Until the Last Word, Part 11 ~ Never Let Go

1/18/2013

A sick child and father full of regret
A world-ending war fought in secret
Danger that will not abate

The fabric of the universe torn asunder

Gods in the lab, surpassing humanity
A man lost for years, regains faith and sanity
Shifting shades of future directions

A rather complex, emotional blender 

Devastation of loss at the start
The destructive potential of a broken heart
A tapestry of human actions

August first and then September

The boy is important, a running thread
A resolution to astound the heart and the head
A pattern of love and connections

Some gave their all along the way

Years of speculation, fear, and doubt
That our favorite characters would not win out
We've taken Fringe in and not missed a beat

And through everything, a family at the core

Of strange events, of parallel worlds, and timelines rewritten
To hope, to sacrifice, and be forgiven
Always on the edge of our seats

Another tear, another Red Vine before

The last scene, last smile, and gasp
Until the last word, last moment, and laugh
We will stand at the edge of defeat

(And we will survive)

Please just one minute, one lifetime more

Having faith and forgiveness
Not giving into destiny but creating resistance
We are all enemies of fate

Until the last word in the last episode of Fringe is spoken, I'll have faith that the writers know the right direction no matter the paths they lead us, that they'll not let us down with an unresolved or unsatisfying ending, that turning it away from everything it is isn't a goal, that alienating fans is to be always avoided. They will make us proud to have been loyal viewers.

What would I say to sum up Fringe for someone who hasn't seen it? In a few words, a scarred heart and beautiful soul, an experience not to be missed. And love. Love made Walter cross worlds to save his son. Love emerged between Walter and Peter after a long absence. Love drove Olivia to bring Peter home. Love bridged two worlds. Love bled through reality to find the way back from oblivion. Love drove Olivia and Peter apart and then brought them back together. Love found the team in this final season. And love is what is holding them up, broken and bloodied, to the end.

If you need more: season-long arcs, mostly a fluid procedural/serial mix, award-worthy acting throughout, achingly beautiful emotions, intelligent writing, an imaginative world, steadily increasing stakes, loveable characters, tension-relieving humor, gut-wrenching decisions, and an overarching storyline that becomes more prominent in a natural, unforced way, as episodes reveal past actions the future may hinge upon. Every moment has been lovingly crafted, superbly written, and powerfully acted. Fringe is criminally overlooked and vastly underrated.

If you made it to the end of this ridiculously long whatever this is but still need a push, try the following video. Warning: There are major spoilers up to at least the end of season 3, but if you haven't decided by now maybe you need an amazing visual. Of course most of it may not make sense unless you've seen it, and when you do it may be a letdown because there were some major scenes. Anyone who's already a fan, please enjoy. This is a beautifully-made video set to ethereal/epic, slow build music.

There is so much packed into Fringe that I almost can't believe it's only been on for four and a half seasons, even while I'm lamenting that time has passed so quickly. There's enough material to go on for many more years. Fringe is nearly bursting at the seams with the sheer amount of content packed into it. Each episode is dense but elegantly constructed, designed to hook you on every word.

But be careful. Know what you're getting yourself into. A Fringie thinks about Fringe all the time, buys the sets and has marathons, watches the commentary and all the extras, devours every interview, goes to Cons or hopes to one day, blogs incessantly, spends hours tweeting about in hopes of saving, and creates art and videos. Fringe claws its way into your world and refuses to let go. The final thirteen episodes were just icing on this delicious cake we'd been savoring for four years. We have been treated to something that has made an impact that we will never be able to forget and would never want to.

"I don't think I'll ever replace that little spot in my heart for Fringe, because the characters meant so very much to me..."

~Joel Wyman

Wow, I can't believe I'm done! It took a year. I put this off so many times. I added words when all I wanted to do was edit and make it readable. At one point I almost abandoned it. I've been seriously working on it for the last month and finally whittled it down to this. I hope you enjoyed it. If I ever say I'm going to do something like this again, please tell me NO! All right, I'm off to get my life back, i.e. play some Borderlands or Halo 4.