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Season Eight Reviews
"the truth is in the lies"
8X01Within
SummaryIt's ten months after the original airing of Requiem when I finally watch this and I'm not feeling very charitable. This was quite simply unsatisfying and I think I would have found it that way even if I had watched it back in November and not March. After ten months in which to become jaded and cynical, however, I can also say that it was annoying and far-fetched. Most annoying was that lamenting, mournful dirge that followed the "Widow Scully" around. (I hadn't realized when I watched Per Manum that this has likely been Scully's anthem all season.) Beyond that little bit of irrelevancy, I found the characterizations lacking. Oh, Doggett was fine — in fact, I don't think that this season will go down as the year in which we all hated the arrival of the new male lead — but Scully was "off" (that water throwing scene seemed inappropriate to me), the "sensitive, caring" version of Skinner (who needs the reassuring touch on the arm from Scully) seems to come across as missing much of his edge, and Kersh is simply a waste of screen time. He is so incredibly one-dimensional (except during his conversation with Doggett, but that was to give us some background on Doggett, not Kersh) that he makes you want to say to him, "Oh yeah? Make my day." Here again we have that godawful theme from the movie of placing some sort of blame on someone (even on Mulder) for what's happened. I don't claim to know what would be standard procedure at the FBI when one of their own goes missing, but I somehow think it would involve more sympathetic treatment of the missing agent's closest colleagues, less ripping up of his office, and just perhaps a bit of searching in the actual area in which he was reported missing (given that they don't buy that "alien abduction into a flying disc" story). So what about the far-fetched part? Mulder has been dying all last year and is so accepting of it that he's purchased himself a family headstone in advance? Give me a break. The Mulder that I "know" would sooner put a gun to his head than go to such pomp and ceremony. (So, tell me, CC — has Mulder been planning babies with Scully this past year or putting his life in order in preparation for death? It's one or the other, Chris baby, you can't have both extremes of absurdity.) Oh and one final thing — that poor dear Gibson. Ignored for two years and he's been at a school for the deaf in the middle of the desert this whole time. Why the hell didn't Scully make that connection earlier?? Best or Worst MomentYou know, it's odd that I would choose this, but I think those segments of Mulder being tortured are the best moments of this one — although I guess I am speaking from a production point of view. They were extremely stylish in a technical sense. Not having seen the continuation yet at this writing, I can say that it did not occur to me those scenes were anything other than Scully's dreams. Without
SummaryThis part wasn't that bad, all in all. As I watched it, it occurred to me that this "task force" seems to be a bit of a bungling bunch, definitely not the Bureau's finest, but you know what? I'm finding it hard not to like Doggett. It's refreshing to have a new character who actually appears to be a decent human being, warts and all. I think what I like most about him is that he's not afraid to be wrong. Anyway, here in part two, the search is full on, although no one seems to understand why we're suddenly searching for a little boy (who's not all that little any more — his voice is threatening to change and he's kinda lost his "cuteness"), who ends up being a ward of the state. Huh? Talk about anticlimactic. They can't come up for a better use for Gibson after all this time? The weakness of this episode shows up in the total predictability of everything, but then we — like Scully — have had enough experience with the ABH to have given him a handy acronym and know how he works. (Had to laugh at the "Duchovny as ABH" appearances, though. His lack of words made me think that when he and CC sat down to negotiate these supposed "last minute" appearances that DD said he'll do them as long as he doesn't have to use his vocal cords for anything other than "Scully!") Both Scully and Skinner seemed more recognizable to me in this episode than in Within. I appreciate the fact that they are torn up over what's happened to Mulder, but let's face it, the man has gone missing before. I liked that both Scully and Skinner exhibited more "take charge" behaviour here than in the previous episode. It's been said when Scully has been criticized later in the season for not "looking" for Mulder that she wouldn't know where to look, since the impression is that Mulder is flying around on a ship somewhere. Well, they knew where to look in these two eps, didn't they? The LGM seemed perfectly capable of providing them with UFO tracking data to find the ABH and his saucer, right? Scully herself seems to have seen it out in the middle of the desert. At the end of the day, the "aliens flying around on a ship" scenario is about as popular with me as with Kersh, but if I were to think about it, it would be