Fringe- Season 2

Fringe- Season 2
Warner Brothers Blu-ray

Since the demise of X-Files, two years before it was finally put out of our misery, networks have been searching for whatever might follow, and capture audiences like it had. Sci-Fi programming has largely failed to reach these vaunted heights though, veering towards silliness ("Eureka"), formulaic ("Battlestar Gallactica," yes, I mean it), or torture porn type crap (pretty much everything else, certainly on the big screen).

The first season of "Fringe" was a revelation. They brought in J.J. Abrams, whose track record is very celebrated, and even mostly deservedly so- come on, "Lost" was a remake of "The Prisoner" for people with no left brain function. The first season, while certainly enjoyable, was mostly groundwork, establishing characters and backstory. Now, for the second season, the show has really found its groove. The actors are comfortable enough to stretch out and have some fun, and the writing is mostly top-notch.

There are quibbles, certainly. Why does Hollywood insist that if their leading female characters are strong and smart they need to tend towards asexuality? Anna Torv as FBI agent Olivia Dunham is almost comically straight-laced, rarely letting her hair down, either literally or figuratively. Also, Joshua Jackson (forever of "Dawson's Creek") plays a supposed genius, but he seems mostly incredibly average.

Those things aside, this is an incredibly entertaining show, in which both the short-term and long-term story and character arcs are particularly strong. Oh, and there's plenty of otherworldly ookiness, the kind Mulder reveled in, and Scully would have refused to believe even as it was impregnating her. There are scary monsters, conspiracies galore, and it walks the fine line between believability and not, and the viewer wins consistently. The crazy scientist father, played by John Noble, is now sympathetic instead of verging on annoying as he could be in the first season.

In the second season of "Fringe" it becomes, simply, one of the best things on television.
The blu-ray transfer, by the way, is spectacular, for one of the few shows for which it might truly be necessary. Don't get me wrong, Blu-ray should make DVD obsolete regardless, but "Fringe" has such a rich palette of scenery and color, the difference in quality is instantly obvious.