Twists, turns and complexity thrill audiences in premiere of J.J. Abrams' supernatural 'Fringe'

    There seems to be a sort of cult surrounding producer/director J.J. Abrams that grows each time a new movie or TV show is released with his name attached. The new FOX series "Fringe" will more than likely succumb to the J.J. mania. While the premiere has its fair share of flaws, namely the mediocre acting and somewhat clichéd plot and dialogue, the exciting and fairly original premise — a government conspiracy with the world as its test lab — grabs viewers' attention and keeps them wanting more.
    The pilot opens with an international flight from Hamburg in which all of the passengers and crew inhale some kind of poison that melts all of the flesh off their bodies. Of course, the FBI is called, and Agent Olivia Dunham (played by Anna Torv) swoops in. Dunham insists on shoving her way onto the case, only to have her boyfriend, Agent Scott, caught up in a chemical fire started by the  man they are trying to catch. Scott does not die, but he is infected with the flesh-melting chemical, giving Dunham an excuse to get the real plot rolling.
    She tracks down the original "fringe" scientist, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), who is now residing in a mental institution, and enlists the help of his son Peter, played by Joshua Jackson of "Dawson's Creek." Together they recreate the doctor's old lab to find a cure for Dunham's boyfriend. The doctor, his son and Dunham decide the cure lies with the man who blew up the lab. They come to this conclusion during a drug-induced dream in which Dunham's mind joins together with her comatose boyfriend's.
    As if that storyline wasn't complicated enough, once Dunham discovers the bad guy's identity and cures Scott, the government and international corporation's conspiracy kicks in. Dunham discovers her boyfriend is in on the conspiracy, leading to his death and opening up an avenue for her to act on the sexual tension between the younger Bishop and herself in future episodes.
    The plot is complicated, but it contains nothing that a viewer of average intelligence can't follow. Although the inspiration for the show is exciting and new, the storyline can be fairly predictable at times. There is nothing new when it comes to car chases or witness interrogations — just the same formulas viewers have seen hundreds of times before. In the pilot, even the revealed secrets that are supposed to be shocking have a tinge of the expected, such as Agent Scott's duplicity or the mega-corporation abusing its power.
    The show's acting frequently falls flat, especially in the case of Torv. Her tough-cop act is almost amusing, as she tries to intimidate while keeping up her appearance as a life-sized Barbie. Jackson's acting is better with his point-on comedic timing and conflicting dramatic emotions, but that could be because the writers have given him more to work with than Torv in terms of character complexity. The star of the show is Noble as the mad scientist father who seems to be an omniscient figure while the rest of the characters run around desperately searching for solutions to problems they don't understand.
    The most compelling aspect of "Fringe" is its theme of losing control in the technologically advanced 21st century. The idea that technology can spiral wildly out of control if placed into the wrong hands resonates with American viewers in the world of post-9/11 uncertainty. As long as the show can keep finding new supernatural and/or technological ideas to expand upon, it might have a chance at success. "Fringe" might not be the next "Lost," but that doesn't mean it can't fill the vacant hole left by "The X-Files," which may be a little less ambitious, but necessary all the same.