“Sometimes monsters aren’t all that bad. Sometimes, if you get to spend some time with them they can be very surprising. They can be incredibly sweet and pure and capable of great great love. And then, one of them might actually become your best best friend” - Ray (a shapeshifter)
Charmingly constructing its title by borrowing from the title of the Philip K. Dick novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', this excellent episode, like the novel, explores than unrelenting SF question of can an artificial life form (in the novel, replicants, and here, shape shifters) have emotions in the same manner that humans do?
Right from the episode's opening we are shown that these creatures are capable of love and kindness - the senator shapeshifter is kind to two young girls who are selling lemonade, without any ulterior motive as far as we can see. And his kindness is ultimately his downfall, since as he smiles as the girls' shouts that he forgot his change whilst looking in his rear view mirror, he is hit by another car and hospitalised.
We are then presented with another shapeshifter, this one living under the guise of a family man, who has clearly grown and retains strong emotional ties with 'his' child and wife. I found this man's story and the way he alters his mission (he doesn't shape-shift during it in the hopes that he can return to his family life afterwards) quite moving. And his ties are also his downfall; with Newton taking care of this potentially compromisable part of his organisation.
Through the theme of can an artificial being becoming too emotionally attached when undercover, we of course explore at the same time whether alt-Olivia has or is succumbing in the same manner. Newton - before his death, which I feel is a great loss for the show - confronts her on this and accuses her outright of warming to the enemy, stating that ultimately it would be here downfall; and based on the demise of the shapeshifters featured in this episode (both due to them loving humans), it seems that alt-Olivia is likely destined for the same fate. It makes me wonder if she will do something drastic now to try to disprove Newton's accusation (to herself); we know she is capable of killing innocence in cold blood, so I'm fearful about what she might do to any given member of our main cast when put in a corner.
I don't know how to read into alt-Olivia mounting Peter at the end; it could be her embracing her emotional ties to him, thinking 'stuff the consequences', but it is probably more likely her trying to disprove Newton (to herself again) by performing an act of deep emotion while retaining an aloofness to it in her mind - essentially a test for herself; can she remain emotionally disciplined even when sleeping with him.
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