Fringe

So far this season, one show has grown on me like a fungus: Fringe.

With the X-Files-shaped hole in my heart, I thought the days of shows with engaging conspiracy theory weirdness went the way of mall hair and stirrup pants. Thankfully, I was wrong.

The show has begun a bit rocky, with overly-predictable plot direction (for many of the first episodes, all of the science relates to something Dr. Bishop has done already) and characters that are less than endearing (Anna Torv's Agent Dunham until recently has been flat, and Jackson's Peter Bishop is whiny); but the writers seem to have finally hit their stride, and it's become difficult to look away.

Although much of the science in the show is less than realistic, and the story lines until now have had their predictable pitfalls, the characters have slowly started to develop and become engaging. Agent Dunham suddenly turns from a flat, boring workaholic to a stoic with a rough past. The show is peppered with hints of an ominous history between the mad Walter Bishop and his son (I have a few theories on that one...), and the many, many hints at the conspiracy occurring right beneath the character's noses. The show may have started simplistically, but its now becoming fairly complex--enough to hook many old X-Files fans.

The best performance in this series, however, is John Noble. He seems to excel at delivering quirky lines with a flat tone, and a presence that would make Vincent Price proud. Whoever writes his dialogue is brilliant. It kept me watching through the show's rocky beginning, and I'm glad I chose to stick around.