As a new parent I have virtually no time to consume media. I’ve been to the movie theater about three times in the last year. That’s a month’s worth of movies in my old life. Similarly my television watching has be relegated to Hulu; I only watch ONE SHOW live each week, the sci-fi show Fringe.
It’s kind of a scattered show; it’s not great. Each season they reinvent the wheel, which pretty much means reinventing the characters and storylines, which is not a great way to build fan loyalty. But I like sci-fi, I like Joshua Jackson, and there are enough clever sci-fi nuggets to keep me going.
Until tonight.
Maybe it’s just the point at which I find myself in life; maybe I’ve changed. I just want my television shows and movies to be fun, escapist and … well, fun.
Unfortunately this puts me at odds with most of the shows and movies that I’ve watched lately.
If you’ve spoken to me in person at all since June you know that I feel this summer’s “The Avengers” took a dark turn, thanks to writer-director Joss Whedon and his obsession with killing the coolest characters that he writes for.
But Fringe, damn, Fringe took the cake tonight.
The backstory is a little convoluted, but pretty much Joshua Jackson and the other main characters go about 20 years into the future and find a horrible totalitarian nightmare (cough Days of Future Past cough). They also run into their daughter, who is a freedom fighter. She’s grown, she’s sassy, she’s everything they wanted out of their child.
It’s emotional, yes, and probably hokey, too. But I’m looking at it as Sadie’s father, so I just see the father-daughter relationship. The emotion. It resonates with me.
Of course I shouldn’t let it, as Fringe’s executive producer is JJ “Kill Everyone On the Island in Lost” Abrams.
Clearly, bad shit is going to go down.
And it does.
I don’t understand why you’d introduce a character, a likable, friendly character, and then kill her off in her fifth episode. What’s the point? What’s the God-damned point?
Now, I know I’m reacting as a parent. News of nannies killing babies and family friends killing babies hits me pretty hard.
But all of the death, sorrow and pain … I’m just not feeling it.
I know Fringe only has a handful of episodes left, but I’m seriously considering letting them sit for awhile.
I don’t have much time to watch shows right now. Maybe my time would be better spent elsewhere.
