That is true. However, I'll be DVR-ing this show and putting it on the back burner and then if after 13 episodes it's still the same schtick, then we'll have our answer.

OK, maybe I'm all alone in this opinion but, as a Fringe fan, fan of the Fringe crew, and respecter of JJ Abrams and Joel Wyman, after four episodes I have to come out and say it:

Loved the wordless moment when Ashbaugh figured out that Will was
sleeping with Alicia and that he'd never have her. Poor old fool…

Why has Joel Wyman become so associated as Fringe's exclusive showrunner
or something? Although he wrote a lot of the show's major episodes, he
didn't actually solely run the show until Season 5 - which was the
least impressive season. Fringe wasn't a Joel Wyman joint - it was Alex
Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Bryan…

Yes, but the show is about CHARACTERS WITH MYSTICAL POWERS who come to the aid of Ichabod (who happens to be white). My goodness, this show has one of the most diverse casts on TV - they just keep bringing on black actor after black actor to fill all kinds of roles (not to mention John Cho as a baddie). You can't…

It's kind of hard to accuse this show of "magical Negro" when half the characters are magical and half the characters are African American.

Um, wow… give the show some time where Henry Parrish is concerned. He's going to be in 3 more episodes this season. The two scenes with John Noble were meaty enough for an introduction.

This show is starting to lose me.

Occult Fringe that plays fast and loose with history the way Fringe played fast and loose with science.

Yes, Tom Mison has chemistry with everyone, and OMG, so does John Noble, so I just realized I'm probably going to die of the chemistry when the two of them are on screen.

Most of the stuff on this show is practical effects, and from a BTS reel I saw, they seem damn proud of that fact.

Ichabod Christ Superstar

Do stick with it.  The mythology is slowly doled out on this show, but it's very intriguing and haunting when they do.  Pay attention to the computer graphics for subtle clues.  I think you will also like it when Finch (Michael Emerson) character comes more to the fore - he has been a bit in the background this season…

I don't mind the procedurals as filler.  This week's case was much better than the terrible one last week.  However, they have had even better cases.

You're seeing a TV show in transition.

The guy playing the shrink was quite awesome, and was sort of the key to the mental hospital scenes working at all.  By having him play increasingly freaked-out straight man to Root's chilling predictions, Root's scenes were made even more effective.

Fringe?

Agents of S.H.I.T.

That's a bit harsh…

Au contraire… Fringe was allowed to get crazy precisely BECAUSE it had low ratings.