Fringe recycling X-files episodes

[pontifex]

I like Fringe, but has anyone noticed that they are recycling X-Files episodes?

For instance, the latest one involving an ancient virus from a core sample or the one where the astronaut is possessed by a creature from space?

Sure, they're not exact copies, but they're close enough.

Is there not enough material to make their own stories?

 

[krylon]

I like Fringe, but has anyone noticed that they are recycling X-Files episodes?

For instance, the latest one involving an ancient virus from a core sample or the one where the astronaut is possessed by a creature from space?

Sure, they're not exact copies, but they're close enough.

Is there not enough material to make their own stories?

You think X-Files was original?

 

[vshah]

x files came up with so much crazy shit its hard for a similar show not to recycle something.

 

[Via]

It's probably intentional, since they never made a secret of their desire to court X-files fans.

I only lasted 2 or 3 episodes.

 

[Kadarin]

Fringe needs less monster of the week filler episodes and more continuing storyline.

 

[pontifex]

You think X-Files was original?

I'm not aware of any shows before X-Files that were similar to X-Files. Care to elaborate?

 

[pontifex]

Fringe needs less monster of the week filler episodes and more continuing storyline.

I'll agree to that.

 

[PottedMeat]

Fringe needs less monster of the week filler episodes and more continuing storyline.

or integrate more of the big story arc into the monster of the week episodes. at least more than the last one where astrid asks walter what he meant by 'can't let peter die again'.

 

[seepy83]

Fringe needs less monster of the week filler episodes and more continuing storyline.

Absolutely. It became very apparent early in Season 2 that they started adding episodes that have no relevance to the ongoing storyline.

 

[techs]

Fringe is on the border of being cancelled, at least that's what it says here:
http://tvbythenumbers.com/category/renewcancel-fox-shows

 

[ElFenix]

I like Fringe, but has anyone noticed that they are recycling X-Files episodes?

For instance, the latest one involving an ancient virus from a core sample or the one where the astronaut is possessed by a creature from space?

Sure, they're not exact copies, but they're close enough.

Is there not enough material to make their own stories?

weren't both of those the plot of about half the episodes of star trek?

oh, or Cold Hands, Warm Heart

 

[crownjules]

I've watched a couple of episodes and just feel it's X-Files with less atmosphere. The Scully-Mulder dynamic (skeptic vs believer) was a huge part of the X-Files stories and I don't think that exists in Fringe - they're all believers. So it just becomes a story about monster hunts. Plus X-Files had the whole government conspiracy and search for the truth continuing plotline.

X-Files had its share of monster of the week episodes. You usually had a bunch of those, then the government conspiracy stuff would pop up, then some more monster episodes. The last few episodes of every season though would always be about the Illuminati.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Fringe is on the border of being cancelled, at least that's what it says here:
http://tvbythenumbers.com/category/renewcancel-fox-shows

Hasn't that been true since before it even went on the air?

I don't know why the networks or viewers even bother with these shows. Like Dollhouse and the multitude of other sci-fi shows, the networks make it well known that they basically plan on cancelling it as soon as possible, so the creators/writers never put real effort into it or if they do they waste it on the pilot and it falls way off from there. Most are just downright terrible and would take a lot of time before they'd really be interesting let alone good. Of course when they do stay on the air the people working on them don't know how to manage something that lasts for more than 10 episodes so they run out of ideas or go off the fucking deep end (Lost).

 

[Modelworks]

. Of course when they do stay on the air the people working on them don't know how to manage something that lasts for more than 10 episodes so they run out of ideas or go off the fucking deep end (Lost).

Lost storyline was already planned out before even season 1 was filmed. It wasn't done by the current writer of the week, but had the story line and ending planned before starting. Very rare in scifi tv but it happens.

 

[JS80]

I'm pretty sure every idea has been thought up of in entertainment.

 

[olds]

...
I only lasted 2 or 3 episodes.

Same here

 

[darkswordsman17]

Lost storyline was already planned out before even season 1 was filmed. It wasn't done by the current writer of the week, but had the story line and ending planned before starting. Very rare in scifi tv but it happens.

It still did not prevent the show from going to WTFville and yoyoing between that and what got people interested from the start. To me, they basically said: We're just going to screw with you, but we'll pretend that we're not half the time because you won't know any better, oh and that stuff you actually like about the show? Yeah we're going to shit all over that from time to time, but we know you'll still watch because you're stupid.

 

[surfsatwerk]

It still did not prevent the show from going to WTFville and yoyoing between that and what got people interested from the start. To me, they basically said: We're just going to screw with you, but we'll pretend that we're not half the time because you won't know any better, oh and that stuff you actually like about the show? Yeah we're going to shit all over that from time to time, but we know you'll still watch because you're stupid.

I paid a hooker in Amsterdam to treat me like that.

 

[darkswordsman17]

I paid a hooker in Amsterdam to treat me like that.

D:D::biggrin:

 

[surfsatwerk]

D:D::biggrin:

And it was still more entertaining to watch than Lost or Dollhouse.

 

[darkswordsman17]

And it was still more entertaining to watch than Lost or Dollhouse.

Haha. I'm glad I bailed on Lost at the first sign of WTF shit (during season 1). I thought about giving it another try a few times, but everytime I looked into it I'd see some other stupid shit or people talking about the stupid shit and was like yeah, I'm staying away.

I think I watched one episode of Dollhouse, then realized I don't have a hardon for Joss Whedon and stopped. It wasn't even that it was bad, it was just there, not interesting and it sounded like everybody had already given up on it by the time it even started airing so it wasn't going to be going anywhere soon.

I just looked him up on IMDB. I knew he did Buffy, but not the original movie. Didn't know he wrote episodes of Roseanne, Titan A.E., and Toy Story either. He also did a show Parenthood (interesting since there's another new show by the same name coming out), although I would guess it was riding off the success of the Steve Martin movie by that name from around that time.

More or less, I've found JJ Abrams and Joss Whedon are very hit and miss, and much more miss for me.

Hah, I wasn't even aware that Abrams was producer/writer for Fringe.

 

[Nitemare]

Copies of things turn invariably turn out to be turds when put in to comparison to the original