my guess that the ship doesn't stray too far from earth. Experience just tells me that experimentation and testing are what these aliens are after, not actual "abduction". Best or Worst MomentI really enjoyed the exchange that Skinner had with Doggett when the former told him that he was being used as a sacrificial lamb by the new resident bad guy, Kersh. And when Doggett presented his final report, you couldn't help but get the feeling that he suddenly had a clear understanding of what Fox Mulder has been facing for the past ten years. As for some of the unrealistic downsides, I guess Scully didn't lose her baby when she was thrown against the wall/window because she knows exactly how to handle a move like that, having experienced it several years ago when "Mulder" slammed her around and then tossed her on top of a glass table. The Gift
SummaryHalfway through this episode when I finally began to make head and tail out of it, I thought to myself, well, here we go again — ST did this better in The Empath and For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky (even though the latter is definitely not one of my favourites). So what might have been the situation behind the scenes for CC here? "Duchovny's back and is willing to say a few lines, Frank, how about you write him a story that addresses something that Mulder fans might remember from the last time they watched this show?" I have to reiterate that I absolutely hate the contrived melodrama of the "Mulder was dying all last year" storyline, if for no other reason than that it has been so successfully kept secret. We're talking about a world in which someone knows how many squares of two-ply are used every time these people spend more than a few minutes in the bathroom. How would it have been possible for him to have so easily hidden his condition from everyone? Especially from one particular agent who was missing from this episode but was apparently his partner in crime in falsifying field report documents. In the end result, I guess I should be thankful that Mulder's character wasn't assassinated. His actions were entirely Mulder-like. I liked Skinner's involvement here too, although if he persists in spouting that "abduction" stuff, his career isn't too far from the toilet either. I liked how Doggett thought to stop and feed Mulder's fish. (Although what's the situation with that — does he share that job with Scully or does she not even do that anymore?) What specifically didn't I like? The unnecessary establishment of May as being the timeframe for Mulder's disappearance. (Anything else — including keeping it ambiguous — would have been preferable to May, but then what the hell do I know?) And what was the point of Mulder hiding his gun under the sink? I saw that as just setup for Doggett to rip through his apartment (and it's arguable that after such an activity, John Doggett may now know Fox Mulder better than Dana Scully does). The cold-blooded shooting of a federal agent was also a bit much to take; violence in small town America is scary. Not to mention, where was Skinner when all this was happening? Oh, and here's a final, random thought. If Mulder was convinced that he was dying all last year and kept it from everyone, what does that really say about his feelings for Scully? Best or Worst MomentThere was something touching about that final scene before the credits rolled, which is my pick for best moment. The fact that Doggett could see Mulder standing there, almost telling him that he had "done good", was oddly comforting. Agent Dogbert — did Langly really call him that?? — seemed understandably shell-shocked, but he did a good job at getting into Mulder's head. Kudos to him for achieving something that not many have managed to do. Per Manum
SummaryIt occurred to me after watching this episode — on February 18, 2001, my first exposure to season eight TXF — that I've known about this IVF thing for so long that I've become desensitized to it. It took me a few minutes to remember that I still hate the scenario with a red-hot passion, but given what it is, this episode wasn't all that horrible. First impression of John Doggett? What's up with the accent? Otherwise, he's an okay guy in my book, at least on the strengths of this one episode. I actually felt very sorry for him for having to put up with Scully's behaviour. Never mind the fact that I would have been a lot less polite than he was in that "middle of the night coffee shop meeting" that took about five seconds to get no information whatsoever. He comes off sensitive, caring and committed to his work, which is a lot more than I can say for Scully. (I heard that she was a "better person" in all things than she was here, but I heartily disagree, at least with respect to her treatment of Mulder. After all, here she at least wanted Mulder for his sperm and even graced him with a couple of nice smiles.) Note to CC though — I did not find Agent Doggett to be any more "manly" or "adult" than Mulder, Skinner, CSM, Krycek or any other male character that TXF has ever had, so please stop highlighting such things about him. While I think the events of this episode were as good as they could be given the AWFUL premise, I had a problem with