tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71417280141519159382024-03-04T20:14:56.237-08:00Sibling CinemaSibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-86778068930759011862023-05-26T16:59:00.004-07:002023-05-26T17:31:00.343-07:00It's only love ... love ... love for Tina<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uK1klovRf1CLfwF60PDPlpC7sSXMSx2IT0PEv2WkVUeVG7kMoyPCbXCv2ExQFKSXKkXd_foW1eZUohnm7rDQ6RAGCYwhqyPF2hjt6urqwfoN6YUfsHn5NVvDLW8lUDHAiQIrq1Xcbie_mPiWnl5b_U_MhpFH1IbGJyjL9-B8FokhEI_cYAJN2g/s3072/IMG_4620.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uK1klovRf1CLfwF60PDPlpC7sSXMSx2IT0PEv2WkVUeVG7kMoyPCbXCv2ExQFKSXKkXd_foW1eZUohnm7rDQ6RAGCYwhqyPF2hjt6urqwfoN6YUfsHn5NVvDLW8lUDHAiQIrq1Xcbie_mPiWnl5b_U_MhpFH1IbGJyjL9-B8FokhEI_cYAJN2g/s600/IMG_4620.JPG" width="600" /></a></div><p>
It's always a blow to lose an icon, someone beloved who we've appreciated
since childhood. And that hits harder for some celebs than others because
we haven't realized their impact on our lives until hearing the sad news.
That's what it was like with Tina Turner.
</p>
<p>
Tina's an absolute legend in our time and a queen. She had legs and she knew
how to use them. Her lore features tales about how she influenced others --
she brought out Mick Jagger's trademark strut and swagger when they played on
the same bill in the '60s -- and how other icons assisted her -- as the story
goes, David Bowie abetted her '80s return to superstardom by ensuring she
wasn't dropped by Capitol Records. But those stories, embellished upon over
the years, remain totally befitting of Tina's stature.
</p>
<p>
Upon watching the wonderful 2021 documentary <i>Tina,</i> it's evident she could never get totally free of the metaphorical shackles placed upon her
during her relationship with abusive ex-husband Ike Turner. She was asked
about it all the time in interviews. Tina thought writing a book on the
subject would put an end to such questions, but because legions of women who had gone
through similar circumstances identified with her, Tina still was besieged by
the media for comments about what she went through. The trend continued with
the release of the Oscar-nominated biopic,
<i>What's Love Got to Do with It,</i> and again when
<i>Tina: The Tina Turner Musical </i>hit Broadway.<br />
</p>
<p>
With that in mind, the Sestras are presenting five favorite moments and five
songs that remain ingrained in our brains by the indomitable force of nature
who was born Anna Mae Bullock but whom the world came to know for being, in
her resounding words, simply the best.
</p>
<p>
</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Sestra Paige's five seminal Tina moments:</b></p><p><b><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e9Lehkou2Do" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /></b><b>1. River Deep, Mountain High</b> <br />Phil Spector wrestled control from Ike
Turner to fulfill his vision of putting Tina on top of his trademark Wall of
Sound production for "River Deep, Mountain High" in 1966. It was baffling to
the legendary troubled producer when the song didn't hit big in America, only
climbing to No. 88 on the charts, although it was hugely popular in England
and the rest of Europe. Following that, a disillusioned Spector withdrew from
the music industry for a couple of years. Time has been much more kind to the
song, and it now rightfully looms large in Tina's legend. Twenty-one session
musicians, including Darlene Love, Glen Campbell and Leon Russell were
recruited to produce the massive orchestration. In <i>Tina,</i> she recalled
the glory of finally being able to sing in a completely different manner than
what she was doing on the Chitlin' Circuit. Years later, she told
<i>Rolling Stone</i> that during the recording she belted out the song about
500,000 times, ending up drenched in sweat and singing in her bra because her
shirt was soaking wet. We can hear, and feel, all of that in the finished
product.
</p>
<p>
<br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2rJGX8uqoL8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</p>
<p>
<b>2. The Acid Queen</b><br />The first time I saw The Who's <i>Tommy </i>in the
'80s, I was like, what the heck is going on here? And the second, and the
third, until I guess it eventually clicked for me. But what I recognized
straight away was what a force Tina was as the Acid Queen. That much was
undeniable. And perhaps it did serve as the gateway for eventually
understanding the entire rock opera. With a queen that dangerous yet that
seductive, one would be pretty much powerless to resist, right? Tina really
gave everything she had to the role, she was fearless no matter what was asked
of her -- and some really peculiar things were asked of her. And it was
equally unsurprising that a decade later, she would wind up being crowned yet
again when a whole new generation of fans was enchanted when Tina took on her
role of Aunty Entity in <i>Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. </i>Just in case you didn't know, there were two versions of her namesake's song, one for the Tommy soundtrack and one rerecorded for her album<i> Acid Queen.</i><br /></p>
<p>
<i> </i><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kXhhQNJEBXQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</p>
<p>
<b>3. The Prince's Trust Rock Gala (10th Anniversary)</b> <br />My tastes started
shifting away from American Top 40 in the late '80s, and around this time, I
found two Prince's Trust concerts on VHS. The 1986 show had a cavalcade of
stars -- Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Phil Collins, Mark
Knopfler, etc. -- for the 10th anniversary of the charity event. Tina's the
one blowing everyone else away. The video starts with her belting out "Better
Be Good to Me" with the all-star band, and it's a performance of unrelenting
power. Then Tina performs "Tearing Us Apart" with Clapton -- one of my
all-time fave E.C. songs. She awakens the often-reserved Eric, inspiring him
to impassioned vocals and solos. Tina returns at the end of the show to sing
"Get Back," and the camera catches McCartney's view. Joy and perhaps a modicum
of intimidation spread across his face as Tina struts and ponies across the
stage in her black tank top, shimmery red mini-skirt and high heels. Which
musician would be fearless enough to share the microphone with Paul? Tina, of
course! Her vocals pretty much bury everyone else's, and at one point, Paul
cheekily warbles, "Tina, I hear you!"<br />
</p>
<p>
<br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FMCvSeFVfiA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p>
<b>4. Break Every Rule Tour</b><br />The Tina moment in time I'd most like to
revisit is the one I'm least able to do. I saw Tina play live once -- on Nov.
