With the return of Fringe comes our first post-Lowatus round-up. It’s good to be back..
..However, it gives me no pleasure in saying that Fringe scored a series low in the ratings for Earthling. Around 4.9 million viewers tuned in, giving the show a lowly 1.7 in the key demo. Ouch indeed.
Was the Lowatus to blame? A lack of updated listings? Too much emphasis on the procedural element? Maybe all three are to blame. Personally, I’m not too worried about cancelation just yet. I believe in the show and its creative team, but I am concerned that Fringe isn’t going in the direction it NEEDS to go for a show at the start of its second season. I can say that with honesty because I care about the show, but I also know that something is not quite right with the way the story has been told in recent episodes. More thoughts on that tomorrow though.
EW‘s Ausiello has some words of encouragement from JJ. Abrams on the ratings and future of the show:
It’s hardly a secret that Fringe is having a tough go of it on Thursday night this season. Last week, the sophomore drama’s audience shrunk to just 5 million viewers — an all-time low. Sure, two weeks of pre-emptions due to baseball didn’t help, but the fact remains: Fringe is struggling.
On the bright side, everyone seems to be in agreement that Fringe has never been better creatively. And inside sources say Fox, although not thrilled with the ratings, remains committed to the show — a fact corroborated by the drama’s boss, J.J. Abrams.
“The mood on set and in the writer’s room is as good as the ratings are bad, which is to say, wonderful,” Abrams tells me. “Luckily, Fox has been insanely supportive, for which we are deeply grateful.”
Abrams is encouraged by the show’s “strong” DVR numbers as well as the glowing reviews from critics. “But given that we’re on one of the hardest [nights] on television, we’re just focusing on making the best show we possibly can,” he says. “What else can we do?”
Bottom line: Fringe is in no immediate danger of going “over there” (a.k.a. TV graveyard). The key word there being immediate.
Popular Mechanics put Earthling’s shadow reaper to the test:
“Earthling” begins with a husband who comes home to surprise his wife for a wedding anniversary, only to be killed by ghostly shadow. A card that reads, “I know how you like surprises…” awaits his wife when she returns home, but when she does, he’s no longer in great shape. As she nudges her eerily still spouse, he crumbles into ash. Cue the screaming—and the entrance of the Fringe team.
Though the mad scientist Walter Bishop, his son/handler Peter and FBI agent Olivia Dunham are stumped as to what could have caused an otherwise healthy man to turn to ash, Agent Phillip Broyles has seen this paranormal phenomenon before. It’s a cold case from four years prior. (He’s got a strong personal connection to this one—he was so obsessed with the case that his wife left him.) Apparently, the suspected killer needed Broyles and his team to crack a molecular puzzle, which the suspect announced could “make it stop.” Broyles was unable to crack the model, and there were five unexplained “dust deaths” as a result. The only clue: Each victim had visited a hospital on the day he or she was killed.
As the shadow lurks through the halls of an area hospital, the Bishops examine the remains of the first victim back in Walter’s lab—and find that the remaining ash pile has no radiation whatsoever. Which is odd, because, as Walter points out, there is radiation in every living organism on Earth. Meanwhile in the hospital, another victim is “dusted.” After footage of the shadow appears on the hospital’s security camera, we learn that it’s radiation that the shadow needs to survive, and our suspect assumes the identity of an on-the-run Russian who abducted his cosmonaut brother from a Russian lab after he returned from a mission in a coma. The shadow is likely something the cosmonaut acquired in space, where radiation levels are much higher than on earth.
And that’s about it, for today anyway. Like I said, I have a few things I need to get off my chest regarding season 2 in general, and the last two episodes in particular. Something has happened for the first time since the show started and it’s very eye-opening indeed.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
If Fox is so “commited” to the show, they should do the smart thing and just move it from Thursdays. It’s common sense.
Glad to hear Fox is behind the show a lot, and I really hope we don’t have to worry about it being canceled.
I think it never should have been moved from Tuesdays.
They should at least pair it with Dollhouse, so viewers can make a night out of it.
From Rocco – “I believe in the show and its creative team, but I am concerned that Fringe isn’t going in the direction it NEEDS to go for a show at the start of its second season. I can say that with honesty because I care about the show, but I also know that something is not quite right with the way the story has been told in recent episodes”
Rocco, I couldn’t have set it better myself. Well put.
I’m convinced Fox wants it to fail. If they were serious about show then they would move it. By keeping it where it is, pretty much dooms it to failure. They want it to get so bad, that they can move it to Friday nights. Then we will get the well we supported it and hoped it would improve thing, however where doing the right thing by the viewers of the show by showing the remainder of the episodes. That’s after they’ve cut back the number of episodes for the season.
negative self