'Fringe' series finale: A fan's review

SPOILERS AHEAD!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED....

Joshua Jackson as 'Peter Bishop'

Last Friday night one of the best TV series I have ever had the pleasure to watch ended. For those of you who do not know what 'Fringe' is: it is a series created by JJ Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci. It premiered on the FOX network on September 9, 2008, and concluded on January 18, 2013 after five seasons and 100 episodes. The series follows Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), Peter Bishop ('Dawson's Creek's' Joshua Jackson), and Walter Bishop (John Noble), members of a FBI "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, under the supervision of Homeland Security. The team uses 'fringe science' and FBI investigative techniques to investigate a series of unexplained, often ghastly occurrences, which are related to mysteries surrounding a parallel universe and alternate timelines. This series is best described as a hybrid of The X-Files, the original Star Trek series episode 'Mirror, Mirror' and The Twilight Zone.

Nina Sharp

Now moving forward I'll assume if your still reading this you have some knowledge about the series. This last season took a big jump from the original format of the series and saw the 'Fringe' team in the year 2036 following the invasion of the 'Observers' from the 27th century. They had been trapped in amber for 21 years and now they are trying to execute a plan that would reset time and end the tyranny of the evil Observers. I really enjoyed this change in the series. The Observers have always fascinated me and to see them take centre stage as the 'big bad' for the final season was awesome. The character of 'Captain Windmark' has got to be one of the best bad guys ever to have been featured on television. It also opened up the show for some very dramatic moments and great acting. The death of Etta, Nina's sacrifice, the revelation of who Donald is, Peter and Walter's final moments together...absolutely phenomenal.   

Captain Windmark

The final episode did deliver. They did a great job of wrapping up a lot of plot threads. The acting was especially great, especially Joshua Jackson and John Noble. There were several moments in the finale that literally made me cry, especially a very touching scene between Jackson and Noble where Walter is essentially saying goodbye to his son. 

I've heard some negative comments about the final episode. But I really felt it was one of the best final episodes ever made for any TV series. It satisfied me as a fan of the series.

Agent Etta Bishop

  

Because 'Fringe' was never a ratings phenomenon with every season produced there was always the question of whether there would be a next season. The FOX executives have been reported to be fans of the series and that is why the series was able to endure for 5 seasons. In fact it was at the 2012 Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, which I attended, where they announced a 5th and final season which would be 13 episodes. That being said I am grateful they were able to wrap up the series properly. I do wish they had had more episodes for the final season, but just the fact they got to have a final season was amazing. I also got to meet series stars John Noble and Jasika Nicole at the 2012 Calgary Con. They were great and wonderful to meet, they could not have been nicer. 

Chrisloc1701 with Jasika Nicole (Astrid) and John Noble (Walter) at the 2012 Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

There were a few things I wish they had addressed:

- Leonard Nimoy: I was hoping to see 'William Bell' this season as he too was trapped in the amber that preserved the rest of the team to 2036. Also at the end of the episode if time was reset will he not be alive and well in the year 2015? 

Leonard Nimoy as 'William Bell'

- What about Olivia's sister Rachel and Rachel's daughter Ella? They played significant roles in the first 2 seasons, then they were gone and briefly mentioned. I would like to have seen them again.

Rachel Dunham

- The tulip at the end of the episode that Walter sent Peter, and Peter's reaction by looking up before the end of the episode: Does Peter remember what happened in what is now a previous timeline 2036? Does he know the sacrifice Walter made? And if the tulip is a symbol of hope does it mean that Walter may return from the future? Will Peter find a way to bring his father home? Could this be the plot line for a 'Fringe' movie....featuring Leonard Nimoy? I really hope so!! William Bell could help Peter retrieve Walter from the future, or Walter could find his way home....

Anyway the series 'Fringe was a remarkable achievement for science fiction on Television and it will be missed. 

League Assignment: Cowboys

This week’s assignment from the League of Extraordinary Bloggers, if you’re man (or woman) enough to accept it:

 

“Cowboys.”

