Carolyn Tiry, besides being an England expert and a Thursday night TV enthusiast is one of our Copy Editors and A SWELL GAL.

The Spectator Starter Kit is designed to help you get to know our staffers and learn about some of the things that influence them the most. You might even get hooked!

Favorite TV Show:
Fringe
An episode to get you started:
“Peter (SE:2 EP:16)”

You may not know this about me, but I’m a closet science fiction fan. No seriously, it’s true. I love me some “X-Files,” Isaac Asimov, and “Doctor Who.” But my latest sci-fi fix comes from “Fringe,” the most recent show from television mastermind J.J. Abrams.

From the previews, “Fringe” might seem like a knockoff of “The X-Files,” and for a while, that’s what it was. That’s not to say that it was bad, but it wasn’t terribly original either.
Then, near the end of the first season, it suddenly veered left into the realm of alternate universes and never looked back. It has taken everything that was wrong with the serialized storytelling of “Lost” and made it right, and the stand-alone episodes are just as great.

Plus, it features wonderfully subtle acting from Aussies John Noble and Anna Torv and an all-grown-up Joshua Jackson.
Check out “Fringe” on FOX, 8 p.m. on Fridays.

Favorite Artist:
Sigur Rós
A song to get you started:
“Hoppípolla”

I recently had the opportunity to go to Iceland. Besides it being a geological marvel, it’s also the home of one of my all-time favorite bands: Sigur Rós.

Some of their methods may be slightly unusual (such as using what sounds like a sonar ping as a driving force in “Svefn-g-englar” or recording an entire album in a made-up language called Hopelandic), but they’ve perfected the art of the slow build in both songs and albums.

Sure, what they make could be categorized as lofty, atmospheric orchestral rock, but don’t worry: It’s not nearly as inaccessible as you might think. There’s a song for any emotion you’ve got — happiness, grief, depression, elation, relief, etc.

What Sigur Rós really makes is music in Icelandic that somehow translates perfectly without needing any translation at all.

Check out their most recent album, “Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust,” at your local retailer.

Favorite Local Restaurant:
The Nucleus
A menu item to get you started:
Lemon crêpe

I adore breakfast foods: waffles, pancakes, French toast, bagels, cereal, scrambled eggs, omelets. All really delicious stuff. But what takes the cake, and what I just can’t seem to make myself, are crêpes. Which is where The Nucleus comes in.

You see, breakfast at The Nucleus just doesn’t get much better. The service is great, the atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable and the crepe you’re served will be bigger than your head, stuffed with whipped cream and fresh fruit (and the blueberries taste like blueberries!).

And if you’re not in a sweet mood, you can also get a savory crêpe with smoked salmon or scrambled eggs, basil and tomatoes.

The only thing that would make it better is if breakfast were served all day.

Check out The Nucleus at 405 Water St.