TV Show: Fringe
Episode Title: Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?
Original Air Date: October 14, 2010
Episode Number: 3×04
Episode Description
Newton, concerned about the consequences of a distressing development involving a high-ranking official, is forced to call to action a sleeping shapeshifter. As Walter and the rest of the team gather evidence, they move the investigation to Massive Dynamic, where Olivia goes on high alert and Walter finds himself in a perilous situation.
My Review
So this episode was the one that 1) made a lot of fans hate/dislike Fauxlivia (if they haven’t already been feeling that way) and 2) got the Polivia fans riled up because of Peter and Fauxlivia finally having sex. Oh dear. This is such a fracking mess especially the second part. The implications of the two of them sleeping is going to have such a huge impact on everyone involved most of all Peter and our Olivia.
I have a feeling that Newton’s speeches to Fauxlivia made her doubt about her standing as an agent and he put the doubt in her mind that she’s not capable of completing this mission because she’s not fully in it. In this regard, she went ahead and killed two birds with one stone by sleeping with Peter, thus erasing any doubts in his mind about the differences he’s noticed with Fauxliviafrom and she’s also convincing herself that she’s all in on this mission, that she’ll do anything to keep her cover.
I did like seeing Fauxlivia scrambling to not get busted and to keep the disc away from the Fringe team, but at the same time, I was yelling at the screen for her to stop being a conniving you-know-what. But I’ve been thinking that we can’t really blame her for this because she’s been brainwashed by Walternate to think that this world is the enemy and everyone in it doesn’t deserve to live. She’s a soldier and is only following orders and she’s doing a hell of a job at her mission, contrary to what Newton said. Would be interesting to see if her feelings towards the Fringe team will change once she’s spent more time with them and she realizes that they’re really not that evil.
Well, I guess that was the last we’ve seen of Newton. He’s had a great run, but I will miss him and his mysterious ways. When Fauxlivia slipped him that tech “pill” to kill himself, wasn’t she concerned that she’ll be found out slipping that to him? Aren’t there cameras in that place especially for someone who’s a high priority prisoner?
The senator being a shape-shifter was a shock to the Fringe team and to me. If he’s a shape-shifter, how many else are out there who have infiltrated the highest branches of the government and the military and the intelligence agencies? Mandatory blood tests for everyone, I say.
To find out that Van Horn and the shape-shifter cop have been laying low for at least five years was also shocking. They’ve been here all this time? Walternate definitely planned this whole thing out meticulously. Also, was I to infer that Newton killed shape-shifter’s cop family? That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think? I thought the point was to keep a low-profile. These shape-shifters really like to be dramatic.
I’m so glad Walter is safe and only got banged up a little. The show tried to fake us out into thinking that the shape-shifter would take over Walter, but no. Not cool, show! Walter meeting with the Massive Dynamic scientist while fly as a kite was quite amusing. I can’t believe he almost succeeded in dropping his trousers during the meeting!
Other random thoughts:
– The scene where Astrid is shocked that Walter called her by her correct name rang false to me because there have been numerous instances in seasons one and two where he has called her by her name, but they’re not as obvious. (Watch episode 2×09 Snakehead for reference. He calls her Astrid several times in this episode.) In any case, I liked the scene because Astrid’s reaction was so sweet.
– But before that scene, we got Walter giving Astrid’s name as “Astro Farnsworth” to the Massive Dynamic security team, lol.
– Astrid bringing a framed picture of Bush and a copy of Hump magazine from the Harvard lab to Massive Dynamic cracked me up. What a combination.
– “The brain is consciousness. The mind is God.” – High Walter
– “I do some of my finest work self-medicated.”
– “Don’t eat my pudding.”
It's been a long slow collision 