the "everyone turns out to be bad" plot device. Why did Doggett's friend become so smarmy as to be smarmy? He may as well have been wearing a sandwich board that said, "Do not trust me." Bottom line about this whole mess? No person who undergoes IVF is ever surprised that she's pregnant. The fertilization occurs prior to implantation and if it "doesn't take", it doesn't go into the body. So we are left with the thought that maybe they tried again — despite Scully's "last chance" speech — and successfully implanted a fertilized embryo which she subsequently believed to have lost but didn't. Hence her surprise at the end of Requiem. But what sort of embryo was it? I think I'll climb aboard the 1013 Bus of Ludicrous Stupidity (should I trademark that?) and go with the alien baby scenario. The boys just better make it worth my while and have it be the biggest, ugliest, meanest freakin' alien in the history of all aliens. I want John Hurt to be jealous of what Scully ultimately gives birth to... Best or Worst MomentThey came in the same segment, actually, both out of Mulder's mouth. The worst moment was when he said, "The answer is yes." (That response, Fox Mulder, qualifies you for "podperson" status — a whole year before you were ever abducted.) The best moment was when he said, "at that part, I'm a pro" — in response to Scully's explanation that her doctor would want to go over donor procedures with him. DD/Mulder doesn't need to have a lot of screen time in order to deliver some much needed levity to this sadly serious (or is that seriously sad?) show. By the way, I have a runner-up for worst moment: Scully saying that she feared she'd lose the X-Files and wouldn't be able to look for Mulder (if she had revealed her pregnancy). I'm confused. To look for Mulder, wouldn't you actually have to look for Mulder? This Is Not Happening
SummaryIn a way, I can't wait for this show to stand on its own two feet in terms of going on without Mulder, because as far as I was concerned, this definitely wasn't an ep that I needed to watch. And yet, I'm sure the publicity machine churned the "Mulder returns" bit as much as it could when this aired. As in Within/Without, Mulder was the focus of the show, but after this long a wait, I have no patience for so-called drama that seems to serve no purpose other than to make this a two-hour ordeal. "Cut to the chase and be done with it" was something that I muttered under my breath several times. Anyway... I found Agent Reyes (and here I had been thinking the name was pronounced "Reez") to be a strange bird. Maybe it's the history of seriousness on the X-Files, but she smiled way too much for my liking. (It just didn't seem appropriate at times is all I'm saying.) But hell, you can't argue that the woman has eyes like a hawk. She managed to make out the face of that cult leader (not to mention the license number of the truck) as she came running down the side of an embankment in the inky blackness of night. Wow. I'm beyond impressed. Question: just what are these aliens up to with their evil experimentation? Are they just supremely angry (as we are) that CC has screwed over their history so badly? Think about what we've been given recently and it just boggles the mind. These guys are just flying around willy-nilly, not caring who sees them, snatching up huge groups of people right in front of other huge groups of people. What's the deal here? The aliens throw out "dead" specimens, hope Jeremiah Smith does or doesn't (?) revive them so that they can be taken again to start the whole vicious cycle all over? For what possible purpose? Take over the world already! And finally — are the creators ever going to get the Scully characterization right again? I mean, for months (she said "months", I don't know how many) she's supposedly been the "Ice Queen Supreme" (a depiction that many of us have had a problem with). Here, however, we're given a version of a Dana Scully who basically falls apart on the job. I for one can't decide which version is worse. Best or Worst MomentTwo quotes stood out for me in this episode. (I should note for the record that I've been recording my thoughts based on one single viewing of all episodes thus far.) Doggett said something about "mumbo jumbo" that I heartily agreed with; good one, and quite apropos. Then there's the title of this piece. Not many weeks have gone by since last May that I haven't thought some version of that same sentiment about this very show. Unlike how it's going to turn out for Scully, however, I don't dare expect that things are going to turn around for us this season. DeadAlive
