So I started watching Fringe when it was airing, I think. I was looking for a show I could enjoy as much as The X-Files, and this did well enough, but I think I lost track of it at the time, with the way that the Fox network played around with scheduling. I knew that it was a JJ Abrams creation, and Kurtzman and Orci had Xena and Hercules under their collective belt and were just starting to make their true TV Splash.

While I watched as it aired, it very much felt like Lost meets The X-Files and the Mystery/Monster of the Week (MOTW) episodes were fantastic. It had a strong leading pair (Anna Torv and Josh Jackson), with the addition of the amazing John Noble as Jackson’s mad scientist father.

I’d lost track of it, however, before I got into the meat of the show. I bought the DVD season box sets that were available, devoured them, even subscribed to Netflix just to get the next set of DVDs in the mail. I watched an episode before work every morning and it got me revved up for the day.

I finished season four and was determined to watch season five as it aired – and then I didn’t. The final season aired the fall after my father died, it might have been too long after I watched season four that I’d lost the storyline and wouldn’t get it…whatever the reason, I just didn’t watch the last season. Through the years, I dug out the seasons 1-4 DVDs and watched them again. And again. But I never went and bought season five. I still don’t know why. I do this with a lot of shows and that’s a whole ‘nother post of self-analysis.

This summer I joined a local Buy Nothing group and cleaned out all my DVD box sets, including my Fringe DVDs. However, I’d finally purchased the entire Fringe series on Vudu for when I wanted to finish it off. Since I had it on streaming, I put it on during my work day to have on in the background and reacquaint myself with the story again. Earlier this month I finally watched the season five premier. Today I watched the series finale.

It was so satisfying.

I’ve never had a show wrap things up this well. Either they end up not getting renewed so everything is left on a cliffhanger, or they go on well past their shelf life and either I stop watching or it fizzles out with a disappointing ending.

This show, all the way through, hit so many satisfying emotional beats, cliffhangers, plot twists, all of my favorite tropes, and what a cast! Anna Torv brought Agent Olivia Dunham to vibrant, determined, courageous life. Josh Jackson did a wonderful job with the evolution of brilliant but cynical con man Peter Bishop to the steadfast hero with a purpose. Jasika Nicole was wonderful as the unwitting sidekick-becomes-so-much-more Astrid Farnsworth. Lance Reddick was a perfect stoic leader as Agent Phillip Broyles.

But oh, John Noble. The fact that he didn’t win an Emmy for his portrayal of Walter Bishop is a crime. I don’t even have words to describe how much Walter made me feel with him, from his fears to his guilt to his anger and determination. What an incredible actor, and a signature performance throughout the series.

The show itself had so much going on and I thought they executed it so well. The premise was so out there, but the show had so many funny beats that it didn’t plod or get too bogged down in technicalities. The characters and the story were compelling as hell, each season building to its end like the slow climb of a roller coaster to the top of its first hill. I wish I could describe all of the interesting things about this show, but I’d spoil so much and, if you watch, you deserve to see it for the first time like I did. The entire series is free on Amazon Prime Video as of the date of this entry.

The finale made me cry and laugh and hug myself with how satisfied I was with the way this series ended. I hope you watched. If you did, feel free to comment and flail (in a non-spoilery way) with me.