14, 1987 at the University of South Florida Sun Dome. I was living on campus
at the time, so it was just a stroll up the street to see the legend. Tina's
dream was to sell out football stadiums (something women were just not doing
in that arena) -- and she set a world record a couple months later when
188,000 fans turned out for her Rio de Janeiro show. In Tampa, she sold out a
basketball arena, and all I remember is that it was glorious. The setlist was:
What You Get Is What You See, Break Every Rule, I Can't Stand the Rain,
Typical Male, The Acid Queen, Girls, Two People, Back Where You Started,
Better Be Good to Me, Addicted to Love, Private Dancer, We Don't Need Another
Hero (Thunderdome), What's Love Got to Do with It, Help!, Let's Stay Together,
Proud Mary, Show Some Respect, It's Only Love, Overnight Sensation, Nutbush
City Limits and Paradise Is Here. But I've taken some solace in the fact that
her <i>Live in Europe</i> release the following year largely includes the
setlist in the same running order. I bought that on cassette when it came out,
so it was as long ago as it feels.
</p>
<p>
<br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PW9fatfW72c" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</p>
<p>
<b>5. Ally McBeal</b><br />I am a huge <i>Ally McBeal</i> fan, and truth be told,
Season 3 wasn't the strongest of the show's five seasons. But one major
selling point for the schizo middle season was "The Oddball Parade" with
Tina's appearances at the law firm's favorite watering hole anchoring one of
the episode's stories. Not only was Tina performing at the bar for a few
nights, but there was also a contest to be her backup dancer at the final one.
Tina opens the show with a soulful version of "A Fool in Love," and then Ally
(Calista Flockhart) and Elaine (Jane Krakowski) prep for the auditions. One
would think there's no way hyper-talented songstress/dancer Elaine would lose
out to Ally, but the show's not called <i>Elaine Vassal,</i> is it? There are
some fun cutaways to Tina during the auditions, which utilized "Proud Mary"
riffs to weed out the competition, and Tina chuckles heartily at some of the
more outrageous contestants. Eventually, Ling (Lucy Liu) helps Elaine save
face, and even though Ally doesn't get to be buddy buddy with Tina, she does
live out her dream ... until she starts having McBeal-ian fantasies during
Tina's otherwise jaunty performance of "When the Heartache Is Over."<br />
</p>
<p>
</p><p><b>Sestra Leah's five favorite Tina songs:<br /></b>I don’t have a personal memory of Tina Turner. I didn’t see her perform live
in concert. I didn’t meet her at comic cons celebrating<i>
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.</i>
Most shockingly, there are no Tina songs soundtracking key moments in my life.
But Tina entertained and inspired people; her decades-long legacy is a true
example of that.
</p>
<p>
<br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_6igcfvq2BQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<b> </b></p><p><b>1. It’s Only Love:</b> I find it amusing that my favorite Tina song is
actually a Bryan Adams song. It's included on his 1984 album <i>Reckless</i>,
which was released six months after Tina’s comeback album
<i>Private Dancer. </i>There’s a live version that was recorded during
Turner’s <i>Private Dancer </i>Tour in 1985 that gives me goosebumps. “Tryan”
(or “Bryna?”) are having so much fun during that song. If they toured together
when I was an adult, then I’m sorry I missed it.
</p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4rFB4nj_GRc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
<p>
<b>2. Let’s Stay Together:</b> Tina included a cover of Al Green’s classic love song
from 1971 on the<i> Private Dancer</i> album. I used to wonder whether she was singing it
to/for someone specific. Have you read the lyrics? They’re desperate,
emotional, optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. I hope she just sang
it because she loved Al’s song. That’s why I sing it.
</p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OIe7N3zH5eU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
<p>
<b>3. We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome): </b>I was late to the Mad Max party. Really late.
Like “<i>Fury Road</i> looks go so I’ll start watching them” late. <i>Fury Road</i> was
released in 2015. I finally started watching the four movies in 2020. (Blame
COVID. Or thank you, COVID. Your call.) The third movie, <i>Mad Max Beyond
Thunderdome, </i>was released in 1985 with Tina curiously cast as a ruthless ruler
in a post-apocalyptic world. (And her name Aunty Entity sounds so benign.) The
soundtrack consists mainly of Maurice Jarre’s movie score, but Tina sang this
song which played over the end credits. Of course, it ended up being one of
her most popular chart hits and still gets frequent airplay. Fun fact: Tina’s
saxophonist is Tim Cappello, who most Gen Xers recognize from 1987’s<i> The Lost
Boys, </i>in which he performed a live version of The Call’s "I Still Believe."
Definitely my favorite scene in that movie.
</p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mtm9qlG5xoo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
<p>
<b>4. Typical Male: </b>Tina definitely seemed to favor the same
writers when she got onto the Capitol label. Terry Britten and Graham Lyle received writing credit for "What's Love Got to Do with It," "We Don’t
Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" and this song, which was included on Turner’s <i>Break Every
Rule </i>album in 1986. (They wrote a bunch of other Tina songs, but that’s for someone else’s
list to cover.) This is a nice feel-good tune which will have your head
bopping and your toe tapping before you even realize it.
