# Will Fringe deliver on promise for a "big payoff"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682 "2012-06-19T21:48:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/1 "2012-06-19T21:48:30Z")
The executive producers of fringe, J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner, are promising, > [@](#): > > Season 5 is designed to be very important, a huge payoff for loyal fans. They also say > [@](#): > > It’s a 13-episode sprint; there’s no filler episodes. It answers some very bold questions. It culminates with a very satisfying type of crescendo that really is so important for the fans, that’s the biggest thing. That’s the only thing that’s really important is to make sure that they feel absolutely satiated. There have been shows before that promised answers and gave none. Fortunately I have never watched any of them. I wonder if this will be my introduction. Do you think that Wyman and Pinkner will deliver on their promise? ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/2 "2012-06-19T22:57:12Z")
Oops, [Link](http://screenrant.com/fringe-season-5-spoilers-aco-171143/) to the whole thing. It’s pretty interesting if you’re a fan of Fringe. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/3 "2012-06-20T01:17:49Z")
It’s a J.J. Abrams show. Therefore, no. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/4 "2012-06-20T01:35:33Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > It’s a J.J. Abrams show. Therefore, no. Meh, barely. It might, though I’m not sure we’ve really been expecting or even really were promised a big resolution to everything like Lost or X-files. The mytharc has been developed well and I feel no need for massive resolution. Just simple, decent resolution. I think they can do it. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/5 "2012-06-20T02:19:01Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > It’s a J.J. Abrams show. Therefore, no. From what I’ve heard of the endings of his other shows, that’s what I’m worried about. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Meh, barely. > > It might, though I’m not sure we’ve really been expecting or even really were promised a big resolution to everything like Lost or X-files. The mytharc has been developed well and I feel no need for massive resolution. Just simple, decent resolution. I think they can do it. That wouldn’t be too disappointing. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for that. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/6 "2012-06-20T06:12:09Z")
_ **Fringe** _ has been pretty good, I think, about providing answers to its mysteries and giving some sort of resolution to season-long storylines while still keeping the main arc going. Unlike _ **LOST** _, where the writers piled mystery upon mystery and then just waved their hands at the end and said “nevermind all that.” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/7 "2012-06-20T10:50:23Z")
Considering that before writing word one of season five they knew a. it’s the last season b. exactly how many episodes the final season will have, I’ll keep my fingers crossed. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/8 "2012-06-20T11:31:58Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Considering that before writing word one of season five they knew a. it’s the last season b. exactly how many episodes the final season will have, I’ll keep my fingers crossed. The writers of LOST knew exactly when the show would end and how many episodes were left half way through the show’s run, during the end of the third season. Because they negotiated that with the network at that time, saying the sixth season would be the last. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/9 "2012-06-21T21:28:19Z")
The last scene will show all of the regulars stepping into a shimmering portal that leads to the World of Syndication. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-fringe-deliver-on-promise-for-a-big-payoff/625682/10 "2012-06-22T02:08:02Z")
I like Fringe, and I’m built to automatically get sucked into conspiracy shows and sci-fi mythology, but for some reason this one hasn’t really grabbed me. X-Files and Lost were like crack for me, and anything that wasn’t talking about the overall mythology always drove me batty. Somehow Fringe’s main mystery has missed that addictive part of my brain that absolutely must know the answers. Still enjoy the show and still love Walter’s character, I’m eagerly awaiting the final season, but I’m not waiting with baited breath for some crescendo and perfect bow on it at the end. It should be informative that as I watched the final episodes of season 4, off my DVR about a 2 weeks behind schedule, I was under the impression that that was the series finale and I was pretty satisfied with the last episode even if it was a bit ridiculous and open ended. We’ll see.