Fringe TV Show - Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep? - Fringe Recaps, Fringe Reviews, Fringe Episodes | TWoP

Recapped by Daniel · Aired 2010-10-14

In Boston, Peter and Fauxlivia are out for dinner and doing that game that allegedly cute couples in television and movies do, which is look at the other people around them and guess stuff about them, like their occupations and relationship status. As usual, instead of coming across funny and intimate, it just makes the couple seem kind of obnoxious. Although I have to admit that Peter pegging one guy as "Persian Kid Rock" was pretty funny. Fauxlivia is certain Persian Kid Rock is a banker: "His long hair is just his link to his individuality," she says, adding that she thinks they work together, and Peter runs with it and ... Jesus, why am I recapping this? I'd just like to point out that anyone else in the restaurant playing this game and looking at Fauxlivia and Peter might assume they're a couple of obnoxious yuppies who can't bear to look at each other for more than five seconds straight.

Anyway, it eventually leads to Peter saying things that he doesn't realize say more about him and, say, Walter ("We all draw our moral lines in the sand. And unless you can put yourself in another man's shoes, I don't think you can really judge their situations") as well as things that he knows are about himself and Fauxlivia: "You can always tell when a relationship's about to take that step."

Then he says he had a really nice time (as did Olivia) but despite a moment ago sounding like he expected to get laid tonight, he has to head home lest Walter starts calling the emergency rooms. They get up to go, but Fauxlivia asks for a moment and she goes to the washroom and looks really conflicted, and then steels herself. Psst! It's behind the toilet tank! Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

Over in Brookline, good ol' Senator Van Horn is pulling up in his big black car to a lemonade stand run by a couple of young girls who are literally all "Senator Van Horn!" like they could not be more excited for Justin Bieber. But really, is there anything more fun than overpaying for lemonade from adorable eager-beaver neighbourhood kids? Van Horn "forgets" his change, and he's too busy chuckling and looking in his rearview mirror (the girls seem genuinely distressed that he forgot his change) to see that he's about to be broadsided by a truck. I hope the girls aren't too freaked out, because all the police and ambulance folks who are going to show up will need refreshment too. Every cloud, kids. Every cloud.

Over at a hospital, Van Horn is wheeled through the hallway with a nurse wanting to fire up the defibrillator because he doesn't have a pulse, but the doctor points out he's still breathing.

By Daniel

Walter's not having much success reanimating the senator, so he wants the body transferred to his lab. No, not the one with the cow in it, his new lab. The Massive Dynamic Lab with the state-of-the-art equipment, he says, eyes gleaming. Then he notices Van Horn's left hand starting to twitch, and even though it seems that this is just what he's looking for, Walter thinks he's tripping again, but Peter sees it too, so Walter knows it's not the drugs. And then Fauxlivia comes in to nonchalantly check on how everything's going. "Agent Dunham, good news! It seems this tin can is still ticking," says Walter. The eyes are moving now too. And Fauxlivia really needs to brush up on what it means to be undercover, because her reaction would indicate that this is horrible news (which it is for her, but not for Olivia).

And here's Astrid hauling equipment into Massive Dynamic, identifying herself for the security guard, who checks the computer and is all, "I've got an 'Astro' Farnsworth." Hee! Astrid brightly says that's her.

Inside, Astrid takes in the shapeshifter work going on and notes that the "old" her would have been really disgusted by this. Walter asks if she got everything on the list. Astrid reaches in to the box and pulls out two things: One is a framed picture of George W. Bush, and the other is a copy of Hump magazine -- headlines: "20 Pages of Classic Celebrity Twins," "The Most Important People in Sex" and, simply, "Hooah!" It must have been awfully embarrassing for Astrid to procure that. The magazine too. Ba-dum bump. "I don't even want to know," says Astrid, and Walter's all, "Which one are you referring too?" displaying a rare awareness of the potential for embarrassment, and Astrid looks at the two items and says "both." I enjoyed this scene, partly because it reminded me that my subscription to Hump is due to expire and I should renew it.

