Fringe: Why I Hate Faux-Livia

Last week, Tim posed a big question—Which universe do you prefer?—and I finally decided on my answer after watching last night’s episode, “Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?” I am on Team Blue Universe for one simple reason: Faux-livia (Anna Torv) is a jerk.

She has her reasons, of course. I’d probably be a jerk too if I were stuck in an alternate universe with such a complicated mission weighing on my psyche. But my main problem with Faux-livia is that she’s consciously taking advantage of the Blue Fringe Division. Our Olivia is not completely responsible for infiltrating the Red Fringe Division because she’s not fully aware of what she’s doing (care of Walternate, (John Noble) who's experimented on her and thus gained partial control of her actions).

To be fair, the Red Universe has a lot going for it; I’d love to live in a world filled with mega-advanced technology, Agent Charlie Francis (Kirk Acevedo), Colonel Broyles (Lance Reddick) in tight shirts, and The West Wing. But this is also the world from which Faux-livia and Walternate originated, and I just can’t get behind a team with such destructive intentions.

Last night, we saw Faux-livia get into some real trouble, which was actually really comforting because it means that the fake blonde is not going to be in our world forever. Sure, she may have seduced Peter (Joshua Jackson) and strengthened their emotional bond, but Peter isn’t stupid, either. He was honest with Faux-livia about how different she’s seemed since “returning” from the Red Universe, and his curiosity isn’t going to cease just because they did the nasty.

Plus, Shapeshifter Overlord Thomas Newton (Gordon Ramsay Sebastian Roche) is out of the picture now, so her already-tenuous grasp on the Blue Universe just got a little weaker. It’s only a matter of time before her cover is blown!

I’ll leave you to ponder these questions for the next three weeks; new episodes of Fringe return on November 4, which is fine by me because the Giants are in the playoffs! Go orange!

1. What did you think of “Do Shapeshifters Dream of Elextric Sheep?”

2. How far will Walternate get with his experiments on Olivia?

3. Will Peter be able to solve the puzzle of the Doomsday Box?

Glee: Double the Fun

Glee: Double the Fun

Something was missing from last night’s episode of Glee, “Duets.” I don't mean Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch); while her one-liners are always welcome, she wouldn’t have added anything to the plot. I don't mean Puck (Mark Salling), either; as much as I love his voice, sending him off to juvie (presumably) gave Salling some time to promote his new solo album. So what was it?

In a word, everything. The episode lacked the flashy guest-stars, forced themes, and crazy costumes of the previous three. It focused on character development, it gave (almost) everyone a chance to sing, and it was a true pleasure to watch. It was about the glee club, through and through. Imagine that!

What’s sad is that, because this episode was stripped of the show’s typical bells and whistles, I basically saw it as a filler until I realized how much had actually happened. Glee is at its best (or “most believable”) when its stars are actually the stars, and in the span of last night’s 44-ish minutes, we gained a ton of insight into the psyches of several characters. Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) is frustrated by her chaperoned relationship with Mike Chang (Harry Shum, Jr.), Brittany (Heather Morris) is sexually free but emotionally attached to Santana (Naya Rivera), Artie (Kevin McHale) is still harboring feelings for Tina even though he lost his virginity to Brittany, Kurt (Chris Colfer) doesn’t know how to take “no” for an answer, and Quinn (Dianna Agron) doesn’t know how to say “yes” for herself. I’d rather watch a show that tackes those issues over a Britney-fest any day.

Finally, how awesome were those duets? Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Santana stole a piece of my Tina Turner-loving heart when they sang “River Deep, Mountain High,” and theirs wasn’t even the best performance of the night. Quinn and Sam’s (Chord Overstreet) chemistry-filled “Lucky” and Kurt’s fabulous “Le Jazz Hot” were spectacular, but nothing beats the choreography and comedy of Tina and Mike’s “Sing!”