Well this weeks discussion is on Cowboys. I'm not the biggest western watcher. I've always been more of a sci-fi guy. My Grandpa Leonard LaBerge was a huge fan of the western. He loved western movies, TV shows and books. He had a huge collection of Louis L'Amour books and was always reading one. In the past I've never been much for westerns or cowboys, but as I've gotten older I've grown to appreciate this genre of storytelling. Heres a few things I've checking out that are cowboy/western themed that I have enjoyed:

Movies:

- Probably my favourite western movies are the 'Young Guns' movies. Especially the second one, 'Young Guns II' is definitely my favourite western. 

- The newest 'True Grit' film starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon was absolutely awesome. I actually went to the theatre to watch this movie. 

- I also remember going to the theatre to watch 'Unforgiven', my first western seen in a theatre. The older I get the more I have come to appreciate Clint Eastwood. He truly is a great actor and Director. 

- Although not technically a western, I do consider 'Legends Of The Fall' to be a cowboy movie. Filmed in my home province of Alberta it starred Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and one of my favourite Native Canadian actors: Gordon Tootoosis. 

- Back To The Future III: I loved this movie when it came out and I still love it. Definitely my favourite BTTF sequel. 

TV: 

- Again filmed in Alberta: AMC's 'Hell On Wheels' is an incredible series to watch. The most recent season was amazing and shocking. This is one series I look forward to watching every time it returns to TV. 

- 'A Fistful Of Datas': One of the funniest 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' episodes ever made. I want to see Brent Spiner do more westerns!

- 'A Town Called Mercy': A great episode of 'Doctor Who'. 

- 'Firefly': The Joss Whedon created series starring Nathan Fillion. Imagine 'Star Wars' meets western. Excellent series, cancelled too soon. 

And that is about all I have. I am looking forward to checking out some more Clint Eastwood and John Wayne films. Also I've been told that 'Deadwood' was a great HBO series and it is on my 'To Watch' list. 

Be sure to check out other blogs associated with the League Of Extraordinary Bloggers. Here is a few:

www.fortuneandglorydays.blogspot.com

www.coolandcollected.com

 

www.goodwillhunting4geeks.blogspot.com

 

www.infinitehollywood.com

 

Geek Fallout Episode 7

Geek Fallout Episode 7

We are back from break and in this weeks episode Chris and Jeff are joined by our friend Evan once again. This week our headlines inclued:

-Apple may be working on a smaller cheaper iPhone

-JJ Abrams gives a sneak peak of Star Trek 2 to a dying fan

-Ubuntu for smart phones is on the way

and much more inclueding Gaming, tech and a discussion of some of the Marvel Now! titles that have been released so far.

Geek Fallout is a proud member of the Atomic Geeks Podcast Network

Welcome To The Waste Land

Episode 11: Princess Leia Is Now A Disney Princess!! (with BONUS TRACK)

Episode 11: Princess Leia Is Now A Disney Princess!! (with BONUS TRACK)

Chrisloc1701 is joined in the studio with Seb, Brianna & Mr Tyler Kluin. In this exciting episode they discuss actors who need more work, a tragic 'Magic The Gathering' story, and Awesome Antagonists!

In the BONUS TRACK: Chris, Seb and Brianna are joined in studio with friends Dennis DeGroot & Jamie Renfert.

Also check out Chris on the 'Geek Fallout' podcast!! Also available at Podbean.com and on iTunes!

Why Cheat To Win?

I was always taught: If you cheat to win have you actually won? Well finally we are learning the truth of Lance Armstrong. A few months back news broke about him not fighting against the allegations he used performance enhancing drugs to win 7 Tour de France wins, an Olympic medal and numerous other achievements. He said he was simply tired of fighting. I had a hard time believing that as I was of the opinion that an innocent man will never stop defending his innocence. Thursday night I, like millions of other people, tuned into his interview with Oprah where he finally admitted publicly that all his achievements were empty because they were made possible by doping/cheating. 

Theres no doubt Armstrong is not alone in this. I'm sure there are plenty of other celebrated athletes who in truth are cheating and on drugs, and this is a huge problem with todays athletes. Baseball in particular comes to mind where cheating very well may be changing the game. Babe Ruth achieved all he did on a diet of beer and hot dogs, and yet he is still regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Why dope? If you need to cheat to win have you actually won?

