DJariya

By djariya at 2011-09-13

Synopsis:



Episode 7 of 22

Returns January 13th.

SuckaMC

I love this show, but this was a weak, weak, fall finale. The only over-arching story moment we got was Olivia being drugged by Nina. But frankly, since this isn't our Olivia, I'm not terribly concerned. Unless it affects Peter getting back.

Now time to wait.

rw2516

If this is a different universe, not our universe they way it would be if Peter had died, where are all the quirky differences? Buildings with different names, President Palin, etc. type stuff?

Gunde

Was this even supposed to be the finale? The show got pushed one week, so I don't think this was the one intended.

It's not a different universe, just a different timeline.

DJariya

No this wasn't the intended Fall Finale. Episode 8, when it returns in January, was the intended episode.

rfduncan

BOO! But then again we won't have to wait with a genuine cliffhanger, I guess.

So the glyphs this week spelled DAVID. What does THAT mean? I was tired when I watched it so I may have missed the reference...

Sir_Fireboard

I don't know if you want to be spoiled but if you watch the promo you can see who it refers to...

Or you can look under this spoiler bar

PhantomStranger

This episode was an awful pick by Fox to act as the Fall finale. Peter was barely in the episode and the ratings are taking a dive every week. The ratings are so bad that there is zero chance it gets renewed for next season, and there is a good chance Fox just decides to pull the plug in the middle of this season.

Josh-da-man

The World Series running seven games, and games six and seven getting pushed back a day because of rain fucked up their schedule and pushed Fringe back a week.

Setzer

FOX dug this show its own grave by moving it to Friday nights. I'm beginning to despise the network...this is not the first time they've moved a good show to Friday night to die.

As for this episode being the "Fall finale"? What a joke. It was a weak episode and they should have just aired episode #8 next Friday night or December 2nd.

-EDIT-

Just read that ratings for last night was 1.1(2.9mil). Sad. Fuck you, FOX!

MikahC

How is Fox to blame for the 1.1 rating? As for putting it on Friday, are we in revisionist territory here? Fringe was tanking in its previous slot. It could reasonably be argued that moving it to Friday (with it's lower expectations) was an attempt to save it rather than cancel it. And as for the whole "Friday is where show go to die" thinking, there is no evidence that if Fringe were on a higher rated night that it'd do anything but drag down that night's ratings for Fox.

Setzer

Thanks for the laugh.

The show was averaging 6-7mil viewers an episode when it was on Thursday nights. When FOX moved the show to Fridays beginning with the 2nd half of the 3rd season, the ratings took a nose dive. Ratings were pretty much cut in half. Sorry, but you don't move a show to Friday to save it.

MikahC

You do if the alternative is cancelling it. I basically see two scenarios...

Yours: Fringe was performing just fine for Fox, but they decided to move it to a bad night, resulting in the show dying, because they're evil and/or suck.

Reality: Fringe was underperforming and on the bubble for cancellation. Rather than cancel it, Fox believed in the quality of the show and decided to cater to the passionate viewers by keeping it and moving it to a night where ratings pressure is less, counting on viewer passion for the show following it to a new night. Meanwhile, they'd put something else in the previous slot and hope it performs better against the competition. However, for whatever reason, the ratings continued to erode. Still, in the face of abysmal ratings, Fox continues to give the show every chance when they'd be justified in flat out cancelling it at this point.

I'm not asking you to change your mind, just injecting some reality into the discussion based on what actually happened. I think my lucky stars Fox has stuck with Fringe because I like the show and I know it underperforms. It's a bit disappointing that their reward for sticking with the show is being bashed for something they have little control over (ratings erosion). It's very difficult to have effective arc-driven SciFi on network TV. Lost isn't the rule, it was the exception. And even it suffered due to timelines, etc. It just isn't fare for the casual viewer.

