Fringe

:

Season 4
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 9, 2008
Season #: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 197 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 170 out of 197
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 197
  3. Negative: 15 out of 197
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User Reviews

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  1. qkbazen
    Jan 3, 2012
    10
    This show only continues to amaze. It started off okay and from the second half of the first season it just took off! Incredible television. Questions answered, mysteries posed. It is Grade-A stuff.
  2. TheApplegnome
    Oct 8, 2014
    8
    Excellent, outstanding and fascinating. Yes, this fourth season of our truly beloved sci-fi show Fringe is packed with mysterious and spectacular things that blows my mind of, and keeps it filled with questions. It truly is the best season so far.

    The first two episodes are a bit weak vague in comparison to the overall episode in the previous season, but after that it truly gained    Excellent, outstanding and fascinating. Yes, this fourth season of our truly beloved sci-fi show Fringe is packed with mysterious and spectacular things that blows my mind of, and keeps it filled with questions. It truly is the best season so far.

    The first two episodes are a bit weak vague in comparison to the overall episode in the previous season, but after that it truly gained momentum, and of course my interest. I don't want to sound to critic but every show got weak aspects, including Fringe, and it got some less impressive and mysterious episodes which keeps my rating under a 9.

    But I haven't given up with this sci-fi show just yes. Keep it up!