Summary"I liked this. I really liked this." I didn't love it (because I think the time has definitely passed for me to say that about this show) but at least the story-telling was more engaging in this part than in the previous. (I stand by my assessment from the last ep that this story didn't need to be drawn out into a two-parter, and I'm glad that it is apparently not a three-parter!) Did anyone else think that Nick Lea was a sight for sore eyes? What is it about him that makes me think that something is right in this TXF world?? Despite his reputation, I found myself cheering for him during his "manly man" battle with Doggett. (And we all know that Krycek loves to get beat on, so he gladly took the blows from Doggett like he used to take them from Mulder.) When he offered up the "Mulder's life for Scully's baby" thing, I thought to myself, "Take the deal, Skinner". (Of course, any interest that Krycek has in Scully's baby means that this isn't a conventional baby, but then, I've already come to terms with that bit of insanity.) Wonderful of Ratboy to rescue the infamous nameplate. I'm almost ready to believe in the true love story here: Krycek and Mulder. Enjoyed the elevator scene immensely. "Who are you telling to go to hell when I've got the all-powerful Nano Palm Pilot thingie??" But I had to laugh at Skinner's move to grab the unit from the desk. A better move would have been to shoot him, but where would that leave us? Question: how come it's so easy for Krycek to gain access anywhere?? So... the aliens are doing a take on the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" routine without being quite as efficient about it. Gotta say that if that's their way to take over the world, it's gonna take a bit of time and a lot of cooperation from earthlings who have a sudden need to exhume bodies after they've been buried for three months. This aspect of the story just gets more ridiculous as time goes on.... which leads us to the "return" of Mulder. He didn't fool me with his opening quip, but I found it just a tad unbelievable that he'd pull such a joke after what he'd been through. (Because I don't think that he'd be so incredibly lucid that soon after awakening.) What sticks in my mind is that there's still no declaration of love at any point from Scully. Think we're ever going to get any beyond what'll be in the flood of fanfic that people are invariably writing right now?? Best or Worst MomentI loved it when Doggett called Scully on her beliefs. About time someone asked this season's version of Dana Scully just what she thinks she believes versus what she so arrogantly insists that others should believe. LOVED the look on Doggett's face as he walked away from her, leaving her with her mouth hanging open and unable to answer. (On the other hand, I was starting to gag on all the blatant attempts by CC and FS to convince us that JD's a good guy. So much sensitivity and caring towards Scully that he'd risk a promising career and become Kersh's new whipping boy... ooh, I believe that.) Three Words
SummaryHalfway through the program, an odd thought struck me: I don't know the name of this episode. I also couldn't recall whether I'd merely forgotten it or whether I never knew it in the first place. That says a lot for how things have changed. But one thing that doesn't change is Mulder. For as many complaints as I've had (and will continue to have), I have to give kudos to CC and FS for writing Mulder as recognizably as they've done here. (This episode underscored for me how the terms "constant" and "touchstone" refer to Mulder rather than Scully. He will always be the same. The writing staff has already demonstrated to us that the same doesn't apply to Scully.) That said, my opinion of this episode swung back and forth like Paul Bunyan's axe. At one point I was reminded of the infamous Bart Simpson comment: "this both sucks and blows". More accurately, this was both confusing and predictable. I felt like I was watching some weird hybrid rehash of the movie, Memento Mori, and other past eps. And yet, the sequences with the LGM were among the finest of the hour. The part about the data was just more of the usual TXF nonsense. Firewalls after the fact? Must be some sort of government cost control strategy where they don't pay for protection until it's proven that it's needed. It's a set-up? Gasp — No! Random thoughts... alrighty, so who easily guessed that 1) Mulder's delicious looks (not to mention his essential health) would be restored via some "medical miracle", that 2) Mulder would hear about Scully's pregnancy off-camera, and 3) that Doggett's smarmy friend is an alien? Are we getting too smart for this show? And who agrees that the alien technology/plan could stand a bit more quality control? That obvious protrusion in the back of the neck is a problem, no? Why do manly men lose their balls entirely when called in front of Kersh? Speaking of manly men, has Doggett completely morphed into SensitiveMan? Okay, I'll stop with the questions. Appreciated the move by Scully to "steal" the hard drive herself instead of leaving it to Mulder. On the other hand, "I'm happy for you" doesn't much sound like he cares about the bundle of joy that Scully is carrying. (Great scene, by the way, from Mulder's point of view.) One more thing — didn't mention the timeline insanity last week, but I'll revisit it here. Six months that Mulder has been gone puts this episode in late November, early December at best. So while his joke about not winning just because you have more votes may be somewhat well placed, wasn't there an episode with a December tag that had Scully running around with Doggett pursuing some MOTW (and doing so very well by Kersh's estimations) while still looking very svelte? Best or Worst MomentI'll always have Frohike. That should be an epitaph for Mulder to consider the next time he dies. Loved the scene with the "little troll" wrapping his arms around Mulder's butt. Too bad the "blessed event" comment had to cast a pall over the fun. ("Baby, what baby?" As long as M&S don't want to discuss it in front of me, I will continue to be in blissful denial. S'fine with me.) Oh, one final best/worst moment observation (you choose which): girlie man 1; manly man 0. Empedocles
