Fringe Discussion: “Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?”

No Dicking around, this was a pretty good Fringe ep. It gave us a closer look at Shapeshifters, raising in the process questions about identity and morality. Torv has been faring much better as Olivia(s) lately, though I found her performance this week lacking in subtlety. Still, if an imposter replaced someone close to us, how would we know? How do we cope when someone we know well changes?

A few more questions after the cut, and (we hope) some discussion.

  • I found the idea of Walter with a well-financed research team amusing, and it could make his Amazing Weekly Breakthroughs seem more plausible. Given that the science in this show isn’t at all plausible, however, does anyone think they’re trading off some of the fun and comic-book coolness of Walter alone?
  • Is the trade worth it?
  • Will this-world Astrid ever have much to do that’s significant?
  • Given that we have a scientist supergenius and an agent who notices the significance of leftover pudding, does anyone else find it strange that no one thought of the “second brain” for so long? ‘Cause I went there right away.
  • Does Patricia’s reaction to the news that she’s been living with an imposter for a few years seem unbelievably restrained to anyone else?
  • Given what we now know about Shapeshifters, does anyone foresee a revolt or perhaps a turncoat helping our side out?
  • How long do you think the show will go before this-world Fringers realize they’ve got the wrong Olivia?

2 replies on “Fringe Discussion: “Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?””

  1. Does Patricia’s reaction to the news that she’s been living with an imposter for a few years seem unbelievably restrained to anyone else?

    I thought that myself, but I came up with some explanations.

    1) The INITIAL reaction was off-camera between her and a long-time friend. There was no telling how long she had to prep for being in front of strangers who already knew the secret.

    and

    2) one seldom attains the position of US Senator unless they are able to deliver “unbelievably restrained” responses to news. – It’s not such a stretch that the wife of a Senator has that skill.

    just my opinion – I could be wrong.

    .

    • I thought along similar lines, but it still seems quite an adjustment. (And, given the episode’s timeline, she didn’t have much of an opportunity to adjust. She could still be in some kind of shock, though we saw no evidence of that).

      Mercifully, we were spared an attempt to show her initial reaction to the news.

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