Teliko

So, I’m not sure if the world caught on to this or not, but I’m a HUGE fan of the X-Files. I watch it religiously, regardless of the fact that it's now in reruns... at 2am on SciFi. Like I said previously, there's something to be said for a show about aliens that ran successfully on mainstream television for 9 years. Needless to say, seeing the era of Mulder and Scully come to an end was sad, and there have been several occasions when I wished I could turn on the television every week and see a new episode.

But that doesn’t mean that I want to replace it. Or that I even could replace it.

When a friend of mine started watching Fringe a few weeks ago, one of the first remarks she made was how similar the show was to the X-Files. In conjunction with that comment, she suggested that I might like it.

There are things I like about the show, and things I don’t like about the show.

The similarities to the X-Files are pretty obvious, even from the first episode. I mean, the premise of the show is an FBI agent investigating paranormal activity. So… yeah. As many 'Philes have noticed, the opening is very similar to the way each X-Files episode opens: something really weird happens, and then you get the title sequence, which is definitely reminiscent of the X-Files title sequence. They cut to a commercial break, and then the agent spends the rest of the episode figuring out WTF is going on.

The second Fringe episode, aptly named “Same Old Story,” even seemed to take the main points of its plot directly from a fourth-season X-Files episode called “Teliko.” Both involved a man committing a series of murders and removing the victims’ pituitary glands, using the hormones to survive. I know many shows draw inspiration from other shows, and crossovers are certainly not unheard of, but stealing an entire plotline and hoping the X-Philes won’t notice wasn’t very bright.

I’m also not a fan of the whole floaty 3D letter thing they do with the locations. I find it distracting, and I think it just looks stupid, to be honest. I like it better when there’s subtle text at the bottom so it doesn’t overpower the scene.

What I do like about the story is that the dynamic between the three main characters seems strong, and I especially like The Observer as a supporting character (whom I’ve seen compared to the Cigarette Smoking Man on some other blogs, which I think is an interesting comparison). I’m interested to see what else happens with him. (A lot of other people are noting the physical similarities between The Observer and the Watchers from Marvel comics, which I can see. And the eating habits of The Observer are apparently a lot like those of the kids on Roswell, although I can’t vouch for that one, since I’ve never seen the show.)

I’m not giving up on Fringe just yet, but I do definitely think they’re going to have to work harder in the future if they want to separate the series as a unique entity from the other sci-fi shows out there.

And nothing will ever replace my favorite agents and their quest to uncover the Truth.

Ever.

EVER.