Walter asks if she got the candy buttons. She did, and she's mystified as to what use they'll be, but Walter quickly points out that they're for himself, which she really should have seen coming.

She asks what all the (non-candy-button) stuff is for -- and her box appears to have a big yellow foam finger in it -- and Walter explains that they're going to use the items as "visual stimuli" to map Van Horn's neural pathways to its "brain." Astrid wants to know what they're hoping to find.

By Daniel

"Its memories, Astrid. Everything it knows. Who it was working for. If there were others," says Walter, who stops because Astrid looks shocked. "You just called me 'Astrid.' You never get my name right," she says. Walter chalks it up to the LSD, which probably isn't right, given that he's high all the time.

Over at Van Horn's office, the senator's aide gives Fauxlivia his Homeland Security briefings for the past three years, while Peter goes through the stuff on Van Horn's desk. Fauxlivia casually tells him that she can handle it if he wants to go see how Walter's doing, but Peter says Astrid would be there by now, so if they find anything out, they'll call.

She looks at an oblivious Peter for a moment, then tries a different tack: pessimism: "If he's like the other shapeshifters, he's gonna be careful. He's not gonna leave anything here that would tell us he wasn't the senator." Peter agrees, except for the fact that he didn't know today was the day he was going to die: "Unless he had someone come in here and clean up after him, there's got to be something." Well, yeah, except for the fact that the shapeshifter probably knew that at any point he could die, so he probably cleaned up after himself every day. Or he should have, at any rate.

Fauxlivia's cellphone rings, and she tells Peter that it's Rachel -- Peter says to tell Rachel he said hi -- and Fauxlivia steps to the hallway to answer the phone. It's Newton, complaining that it's customary to leave one message for a person to call you back, not thirty." Thirty? Really? I hope that's some shapeshifting hyperbole. Way to come off as desperate, Fauxlivia. She's got no time to be lectured, though, and she tells Newton that Van Horn is alive, which Newton says is "impossible." Yeah, it's a shapeshifting cyborg-thing from a parallel universe, but surviving a gunshot is "impossible." Shut up, Newton. "You underestimated them. He's on the twenty-third floor of Massive Dynamic. Dr. Bishop's working on him now," says Fauxlivia, and Newton says he'll take care of it.

In the senator's office, Peter's found a box that he pries open. "What is it?" asks Fauxlivia, and Peter holds up a picture of her. "It's you." LONG DRAMATIC PAUSE WHILE FAUXLIVIA THINKS HER COVER IS BLOWN. But then Peter pulls out files of him and Walter. "All of us. Every case we ever worked on. He knew everything."

By Daniel

Over in Yonkers, a family is having supper, with a kid being fussy about his asparagus, and while his mom strikes out with the seven-year-old by suggesting he pretend "the train's going into the station," his father has better luck by pointing out that the asparagus will make his pee smell funny. As the whole family has a good laugh at all the urine talk going on at the dinner table, Dad gets up to answer a knock at the door.

His smile fades instantly when he sees who it is: Newton, who has an "assignment" for him. He hands over a file and says the body's in the lab on the twenty-third floor. The dad's all, "You expect me to break into Massive Dynamic?" and Newton tells him to just shift into a body with clearance. "It shouldn't be a problem. Is it?" The family-man shapeshifter, Ray, says he's just surprised, because he hasn't seen Newton in five years. Yeah, well, that's the way it works, points out Newton, who adds, "After this mission, you'll take a new identity. And Ray? No traces left behind. Nothing that can expose us. Understood?" Ray looks full-on pissed now, and says he'll contact Newton when it's done.

Over at Massive Dynamic, Broyles, Fauxlivia and Peter get through the security checkpoint while Broyles explains that FBI agents are stationed throughout the building, and NYPD security detail has set up a perimeter. "So what makes you think that Newton would try to recover the shapeshifter?" Um, the fact that he's tried ONCE ALREADY? Broyles just says, "I'd rather be wrong than sorry."