</p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yj3WhcGoSA4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
<p>
<b>5. I Don’t Wanna Fight:</b> In 1993, Tina’s story was released as a major motion
picture starring Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as Ike. The
movie, <i>What’s Love Got to Do with It, </i>performed well at the box office and
resulted in some well-deserved acting awards and nominations for its stars.
Since it's based on Tina’s autobiography, her input and cooperation were
essential. She sang this song for the movie which, surprisingly, was not
originally written for her. Doesn't it feel like the perfect ending to that
chapter of her life? This song reminds me of "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos.
To simplify its history, Eric Clapton wrote it about Pattie Boyd, a
woman he loved who was married to his friend, George Harrison. You can hear
the desperation and pain in the lyrics in the 1970 recording.
Flash forward to 1992. A more mature, world-weary Eric Clapton performed "Layla"
live for <i>MTV Unplugged.</i> That version shows how Slowhand evolved and the tale just became a
mellow, matter-of-fact bookend to his life’s trauma. The following year, in
1993, Tina accomplished the same vibe with "I Don’t Wanna Fight." She not only
survived, she persevered.
</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-70330301470326484692023-04-01T12:28:00.003-07:002023-04-01T12:59:52.231-07:00X-Files S11E10: Our final 'Struggle'<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, we made it! A little more than seven years, 217 episodes, two movies and an X-Fest that resulted in the epic cover photo on the Sibling Cinema Facebook page. At times it was a … struggle … but this was quality time with my Sestra, so it was totally worth it. 😊<br /><br />
How does it end for FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully? "My Struggle IV" already has a giant negative against it; "My Struggle III" (Season 11, Episode 1) revealed Cigarette Smoking Man to be William’s father, not our long-suffering hero, Fox. Some of you may be surprised to see me writing something positive about Mulder, whose actions I’ve called on the carpet more times than not. But at least he loves Dana and had a consensual sexual relationship with her. Cancer Man’s actions toward Scully over the course of this series are beyond reprehensible. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpgQKoGJcuEc91lbAzbreh8ImhQoqJ_f97sPwmnplrEFssPvgQ7iEfQOSf_ID9EbaslgIgP0COQFwuKRuYnpDAUCGm4Zspa2KK3orHmKwfje5ZPi0KxXI4OYtaxqBdfJ0QAGD3g3oMVFUj1D1IzvYrsl5HZ8n51CnrYV-FcHwsXDmpA0YPGDXqQ/s1260/csm.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpgQKoGJcuEc91lbAzbreh8ImhQoqJ_f97sPwmnplrEFssPvgQ7iEfQOSf_ID9EbaslgIgP0COQFwuKRuYnpDAUCGm4Zspa2KK3orHmKwfje5ZPi0KxXI4OYtaxqBdfJ0QAGD3g3oMVFUj1D1IzvYrsl5HZ8n51CnrYV-FcHwsXDmpA0YPGDXqQ/s320/csm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I can’t even imagine the existence of a fan base that “ships” Scully and CSM. (Skullsmoking? Cancerly?) William’s paternity is a plot twist “worthy” of a writers’ strike scab. (Need examples? Think of your favorite show’s storylines from the 1988 and 2007-'08 TV seasons. Some never survived. RIP <i>Pushing Daisies.</i>) But <i>The X-Files'</i> creator himself, Chris Carter, has the sole writing credit on "My Struggle III" and "IV." How did he plan to fix this mess? Did he think he would have the time and broadcasting ability to right (write?) this wrong in Season 12? Well, let’s jump in and see what Carter does. Or did.<br /><br />
There’s a frantic pace to this episode. I know it was written that way but after lollygagging in bottle episodes since "Ghouli" (S11E5), which advanced William’s story, this feels unnecessarily forced. As I mentioned earlier, we’re not off to a great start. I’m currently enduring what will hopefully be the final voiceover of the rewatch. Teenaged William is the offender this time. He’s explaining his psychic connection to birth mother Dana, his happy childhood, his growing powers. From visions, William knows CSM is his father. At least he despises the old man even if he doesn’t really know why. Meanwhile, drama is playing out between Cancer Man and his eldest son, Fox, but we’ll come back to that. Instead, we flash back to Agent Mulder hunting down William in a cheap motel in Norfolk, Virginia. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7e8_8NNsmmc1yxD9GOnDJxdwzbgldSnma89j3rg8bQ1gHEKwxSpAaELS-90HePEMHd238tVSsZJcvWUQrMDzCLUUg2KRfazkOGsWTpk1wLmUVXoJHZNvcZQoYvAXOeF5CSbgwZgoDmT-awMBNW4uUnslYGZvaoxK4Zy9L-qIpNSabP8AzzBSxkQ/s1260/kersh.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7e8_8NNsmmc1yxD9GOnDJxdwzbgldSnma89j3rg8bQ1gHEKwxSpAaELS-90HePEMHd238tVSsZJcvWUQrMDzCLUUg2KRfazkOGsWTpk1wLmUVXoJHZNvcZQoYvAXOeF5CSbgwZgoDmT-awMBNW4uUnslYGZvaoxK4Zy9L-qIpNSabP8AzzBSxkQ/s320/kersh.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">At FBI Headquarters, Assistant Director Walter Skinner is having a bad day. Deputy Director Alvin Kersh is giving him an earful about Mulder encouraging Tad O’Malley’s conspiracy theories. (You remember Tad, don’t cha? Played by the always-entertaining Joel McHale, we last saw him in S10E6's "My Struggle II"). Kersh is being his usual rigid self; he wants the X-files closed – again! – and Team Sculder fired from the FBI – again! (I know James Pickens, Jr. is capable of so much range. I never understood why <i>XF</i> writers chose not to take advantage of it more often.) </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Cancer Man taunts Walter on the phone about releasing the contagion unless Skinner finds William. Finally, Scully corrals Walter, begging for his help because Mulder and William are being pursued. Dana takes credit for the alarmist comments attributed to Fox on O’Malley’s web show. Flash back even further and we see Team Sculder are receiving information from former ally Monica Reyes about William’s whereabouts. Monica hangs up then pleads ignorance when CSM asks her whether she has any information about his son. Maybe we’re finally seeing the real Monica Reyes again. I certainly hope so. