Fringe series ending — will the resistance prevail?

After five seasons, sci-fi thriller “Fringe” is coming to a dramatic end.  Its twisted plot has explored bizarre occurrences from flesh-mutating viruses to vanishing buildings, alternate universes and, most recently, oppressive governments.

Fringe agent Olivia Dunham operates in a futuristic world controlled by bald, emotionless, fedora-clad men.  Her Fringe team fights with the Resistance to defeat the Observers and save the world.

The Fringe team joined together when agent Dunham (Anna Torv) requested the release of mad scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) from a mental facility early in season one. Walter could only be released by a family member, which led to his son, Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) joining the team.  Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) was brought on for her research and computer skills and serves as a lab assistant and Walter’s right hand woman.

The show has a character for everyone, from the very friendly, incredibly intelligent licorice-loving Walter to the determined, brave team leader Olivia.  The team bonds and becomes a family over the seasons — literally.  Between seasons 4 and 5 when Peter and Olivia have a daughter together.

Since episode one, the Fringe division, a section of the FBI, has investigated seemingly inexplicable events that would make most people’s skin crawl.  The show constantly brings morals into play as scientists secretly experiment on children in labs and people are kidnapped from alternate worlds without explanation.  

For two seasons the team investigates these events with an open mind until they discover the source — an alternate universe, with which they collaborate for the next two seasons.

The final season begins in 2036 in a world that is controlled by Observers, men whose emotions have been eliminated to make room for more intelligence, and all happen to be bald.  By portraying the Observers as cold-hearted control-freaks, the Fringe writers have the audience questioning how much they are willing to sacrifice for advances in technology that are rapidly approaching in today’s society.  

The goal of the team this last season is  to fulfill a checklist for a plan to defeat the oppressive Observers.  The fate of the world of “Fringe” was only revealed in the two-hour season finale that aired on Jan. 18.