Setzer

Here's the thing....if the show was still on Thursday nights there's a good chance it gets picked up for a 5th season. As it is right now, there won't be another season after this one. It saddens me because this is such a great show and they should be allowed to end it properly rather than being rushed into it because its being cancelled.

PhantomStranger

The problem is that Fringe was never going to be a show that justified a Thursday night slot, there was too much competition and networks need those slots for their best advertisers. Though moving to Friday did kill it. Anything beyond disposable reality fare is not sustainable on Friday night anymore, audiences have abandoned watching anything on networks on Fridays and Saturdays not involving sports. It's too bad Fringe was not moved to Monday.

DJariya

Okay you guys are being pretty negative and I get the fears. Under 3M viewers and barely over 1.0 in he demos for a scripted sci-fi show produced by a different studio is total grounds for cancellation.

Last year I read that Kevin Reilly, FOX's President, said the whole point of moving Fringe to Friday was to help improve a very weak timeslot for them. After the move, even though the ratings were down, he actually said the move was considered a success for them.

I don't buy the notion that every single Friday night, people are going out to eat, to the movies, bars, dates, clubs etc. The reality is most people in this country don't watch Live TV anymore and practically everything gets DVR'd or watched on the network website/Hulu. Hell, if Friday is so dead, then how come CBS dominates the evening every week (and don't say it's because old farts watch the channel) Blue Bloods gets 12M viewers a week and 2.0 in the demos. I'm pretty sure that most of the hardcore Fringe fans DVR it and casually watch it later that night or a few days later. Sometimes maybe a week late. Hell, Fringe is liked in this forum, but it seems like most here casually watch it over the course of a week and don't feel the need to watch it ASAP.

The one prominent complaint I read about this season from fans is not liking this "Orange" Universe/story arc and wiping out all the character development from the last 3 seasons to start this season. Some have said they actually dropped the show because of this.

Anyways, we can speculate all we want, hell that's what the people at TVbythenumbers.com do all the time and sometimes they end up being wrong. People thought Fringe was dead after last season. I'm not declaring it dead and buried yet. We don't know the business/economics of what FOX is paying Warner Brothers TV for Fringe this season. I'm sure they are probably giving them a deal to keep the show on the air.

celmendo

I for one will be very sorry to see it cancelled. I've enjoyed this season a lot and as a mid-season finale it was weak but as a regular episode I thought it was great. It was rather sad though. I didn't much love the change at first but I'm getting into it more and more. I like the clever (cheap cheating?) way it's written to explore the same characters and plot points from a different angle. But most people don't want their shows to change that much.

This is going to get cancelled but Whitney got renewed and probably New Girl? End of Days people.

Gunde

I just hope that everyone has the sense to realize that this is the last season, so we can get a satisfying ending.

Michael Corvin

That's my opinion. I think they revealed this different timeline/universe too soon. Since we know it's not our Olivia, Walter, Lincoln or Astrid, I don't really give a shit what happens to them. I found myself almost checking out during this episode. I don't care if Olivia hooks up with Lincoln either. We have no attachment to this version of our characters so the only story that really matters is Peter's and that was on the back burner for this one.

jwb0323

well, i don't really believe its a different universe. I think that Peter is just telling himself that. I think its the universe as if he wasn't in it, so it is his olivia. But, I guess we'll see for sure later.

Geofferson

That's pretty much where I'm at -- I'll be plenty happy if we get decent closure.

Dekuina

Ya, I think it's not a different universe as well.

Well, we have to see how 'Fauxlivia' reacts to Peter.

About the preview for next episode:

JayDerek

same here...I hope it wraps up nicely in the end

DJariya

http://www.tvline.com/2011/11/fringe...eason-ratings/

The President of Warner Brothers TV Studios isn't ruling out the show getting a 5th season. Obviously that's up to FOX and not him, but he points out the show gets a 54% increase in viewership with DVR playback.

I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing that he's pointing out....Noone watches Fringe Live.

rw2516

If WB wants to continue making it I'm sure some other channel would pick it up. It's happened before.