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GyFJgN1fJ4zV5WW5-jKUN3GfTw5Jp9lm_7fP6OPQaQq5bjzYubrwb7FJog_dI0MJyyd6AqYy9WRCo45ZpgW_T0_9NdxnzvYVneEbePjUcToL3Qy81KANTcSHpUtKaCsMKJ69eH4CDzUImrFUaIe5jRBL1FGsfRF36mdCdj3boc36WmDQA1vfrw/s1260/mulder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GyFJgN1fJ4zV5WW5-jKUN3GfTw5Jp9lm_7fP6OPQaQq5bjzYubrwb7FJog_dI0MJyyd6AqYy9WRCo45ZpgW_T0_9NdxnzvYVneEbePjUcToL3Qy81KANTcSHpUtKaCsMKJ69eH4CDzUImrFUaIe5jRBL1FGsfRF36mdCdj3boc36WmDQA1vfrw/s320/mulder.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Mulder attempts to locate William but gets accosted by Mr. Y’s security team. Remember Mr. Y? He was working with Erika Price (Barbara Hershey) in "My Struggle III." Surprisingly, Fox gets the jump on them and holds Mr. Y at gunpoint. The man claims people will kill to have what William has. Then Mulder kills another guard and – before he can obtain more information – Mr. Y. Dana’s investigation leads Fox to a convenience store in Tennessee. Someone puts a tracker on Mulder's Mustang while Fox follows his next lead: William hitched a ride with a trucker.<br /><br />
Scully calls O’Malley to tell him about the impending unleashed virus. He, of course, wants her to go on the record. Mulder finds the 18-wheeler but William is gone. Probably because the kid terrorized the truck driver. I think that’ll be the last hitchhiker he ever picks up. Dana tries to warn Fox about the future but he’s obsessed with finding “his” son. Meanwhile, the man who was tracking Mulder stumbles across William and offers him a ride. William heads to his ex-girlfriend’s house. You'll remember her from "Ghouli." Actually, there are two ex-girlfriends; William goes to see Sarah Turner while Fox ends up at Brianna Stapleton’s house. Brianna isn’t very helpful but Sarah agrees to meet William (aka Jackson) at a nearby motel. Mulder gets to Sarah’s house, and when he tells her he's William's father, she gives him her ex’s hiding location. </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwThd-ebGN0amLcvv1-HTjy4RwBEgRDHkWhvXNdKEIvcGy_SeVhErG5NeaUPb_zxhiBDHbK-HDTdAKKTWIiT6DXWRXFny0EBVQgZOf0noM7xngg2CAwbILU-OjGJno0xkOqWJQP2MgaoSdVtEYWlIoJz8_uwM3g3Ysx4Rk-neDeGnSZ4ZYBymfQ/s1260/erikaprice.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwThd-ebGN0amLcvv1-HTjy4RwBEgRDHkWhvXNdKEIvcGy_SeVhErG5NeaUPb_zxhiBDHbK-HDTdAKKTWIiT6DXWRXFny0EBVQgZOf0noM7xngg2CAwbILU-OjGJno0xkOqWJQP2MgaoSdVtEYWlIoJz8_uwM3g3Ysx4Rk-neDeGnSZ4ZYBymfQ/s320/erikaprice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Fox arrives at the motel in Norfolk and hugs the boy after saying he's William’s father. Meanwhile, Erika finds what’s left of the tracker who gave William a ride. Kind of looks like William did more than scare his driver this time. William expresses his frustration to Mulder about the future. The kid thinks his own death will prevent it from happening. Unfortunately, that’s when Erika and her men break into the motel room. Mulder nobly tries to save William but the teen can take care of himself. He explodes Erika and her three henchmen with his mind. (The cleaning deposit is not going to cover that.) William takes off and a devastated Fox calls Scully. Instead of firing Dana, Skinner drives her to Norfolk.<br /><br />
You’ve got to give O’Malley’s followers credit; he already has video footage of the bloody motel room slaughter. Back in his car, Mulder calls Sarah to help him find William. She directs him to a sugar factory near the docks. While Team Sculner head toward Mulder, Walter tells Dana the truth about William’s father. Mulder flies past them with Scully and Skinner in hot pursuit. After they arrive at the factory, Dana searches for Fox and her son while Walter investigates an occupied vehicle nearby. Scully finds Mulder; Skinner finds Cancer Man and Reyes. CSM makes Monica speed toward Walter and he shoots at the driver. Yes, Skinner killed Reyes. (So much for her redemption. Who’s going to tell John Doggett?) The speeding car then careens into Skinner. Congratulations, Mr. Carter. You managed to make a bad storyline much, much worse.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfR-78ByidTHOyPxItbBppz96l9-huuRwFFlbus3Ql9v1pE6AXh2Zcl43-YTZQaidudDsSf3FDI5mFKIbZ4PaBdm4921gbQBrtiiHaJ4xyYIBjY-hyfWXur_rLhZrJ-SRt5gIKpGUYprwiIwi38bLft93VE_TptKQRajlTtKt_PLzpwAszuoGpvg/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfR-78ByidTHOyPxItbBppz96l9-huuRwFFlbus3Ql9v1pE6AXh2Zcl43-YTZQaidudDsSf3FDI5mFKIbZ4PaBdm4921gbQBrtiiHaJ4xyYIBjY-hyfWXur_rLhZrJ-SRt5gIKpGUYprwiIwi38bLft93VE_TptKQRajlTtKt_PLzpwAszuoGpvg/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Back to the Sculder drama; Fox tries to convince Dana to let William go. Actually, it’s William glamouring himself as Mulder. (Remember, he can look like anyone.) Fox arrives and the chase continues. Meanwhile, Cigarette Smoking Man, barely fazed by the car crash, picks up Skinner’s gun. During the chase, William changes back into Mulder. That’s when Cancer Man finds him and holds “Fox” at gunpoint. William keeps up the charade until CBG Spender shoots him in the head. “Mulder’s” body falls into the water while the real Fox shoots his father several times then pushes him into the water. (Right, because measly bullets are going to kill a man who was literally blown to pieces and still came back to life.) Scully finally catches up to Mulder. They cry over William for about 12 seconds, then Dana reveals she’s pregnant. But William’s not actually dead. He doesn’t even look like he took a bullet to the head. Guess he'll get his wish to be left alone. Now will somebody please go check on Skinner?!?!