    The average score for each episode is: 7.96
    Fringe: Season 4 get a 8/10    … Expand
  3. Dessy
    Oct 9, 2011
    10
    So excellent, soooooo fantastic. I can't praise this show enough. Nothing gets me excited, keeps me hooked the way Fringe does. My God, the level of John Noble and Anna Torv and every other cast member's acting in season 4 already!! It is the best Tv show by far. And once Peter is back, it'll be even more mind blowing. If you don't watch Fringe, let me give you an important message: GOSo excellent, soooooo fantastic. I can't praise this show enough. Nothing gets me excited, keeps me hooked the way Fringe does. My God, the level of John Noble and Anna Torv and every other cast member's acting in season 4 already!! It is the best Tv show by far. And once Peter is back, it'll be even more mind blowing. If you don't watch Fringe, let me give you an important message: GO WATCH S2-4. You WILL NOT regret it!… Expand
  4. life
    Mar 18, 2011
    10
    Fringe is a must watch show. it's incredible. The acting from all cast is outstanding. It's the best sci-fi show in T.V right now. The show has such great characters Olivia (my favourite) , Walter Peter Philip Nina Astrid Charlie and that new guy Lee (Did i miss anyone?) . Watch it live!
    10 points for Fringe! Both universes can survive!
  5. RASAMNDRES
    Oct 3, 2011
    10
    Fringe is a must watch show, It's the best sci-fi show in T.V. .The acting from all cast is outstanding. And is in a superior level compared to other series .
  6. Reuel5427
    Oct 11, 2011
    10
    Fringe is a brilliant show. It's THEE best sci-fi show on tv and i would argue that its on of the best show on TV. The cast is absolutely perfection,they can do no wrong.
  7. DarthKate8215
    Jun 5, 2012
    3
    Funny how the worse the show gets, the more rabid the last of its fanbase becomes. Fringe peaked early in season three but the writers soon forgot what the main draw of their show was. Bell's warning of the "last great storm" and Olivia having to grow into her destiny as the "guardian" have been all but forgotten. Season four is a clusterf*ck of uncompelling "will-they-wont-they" dramaFunny how the worse the show gets, the more rabid the last of its fanbase becomes. Fringe peaked early in season three but the writers soon forgot what the main draw of their show was. Bell's warning of the "last great storm" and Olivia having to grow into her destiny as the "guardian" have been all but forgotten. Season four is a clusterf*ck of uncompelling "will-they-wont-they" drama mixed with terribly lazy plot devices and forced character derailment all in the name of forcing a completely juvenile "power of love" theme down the audience's throat as if the show was a freaking Nick Jr. program. Furthermore, some of the most compelling mysteries of the series are either dropped completely or answered with pathetic handwaves so that the showrunners can set up season five's generic-dystopian-fascist-state plot (which came right the hell out of nowhere with no development or buildup). You know you have a serious writing problem when the presence of the brilliant Leonard Nimoy actually makes your story worse. The alternate timeline was ultimately a baffling and pointless addition to the show. Fringe has transformed from smart compelling sci-fi series, with respect for its audience, into a petty ham-fisted joke, worthy only of the few codependent shippers who still defend it.… Expand
  8. Shuang
    Dec 8, 2010
    10
    Shuang-It is interesting...............................................................................................................................................
  9. Stabs_with_Pudz
    Jan 16, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. SEASON 4 - It went from extremely good to extremely bad, the ratings have plummeted and with it, the show's budget and the writers' & actors' talents.
    The 1st of many mistakes it made was when when they completely re wrote the show leaving a lot of plot holes in its wake. Everything we knew about the show is instantly changed and for the worse by the looks of it - William Bell apparently was killed in a car crash, They never went to Edina, David Robert Jones is still alive (seriously they brought back past enemies!), Rachael never broke up with her husband. The plot holes that it leaves are these:
    How does Olivia get kidnapped and swapped when the reason the gang went to the other universe was to bring Peter home when Peter wasn't even there to begin with, why would they go in the first place? Another would be: How did they operate the Bridge when it requires Peter to operate it? Why would Frankie still break up with Alternate Olivia when there was no pregnancy? How did Olivia get Walter out of St Clare's when it requires a family member to get him out!
    2nd mistake - Another thing that has taken a turn for the worse are the massive coincidences it has when 2 unrelated characters meet - in this case Nina Sharp and Olivia. I find it completely ridiculous how Nina ends up adopting Olivia and Rachael when they were kids, they are completely separate characters with no history and only met for the first time in the pilot yet coincidentally they end up meeting! LIKE COME ON! REALLY!?! another is the fact that Our universe Lincoln Lee ends up running into Fringe Division... again, really?! Other far fetched coincidences include the bad guys like: Nina turns out to be evil... oh no it actually turns out to be the alternate Nina Sharp working for David Robert Jones who was never sliced in half and made it the other side... but wait! What's this? It turns out David Robert Jones is actually working for William Bell who has been alive the whole time. But wait William Bell is actually evil and wants to destroy both universes and create his own universe ERMAHGAWD the horror! see what i mean, its so stupid?
    3rd mistake: half way during the season the writers try to cover their asses by making Olivia remember Peter and the old timeline randomly. Olivia's memories start changing but she doesn't care because she's in love with Peter apparently, if my entire life was being erased with a new one i would want to keep my old life but no, Olivia wants to keep the new memories because she is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO in love with Peter... (thats bullcrap)
    4th mistake are the ridiculous far-fetched stories.
    The science behind Fringe has always been a bit far fetched but a lot of it is actually possible and the characters can intelligently explain it and a lot of it actually looks cool. Except in season 4 the writer's must have run out of ideas and have started making stuff up! Like one episode it shows an invisible person stealing people's colour.... come on really?! is that the best you can think of?!
    5th mistake: Changing the logic behind Cortexiphan See Cortexiphan is the drug that Walter and William tested the kids with in 1985. See the human brain actually has limitless power and capabilities at birth including the abilities of Telekinesis, pyrokinesis, tissue regeneration & travelling between universes but as the brain gets older it starts to go through limitation and the abilities eventually fade as the person reaches adulthood, what Cortexiphan does is stop limitation so the person can keep the abilities and use them, but Cortexiphan can't reverse limitation. But series 4 treats it as if it can strengthen the effects and the powers of the person which just completely contradicts everything said in the 1st two seasons.
    Another aspect of Fringe that has suffered is the special effects and CGI, with the slashed budget from miserable ratings the special fx has suffered, some of it does look ok but a fair bit of it looks bad and takes some of the thrill out of the show.
    Without the clever writing and snazzy effects to distract us we see the true flaws of the acting (to sum it up) Joshua Jackson can't act to save his life (sorry), Anna Torv's acting is bland, most of her dialogue is said with little emotion especially during emotional scenes, Blair Brown's acting has gone south also - like I said with Anna, bland dialogue..... The only episode I did like was the episode that was set in 2036 when we got a break from the god awful plot line.
    So basically Season 4 is a pretty rubbish season and its good to know that Season 5 has improved on it.    … Expand
  10. herrojew
    Apr 9, 2011
    10
    This show is highly addictive. Even the episodes that don't progress the main story line are thrilling. The only thing I hate about this show is how it isn't consistently on every week. What's up with that FOX?! I need my weekly fix of Fringe!
  11. CritiqueGirl
    Feb 27, 2011
    7
    Obviously I should have watched this from the beginning. That being said I am certain I would not be watching every week. I just find it too X-Files but not nearly as good.
  12. Leeway
    May 28, 2012
    9
    Its Amazing! Fringe is human amongst the intelligent script and scientific explanations for each episode. Its humorous and sometimes emotional; creating back stories for each character (victims) of each case, including the main characters such as Olivia (especially Olivia, she is by far the most compelling characters that I have ever watched), Walter and the other crew members from bothIts Amazing! Fringe is human amongst the intelligent script and scientific explanations for each episode. Its humorous and sometimes emotional; creating back stories for each character (victims) of each case, including the main characters such as Olivia (especially Olivia, she is by far the most compelling characters that I have ever watched), Walter and the other crew members from both alternative universe. There is a sense of depth whenever I watch these episodes and I hope others will feel as I did when watching them. I strongly recommend this! It takes a lot of patience to understand each story but each episode keeps you thoroughly entertained, weird but unique and fascinating. J.J.Abrams has done it again...keep watching him, he falls in the same vain as Christopher Nolan.… Expand
  13. ticogotenks
    Jan 25, 2012
    10
    Fringe is simply amazing and John Noble is as well. It's the best sci-fi show in T.V!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  14. Brainstorm
    Feb 20, 2012
    10
    Fringe is a must watch show. it's incredible. This show is highly addictive. Even the episodes that don't progress the main story line are thrilling, and only continues to amaze.
  15. SwarleyStinson
    May 12, 2012
    10
    Season 3 was disappointing with a lot of rather bland filler episodes and the story arc wasn't great either. Season 4 however is back on form and is as good (and addictive), if not better than the first 2 seasons. It starts a bit slow but once it gets going (When Peter gets back) the story episodes are great and even the MOTW filler episodes have gone back to being good again, many of themSeason 3 was disappointing with a lot of rather bland filler episodes and the story arc wasn't great either. Season 4 however is back on form and is as good (and addictive), if not better than the first 2 seasons. It starts a bit slow but once it gets going (When Peter gets back) the story episodes are great and even the MOTW filler episodes have gone back to being good again, many of them having a link to the story arc woven in as well. Lincoln Lee is now a permanent member of the main team and is a good addition, and the role of Walternates universe (the weaker side of season 3) has been cut down. Fox really were very nice to give Fringe a final season even though it was burning money for them.… Expand
  16. 12basemana
    May 24, 2012
    10
    One of the BEST works of J.J. Abrams, this show has a captivating story line that gets you sucked in right from the start. The best thing about this series is that it keeps you guessing and when you think you know what's going to happen next, you're blown out of your mind...like "What Just Happened"?
  17. mgyukeri
    Jul 10, 2012
    9
    While season 4 wasn't as great as season 3, Fringe is still gripping and freaky. Anna Torv continues to deliver better and better quality in her acting, while John Noble is just perfect to begin with. Seth Gabel is also great as Lincoln Lee, and he really stepped up from season 3. Cant wait for season 5!
  18. drlowdon
    Jul 31, 2014
    7
    As Fringe came to the end of its excellent third season there was a great deal of uncertainty as to whether or not it was going to be renewed or cancelled. As a result the writers where put in the awkward position of not knowing whether they needed to write a season or series finale and a few of the writing decisions made, that undid a significant amount of the characters progress over theAs Fringe came to the end of its excellent third season there was a great deal of uncertainty as to whether or not it was going to be renewed or cancelled. As a result the writers where put in the awkward position of not knowing whether they needed to write a season or series finale and a few of the writing decisions made, that undid a significant amount of the characters progress over the first three seasons, really ended up costing Fringe much of it momentum as it headed into this fourth year on air. Watching Olivia, Peter and Walter acting like strangers and having to get to know each other again proved to be extremely frustrating for me as a viewer and I spent much of the first half of season just wishing things would go back to the way they were.

