It's been a long, long time, but thankfully I can say that SpoilerTV hasn't missed my presence over the last few months and has flourished and prospered with the return of the 2012-13 TV season.
I've been keeping myself incredibly busy in a world slightly away from the internet, but I have made sure to keep my TV passions in check with doses of The Walking Dead, Homeland & Fringe.
I thought an interesting post could be to try and discuss exactly what makes some shows so popular. Why do you come online to discuss certain shows? What is it you like about them? Is it because of a specific character? Is it to discuss theories? Is it because you want to see what people made of each episode? There is infinite reasons why we watch what we watch. I watched ER for very different reasons than I watched LOST, right? Funnily enough, I could both agree and disagree. I watched LOST for the unknown elements, for the intertwining and complex structure of its mythology. I watched ER for the suspense of life and death situations and the realism the show found for its subject matter. But at both shows heart there is a devotion to character, a clear need to find a real life person and put them on the screen with all their attributes, both good or evil. That's the real reason why I watch the shows that I watch. That is what I look for at the heart of the shows I put time into. I find that in very different places; one minute I find it in a Prison surrounded by Zombies, the next in a CIA headquarters in Langley. It's not just the core reasons why we watch what we watch that I'm interested in here. I want to know the smaller, gritty things as well. Whether it's purely Supernatural's Dean Winchester and his rugged good looks, or instead the spiralling character arc of Breaking Bad's Walter we all have reasons. I assume it would vary from show to show, so it should be interesting to get a general feel what it is about a certain show that makes it tick.
Why We Watch What We Watch
And so we begin "Why We Watch What We Watch." For the next few weeks (when I get time to make some posts) you can vote in a (slightly large) poll, discuss, etc etc exactly what reasons you have for liking/checking out the show online.
I figured a safe place to start is Fringe. Fringe is one of STV's biggest shows, an entity that will be missed when it finished in January. I know for a fact that the viewership of the show has risen and (more generally) sunk over the years, but there is a reason why the show survived. It is beloved, by a few, beloved so much that it is almost a religion that needs to be followed.
People have come from far and wide to state and show their love for Fringe. One perfect example is this video:
It doesn't take a Bishop to work out that there is clearly a devotion to Fringe. A real calling, something that draws a viewer in to the point where they allow it to take over their life for more than an hour each week. Something that makes you love the world, that makes you feel for it. Some would say its the mysteries, the mythology, the unknown element of a world that is not too different from our own, yet different. (see what I did there) Some would say it's because of John Noble, or the shows devotion to dealing with family issues and the loss of the person closest to you. Some would say it's the inventive story-lines on a weekly basis, whilst some may say it's purely because they also love milkshakes.
This is your moment Fringe fans. Tell me exactly what it is you like. I'll be sure to look through and enjoy your comments. Vote in the poll I've made as well, and feel free to add other things that I haven't thought of below. The poll isn't anything definitive. It's things I think of when I think of Fringe. Things that I must therefore like or dislike about it. Use it to spark some thoughts, shout at me if I miss anything and all in all have a good ol' debate. Post pictures, videos, clips of your favourite bits, whatever you want. So long as you're saying, exactly "Why You Watch, What You Watch."
Also, have a good day.
Apologies for any typos. I wrote it in a flurry of thoughts, unlocking my brain as Walter would probably say and letting all my deepest thoughts on Fringe flow.
It feels good to be back,
Adam
Fringe 2:15 - "For Walter so loved his only son, that he would sacrifice the world."
ReplyDeleteI watch for the characters and the mythology. It's good to have a show that makes me think. I also think the actors are excellent.
ReplyDeleteAre the characters spanning all universes? i.e Walter/Walternate
ReplyDeleteO. Dunham, the mythology and the family dynamic within the Fringe division
ReplyDeleteThe characters, the family dynamic, the mythology, the writing, and the weird science. And honestly that's just the tip of the iceberg. I could make a list 20 pages long as to why I love to watch this show.
ReplyDeleteStarted watching because of Abrams. Kept watching because of John Noble and the amazing White Tulip. (Among other much more minor reasons.)
ReplyDeleteWhy I watch Fringe... selected Other. Other being... I watch Fringe for everything on this list (sans watching X-Files).
ReplyDeleteJust gotta say; The amount of choices vs the amount of picks one can make on this poll (4) is enough to send a Fringie like me into frenzy! It took me five full minutes to narrow it down to 4.