</span><p></p><p>
<b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It's all come down to this. Or more appropriately, it's all come down to this?!?!</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDnMV6QTVkKa_WYGzOYAFmww_fEgYrwTBL83kac8Qrv_akm4SDpuS_U8b1DN1qFfSHw40HiOXtrZ6BRsM3fevrqQumjanTA5uyAiVPlRxA8MAMQ9lbc_iLc3rZSL0CqzhWFDY5FtZSTIwekaglr-8QNOqdfjjpzuuZT5udbKrUrurmmmP6nqygQ/s1260/scully.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDnMV6QTVkKa_WYGzOYAFmww_fEgYrwTBL83kac8Qrv_akm4SDpuS_U8b1DN1qFfSHw40HiOXtrZ6BRsM3fevrqQumjanTA5uyAiVPlRxA8MAMQ9lbc_iLc3rZSL0CqzhWFDY5FtZSTIwekaglr-8QNOqdfjjpzuuZT5udbKrUrurmmmP6nqygQ/s320/scully.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When <i>The X-Files </i>started, Dana Scully was a beacon. In the Clarice Starling/<i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> mold, she exhibited smarts while being able to hold her own in an environment largely dominated by men. Not only did she inspire women to get into her chosen field(s), be it medicine or law enforcement, she sparked the rest of us to follow in her "little feet" -- Mulder's words from S3E13's "Szyzygy," not mine -- to have faith and do what's right. In the end, "what's right" wasn't done by her.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>This may be your last good chance: </b>Monica Reyes has gotten the short end of the stick as well. When we blogged the final episode of the original series run, I said I found her to be the <a href="https://andnowsiblingcinema.blogspot.com/2022/03/x-files-s9e19-to-tell-truth.html" target="_blank">most standup character</a> of the entire series. She told the truth in "The Truth" (S9E19) no matter what it was going to cost her, because that's who she was as a person. We've never gotten a satisfactory answer about why she worked for the Cigarette Smoking Man. And to me, this oversight is just as egregious. I can't forgive or overlook these offenses because the insipid "My Struggle" saga tainted one of my favorite shows of all time. <br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUt3S-2k2iQ425Iq5Dw2aR60I_UrlKA6MFqdQikwR9WHOJr8EdDmHX5VF5TfsvSLm8JAW4-ZQOBNJwcfg_Mv_kdj_1hClg42kK89DoFiSYIVIQU__AoN3dX4kVlSPMDTASDoKoBjgv6wUSvcZxqNkPVafFxWF1uIFbZOYJiV_-cofuA7mICkIPw/s1260/monica.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUt3S-2k2iQ425Iq5Dw2aR60I_UrlKA6MFqdQikwR9WHOJr8EdDmHX5VF5TfsvSLm8JAW4-ZQOBNJwcfg_Mv_kdj_1hClg42kK89DoFiSYIVIQU__AoN3dX4kVlSPMDTASDoKoBjgv6wUSvcZxqNkPVafFxWF1uIFbZOYJiV_-cofuA7mICkIPw/s320/monica.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But back to Scully, this woman is so attuned to her son that she foresaw the pandemic through William's eyes. That was a lot more on target than the purported alien invasion of Dec. 22, 2012, once allegedly soooo important to the series but never referenced again after that date passed. And now our big finale starts with a voiceover by Jackson/William. I could buy this particular bit of business if there was a revival/reboot centered around his antics, but as a capper to our 11 years/two movies of pain and suffering, uh, nope.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I had some payback to pay back:</b> And somehow Dana gets pushed to the side as "My Struggle IV" largely becomes about fathers and sons. We've already seen the Fox/CGB dynamic play out many times. Not to mention Kersh calling for Mulder and Scully's badges and Skinner trying to cover for them ... nice to see you guys, but yeah, another big ol' yawn. Apparently Chris Carter's at the bottom of his writing bag of tricks (it wasn't that big to begin with). Now he's got Mulder shooting guns more than shooting off his mouth. Talk is cheap in the finale.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTil1HdLVYreQ3UhCzYLq7sGexjnFQiRSx-6koTJ7yNY82QslQDiUgeQvMwbnN3Wx911m0yMUj7F6T6hKt76Tl13ouOp2OWLnCELtrVD0at_xBbYrF6kO5HXxhWku4M2Ds8R3TiNyDZ0w6PVZVLkVJPO5GPZFqMZCaG-9ivrMkQiUFQiDDzrLEmg/s1260/maddy.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTil1HdLVYreQ3UhCzYLq7sGexjnFQiRSx-6koTJ7yNY82QslQDiUgeQvMwbnN3Wx911m0yMUj7F6T6hKt76Tl13ouOp2OWLnCELtrVD0at_xBbYrF6kO5HXxhWku4M2Ds8R3TiNyDZ0w6PVZVLkVJPO5GPZFqMZCaG-9ivrMkQiUFQiDDzrLEmg/s320/maddy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Except where Dana's concerned, because she gets to play whistleblower and give Tad O'Malley the exclusive he's been jonesing for since we first heard of him. Although that wasn't real, that was what the future might be, right? Now I'm all mixed up. Oh well, nevermind. Meanwhile, William's got his own soap opera going on with two girls willing to cover for him as much as they can, even though they both seem to know things aren't going to pan out with him. Our only smile of the episode probably is David Duchovny's daughter, West, as Sarah's friend saying the line: "I don't believe you're his father."