SummaryAnd here I thought that the "Samantha as starlight" theory was crappy. At least I can give CC the benefit of the doubt for having an original and imaginative idea in that one. Here, Mr. Walker seems to think that we would be interested in the story of how Doggett's poor son was a victim of some evil fiery entity that jumps from body to body for all eternity. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I saw this on Star Trek years ago too! (Wolf in the Fold for those of you who think I'm full of it with all these ST references — only now they're not even ripping off the good episodes.) Otherwise, this was one strangely disjointed hour. We go from oddly shippy Mulder/Scully/pizza man discussions to Doggett hanging around Scully's hospital room being reminded of his son (what the hell was all that about?) to these prickly exchanges between Agent Reyes (who's thankfully less happy this outing) and Mulder. Speaking of, is he just some "agent at large" these days? He was hanging around dressed awfully casually at the office which made me think that maybe he was still off duty but then he later appeared in pants and dress shirt out at the murder scene...? Oh, and of course, in the midst of all this, there was that "evil entity look-at-me I'm a cool but useless effect" thing parading around as an x-file. (In much the same way as Kathy Griffin made Fight Club even harder to watch, Jay Underwood made this hour all the more painful for me. I'm sorry, but he seems to sport this perpetually pathetic look that makes me want to slap him silly.) I'm mildly irritated that with five eps to go, this was one of them. It served no purpose other than to position the characters for another season that I'm not sure how many of us care about anymore. And although CC didn't write this, I can feel his influence all over it. That whole theme of the differing belief systems among he/she/you/me, the requisite Scully stamp of approval on the new kids on the block ("he's worth the effort" referring to Doggett; "I like her" referring to Reyes), never mind that coy bit of dialogue that started out with her thanking Mulder for "another" gift. No, it's not his sperm, but his "courage to believe." Yeah, whatever. At least in the midst of that we finally got some sort of indirect remark from Scully indicating that she may in fact — gasp! — like Mulder. Final observation that I will leave without comment once again: manly man 1, girlie man 0. Best or Worst MomentWhat saved this one from a poor rating was the few seconds of joy that I saw on Mulder's face when he put his hand on Scully's belly. It brought back all of the innocence to his face that I had thought for sure that David wouldn't even know how to conjure up anymore. Kudos. Even though the reason for that joy is distasteful (after all, didn't Mulder imply during this hour that they don't know who/what the father of this "thing" is?), I enjoyed the moment for what it was. Vienen
SummaryThey're coming. They and many others, apparently. In a way, I suppose they've always been coming, ever since Mulder visited Puerto Rico and met up with that Jorge fella who drew the alien head on the bathroom wall and wanted to push that red button. (Was I the only one who was reminded of Little Green Men when Doggett was trying to communicate with the Mexican dude?) I only have random thoughts to offer this time and the reason will become clear when I discuss the best/worst moment below.... What a long teaser; it felt like an eternity. And while some people have applauded the return of the black oil, I gotta wonder what that really means, if anything. After all, these aliens have nothing to do with the shape-shifters who are already threatening to take over the world, right? Anyway, supposedly the oiliens have a talent that we never knew about before — they can imitate a solar flare and irradiate the crap out of you.... And there goes another non-attempt at a vaccine despite a body that was seemingly immune. Scully knows better anyway; we don't need no stinkin' vaccine when a good dose of anti-virals will take care of what ails ya.... Oh, for those who are counting, nothing about this episode reminded me of Star Trek.... Did Walter Skinner get castrated at some point when I wasn't looking? Not much else would be a suitable explanation for his behaviour, unless he's also a PodPerson.... I hate the look on Scully's face when Mulder steps into Kersh's office and remarks that it's "just like old times". (You couldn't be more wrong, Mulder.) Can she not afford to look like she cares about him two weeks in a row? No wonder I can't buy it when she does try to go all soft on him.... Although, it looks like this week, the hint is that Mulder might indeed be "daddy", wink, wink. Kill me now.... Speaking of, is someone