In the case of Armstrong I'm sure there are many dark days ahead of him. All those people he sued for defamation of character will no doubt sue him for the same reason. And what about all his fellow athletes who personally suffered as a direct result of his cheating? Example: Mr X took 2nd Place in the 2003 Tour de France. While Armstrong was celebrated world wide, received millions in endorsements, prizes and other opportunities... what about Mr X? Mr X should have been the one celebrated and made rich and famous by being the actual winner. 10 years later Mr X may be awarded the title following the Armstrong revelations, but what good is that now? Those opportunities and celebrations ended years ago. People today are not going to care that Mr X is now the 2003 Tour de France Champion. Mr X and many others like him were robbed by a cheater. One can only hope they sue and get something out of Armstrong for what he took from them. 

Well hopefully some good will come from all of this. Maybe future athletes will be more inclined not to cheat in order to win. Maybe. Hopefully the anti-doping agencies tasked with keeping our athletes honest will be wiser and more proficient in seeking out and stopping cheating in athletics. Maybe.

NHL & NHLPA agree to terms and season back on…so what???

NHL strike is over and now they have a 'new' deal. Truthfully I could not care less at this point! How did the NHL support staff workers fit into this deal? The people that keep the rinks running did they get a raise? I'll always complain when it comes to greed destroying the heart of the NHL. It’s crazy when you think about the billions paid to professional athletes (not just hockey players) could feed every hungry child on this planet.

And again what about the rink and concession workers, cleaning staff, anyone who assists in keeping the NHL arenas running? Are they being compensated by the NHL & NHLPA for money they lost during the strike? Those greedy players and owners settling their greedy differences does not make this former NHL watcher feel better. From now on I'll be watching more junior hockey and leagues like the WHL where there is still a love for the game, and less about the dollar signs $$$$.

I’m not saying NHL players should be paid peanuts, they should make a salary that gives them a comfortable middle class life style. A life style shared by 99% of their fans. People getting paid to play a GAME are getting paid more than soldiers and law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to defend and protect us makes absolutely no sense to me.

We as fans and as a society in general need to stop supporting this. We really need to get our priorities straight and stop rewarding people for playing a game. Eliminate the greed and start helping those who need the money.

Alright that’s enough of my NHL rant.

Live Long And Prosper.

Happy New Year!! 2013 is here!!

Hey there, this is your old pal Chris finally getting back to the blog. It has been a while. December was a crazy month as always with the holidays, the podcast schedules, etc. But I’m here with a few updates to share:

·       Random Nerdness Podcast Schedule:

I’m hoping  Episode 11 will be released the week of January 8^th. My Sound Engineer/Brother-in-law Seb took the family back home to Sweden for the Christmas holidays. They will be back next week and I’m sure he’ll have Ep 11 prepped for release shortly after. Ep 11 and 12 were recorded previously. We are slated to record Ep 13 & 14 the weekend of Jan 12 with a trivia challenge and He-Man episode!! I am very excited to get back to recording the RN podcast. I hope you all enjoyed the Ep 10 Christmas Special. Big thanks to the guys at the Atomic Geeks Podcast and Geek Fallout Podcast for submitting segments for the episode. It was awesome and sounded great! Thanks again!

·       Geek Fallout Podcast:

The GF crew and I are slated to start recording again tomorrow night!! Very excited to get chatting with those guys again!!

·       League of Extraordinary Bloggers:

I will be blogging again under the Leagues banner soon. I was again very busy so it has been a while. But I’m looking forward to future League Assignments!!

·       Peter David:

One of my favorite comic book writers and novelists Peter David suffered a stroke over the Christmas holidays. I met Peter last year at the Calgary Con and he was an awesome guy to chat with. Check out his blog at peterdavid.net for updates on his status. Also help support him by buying is books and comics. He truly is an amazing writer and I wish him a speedy recovery.

And that is all for now. Talk with you later!

-         Chris