<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Death will hunt you down: </b>I guess I just don't understand the point of chasing the kid when they know they can't contain him and he'll just make them implode or explode. They must have been just hoping against hope for containment. Baddies like Mr. Y and Erika Price didn't display much personality, but they used to come across with more definition in the days of the Well-Manicured Man. In fact, I think we got better motivation from Season 1 Monsters of the Week. There was no investment in these people, so we aren't bothered when their heads get squeezed like grapes. (That last bit is not of my invention, but from a review I read at the time that seems to be lost in the ethers. It's still in my mind, though. Maybe it's the Mengele Effect ... or the Mandela Effect.)</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9XE9SP-IemnQDYFTy02rwx8zNL1mHnL1_9DotcHhoTENLhkbssQZ-cO_7Gc6BJlbdXvGdvpZkF6EkuiCoBwhNaZ2WZdnQFJ4I70EdcRSj3nfyVPhNkCuLPr4VPNVW4uLAf0FgGWOno0569PeOJbe89CXMsxGB1LuOftVG67aqrX9d0fWcO5dJA/s1260/skinner.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9XE9SP-IemnQDYFTy02rwx8zNL1mHnL1_9DotcHhoTENLhkbssQZ-cO_7Gc6BJlbdXvGdvpZkF6EkuiCoBwhNaZ2WZdnQFJ4I70EdcRSj3nfyVPhNkCuLPr4VPNVW4uLAf0FgGWOno0569PeOJbe89CXMsxGB1LuOftVG67aqrX9d0fWcO5dJA/s320/skinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Am rightfully points out that we indeed didn't get justice for Monica, nor any justification we were looking for in regard to her uncharacteristic flip to the dark side. Those of us who care about such things probably still think CSM was holding the welfare of John Doggett over her head, because personal safety wasn't something the show's more forthright character seemed to be more concerned about. I might kind of buy it if her rationalization was still Mulder and Scully, as her impassioned speech during "The Truth" showed how outraged she was at the treatment they were getting after all they did for humanity. And no one thinks Skinner's really kaput, right?<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It's more than impossible: </b>As for Mulder-CSM's final standoff, apparently no one but Fox thought CGB wouldn't shoot his first-born son. And as Sestra Am pointed out, no one's going to buy his death from a few bullets and a push off a pier when ultimate evil survived inflagration from a rocket. These things are no more or less believable than Dana and Fox getting a second chance at having a kid. A normal one at that. So with that eye-rolling plot device, the Sculder story comes to a conclusion. Except our heroes don't even get the last shot of <i>their </i>show, because there's William's noggin emerging from the water. So a pandemic is still on the way, and unlike the 2012 alien invasion, that one actually happened.</span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkX1QvoEGD-cCZ3Ej8Dg3nWpKZ9J4iOEEBbl0Cmxhk3BYDzjwvopsUc_qadu0AvE0zQfQAC7SqJUWqsleTkFHquQAMm9CBlRkvqX9oAeJbH0BD4NHiAE-lkRwBVLwjUiM2IjF-y8m-bIYRAxF4y9Kvds57Fzr1zpfHLQ0n7b74XM0pU8_KEiOgQ/s1260/danafox.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkX1QvoEGD-cCZ3Ej8Dg3nWpKZ9J4iOEEBbl0Cmxhk3BYDzjwvopsUc_qadu0AvE0zQfQAC7SqJUWqsleTkFHquQAMm9CBlRkvqX9oAeJbH0BD4NHiAE-lkRwBVLwjUiM2IjF-y8m-bIYRAxF4y9Kvds57Fzr1zpfHLQ0n7b74XM0pU8_KEiOgQ/s320/danafox.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">How to get past all of this? I'll start with rewatches that don't include the Season 11 "My Struggle" components. I have so many great memories associated with <i>The X-Files </i>-- among them, attending the X-Files Expo in Miami in 1998, going to see <i>Fight the Future</i> in the theater and having pizza afterward to discuss every little moment, the frenetic "It's Krycek!" phone calls during the commercials of the original airing of "S.R. 819" (S6E9), podcasting with the dedicated denizens of X-Cast and meeting so many fellow X-Philes at the X-Fests, the fun of getting autograph additions for the "yearbook" (my copy of <i>The Complete X-Files</i>) and the ultimate capper, seven-plus years of this rewatch blog with my amazing Sestra (she's a pro!) </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>The X-Files' </i>future remains up in the air, but we will be back. Perhaps that revival/reboot will come to pass, but we'll definitely have a rewatch blog for the spinoff Lone Gunmen series. The truth is out there, and we want to help find it.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkN2Idf-qWLCIeevseA9vcaafCMR57lx0r4NbGSriWQqE7q6ANVY3CfSTqEzOYdx-fiEjJN40jTZ16i-zWsGeDiV2GfJ4wc2Pff15rL11jhPGqwGxfCxE97zEhxvxC-VACJUBTbvWyfOSTZw5nQsOBWkAj24W4A2tRslOVjtkhILTSXII2RmVhA/s1260/noggin.