going to kill Kersh soon? I don't know how much more of him I can take.... Looked like good money was spent on the location shoot and explosive effects. Reminded me of the good old days... for about two seconds. Best or Worst MomentI liked the Mulder quip about peeing in Kersh's cereal/corn flakes, whatever the actual line was. The worst moment was not even a moment from the show. Sometime during the viewing of this episode, I realized that David Duchovny's return and presence can't even revive the passion that's died. That sorry thought occurred to me as I absently noted that I'd have to give this one a "good" rating but it wasn't because I personally found it to be "good". Three more episodes and then I can just say goodbye and move on. Like Mulder (?), I think I'm just tired of the runaround. Alone
SummarySo last week I rated the ep a 'three' by being considerate of anyone else who might still be watching this show with true interest. This week I'm going to pull a "Scully all things PMS bitch" routine and give it a 'one', just because I hated this hour and just because I haven't given any episode from this season a 'one' yet, when this entire season as a whole deserves it. So I'm giving you fair warning — bail now if you don't want to hear my vitriolic comments... Mr. Spotnitz has never really shone when it comes to convincing MOTWs, but we've all said that Detour worked because of the Mulder and Scully interaction and dialogue. Well, we got Mulder and Scully interaction and dialogue here too, but anyone who thinks that it's all the same ("just like old times" — is Mulder starting to sound like a broken record, or is that just me?) isn't remembering the past too clearly. Speaking of, if you were in danger of not remembering the past, then this ep must have been up your alley as a demonstration of just how much the boys can "remember" in one hour. What a trip down memory lane — conjuring up memories that weren't even real memories, such as that fused penny/dime contraption. Anyway, I was originally speaking of the so-called "x-file" in this one... what a crock. Frankie Baby offered up a reference to Tooms here, but could he create a monster that was anything near as complex as Tooms was? No! What was LizardMan's motivation? Where's the emotion? The actual case, once again, was just a back drop for all the cutesy stuff going on in the foreground, from the Lamaze class to the "pass the keychain" antics to the accountant masquerading as an FBI agent! (And hell, if she was just responsible for processing expense reports, then she's not even an accountant, but an accounting clerk. Not to mention she was obviously wasting enormous amounts of tax dollars by reading the detailed field reports relating to each case.) The only thing that would have made Agent Harrison worse was if she had had big boobs and giggled after her sentences. Otherwise, all the "Mulder and Scully..." comments were enough to make me want to take out a gun and shoot her. (Yeah, we get it, Frank, we're just a little too fanatic, just like the "comic book guy" on The Simpsons.) Why don't I believe that the FBI would send someone like this out into the field?? As a final thought, I'm not even going to waste time commenting on the Scully/Doggett thing and how she seemed so desperately eager to find him when he went missing for a few hours. Best or Worst MomentIn my opinion, there weren't any good ones and I don't want to add to the list of bad ones, so I'm just gonna say that I'm glad the majority of on-line fans seem to think that Leyla Harrison was well-served in this "tribute", because to be blunt, if that was me, I'd be rolling over in my grave. Essence
SummaryThe baby is f***ing special. And basically everyone is a f***ing alien. Got it. Man, that's just so depressing that it simply begs better questions than the ones Mulder asked in the teaser. "What do I tell Scully?" I dunno. What can you tell a woman who's been trusting all kinds of people implicitly these days? A woman who likes to keep her own secrets about this special kid from hell but raises a ruckus when others dance around her questions. "What do I tell myself?" What I'd like to know is why these doctors keep their "medical failures" contained in impressive looking vessels in such easily accessible rooms. And why the FBI seems to employ security only during regular office hours at the Hoover building. (With the real FBI making news with its ineptitude lately, maybe this isn't as unrealistic as I think.) I know that Billy Miles was virtually unstoppable (idle question — would he survive having his head sliced off??) but come on, no alarms and such? No evidence that anyone even attempted to stop him? When all is said and done, I sort of enjoyed Billy Miles' technique of "off with his head" — it's something I wish I could symbolically do to the creative brains behind this show as I watch it limp ever so pathetically towards the finish line. It deserved better. And sadly enough, while I couldn't complain about the pacing of this hour, there wasn't anything that put me on the edge of my seat, either. I could virtually count down the seconds to Billy's next appearance and could guess what lame plot device was waiting around the next corner. 