    Fortunately things did pick up as the season progressed as the central mystery behind Peter’s reappearance was gradually revealed and by the latter episodes Fringe was almost back to its best making the pay-off almost worth the wait.    … Expand
  19. TheDarkSoul
    Jan 5, 2012
    8
    Not as good as earlier seasons but still great stuff. Case of the weeks are as strong as ever while the mythology is confusing but unmissable and mysterious. Definitely keep on watching this...
  20. Zilliman
    Oct 9, 2013
    2
    Season 4 and the series has now become painful to watch. The plot has got sidelined and is spiking all over the place with no real cohesion. I presume the writers have been asked to keep writing until the end of days, so they are forced to fill in with episodes of irrelevance. Some of the main ideas were very good but have got distorted and washed down as time goes on. Season 3 failed toSeason 4 and the series has now become painful to watch. The plot has got sidelined and is spiking all over the place with no real cohesion. I presume the writers have been asked to keep writing until the end of days, so they are forced to fill in with episodes of irrelevance. Some of the main ideas were very good but have got distorted and washed down as time goes on. Season 3 failed to provide definitive answers and closure. Season 4 starts without Peter and in some other Universe timeline I mean this can go on forever. Let's have Season 5 on the planet of the Observers maybe. Or when Peter was a child. Or in some other timeline where Peter is still dealing weapons and drugs in Iraq.