And then there's an excited Walter, getting off the elevator, but before he can share his good news, Peter tells Broyles that Newton has been collecting intel on Fringe for the last two years, which gives them an idea of when he was shifted. Fauxlivia asks if Broyles found anything out in D.C., and Broyles says they ran blood tests on every person who works on the Hill, which is in itself a rather amazing feat, and he says everyone checks out. Peter asks about the FBI and the Department of Defence, and Broyles says they're testing everyone with a Level 4 classification or higher, and Peter starts arguing that they've got to go wider because Van Horn can't be the only mole, and Walter can no longer contain himself and he bursts out, "Maybe we should just ask him!"

And upstairs in the lab, Fauxlivia is still working the downer angle: "Is it even possible that there's recoverable data left in Van Horn?" and Astrid says that Walter thinks so, and she explains that they didn't have very much luck locating it with everyday objects. "But then we tried something more personal," she says. Hump magazine, right? You used Hump, didn't you.

By Daniel

The crew watches on the monitors as Walter shows the body a toy car (no neural activity) and then a photograph of Van Horn's wife (activity). They still haven't found the data storage, but Walter thinks if they keep working on the emotional tie, they'll get there. Peter's all, "yeah, but it's a machine," and Walter says it was a machine that needed to play the role of a spouse: "And pretending to have an emotional connection caused a real one to form," he says. Fauxlivia takes this all in. Wondering about her need to commit to Peter for her mission? Or is Anna Torv wondering about her short-lived marriage to Mark Valley? Anyway, Walter wants to use the senator's actual wife to keep experimenting, and Fauxlivia quickly pooh-poohs that idea, saying she doesn't think they can ask that of a civilian, Walter. "I mean, not to mention the security clearance it would require," she adds, and Walter, who after all is a civilian like Peter, says it's the only way, and Peter appeals directly to Broyles, with Fauxlivia complaining AGAIN that she doesn't think it's a good idea: "Imagine the panic if she talks to the press," she says. Yeah, I can safely say that unless Fauxlivia wants the Fringe team to be worried about a Weekly World News cover story, the press isn't exactly going to jump on the "strange government department wants me to revive the dead shapeshifter corpse of what used to be my husband" story. Fauxlivia's really in danger of noticeably acting suspicious.

And Broyles says that he's known Patricia Van Horn for most of his adult life. "Her character's beyond question. If she's willing to help us, I'm willing to trust her," he says, and Fauxlivia seethes.

Over at the Duffy house, Ray is opening up the safe in his closet in the middle of the night while his wife sleeps. He pulls out a gun and one of those shapeshifting machines, and stands there for a moment looking pensive.

When we see him, he's in a policeman's uniform in his son's room, asking why Nate is still up. "I didn't sound the monster alarm, but I think he's here," says Nate, adding that he thinks the monster's under the bed. So Ray checks, and then he sits down on his son's bed and starts talking about how monsters aren't all that bad, and that sometimes they can be "incredibly sweet and pure and capable of great, great love," and I suppose it works in either case whether you think Ray is talking about himself or his son. "And then, one of them might actually become your very, very best friend," he finishes, and the kid is all, "But you're my best friend," and Ray manages not to say, "Yeah, EXACTLY," but just "Yeah, that's right," looking quite sad as he does so.

By Daniel

Nate asks his "dad" to come check on him when he gets back from work, and Ray says he will. What do you think he got the gun for, kid?

Over at Massive Dynamic, Broyles is introducing Peter and Fauxlivia to Patricia Van Horn, with Fauxlivia apologizing and saying that they know what they're asking is difficult. "Frankly, it all seems a bit beyond comprehension," says Patricia, evidently one for massive understatement. She explains that last week was their granddaughter's first birthday: "You should have seen the way Jim held her in his arms. He was so happy. And now, the thought that he was really this thing..." She says she wants to be here so she can find out who did this to her husband.

