For many avid TV watches, the series finale of LOST in May of 2010 tore a hole in their silver-screen world that one could drive a truck through. Shows like "V" and "Flashforward" have been heavily advertised as ABC's "new alternatives" to LOST, but neither has even remotely captured the imagination of the viewing audience. Fortunately, FOX has found a gem (once again from mastermind creator JJ Abrams) with "Fringe", the only network-TV show on the airwaves right now that can be deemed a worthy successor to "the Island".
Though the first half of "Fringe: Season One" was quite slow (almost to the point of boring), it really picked up the pace down the home stretch and, by the season one finale, was absolutely incredible. This second season doesn't backpedal whatsoever, continuing to provide entertaining, mind-bending fiction week after week.
For a basic season summary, all three of the primary characters have their own unique storylines that play out in tangent as the season progresses:
-Walter Bishop, the mad scientist turned mental patient turned eccentric scientist, grapples with the horrible things he did as a young man, and how he can ever begin to rectify himself for those actions.
-Peter Bishop, Walter's son, begins to realize the reason why large portions of his youth are unremembered, as he starts to piece together the fact that his familial roots may not exactly be from "around here".
-Olivia Dunham, lead FBI agent, also deals with the demons of Dr. Bishop's past, as she finds out that, as a child, she took part in one of his more large-scale experiments, which left her with strange abilities that she debates the merit of developing.
Of course, while each character goes through those personal battles, they still continue to investigate the mind-bending "fringe science" phenomena that the show is known for. I look at the show as a combination of The X-Files (for its investigative setting) and LOST (extremely ambitious plot angles that never fail to give you an emotional payoff).
Thus, if you are a bit "lost" after your favorite island castaways departed, give this JJ Abrams effort a look-see. It just may give you something to look forward to again next fall.