I don't think your understanding of Earth 2 is accurate.

Although I suppose there are exceptions, like Fringe's own phenomenal Robocop/Time Travel episode, of which this is a poorly executed imitation.

On another level, devoting large amounts of time to one-off characters like this is not something a show should do.

They have absolute authority to encase people in amber as needed, and in this case, to capture or kill the escaped guy, but they "can't hold him on a hunch"?

Also confused that in the pretty authoritarian-seeming Over There, they didn't even search the house of the twin they interviewed so genially, despite the fact that he was obviously responsible for his brother's escape from the amber.

So, Oliva can Jaunt now
Overt nod to fans of that terrible book.

Wow
Something went wrong with comedy tonight.

The Show's
Pretensions of seriousness are increasingly at odds with its fantasyland defense winrate.

Way to miss the point… everyone.

On the Topic of Gay Kissing
Maybe you should just admit that most guys and even a large number of girls are grossed out by the sight of two guys kissing, quite apart from actually caring whether they do it. It's not anti-gay, it's just the reaction that many people have, and I can't see why any network should want to…

Do you guys not realize that most legal shows usually take doctrinaire liberal stances? Consider any David E Kelly show.

So
FX is still airing this crap, you idiots are still watching it, and Handlen is still giving it A's?

I don't understand
How one of this seasons 4 or 5 plotlines can be consistently awesome while the others are routinely among the most boring on TV.

Even in
What is certainly the best episode of this season (possibly the series) True Blood remains remarkably desultory. It is a show that could profitably eliminate two thirds of its cast.

Looks Like
The show is staying true to form. That is, wasting tons of time on unbelievably irritating characters and pointless subplots.

Biggest problem I have with this show
Is that their win-rate is ridiculous even by legal drama standards, and as you mentioned it's usually some very silly intuition of Alicia's that pulls it off.

In its
Pure understanding of the medium, and how to drive entertainment from week to week, TVD is the best show on TV right now.

Confirm Terrible Show
Much like Clarke Peters appeals to women who have outgrown boys, Treme appeals to viewers who have outgrown narrative and would rather subject themselves to an hour of didactic preaching every Sunday night.

Lost is struggling through a very poor final season, but I can confirm that it is still better than Treme.

These characters are zombies already.