Fringe: The Complete First Season

Genre : DVD ( DVD )
Release : 2009/09/08
Price : $20.99

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Teleportation, mind control, astral projection, invisibility, precognition, spontaneous combustion, reanimation: these are among the peripheral sciences--or "pseudo-sciences," as one skeptic puts it--examined during the first season of Fringe, a Fox network TV drama debuting on DVD with the full first season (twenty episodes) offered on seven extras-laden discs. The notion that those phenomena could have a genuine scientific basis is intriguing enough. But co-creator J.J. Abrams (whose bulging resume as a director, writer, and producer includes Lost, Alias, and the 2009 Star Trek feature film) has even more on his mind. Along with the weird science, the series features a multi-agency task force investigating related acts of terrorism that may very well add up to a threat of unimaginable global proportions; people who are exactly what they appear to be (i.e., insane) and others who are anything but; plot twists galore; family drama, interpersonal relationships, corporate evil, cop chases... There's a lot in play here, and while it doesn't always hold together (and like any new series, it takes a while to hit its stride), Fringe is rarely boring, and never less than impressively ambitious.

The pilot introduces us to the main characters, principally FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv, good but not great in the show's central role) and others on the task force brought in to investigate some gross goings-on aboard a jumbo jet (a "self-eradicating, airborne toxin" reduced everyone to blood and bones). Seems this is but one part of "The Pattern," a series of synchronous, similarly shocking events that unfold as the show progresses; in subsequent episodes, lots of people are killed in graphic fashion by all manner of horrors, including scary monsters (slugs as big as a football, teethed parasites that can crush your heart), a gas that freezes a busload of passengers "like insects trapped in amber," people so radioactive they can literally make your brain boil… it goes on. Helping Dunham and the rest of the force figure it all out are scientist Dr. Walter Bishop (an appealing John Noble), who's spent the past 17 years locked up in the loony bin and whose research may be responsible for some of the crimes we witness, and his son-babysitter Peter (Joshua Jackson). As for the "fringe" element, Dr. Bishop and other, less benign geniuses jump-start a dead man's brain, photograph another victim's cornea in order to access the last thing she saw before death, connect Dunham to her boyfriend so she can experience his memories of the incident that left him comatose, use high-frequency vibrations to enable bank robbers to pass through a solid vault wall, and much, much more. As for where and how all of this ends up, let's just that enquiring minds will have to hang in for the long, complicated run.

Bonus features are many and varied; among the best are "Deciphering the Scene" (brief explications of key scenes in every episode) and "The Massive Undertaking" (detailing how certain special effects sequences were pulled off). --Sam Graham

This is one of the best science fiction tv shows ever. X Files was good, this is great. I love the people, especially the Dad...such wonderful acting..all are great actors. Hope they don't take this one off tv...This is SF at it's best.

awesome i love fringe fringe is a bolder edgier x-files made for the 21st century

Anything JJ Abrams has his hand on is Gold. And this show is up there with the best of them all. My household are major Lost fanatics and we wanted to see more from Abrams. While searching we came across Fringe. Skeptical because of some of the lame comments, we still decided to give it a try. This series is absolutely amazing and deserves its place with anything five star rated. You will not be let down by this show. Incredible casting and fantastic story-lines leaving you wanting more, as Lost does. Do not pass up this show. You will not regret it.

I absolutely love the Fringe TV show, and recommend this set to anyone who loves the show! I had no trouble navigating the menus. The set includes 7 discs of all the first season and bonus materials. The only thing I noticed that some people may not like, is that it plays from one episode to the next without going back to the menu, but it's easy to stop and restart if you need a break between episodes.

This show is absolutely wonderful. It is intelligent, funny, and extremely well written. If you enjoy a show that has witty, charismatic characters, or you love science, this is the show for you. Everything is well thought out and well researched, the plot is very captivating, and I am desperately drooling the release of the second season! An absolute must have!