When I first saw the cast of Fringe at Comic-Con in New York in February, they mostly seemed nervous and uncertain in the spotlight. The banter among the cast wasn’t all the smooth either. After taking in a few season one episodes, I could see why. Despite the promising premise of FBI agents dealing with growing unexplained scientific phenomenon, aka fringe science, this show still hadn't found its footing at that time.
By the time the season one finale stunner (guest starring Leonard Nimoy) had aired, those issues of identity seemed to be fading. The producers and cast conveyed that as well in the press room at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. This time, they were more confident and sure of where they were going in the upcoming season.
"We know what the show is to a much greater degree," explained executive producer Jeff Pinkner. "Always in a first season show, you're trying to find it, trying to find the voice, trying to find what works and what doesn't work. Like most shows that I've been associated with, the characters and actors playing them start to become more one."
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman agreed. "I think in general we're much better prepared for this season than last."
"It's really a trial by fire, and if things are going really well by the end of the first season, everything starts to slot into place," said executive producer Bob Orci.
The guidelines that were set early on in the series still apply today and seem to be serving the new focus well. “We made a rule very early on that our show would not have aliens because X-Files had done that so well,” explained Pinkner. “And we made another rule that all the science would be plausible based on the science that’s currently accepted or at least photoscience. The stories come from two different directions, we’ll come up with an idea that we love and go ‘okay now go make the science work,’ or we’ll start with the science and the say ‘okay where’s the story?’”
While sending the message that season two was well laid out, no one was specific with spoilers to ruin surprises, either. Even though three episodes have already been shot, none of the guests were talking specifically about what was in them. "If you saw our season finale, Olivia ended up in the other universe and she's going to come back," said Pinkner. "There's gonna be consequences of what's been done to her and what's happening to her. In many ways, she's going to become affected by the cases in this world."
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