Get the latest gossip
Let’s Call That Severance “Love Triangle” What It Was
Doppelgänger sexual assault is nothing new in fiction. Neither is the reluctance to engage with male victims’ responses to it.
The idea of being replaced by an identical version of oneself, and then being forced to watch the deception succeed without the ability to warn friends and family, is a kind of nightmare logic playing on core fears of losing control and bodily autonomy. The first case of doppelgänger sexual assault I remember noticing was in season three of Fringe, in which an alternate-universe version of Olivia, nicknamed “Fauxlivia,” seamlessly slips into the protagonist’s life just after she officially begins a relationship with Peter. Let’s pause here to acknowledge that plenty of the examples I’ve named so far take place in well-executed, narratively satisfying stories; season three is probably Fringe ’s best, and the Fauxlivia deception is a huge part of that, including Peter’s confused feelings for both women in the episodes after the truth comes out.
Or read this on VULTURE
