Document Type
Article
Abstract
[First paragraph]
Upon its series debut, television critic Matt Roush stated that Fringe (2008- ) should be re-titled “Cringe” due to its “grisly twists” and “mumbo-jumbo science” content that was merely reminiscent of The X-Files (1993-2002) (Roush). He was not alone. Elsewhere Travis Fickett agreed, labelling Fringe as “derivative” and stating that “the ground it covers has been covered elsewhere and better...at the end of the day, it's hard to imagine that Fringe will ever blow anyone's mind” (Fickett). As an FBI procedural depicting paranormal incidents with an underlying current of conspiracy, Fringe’s blend of science fiction and horror elements was thus considered ostensibly as a clone of The X-Files, an earlier success for the same FOX network [1]. Yet Fringe was able to overcome these early struggles in terms of its generic and format identity to distinguish itself as a distinct, unique series in its own right. The show subsequently evolved beyond these early accusations of thematic replication, as its narrative became progressively more complex and serialised. The development arguably most responsible for this shift was the introduction of a parallel universe storyline at the conclusion of the first season. This is of course a standard science fiction trope, but is employed by Fringe through the framework of 9/11. Examining recent anxieties of security and fear in the urban city space, this paper will consider the manner in which this ‘parallel universe’ storyline interrogates manifestations of disaster and terror in a post-9/11 world. The narrative of Fringe posits two different worlds as being at war with one another. This is the consequence of the ‘real world’ converging with its parallel counterpart, resulting in severe global disasters. Focusing specifically on this ‘other’ world that exists alongside our own, this paper argues that Fringe’s use of the parallel worlds trope offers an intriguing allegory for contemporary fears of security and terror. The interrogation of this trope will proffer a careful consideration of the key visual motif of the twin towers, and how Fringe effectively represents the relocation of the War on Terror to the American city space. Finally, this paper will also assess the place the series occupies within the shifting contexts of television, specifically debates surrounding the production of ‘quality TV’. Considering the series within a broader socio-political context, via an exploration of the industrial production strategies from which it emerges, further demonstrates the manner in which Fringe utilises the thematic concerns outlined above to proffer a politicised engagement with this post-9/11 period of anxiety and uncertainty.
Repository Citation
Halliday, Sophie. "Urban Security and Collapse: Fringe’s Portrayal of the American City as a Site of Terror in the 21st Century." Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture vol. 12, no. 3, 2012, pp. 1–13. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/reconstruction/vol12/iss3/7