So in the lab, Patricia stiffly talks to the stiff, all, "Hi, James. It's me, Patricia. Can you hear me?" And Walter suggests she talk to him instead of at him, so Patricia gets a little more personal, talking about how it's quiet in the house without him, and she "finished the curtains" but really only because she can't sleep. Walter wants her to touch him: "Perhaps a gentle caress or tickle," he says, only Broyles reacts like Walter suggested giving the corpse a handjob, but Patricia understands. She touches the body's shoulder and says the kids have been asking for him, and "Grayson" called yesterday. Astrid quietly says that neural activity is rising, and Walter gleefully tells Fauxlivia that they're getting close, and Fauxlivia smiles but as soon as Walter turns away, she grimaces like she got a busted flush on the river.

Patricia movingly talks about all the years they had together, and apologizes for not knowing he was gone. "I don't know how I didn't know. You would have known. I know you would have." Astrid points Walter towards the base of Van Horn's spine, but Walter says something's wrong, and it doesn't make any sense, and that's when Van Horn sits up with one bandaged eye and one eye ball the colour of mercury and starts repeating, "Eleven, ten, twelve, Whitefield. Eleven, thirteen, sixteen, Beaufain. Eleven, seventeen, Essex," and while the Fringe team ponders over top of the words what this could mean, Patricia eventually gets freaked out enough to yell "stop it!" and Peter yanks out some kind of plug and the body goes still.

By Daniel

"What was that?" says Fauxlivia, and Walter figures they triggered a corrupted file, a mishmash of discarded data. Patricia tells them that month was their anniversary: "The Beaufain, the Whitefield, the Essex, they're all hotels. We were leaving November 10th," she explains, and Broyles says that they're done, and he'll take her home. "Did it help? Did you find what you were looking for?" she asks, and Broyles tells her she did more than enough.

Walter wants to give up, saying the shapeshifter's system is too badly damaged, so any data in there is likely lost anyway. Also, he's certain he is no longer high.

Meanwhile, Fauxlivia's getting a text message that says, "Get out. ETA 15 minutes," and you'd think these super-secret undercover operatives would at least use some kind of code, but anyway she suggests going to get a bite to eat, but Walter says he's not hungry, so Olivia tries "change of scenery" as a reason.

And despite Walter's protests, he is piling on the food in the Massive Dynamic cafeteria, claiming he is "eating for comfort." He's bummed because of what he put Patricia Van Horn through, "and the most activity we saw occurred in the shapeshifter's ass," he complains with Astrid correcting that to "lower spine," and then to take his mind off his troubles or maybe even just to shut him up, she shows him the boxes of animal crackers he loves. Walter grumpily says it's William Bell who loved animal crackers: "I occasionally eat them to honour him, that is all." I eat fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Not because I like them, mind; I do it to honour Elvis Presley. Then Walter starts chuckling as he remembers how Bell always thought that "dinosaur cookies" would have been a great idea: "Velociraptor, mmm! Dilophosaurus, yum!" Astrid says she was always a big stegosaurus fan -- as was Belly, apparently. "The funny thing about stegosaurus..." he begins, and then Walter suddenly goes quiet, like something just occurred to him, and he bolts out of there, although not so urgently that he doesn't take the time to warn Astrid not to eat his pudding.

Walter gets on the elevator, and the doors are about to close when one Officer Ray Duffy gets on as well. And it isn't too long that Walter starts talking -- ostensibly to the officer, but really to himself -- about how the "stegosaurus had a brain in its ass," or rather a massive cluster of nerves above the rump and this is an evolutionary leap, apparently, separating short-term memory from long-term memory. This causes him to refer to Belly as an "ingenious son of a bitch," and he is oblivious to Duffy pulling out his shapeshifting device. Way to stay undercover, Duffy!

By Daniel

On the twenty-third floor, the security guard lets Walter go right on through, but tells Duffy that he's not allowed to be up here: "Police are strictly working the lobby." Duffy more or less ignores him and kind of cocks his head, watching Walter continue on. "Sir," says the security guard. Likely the last word he'll ever speak.