ReplyDeleteI love all the characters, but I am a myth nerd when it comes to Fringe, so I picked:
The Mysteries
The Mythology
The Theories
September
I started to watch Fringe because Miss Torv was/is in it ^_^ !!! Yup I know, I'm predictable :P !
ReplyDelete♥
Nina?
ReplyDeleteAh so hard to pick. I live everything about the show. I started watching because of the what the fan base here would say about it and fell in love with the characters, the monster of the week cases, the witty humor, Walter, the whole team, the originality and creativity and just how different it was. And then as the series moved forwards I fell in love with the storyline and the mysteries and of course the alternate universe and all the alternates if our characters. And Lincoln! (I miss Lincoln) and the relationships and the troubles the team faced.
ReplyDeleteI just love everything about this show and I can't imagine what my life will be without it.
I watch for characters, the writing, the mythology, and the cast, which inevitably leads me to J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, because I feel the most of the company's works are all similar in the sense that they want to explore humanity in an often empirical and pro humanism way, but that each show comes at it from a slightly different angle and homes in on some specific thing that maybe other works had only lightly touched on. They have characters like no other, being one of the first to defy previous arch types, characters that are flawed, complex, but also likable, as they put some of the BEST casts together. Their works are thought provoking and the writers no how to use metaphysics to their advantage to tell a great drama about people.
ReplyDeleteFringe for me is like watching LOST (with a smaller regular cast) from the perspective of the Dharma Initiative, where the Fringe Division attempts to explain 'fringe' events in a series of parallel universes, where we often get answers to the mysteries. I think if one would look back at LOST with the Island being a massive multi-functional time machine, and the weird experiences as fringe events, then one might be able to take the knowledge from Fringe and better understand LOST and ultimately realize they are great juxtapositions to each other, as one is about staying mostly in the dark, while the other is about being continuously enlightened to the truth or truths.
I will most certainly miss Fringe. I think if Revolution wouldn't have greatly improved and if Once Upon Time wouldn't behave/look like a Bad Robot show I would be going a little nuts right now, I'm looking forward to at least of two of 4 Bad Robot pilots in the works for next year, especially the futuristic buddy-cop android show with Fringe's same writing team and then the one about the criminal who is suppose to protect a girl who is said to have super powers in 7 years!
I usually watch the shows for these reasons (but depending on the show there is always a few more, more specific to it): characters, story, actors and creators. Creators maybe a bit less, but they are what sometimes catches my attention;)
ReplyDelete1 John Noble
ReplyDelete2 Anna Torv
3 The Writing
4 Alternate Universes
5 Walter Bishop
I would have chosen The Cast, if there was that option instead of 1 and 2
Initially i started watching because of Bad Robot,after watching Alias and Lost i knew it was going to be something else,and oh boy it didn't disappoint! I find it strange,as we get closer to the finale the less i can talk about it.....I know all things eventually come to and end,and we did have a 5th season,but emotionally i'm a wreck,and heart broken knowing the end is near......think i will have to come back to this,i cannot find the words.......
ReplyDeleteI'd been getting tired of a lot long running shows and was looking for something new. Fringe fit the bill perfectly. Completely different and unpredictable with some humor thrown in. The cast couldn't have been better picked,every one of them deserving awards. I've watched every episode from the start and it's been a great ride. There's just too many great things about the show to write down. Even if I tried to I know I'd think of something later I'd forgotten.
ReplyDelete"I Watched The X-Files" - That's my answer too.
ReplyDeleteGot a few that weren't in the poll that I really love about the show
ReplyDelete1.The Opening Credits
2.The musical soundtrack and music featured on the show
3.The psychadelics - Brown Betty, LSD, Salvia
4.The use of LOST alumni
5.The effect of lights on the camera in numerous scenes throughout the show
I'm going to miss Fringe so much - it stood out though it didn't compete well with this reality age of television especially having been moved to the Friday night time slot - proud to say I watch it live anyway still.
I started watching because Lost was over and I was desperate to find a good science fiction show as a replacement in my affections. This was Abrams, it was a good bet. I came in at season 3, The Box. I kept watching while catching up on 1 and 2. I was fascinated by the alternate universes and there being two Olivias with a boyfriend who couldn't tell them apart. I fell in love with the characters, the mystery, the witty writing, and the unfolding of the story. I liked the glyphs and the way they involved the viewers in a puzzle. I had 5 seasons of fun, and I am thankful for that.
ReplyDelete