'Course, I must admit that the last scene was a surprise to me, but methinks it produced more groans than gasps. Best or Worst MomentAs usual, Krycek was the best part of this ep. From his wicked smile when they came back up in the elevator to his efficient delivery of Scully to Reyes' vehicle, "that man Krycek" knows his stuff. (Mind you, I won't bother asking why he was entrusted with that task in the first place when there was no guarantee that he wouldn't just push Scully down one of those stairwells. I guess maybe Rachel Anton was onto something regarding a future for Krycek and Scully!) Runner-up for best moment was Doggett's exasperated "I don't believe this crap!" during the Krycek conference. Hey John, at least you get paid to believe it. I, on the other hand, want to believe but that's precisely what TXF has killed — my ability to believe this crap. It looks more and more like the "special baby is taken and Mulder and Scully must track it down" storyline is going to rear its ugly head at season's end and I gotta say — Fox Mulder deserves a better future than hunting down a baby that may or may not be his for the rest of his life. Existence
SummaryTwo immediate post-ep thoughts that I'd like to share. This first one is sort of OT, but when everyone and his brother was raving about The Matrix two summers ago, I thought to myself, "if this is reality, then I'd just like to stay in my fake world." I feel that way about the world of TXF. Better to be dead than living in a world populated by all manners of aliens who want this planet for WHAT the hell reason??? (Krycek has it good now; poor boy.) My second thought is simply, "What did I just watch?" Does anyone think that this episode resolved anything? (I know some people tend to think the last couple of minutes resolves the MSR, but Mulder is going to be gone next year.) Does anyone think that next season will address any remaining questions that any of us have, or are we all heading for the exit door en masse? Have I mentioned how much I hate all that religious symbolism claptrap that seems to surround Dana Scully like a freakin' halo? I truly could have done without that half of this episode. The other half was exciting and well-paced, but unbelievably flawed every time I stopped to think. (Unfortunately, I haven't yet found a way to make myself refrain from doing that, unlike the creators of this show.) We had this wild chase going on where I'm not sure who was chasing whom or for what reason, although I must say I liked the "alien barnacle" car chase scene. Was mildly horrified by the vision of Krycek with a hole through his head, though... that was disturbing. (Couldn't for the life of me figure out why Krycek needed Mulder to be dead this week, but hey, that's par for the TXF course this year. Also found it strange that he thought he could get Skinner to shoot Mulder without the assistance of his nano palm pilot. That'll teach him to leave home without it.) I was amused by how Doggett was prepared to use force but then decided at the last second that it would be more entertaining for us to run away and do some nifty staircase chase scenes. (What miraculous time span did this whole two-parter take place in — it was forever night time at the Hoover building!) Did anyone else find that birth and post-birth scene weird?? (And I won't even bother discussing how weird Reyes was.) In the end, I know that some fans are just tickled now that Mulder and Scully are "together", but if I truly still cared, I'd say that there's definitely something wrong with how they got from point A to point B, especially when it's obvious that point C will still present some nasty dilemmas. The two hundred and forty-seven species of aliens wanting to take over the world are still out there, right? Best or Worst MomentFor a time there, I thought that my lasting impression of Fox Mulder might be of those ridiculous train tracks over his right eyebrow, but David sure knows how to put on a face that could wring tears from a stone. When he smiled down at that baby, it suddenly made the world all right for a few seconds. I don't even want to spoil it by commenting too much on the rest of that ridiculous baby theme. (Is the baby Mulder's? Hey, it's named after his father, isn't it? Although it's handy that Scully's father was also named William. Is that your final nebulous answer, CC?) ... back to top
Overall Rating: 2.17 out of 4It's over? Really? I'm finally free? God knows that when I originally saw Closure last season that I didn't know how appropriate Mulder's closing statement would be in a little over a year's time. "I'm fine. I'm free." Overall, it's been a trying experience this year (and I didn't even start watching until February) to see a once proud show testing the patience of its audience and stretching the limits of believability in a way that I never thought possible — even for The X-Files. And even though the ever-brainful "powers that be" have decided that something with that title will still show up on the airwaves this fall, I have one final sentiment to add to the above: "I'm gone." Worst / BestIt's actually not fair that I have to pick out the worst because I don't think I even saw the