Back in the cafeteria, Peter and Fauxlivia are talking about Patricia Van Horn not knowing her husband wasn't actually there anymore, with Fauxlivia arguing the "shapeshifters are amazing!" side of the argument. Peter wonders if maybe she DID notice but just made excuses or came up with ways to explain it to herself: "Kind of like I've been doing with you," he says, giving Fauxlivia yet another "Oh shit! My cover's blown!" scare, only Peter is just referring to "all the little differences" he's noticed in her since she's been back from the other side. "It's like you're a completely different person," he says, including her seeming less burdened and more patient with Walter. "Don't get me wrong, I like it. The change is good. But it's different." Fauxlivia, you really shouldn't be looking THAT nervous right now. They're joined by Astrid, who of course doesn't know where Walter is, causing Peter to spring into action.

Upstairs, Walter is wrestling with Van Horn's body, rolling it over so he can make an incision in the base of the spine (mercury spilling out). Officer Ray Duff comes strolling in and tells him to step away from the body, and Walter goes full-on fraidy-cat, holding his hands up, but while Duffy pokes around inside (the conveniently pre-opened) Van Horn, Walter grabs hold of what looks like some kind of surgical steak knife.Duffy pulls a little doohickey out of the back of Van Horn, and Walter's not so terrified that he can't be excited over being right about the memory being in the base of the spine. "Yeah, you were right," says Duffy, not even looking at Walter, who closes his eyes, looks like he thinks that what he's about to do will likely result in his own death -- and he jams the blade into Duffy, who pulls it out and then grabs Walter and slams him hard against a beam. Downstairs, Fauxlivia and Peter get on the elevator that Duffy vacates, and Peter notices, too late to get out the closing elevator doors, the splotches of mercury that must have come from the cop. Fauxlivia hits the button for the second floor and tells Peter to look for Walter, while she goes after the shapeshifter.

By Daniel

So she gets out and more or less stands around while Peter continues up in an elevator that apparently gets to your floor faster if you continuously hammer the button for the floor you want.

He gets off and races past the dead security guard to find Walter groggy on the floor. Peter cradles Walter's head as Walter starts talking about the two-brained stegosaurus. And here comes Fauxlivia, having decided she's spent enough time pretending to chase the shapeshifter. She calls the EMTs for Walter, and by this point the blood is flowing from Walter's head pretty good, and Astrid FINALLY shows up and freaks out over Walter's injury. "Under the circumstances, I'm fine. I could have been killed," he tells her. I think he's happy to milk this for sympathy juuuust the teensiest bit.

And then Peter tries to hack into Massive Dynamic's security cameras so they can try to ID the shapeshifter before he changes bodies, and Walter merely places his thumb on the scanner, granting access immediately. "Ownership has its privileges," he says, before Astrid leads him away.

Duffy pulls into his driveway, and finds Newton standing there in the suburban darkness, looking at his house. Let's just say they don't exactly high-five each other. Newton points out that Duffy didn't shift. "I didn't have to. I got it," says Duffy, and he hands over the whatsit to Newton. As for the house, Newton tells him: "Don't worry about them. I took care of it. We're clean." Duffy gets angry and asks him why he did that -- but that was only a test. Newton didn't actually kill them. "I couldn't understand your hesitation. I saw it, but I didn't understand it. It's them, isn't it," he says. Well, of course it's them! Isn't that part of the point? Walter figured that out in like five minutes with a dead one! As far as robot epiphanies about humans go, it's not quite "I know now why you cry."

While Duffy protests that this is his life, Newton tells him this is simply a "way station," and now he'll have another life: "It's what we do. It's what we're made for." You guys, maybe. But shapeshifter Gene Simmons was made for loving you, baby.

Look, we know this isn't going to end well. Duffy gets a bullet in the forehead, and it's as Newton is putting the cop's body in the trunk of his car when Fauxlivia and Peter arrive, Fauxlivia firing a shot at Newton's car as he peels out. They chase him their own car -- the model of which we know thanks to an annoyingly noticeable bit of product placement camerawork.