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- TV Series: Fringe
- Episode: Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?
- Starring: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika Nicole, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown
- Written By: David Wilcox, Matthew Pitts
- Directed By: Ken Fink
- Network: Fox
- Series: Fringe
Fringe: Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep? Review
A Major Supporting Character Dies By Kurt Anthony Krug
October 15, 2010
Fringe Review
© Fox/Bob Trate
This week’s episode – the title of which is a riff on Phillip K. Dick’s Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep? (the basis of Blade Runner) – takes us back to the main reality before the show goes on hiatus for a few weeks (What will those geniuses at FOX think of next to kill a show’s momentum? At least, Fringe creators J.J. Abrams and Roberto Orci are smart enough to end the last episode before hiatus-ville on a strong note to get their audience to come back).
Once a shape-shifter in the guise of a high-ranking U.S. senator gets into a car accident, Thomas Jerome Newton (Sebastian Roché) goes to the hospital to silence him. Walter (John Noble), now in command of Massive Dynamic per the late William Bell’s (Leonard Nimoy) will, dissects the shape-shifter, discovering he might still be alive. Turns out he is and his brains are in his ass, prompting Walter to literally get medieval on it. Too bad he wasn’t on drugs then to pull that off.
Posing as Olivia, Bolivia (Anna Torv) learns that the ersatz senator fed plenty of intel to Walternate (also Noble) on the Other Side, including everything in the Fringe Division. The information he has on them could jeopardize Bolivia’s mission.
Newton is not only captured, but killed as one of the show’s recurring bad guy takes the dirt nap. However, given that sly smile flirting with his lips upon biting the dust, this might not be the end of Newton. If that is so, then that’s good; Newton is truly one of the show’s best villains.
Before he dies, he can’t resist taunting Bolivia about really caring for Peter (Joshua Jackson), that it’s not an act as she likes to believe it is. At the end of the episode, Bolivia and Peter consummate their relationship as the screen fades to the credits.
As far as the acting goes, Noble was clearly enjoying himself this time around. Roché is always good; he plays such a great villain. Jackson is making people forget that he was once Pacey from Dawson’s Creek – and that’s not a bad thing.
A lot of forward motion made this episode… Newton dead… A little bit more about the shape-shifters is revealed… Peter and Bolivia having sex, something that will be a big wrinkle in his relationship with Olivia when she returns from the parallel universe. Fringe is the best series on network television today, which many people aren’t watching.
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Haven't watched this ep or last weeks ep yet. Was just checking to see what the grade was and read the first paragraph. So Fringe is taking a hiatus after only 4 episodes? That is pretty weak. I think I would have just rather they waited like Lost and 24 were doing and started the shows season in January/February so we just watch them straight through. I had planned to watch the past two episodes this weekend, but now I may hold off till the show comes back from hiatus.