    The good guys can be good, bad, indifferent, or not even present depending on which episode you watch. Are we on the real Universe? Or the parallel one? Are we on this timeline or in some other? Are we on Season 1 or Season 4? Put all those in the blender and pull out what the main characters will be like in this episode.
    Many weak points with the plot. Are we trying to save the Universe today or just chase down some lunatic serial killer? Let's toss a coin. Noone seems to be overly worried even though black holes keep appearing all over the place the shops are still open and people still commute and go to work as usual. And depending on the episode the main characters will be busy closing down black holes or simply trying to catch some ingenious serial killer does not matter which.
    Almost every single bad guy and bad situation has its roots on Walter and his experiments in the 70s. In almost every confrontation Olivia will be alone fighting the bad guy with bare fists, since he always tricks her and she drops her weapon. And the other dozens of agents simply sit and watch. In many episodes the main characters get attacked or abducted because they ignore all warnings and fail to take the most simple precautions.
    And the most serious flaw even though Walter has described it a million times, he has even sketched it on the board: every single moment that passes generates an infinite number of parallel universes but we are stuck with two. Just two. And in Season 4 we have a third one.
    .    … Expand
  21. maisie
    Oct 9, 2013
    10
    Excellent, again. However, not as good as season two and three (but still really great). On the bubble of cancellation again, Fringe proved to be a cult hit. I'll never forget how great this show is and how much it meant to me in my teenage years.
  22. Jarody
    Feb 17, 2018
    4
    Fringe: Season 4 for me is overall a large disappointment, because of one simple reason- I didn't like the story. The story frustrated me personally as I'd become so invested in the earlier seasons that this sudden change of story wasn't a welcome one for me. The writers are the ones who absolutely let down this season, which is surprising because the dialogue is still excellent, but IFringe: Season 4 for me is overall a large disappointment, because of one simple reason- I didn't like the story. The story frustrated me personally as I'd become so invested in the earlier seasons that this sudden change of story wasn't a welcome one for me. The writers are the ones who absolutely let down this season, which is surprising because the dialogue is still excellent, but I disliked the direction they went. The actors put in brilliant performances, but their characters felt like completely different people to me, it's as if they scrapped the whole storylines of certain characters and restarted them again, making them feel like new characters to me. There is actually an attempt to resolve this but it feels extremely forced to me and made me dislike this season even more. Of course there are a couple of hidden gems in this season, including "Worlds Apart" and "Letters of Transit", however neither of these are anywhere near the best episodes. Also, two of the shows best two characters make returns, and while both of them are excellent, they can't carry the show.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 1 Critic Review

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Sep 19, 2011
    91
    If you think Fringe has forgotten anything in its history/mythology, you underestimate these wily master producers.
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