The seeds were planted nearly two years ago for last week's big Fringe reveal, when producers of the sci-fi/FBI procedural coughed up the meaning behind a seahorse figure that's been embedded in show promos from the inception.
Fans finally learned that the symbol (pictured right) represents the genetically encoded "signature" used by FBI consultant Peter Bishop's grandfather during World War II when he worked as a double agent tasked with Nazi science projects.
In advance of its "winter finale," which airs at 9 p.m. EST Thursday on Fox, the Fringe brain trust promises additional mythology ingredients by refocusing on agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv, pictured top), who's played third fiddle most of the season to rogue FBI consultant Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) and his brilliant but off-kilter scientist father, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble).
A return to mythology
In Thursday's "Jacksonville" episode, Dunham revisits her past to confront the consequences of a brainwashing experiment she was subjected to as a child. In a joint statement, Fringe producers Jeff Pinkner, J. H. Wyman and J.J. Abrams, who also co-created ABC's Lost, said: "Along with the usual mystery, suspense, science and general wackiness, the episode contains one big answer, the consequences of which will affect our team for the remainder of the season and beyond."
They also tackled the big question faced by all mythology-building television writers – does the show's writers have a final destination for Fringe?
"Our only internal rule is that we make every effort to not raise mythological questions merely to string viewers along, but rather to provide answers that generate consequences."
Following Thursday's show, Fringe goes off the air for a couple of months before returning April 1 to finish the season. The time is ripe to assess the show that started off with a bang in September 2008.
Since shifting production to Vancouver, Fringe has picked up on the spooky wilderness vibe conjured by The X-Files during that show's extended residence in the Canadian province, and that's a good thing. In one recent episode, Dunham and the Bishops investigate a small town whose deformed citizens were shielded from looking like freaks by electromagnetic energy. The Twilight Zone-meets-Children of the Corn tale hit notes both creepy and thoughtful.
But producers have stuck rigidly to the Fringe story template. Starting with a "cold-open" gore fest, our squabbling heroes invariably uncover grotesque crimes, perpetrated by amoral masters of arcane research linked to Dr. Bishop's past. Inevitably, the episodes entail shots of squishy intestines, massive skin lesions, scalpel incisions and/or squirming, wormlike insectoids.
Blowback: Does Fringe still thrill?
Has the formula worn thin? Are Walter Bishop's loopy quirks getting predictable? Is Olivia's squinty earnestness beginning to feel like a one-note performance? Are the scientific explanations sheer quackery? Or does Fringe continue to deliver ingenious twists as it heads into the third act of Season 2?
Weigh in below.
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