Red licorice, a laboratory on the edge of reality, a mad scientist, and an FBI agent with exceptional qualities. Welcome to the Sci-fi masterpiece conceived by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci: Fringe.

The fine line between madness and genius

Anna Torv in Fringe (2008) © IMDB

In 2008 the first episode of Fringe was released in the United States, which sees agent Olivia Dunham put together the members of the specialist team that will be identified as the Fringe division.

After recovering the young scammer Peter Bishop from the Middle East, she will convince him to go to the psychiatric hospital where his father, Walter Bishop, a brilliant scientist with a now fragmented mind, is necessary for the new disturbing cases that have engulfed Boston. Also joining the team led by Colonel Broyles will be Agent Astrid Farnsworth and… well… the cow Janet.

A worshiper of science in all its strangest forms, Dr. Bishop swims in the patchy waters of a mind besieged for years by medications and disease. The person he was once is lost in the mists of his psychiatric captivity, but with the patient guidance of his son Peter, something sets in motion.

Anna Torv in Fringe (2008) © IMDB

Between LSD, neuronal travel, pyrokinesis, biomechanical shape-shifters, huge intestinal worms, and rifts in the fabric of the universe, an uncomfortable past will make its way into the present, condemning the fragile figure of Dr. Bishop to heinous experiments. His desperation has endangered the balance of the world, and the curiosity of his old friend William Bell has made his experiments lethal weapons.

The courageous strength of Agent Dunham

If the first two seasons of Fringe have been fertile ground for the growth of the rest of the story, from the third season things take an increasingly interesting turn. The life of Olivia Dunham (played by the talented Anna Torv) double with the appearance of another agent Dunham. Reflected mirror of our Olivia, she comes from another universe, in which Walter has never lost fragments of memory and the tip of the Empire State Building moors airships.

Lance Reddick in Fringe (2008) © IMDB

With the intervention of this second universe, things get complicated, making Fringe one of the most unexpected and surprising Sci-fi series in its own right. Olivia Dunham becomes the main character of the show, along with the figure of Peter Bishop (played by Joshua Jackson, who everyone remembers as Pacey in Dawson’s Creek).

“I would like to be like agent Dunham.” Instead of dreaming of jeweled princesses, Fringe pushes you to believe in feminine strength, empathy, in the courage to face your past and react to have a better future. We can face the unexpected events of life with greater clarity disciplining ourselves.

The shadow of the Observers

Black hat, bald head. Indifferent expression and briefcase in hand. Able to walk in time and read thoughts. Observers study history by examining all the most important moments. They come from a very distant future, which has brought technology to a whole new level, leading to the controlled evolution of human beings. Emotions, a hindrance, have been eliminated in favor of superfine intelligence and unimaginable abilities.

Anna Torv in Fringe (2008) © IMDB

Yet, as perfect as these beings turn out, their sterile emotionality has extinguished any desire for goals, any ability to relate to others. Their presence is polluting and threatens to create temporal anomalies.

The gray figures of the Observers ask us questions about the future: how far will technology, in constant change, go? How far will science go? Will we be able to stop before we become slaves to technology like the Observers?

In an ever-expanding world, which aims higher and higher regardless of what it leaves behind, Fringe almost represents a warning to what we could become and at the same time an incentive to never lose hope.

The last season

Joshua Jackson in Fringe (2008) © IMDB

The fifth season, consisting of only 13 episodes, puts an end to the adventures of the Fringe division. Set twenty years in the future, it completely changes the scenery. The Observers have invaded our world, installing themselves in power, but it will be one of them who will help Walter, Olivia, Peter, and Astrid to restore time. September is the anomaly, one of the twelve Observers who, studying the past, understood how important emotions are.

In a scenario with apocalyptic nuances, it will be Walter, the proponent of many errors and mistakes, who will remedy the situation. A season finale worthy of Fringe, which was able to enhance the excellent interpretation of John Noble (Walter Bishop).

Sci-fi Golden Award

Fringe will remain one of the most beautiful Sci-fi series. Rich in humor, science, technology, and oddities, she managed to keep the public’s attention high until the end, winning a prominent place in the Old But Gold column.

So don’t be afraid to dive into the dark depths of frontier science. Red licorice and good music will be your discovery companions!