‘Fringe’ series finale review: A time for fate and flowers

“Fringe” fans, the end is finally here … and have you wiped away all of the tears from your eyes yet?

We don’t want to spoil much of the series finale for those of you watching on the West Coast, mostly because this is really an example of a show that desperately demands that you watching it unspoiled. What we will say about the end of the show is this: Fox, J.J. Abrams, and J.H. Wyman pulled out a rare feat: making a series finale that was actually worthy of everything that came before it. It was a haunting, riveting, and thoroughly emotional episode that reminded us of a few simple truths that are rather easy to forget in watching TV for hours a day with preconceived notions:

1. Science fiction does not have to be all about effects and technology. The good ones are about characters. Take a look at this show, “Lost,” and “Firefly,” which are all in the top 10 science fiction shows of all time in our mind.

2. John Noble should have been nominated at least once for this show .. and probably on multiple occasions.

3. It’s okay to rely on your own history and to bring so many past elements back. You make TV for your fans, and not on the hope that someone else tunes in. It may not have made “Fringe” into a ratings warrior, but it made it into a far better viewing experience.

Of course, the show did not tie together every single loose end, but did you really think it would? The ending scene to us was perfectly, mostly in that it told us everything that we need to know while still giving enough of an opportunity for us to debate and plot out our own dreams for the characters.

Of course, this article isn’t just about us: we want to know what you thought of the way the show ended! Do you think that the final moments did the series justice, or was there anything missing that you would like to see? Also, be sure to grade the finale in the poll below. You can also reminisce a little on the series by watching the clip here.

Photo: Fox