sentinel
City of Angels (Keepcase) ~ Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan, and Andre Braugher
Contact (Keepcase) ~ Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, and William Fichtner
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb/Merlin's Apprentice
Masters of the Universe (Keepcase) ~ Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Meg Foster, and Billy Barty
The Postman (Keepcase) ~ Kevin Costner, Will Patton, Larenz Tate, and Olivia Williams
The Postman [Blu-ray]
The Secret Garden (Keepcase) ~ Kate Maberly
Sleep Dealer [Blu-ray] ~ Guillermo Rios, Andaluz Russell, Jacob Vargas, and Jorge Zepeda
Sleep Dealer
Sphere [Blu-ray] ~ Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, and Peter Coyote
Sphere (Keepcase)
Wild Wild West (Keepcase) ~ Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, and Salma Hayek
The Witches (Keepcase) ~ Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, and Jane Horrocks
TV LAND
Criminal Minds: The Complete Fourth Season ~ A.J. Cook, Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, and Shemar Moore
Important Things with Demetri Martin: Season One ~ Barry Carl, Michael Delaney, Steve Grivno, and George Katt
Fringe: The Complete First Season (+ BD-Live) [Blu-ray] ~ Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, and Lance Reddick
Fringe: The Complete First Season
Mr. Belvedere: Season Three ~ Christopher Hewett, Brice Beckham, Bob Uecker, and Ilene Graff
MTV's Nitro Circus: Season One ~ Travis Pastrana, Andy Bell, Jim Dechamp, and Johnny Knoxville
The Office - Season Five ~ Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, and Jenna Fischer
The Office - Season Five [Blu-ray]
Parks & Recreation: Season One ~ Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, and Nick Offerman
Worst Week: The Complete Series ~ Kyle Bornheimer, Erinn Hayes, Nancy Leneham, and Kurtwood Smith
BOX SETS
From Dusk Till Dawn Triple Pack (From Dusk Till Dawn | From Dusk Till Dawn 2 | From Dusk Till Dawn 3) ~ Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, and Quentin Tarantino
Halloween Triple Pack (Halloween - The Curse of Michael Myers | Halloween H20 | Halloween Resurrection) ~ Donald Pleasence
Scary Movie Triple Pack (Scary Movie | Scary Movie 2 | Scary Movie 3)
Scream Triple Pack (Scream | Scream 2 | Scream 3) ~ David Arquette
Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive ~ Boris Korloff, Bela Lugosi, and David Manners
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Well, it looks like Fringe is on against Supernatural this year and as much as I enjoyed it, the Winchester boys are going to get my business. Too bad.