EVIL PUPPET MASTERS

I love FRINGE. You guys know I do.

But I’m at the point now that if I read ONE MORE article or interview about FRINGE, then I’m going to hurl. This is coming from someone that has been a part of a media frenzy before - I have lived and breathed the media coverage of LOST much more than your average fan. Heck, I have even co-written a book about it eating my life. But this FRINGE stuff…it is just way way out of hand.

There is something to be said about mystery. There is something to be said about anticipation. At this point, I feel FRINGE has reached “critical mass” - aka the “put up or shut up” phase for their potential fandom. Face it - no other television show, in the history of television shows, has had THIS MUCH build up…this much pre-pilot hype. I’ve seen the pilot (the legal version) and it is hella awesome, but there is no way it is going to come even close to fulfilling this massive weight of expectations that has been bestowed upon it and the series. Nothing short of the cure for cancer or the formula for immortality could appease the level of expectations that exist at this point.

As aggravating as that is to me…I am also sickeningly happy that there will be those who are disappointed by the pilot once it airs. Why? Because it will give everyone something NEW to talk about and debate. As I said in my “pissing in an empty pool” post, there has been a whole lotta riggermarole over practically NOTHING at this point. A million interviews with JJ/Alex/Bob/Jeff/Bryan and you will never get more out of them than they are willing to say, so most of the interviews from the past month or so have been the SAME thing, over and over again, just asked in slightly different ways. The Fab 5 are GOOD. They are EXPERTS at handling the media. In fact, their media savvy should be a testament to every other show out there. But even the Fab 5 cannot prevent the inevitable backlash that will come after the Pilot airs next Tuesday. In fact, they should embrace it.

Again you may say, “how can you say that?” Because, as sick as I am about the over-the-top media coverage of a show that has yet to air, I KNOW that once the cards are laid out on the table and the critics line up to take their pot shots at the new kid on the block (SO to Danielle) - this show will hold up. It is NOT going to appeal to everyone and it is NOT going to miraculously come out on the other side completely unscathed by vicious TV critics who live to tear down, especially something so shiny and bright and media-saturated as FRINGE. But this show has the meat, the creativity, the depth, the acting, and design to stand up under the intense microscopic examination it will be receiving. Once the wrapping paper has been peeled off, there is something REAL underneath that should appeal to a fairly large fanbase. And I am DEFINITELY ready to get past the packaging…aren’t you?

I know this post will probably make some people, specifically those from other FRINGE-related fansites/forums/blogs, mad at or affronted by me. I can’t just sit back and watch this anymore without commenting though - and I’ve been around the online fandoms long enough to have a thick skin for whatever backlash this may incite. If you don’t like this post or feel the need to vehemently disagree with me, then bring it. I will respect you more for fighting for what you believe in than for sitting in the corner on your hands and nodding along.

Before I DO say something, I will post my usual disclaimer that comes along with any of these blog entries that has IMHO as one of the categories. This post is coming from ME and ME ALONE. In no way should this be considered to be the thoughts or reflections of ANYONE in the industry (i.e., BR peeps) who I have the privilege of knowing and/or calling “friend.” I am not now, nor have I ever been, employed by Bad Robot Productions.

With that out of the way - what the hell is the deal with all of the FRINGE fansites that have popped up declaring they are the “most popular” or that they are “THE SOURCE FOR ALL YOUR FRINGE NEEDS” etc.? There is barely a trickle of information available for the show at this point - sorry guys, but there just is not that much to TALK about right now. Not on a daily basis at least. And, um, excuse me, but it is not even JULY yet. And the pilot that has leaked all over God’s green earth? Yeah, that was NOT the final cut - yet bloggers and websites and fans all over are throwing in their two cents…picking it apart frame-by-frame. Casting their votes NOW - for something that will not actually air in its locked form for another TWO MONTHS.

In what land of crazy did this become the norm? And please, don’t start in with how this is good for advertising. Showing ads for FRINGE during American Idol and pretty regularly during the summer? That is good advertising. Posting trailers, then posting trailers with some new scenes periodically - that works, too. The visually dynamic print ads that get the viewer even MORE curious - that’s good stuff. Ads showing up in magazines and sprinkled across websites all over the web, the actors making appearances at the upfronts and (hopefully) Comic Con, the creators giving interviews - I am ALL for ALL of that. But I’m sorry - I am not ready to pick apart the pilot when the BULK of the television audience has not had the opportunity nor the means to see it. And NO ONE has seen the final locked cut - so you could have someone bitching for 10 pages of a forum regarding the music, only to discover when the REAL pilot airs that none of that music was even used (mock me if you want - but you KNOW that is going to happen somewhere).