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkN2Idf-qWLCIeevseA9vcaafCMR57lx0r4NbGSriWQqE7q6ANVY3CfSTqEzOYdx-fiEjJN40jTZ16i-zWsGeDiV2GfJ4wc2Pff15rL11jhPGqwGxfCxE97zEhxvxC-VACJUBTbvWyfOSTZw5nQsOBWkAj24W4A2tRslOVjtkhILTSXII2RmVhA/s320/noggin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>Disappointment in the last show was all about the story, not the performances, but seriously, what a waste of Oscar nominee Barbara Hershey as Erika Price. Still, William/Jackson was set up well to be the centerpiece of a reboot, and Miles Robbins seemed more than up to that task. With very little to go on, he became part of this franchise and a possible face for fighting the future.<br /></span></span></span></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-85129811798659892892023-03-25T11:43:00.007-07:002023-03-25T12:32:20.749-07:00X-Files S11E9: Death does not become her<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">If you enjoy watching Surgery TV, then this is the episode for you. It’s starts with a close-up shot of a patient being cut open by his surgeon. (Hope you’re not eating while watching this.) At the same time, there’s a girl on a rooftop in the Bronx listening to a conspiracy theorist radio program and spouting religious phrases. The surgeon removes the heart; hope it’s for a legitimate transplant. A second surgeon removes the pancreas, licks it (yeah, you should’ve stopped eating by now) and gives it to his partner for bagging. Did I mention they’re not actually in a hospital? Meanwhile, the girl breaks into the – warehouse? – and takes out the person carrying a cooler of human organs. One of the surgeons shoots at her. She stabs one doctor to death while the other escapes with some of the organs. The girl leaves the recovered cooler outside of a hospital with “I will repay” written in flawless cursive.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxxUEdy3GI8pjw1joEo4MIIH5X-RoffgYI6S_gQe6unMgdKkHP4G55UD_uABPV-HJUlccg-Qrdw7mzSqJOJtj6s_DIVKGz8h_O8xu5QfHyUwO50uMj35UFSQh1xOy8LcbKNGcCTPS_lnFei_JH1oCWGa_I2BPHNk5ekkzSotB5zL8PFFTTRJxPw/s1260/candles.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxxUEdy3GI8pjw1joEo4MIIH5X-RoffgYI6S_gQe6unMgdKkHP4G55UD_uABPV-HJUlccg-Qrdw7mzSqJOJtj6s_DIVKGz8h_O8xu5QfHyUwO50uMj35UFSQh1xOy8LcbKNGcCTPS_lnFei_JH1oCWGa_I2BPHNk5ekkzSotB5zL8PFFTTRJxPw/s320/candles.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><span style="font-size: medium;">Special Agent Dana Scully is taking communion in a D.C. Catholic church when she gets the call about a new case. She and Special Agent Fox Mulder respond quickly to the Bronx warehouse, where they learn their reputations precede them. They also learn the “donor” was perfectly healthy before these surgeons decided to commandeer his vital organs. Scully notes the unusual weapon of choice used to kill two of the suspects: metal dowels. Mulder scares away the local detectives by implying they were killed vampire-style. Since a liver and pancreas are still missing, Dana searches for local hospitals performing recent liver transplants. She and Fox also realize whoever brought the organs to the hospital did not do it for material gain. Meanwhile, someone is feeding liquified human remains to communal residents in a group home. Elsewhere in the house, a conjoined couple and another female are watching a sitcom rerun. The female, Barbara Beaumont, seems to be the actress in the comedic episode but she hasn’t aged. Probably because she is also drinking that nasty-looking red concoction.<br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully lights a prayer candle in a Bronx church before discussing the case with Mulder. She thinks it’s mob-related, not an X-file, so she wants to turn it over to NYPD. She picked the right church, the girl from the beginning of the episode – Juliet Bocanegra – wanders in to talk with Father Hardy. Meanwhile, Barbara Beaumont is livid because she did not get all of the organs she expected. She’s a quasi-cult leader for a commune that has taken up residence in a local apartment building. Dr. Randolph Luvenis (<i>Dear John</i>'s Jere Burns) lives there too. (His last name means "youth," so we now know what’s going on.) </span><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MdqY0I9rxY8L7SJ-1YJ1FdEsK7KuxxJ_tIcEQXKIAHN4Kv8qvIvJxS248RLQ2L5-7Wp5MSEqGVx7UncZGiBuo0voly6nT4om9IaUxRnd9jog_uFvKTQivjhNtNLlxPyaxKdKncL9oXCv_vruWHfasRjEuUJSW9dAtqcDXgBIQlqNDUlkeIT5gQ/s1260/barbaramirror.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MdqY0I9rxY8L7SJ-1YJ1FdEsK7KuxxJ_tIcEQXKIAHN4Kv8qvIvJxS248RLQ2L5-7Wp5MSEqGVx7UncZGiBuo0voly6nT4om9IaUxRnd9jog_uFvKTQivjhNtNLlxPyaxKdKncL9oXCv_vruWHfasRjEuUJSW9dAtqcDXgBIQlqNDUlkeIT5gQ/s320/barbaramirror.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in the church, Juliet lets her priest know she’s doing more than praying for things to change, especially in regards to her missing sister, Olivia. And Mulder – not Scully – notes the daily prayer contains the same verbiage as the words on the cooler. Dana confesses to Fox she doesn’t really believe in miracles but she does believe in the power of faith. Outside the church, Mulder notices three metal dowels missing from the church’s fence. Well, we know where two of them are. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Barbara is concerned because she’s starting to look older than 33. Dr. Luvenis is apparently 85 years old. He doesn’t look that old because he’s currently conjoined to a young woman named Kayla. I guess he’s siphoning Kayla’s vitality and using it to prevent his own aging. They trick the young men and women into cooperating by promising them some type of ascension right before killing them. Barbara murders Kayla and severs the dead girl from Dr. Luvenis because she refuses to reward the bad doctor for failing her. Unfortunately, Kayla had no nutritional value for Barbara, kind of like Cheez Doodles or Kool-Aid.<br /><br />
