Fringe at Comic Con

Fringe was on my list of “must see” panels at Comic Con and since it was being held in the always overrun Ballroom 20, I decided I better get in line two panels before. Big mistake. I stood in line, outside in the heat, for more than two hours only to find that the majority of the line was heading in for Simpsons and Futurama. Once Fringe actually rolled around, you could walk right in with no wait.

There were no new clips and no big reveals at the panel but I really enjoyed seeing the live interaction between the cast members. Joshua Jackson commanded much of the attention and he took great pleasure out of the fact that he could make the audience cheer by saying almost anything, including the word “rutabaga.”

Jaskia Nicole (Astrid) was on the panel and as cute as a baby kitten as she too tried to make the crowd cheer with random words.  During the Q&A, an old friend of hers from college got up to ask how she was enjoying her new found fame. With lights blinding her, she strained to see who was behind the mic and once she saw the girl, Jaskia let out a girly squeal and went running to the edge of the stage for a hug, then bubbled on about how they had to do lunch. Normally, I would be annoyed by having panel time eaten up with personal nonsense but Jaskia is so fun to watch, I actually enjoyed the encounter. I hope she gets to play a bigger role in the show this year because I think she’s very under used.

John Noble talked about the origins of his accent on the show, his handling of Walter’s mental illness and the general way he makes Walter’s comedy bits so endearing and believable. John also opted to take on the question of a romantic relationship between Peter and Olivia, saying he won’t allow it because all romance in the lab is outlawed. (Guess that lets out Astrid and Peter, too huh?)

Anna Torv was also on the panel but she had little to say. For a more detailed recap, check out Zap2It. If you’ve got the time to spare, Fringe Bloggers has the entire panel up in pieces but all in one place (very nice of them).

One last note: At the Fringe panel we were all given tickets which could be redeemed for a promo newspaper identical to the one seen in the alternate universe finale.

Photo by Mark Davis/PictureGroup or Fox