Leaking an early version of the pilot episode, and thus removing any kind of incentive to actually WATCH the show when it premieres…MONTHS before it premieres…just so people can hem and haw over it AD NAUSEUM on every flippin site online, until the last thing anyone wants to talk about is FRINGE? Guh…so not a good idea. I am not accusing FOX of leaking the pilot intentionally, but they did seem oddly “okay” with it…to the point that they actually ASKED fans who had seen the ILLEGAL DOWNLOADED VERSION OF THE UNFINALIZED PILOT to “let [them] know what you think!!!” Um, 4realz?

To make matters worse - the leaking of the pilot and the decision of some of these upstart FRINGE sites to post it or not post it, essentially turned into a pissing contest. A pissing contest that I got dragged into. For the record - I am not your referee. I do not run to BR every time someone asks me to. GOOD GRIEF, they would hate my guts right now if I did that. I know what fights are worth fighting for. And from THIS POINT FORWARD - I am NOT taking anyone’s side. Evil Puppet Masters is no longer affiliating with ANY Fringe sites, except for OFFICIAL ones. Just keep me the hell out of it, capisce?

I LOVE FRINGE. And I love the people who created the show, who are writing the scripts, who are editing and directing and producing and working behind the scenes. I want the show to succeed like you could not even possibly fathom. But all these pissing contests to see who can collect the MOST email addys from people affiliated with the show, who can get the most sites to affiliate with them, who can legitimately call themselves the END-ALL BE-ALL BEST SITE 4EVAH!!?1!!! for FRINGE…will HURT this fandom more than help it in the end. Especially this early in the game - right now, you are all having a pissing contest into an empty pool.

To be honest - if your intent to have the biggest baddest FRINGE site is due to your hoping to get recognition (from JJ, BR, Fox or whomever), or to gain online fame-like status, or to make a profit… then you will be disappointed. And you are DOING IT FOR THE WRONG REASONS.

The irony in all this is that my “major announcement” that I haven’t been able to actually announce yet is related to a new FRINGE forum - an officially sponsored one. EPM will be affiliated with this forum, because (a) it is official, (b) I am partly responsible for making it happen, and (c) none of those reasons above apply to my reason for doing this. I’m doing it because I love this show and the people behind it - I’m doing it because they asked me to - and I’m doing it FOR THE FANS.

Here’s a secret - BR does it all for the fans, too.

At least I won’t have to worry about anyone posting a link to the leaked pilot on this forum - they’ll be banned if they do Don’t worry - the official announcement for the new forum will be within the next couple of days. I just wanted to get this off my chest - and hope that the other FRINGE sites will make more of an effort to PLAY NICE. I’ve witnessed in-fighting in a fandom take a show down. It is not a pretty sight. Don’t kill this show before it even airs.

If you just can’t wait until August 26th to make up your OWN mind about the Pilot episode of FRINGE, then feel free to traipse over to The Futon Critic to read their review of it. Keep in mind, this is a review of the ACTUAL EPISODE, not just Review #4,815 of the SCRIPT. There are mild spoilers, but not much past what you see in the trailer.

I have mixed feelings about getting reviews of the actual Pilot episode of FRINGE months before the rest of the public will see it. I’m all for publicity and trying to get buzz started for a show, but all of these reviews of the script for FRINGE - the bulk of which have been based on an early version of the script that seems to have been mass produced and passed around liberally (heck, even I got it - and nobody gives me ANYTHING) - have been bordering on ludicrousness already. I would hate to see that happen with the actual Pilot episode as well.

The fact is that unless you are a highly respected and objectively advanced blogger or television reviewer (who isn’t getting a little sumptin’ sumptin’ under the table for giving a guaranteed positive or explosive review) - I could care less what you think of the Pilot episode or the script of the Pilot episode. I have read the infamous early version of the script, but will not review it because (a) I don’t believe in reviewing something that everyone reading this blog can’t read as well and thus can’t compare what they’ve read to what I am saying; and (b) I’m unabashedly biased in certain respects when it comes to Bad Robot Productions, and though I believe I can be objective in a review - the fact is that those boys know my buttons and they push them about 80% of the time. I love their stuff - thus…why this blog exists. My bias is inbred.

I am posting the link to The Futon Critic’s review of the Pilot because I am well acquainted with their site, and appreciate the fact that they post about EVERYTHING in the realm of television - not just what ABC or CBS or FOX, etc., is trying to shove down the throats of the American audience.

I have posted some reviews of the FRINGE trailer, because it has been made available to the widespread audience, so the average reader can be comparative.