The Fringe Conspiracy: What is Massive Dynamics?

Knowing that J.J. Abrams is one of the creative spearheads behind Fox's latest series, Fringe, it's not surprising to discover the number of wikis, blogs, and other websites already devoted to the "Fringe Conspiracy." Random images throughout the series' pilot-a frog with the symbol of Phi on its back, a six-fingered hand, an apple with embryos instead of seeds-have set the internet abuzz with speculations as to the mystery and intrigue behind the series. And behind the mystery and intrigue of the series is, true to Abrams form, the mystery and intrigue of a big, bad corporation.

The Corporate Connections

On Fringe, the name of the mysterious corporation that seemingly has ties to just about everything is Massive Dynamics (MD). The name of this corporation alone is rank with mystery. Remind you of anything? In J.J. Abrams' first Bad Robot (his production company) project, Alias, the mysterious company Credit Dauphine was a front for the even more mysterious SD-6. On Lost, another project from the mind of Abrams, with co-creator Damon Lindelof, there is the enigmatic Darma Initiative, spearheaded by the elusive Hanso Foundation, which bears some striking similarities to the work done by Massive Dynamics.

Oh, and if you want to say none of it's connected, try this on for size: In one of the first ads for Massive Dynamics, you'll note a small white box at the bottom. The box informs us that the advertisement is brought to us by MD Outdoors and Credit Dauphine. And if you check out the Hanso Foundation website (which you can do here), you'll find a simple message with a hidden warning . . . a warning of a virus (perhaps like the "terrorist attack" we saw in Fringe's pilot?).

Discovering Massive Dynamics

So, what is this mysterious Massive Dynamics? Thanks to the World Wide Web, we have a few answers. In late July, a website devoted to the elusive corporation was released. In visiting the site, viewers find a wealth of information regarding the company. Massive Dynamics was founded in the early 1990s by Dr. William Bell. In the pilot of Fringe, we learn that Dr. Bell worked with Dr. Walter Bishop, the scientist who helps FBI Agent Olivia Dunham save her colleague. An incident resulting in the death of a lab assistant left Bishop in an institution, while Bell went on to found his multi-billion dollar corporation. The company comes fully equipped with a lot of mysterious projects-ranging from medical to transportation, entertainment to energy-set to lead humanity into the future (their words, not mine). The company slogan hints at the mysterious nature of all they do, stating, "Massive Dynamics: What do we do? What don't we do."

Nothing But Numbers

All the major scientific breakthroughs of J.J. Abrams' fictional corporations, from SD-6 to the Hanso Corporation, seem to be inspired by mysterious and mind-boggling scientists and theorists, with particularly confusing connections to numbers. SD-6 had Milo Rambaldi, a 16^th Century prophet, mathematician, and artist. Numbers come into play with the revelation that page 47 of Rambadli's notebooks always has some sort of major significance. On Lost, there is Hanso, the scientist behind the Hanso foundation, and presumably the start of the ever-plaguing set of numbers: 4 8 15, you know the rest. With Massive Dynamics, the founder is William Bell, but the theories behind the corporation's work belong to two kings of perplexing scientific and mathematical theories: Zeno and Fibonacci. On the MD website, a jingle is heard at the appearance of the company's logo. Speculation has begun that the jingle is actually a portion of a Fibonacci musical composition. The corporation is also at work on a Zeno-Transit system meant to create "near-instantaneous" traveling, which seems linked to the Zeno paradox of motion; basically, teleportation (something we've seen on another Abrams show, hint-hint).

Let MD Find You

As is increasingly popular with websites devoted to the fictional companies on these Sci-Fi/Mystery series, the website for Massive Dynamics holds more than a list of products and projects. There is also the possibility for "employment." Though as of yet viewers cannot submit employment inquiries or resumes, links to such options suggest that soon you and I could become part of the MD family . . . just like the website for Lost's Dharma Initiative. Another interesting aspect of the MD website is an operational telephone number viewers can call to get in touch with the corporation. Unable to resist the impulse, I dialed the number, listed as 1-877-8-MSSDYN. The call connects to an automated response informing callers that all of Massive Dynamics' representatives are on other calls. Callers are then prompted to leave a message after the beep. It's the next part that gets interesting. Rather than saying your typical "We'll call you back" or "We'll get back to you" lines, the recording says, "We will find you as soon as possible." Not call . . . not contact . . . find you. It makes you a little wary of leaving a message (though I did, just out of curiosity).

Check out the Massive Dynamics website for yourself here. And don't forget to call that number! Unravel the mysteries yourself by checking out Fringe's website, and tune in every Tuesday at 9 p.m. (EST) on FOX.