Fringe “Do Shapeshifters Dream Electric Sleep?” 

“Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep” was full of a lot more information about what makes the shifters tick. It was also quite tense to watch the story unfold. I found myself being nervous for everyone. This episode takes place in the present universe and one of the things we learned is that the shapeshifters have been infiltrating and taking over people’s bodies for at least the last five years. Considering that Walter kidnapped Peter when he was about 11, I believe, that has given Over There the last 10 – 15 years to develop the ability to come over and develop the endgame – the destruction of the present universe thus saving Over There. I found myself feeling frustrated with where the present universe is in figuring out what is going on. I want our side to win but that doesn’t seem possible because one, we are behind in the knowledge about Over There and now Bolivia is actively sabotaging any progress they could make. “Electric Sheep” simply got me anxious about how this will all turn out. Definitely a sign of how engrossing this show has become.

Bolivia/Peter:

• I found the date between Peter and fake Olivia to be rather illuminating. Peter spent the date people-watching and describing to Bolivia how he can read them. The part I thought was quite telling is that Peter spent the time they had together looking at what other people were doing. That forecasted Peter’s feelings of disconnection from Bolivia that he expresses later to her. It was great to see that he knows she isn’t the same but he can’t quite understand why she is so different.
• At the end of the episode, Bolivia with the prompting of Newton, decides she is going to have to seal the deal with Peter by having sex with him. We will see the next time we revisit the present world if Peter actually does succumb to Bolivia’s charms. I personally would love for true love to win out and for Peter to figure out what’s going on and stop Bolivia. Somehow I am not sure if that is what the writers have in mind.

Walter:

• Walter is now transplanted to Massive Dynamic. I don’t know about anyone else but I have to say that I am going to miss the Harvard Lab. Although Walter is reveling in the technology of what Massive Dynamic has to offer, we see that he actually ingests a bit of LSD to help him through getting used to his new digs. We definitely recognize that Walter’s mental health continues to be rather tenuous at best. It will be interesting to see when the confrontation comes between Walter and Walternate to see how these two men are able to deal with the other.
• Speaking of Walter and LSD, what a great interaction he had with Astrid and her shock that he called her by her proper name. He, unfortunately, had to be hopped up on a hallucinogenic in order to achieve that though. Hilarious.

Mystery-of-the-Week:

• The mystery/monster of the week focused on the shapeshifters who apparently have been taking over identities for years. This little fact continues to illustrate to me how much Over There has the upper hand over the Present World because they have been gathering intel and bringing over their shapeshifters for years.
• Newton was front-and-center throughout most of the episode. He has been Bolivia’s man in the shadows furthering the agenda. Unfortunately things don’t end well for him this episode. I was hoping to see more of Newton but alas it seems that he took the permanent way out at the end of the hour.
• We learned much more about the shifters this episode including they do have feelings. I was worried the one policeman impostor was going to take Walter out while they rode together in the elevator. I felt so tense while watching that scene wondering what direction this was going to go. Thankfully we won’t have to deal with yet another faux Walter.

This was an engrossing episode that answered some questions but certainly raised even more.