Among more famous shows JJ Abrams was involved in, including Lost, Alias and more recently Person of Interest, there was one critically well-received show that he co-created that was not as popular. That show was Fringe, also created by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.
The show followed the Fringe Division, consisting of FBI special agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), bizarre experimental scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son Peter (Joshua Jackson). Similar to weekly episodes of The X-Files at first, the team investigated bizarre scientific cases including series-long mysteries dealing with their histories.
Although the show lasted five seasons, it maintained a cult following. The show received low live viewership numbers, though Nielsen tallied delayed viewership separately. With the announcement of POI coming to Netflix and WGN America, it's time to look back at this cult favorite masterpiece.
TheCelebrityCafe.com counts down the top 10 Fringe episodes.
image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFevents.com
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10. “The No-Brainer” (Season One)
Season one episodes were almost separated between recurring story-line episodes and case-of-the-week episodes. This one fell in the latter, with a case involving a computer program that was sent to select people, causing them to hallucinate while liquefying the victims’ brains. The opening scene of this episode was equally mysterious and surprising, with some nice special effects.
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9. “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide” (Season Three)
One of the weirdest episodes of the show and named after the full name of LSD, Walter and Peter have to save Olivia from death by diving into her mind, a la Inception. The episode came out less than a year after that Christopher Nolan film, and Warner Bros. was behind both that film and this series. Drugs were especially used by Walter and in the show’s other experiments.
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8. “The Ghost Network” (Season One)
The central mystery was about a man who was able to access a hidden signal accidentally with his mind. However, this episode was more famous for introducing what would eventually be called “amber.” Turning from gaseous to solid instantly and encasing (presumably killing) those caught in it, it was one of the more memorable technologies of the series.
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7. “Subject 9” (Season Four)
Spoiler alert: Peter was erased from existence. However, he did not disappear entirely from the series, as Olivia encounters an energetic presence that becomes somewhat familiar to her by the end of the episode. This episode is also notable for having Chadwick Boseman of Get On Up in a guest role.
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6. “Five-Twenty-Ten” (Season Five)
Season five closed the series on a different note, having the characters exist in a future dominated by a future race known as The Observers. The technology that gave the Observers’ time-traveling powers was taken and used by Peter, as the team continued to fight against them. The ending scene was especially haunting.
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5. “The Firefly” (Season Three)
This episode was notable for including both the original Observer (Michael Cerveris) and Christopher Lloyd in a grounded performance. Lloyd played a member of one of Walter’s favorite bands who encounters his long-dead son, brought forward in time by The Observer. Walter and Lloyd’s character bond over their tragedies, along with a milkshake.
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4. “Over There: Part 2” (Season Two)
Warning: spoilers follow, especially for the remaining entries. In the great first part, our universe’s characters’ went to an alternate universe with similar-yet-different versions of the characters that continued on to part two. What made this episode better was the interactions between Walter and his former partner William Bell, played by Leonard Nimoy.
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3. “The Day We Died” (Season Three)
Peter’s mind is transported into a probable future (different from season five’s future), where he discovers the season’s mystery of the machine he uses and its consequences, including where it came from. This season finale had twists and turns, as well as very emotional moments. The series’ great acting continues as well, especially from Jackson and Noble.
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2. “White Tulip” (Season Two)
This amazingly acted and well-told episode followed a quantum-physics professor (Peter Weller) who successfully travels back in time multiple times to correct a tragedy, which Walter begins to notice in one timeline. The dramatic highlight is the two scientists discussing the consequences of their actions. Walter’s tragedy, and consequences, were discussed in the previous episode, which is also number one.
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1. “Peter” (Season Two)
Answering many questions while paving the way for future ones, this episode discussed the mystery behind Walter and Peter. In 1985, Peter died from a disease before Walter could find a cure. To save an alternate Peter, Walter breaks the laws of physics and rips a hole to an alternate universe. Heart-wrenching and superbly acted, this episode was the pinnacle of the show and its lore.