worst of the bunch, given what I've heard. Out of the twelve episodes that I did see, however, I may as well go with my ratings and choose Alone as the worst. The x-file component of it was pointless, the tribute part of it came off like a back-handed compliment, and for what seems like the thousandth time in the past couple of years, the Dana Scully that I saw cheesed me off in a big way. (I'll never be able to watch Tempus Fugit in the same way again.) That said, I have no fond feelings for any of the following, either: The Gift, Per Manum, This is Not Happening, and Empedocles. If the first question of identifying the worst episode wasn't fair, the next task of identifying the best is damn near impossible. Again, I'll just go with my ratings and choose what I recall made me feel the best at the time that I saw it, which would be DeadAlive. Totally unbelievable in any context, but it had enough action and "edge of your seat" pacing to make me forget its shortcomings when I originally watched it. Most Disappointing / Most SurprisingDid I have enough high hopes for anything this season to have found any one episode disappointing? I think I'll answer this one in a slightly different manner and expound on all the reasons why I found this entire season disappointing. When Mulder got sucked up into the alien ship last year, I knew that things would never be the same again. An era on TXF ended right there, no mistake about it. At that point in time, however, it was not apparent to me that any "next generation" type of folks would be introduced to the show. My guess was that Skinner would get demoted for his role in the "loss" of Mulder and that he would welcome the temporary re-assignment to field agent status to help Scully search for Mulder. It wasn't my naive belief that episode after episode until David Duchovny's return would focus on this search, but it was definitely my expectation that the show would take on a new respect for continuity and include a scene or two every week where we would get a status report showing their progress. That this could have been so easily accommodated but was ignored, was truly disappointing. The characterization of Dana Scully — one that had long ago reached the point of irritation for at least two viewers that I know — was a further disappointment. I've been on her case since the "hold on" speech at the beginning of season seven, but this year took the proverbial cake. I'm not going to fan the flames by going into any great detail, but suffice it to say that whatever understanding that I used to feel for this character simply died over the course of season eight. It got to the point where I rolled my eyes at her distress because I didn't find her actions/reactions believable or even worthy of my concern. My last big disappointment concerning season eight was the way in which they ended up using David Duchovny's services. So much potential ended up being so seriously wasted on trivial material. I must admit to having had expectations that Mulder's return would be a temporary revival of the "old X-Files". Mind you, I must also confess that I didn't think the ridiculous pregnancy storyline would be carried out to its "fullest" so that by Mulder's return, Scully would be as big as a house and not much good as a field agent anyway. Again, it wasn't anything that a decent attempt at realistic story-telling wouldn't have fixed, but I got the distinct impression that Chris Carter and his cronies didn't want any realism to interfere with their particular brand of story-telling this year. And that has to be the biggest disappointment to this fan. So do I have a pick for most surprising? Once again, I'll tackle it from a slightly different perspective. My reaction to this entire season has been the most surprising part of it. In my wildest dreams (even after I sat in front of the TV moaning, "no, no, no" at the end of Requiem last year), it never occurred to me that by the time another May rolled around, I would care so little about this show and about what future Mulder and Scully might have. Which leads me to the closing scene in Existence... I think it's sad that some of us have cared so much and been so thoroughly ignored that those two minutes were enough to satisfy. In the context of what I've seen on the show the past couple of years, that ending just didn't fit. It may have been what many of us wanted after investing up to eight years of our lives, but CC had done the MSR some major damage over the past two seasons. In the end, what I saw were two characters who have behaved in aggravatingly stupid ways and who now think that a baby is going to assure them of "happily ever after". Sure. Fine. Whatever. I don't know what Fox/Chris Carter has in mind after season twenty-seven or whatever, but I do wish that they'll all keep something in mind for the next big "hit" project: "Always leave your audience wanting more." The wisdom of the person who originated that saying can't be disputed. "They'll have to resolve me while I'm not there, so I hope they don't say, 'Oh yeah, Mulder's gone, what an asshole. He had a baby with me, he kissed me and then he left.' " ... back to top |
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