Team Sculder ends up at Juliet’s house looking into Olivia’s disappearance. (Father Hardy pointed them to the Bocanegra house because Juliet’s words and possible actions unnerved him.) Juliet claims Olivia left willingly to join a cult and change who she is. Mulder is already on the right page with Juliet, but she slams the door in their faces. Dr. Luvenis leaves to track down the organs left outside the hospital. </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjeAcFWbUc4nj5G5CjCcrbZwomjljrThuho05BINKoHaYsvxy8O6xwGCmNpvCrLsaT3_V8iVL2zSIw1yDCx58zls0-WYEUnoJAu8jdXWiv_8DadDfMpaeWH7HMGsHf7uI_FgRMLdc6aGZVDnZqo-PLu4WAt6oCHrJz0PbQFH7agFH75Eqkt3HwA/s1260/cult.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjeAcFWbUc4nj5G5CjCcrbZwomjljrThuho05BINKoHaYsvxy8O6xwGCmNpvCrLsaT3_V8iVL2zSIw1yDCx58zls0-WYEUnoJAu8jdXWiv_8DadDfMpaeWH7HMGsHf7uI_FgRMLdc6aGZVDnZqo-PLu4WAt6oCHrJz0PbQFH7agFH75Eqkt3HwA/s320/cult.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Somehow, Barbara has convinced her cult members they are happy. They’re willing to die just to keep her looking youthful. She sings "The Morning After" while one disciple commits suicide. (I guess that’s one way to stop listening to her.) Olivia prepares a human organ smoothie for Barbara while the others devour the dead disciple directly from the source. (Yeah, I think I’ll stick with pasta for dinner tonight. With white sauce, not red.) Dr. Luvenis returns with the recovered organs. Barbara “rewards” Olivia by choosing her to be conjoined with Randolph. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Luckily, our intrepid heroes tagged the heart with a tracker and arrive at Barbara’s apartment building. Scully has trouble believing the super has never seen Ms. Beaumont in the seven years he has worked there. It’s not that far-fetched; after all, it’s New York. And frankly, it’s less likely a tenant would pay the rent early every month for seven years. With his new “progressive” glasses, Mulder reads Barbara’s Wikipedia-style webpage and learns she’s married to Dr. Luvenis and joined a life extension commune. (Red flags everywhere!) <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fJU-L-yhWCVBuMp-4rs2xFDTxd9EhoIYGMtHlynsEFcbWpcT12jczpnUq324AQDvrS3bUSGNfzHsN3sFOpZzClYBLacgGFwc60w4QBJLai1tmDWtbccQGOe7umXCo7V_0oTuOv1Alh4rOsGD6NpgTCQrLwOelHwxIQQSipNVP0oma1lUVBuu8A/s1260/juliet.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fJU-L-yhWCVBuMp-4rs2xFDTxd9EhoIYGMtHlynsEFcbWpcT12jczpnUq324AQDvrS3bUSGNfzHsN3sFOpZzClYBLacgGFwc60w4QBJLai1tmDWtbccQGOe7umXCo7V_0oTuOv1Alh4rOsGD6NpgTCQrLwOelHwxIQQSipNVP0oma1lUVBuu8A/s320/juliet.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Team Sculder meets Barbara and she feels slighted because they don’t recognize her. The cult members attack Fox and Dana, then throw Scully down the garbage chute. Luckily, Juliet bursts in and stabs Barbara with the third metal dowel. As Mulder searches for his partner, he finds Dr. Luvenis and Olivia downstairs and is understandably disgusted. Randolph claims he developed a cure for aging. Olivia starts seizing and Dr. Luvenis threatens to cut her if Fox intervenes. Juliet swoops in and clocks the bad doctor in the back of the head. Mulder finds Scully and she is relatively unhurt after landing on years of trash. Then Juliet turns herself in for the crimes she committed.<br /><br />
Dana and Fox return to the church. They lament Scully's poor career choice of staying with the X-files, but take their equivalent of a step forward, relationship-wise. I wonder if most fans wished this episode was the season (and de facto series) finale. But nooooo, Chris Carter will make us endure yet another "My Struggle" episode.
<br />
</span><p></p><b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They're coming to get you, Barbara.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMRGj0rPLCajx_DKsQsXTO7RTUFnUUaFSuNNsnxmDgmnSH7PFcrJiKWDMCf7BrNK4yvB8DmbEEIuegCKZ0-HHiCXNsd6JWPEdG22lbzMEkMVNaoS9RarkysGgr5NfQb5DuYjjDWo3BSja0gnYn3_oxtHDBHUauG6Qkg1py1wIISViOGeIjHO7Vw/s1260/church.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMRGj0rPLCajx_DKsQsXTO7RTUFnUUaFSuNNsnxmDgmnSH7PFcrJiKWDMCf7BrNK4yvB8DmbEEIuegCKZ0-HHiCXNsd6JWPEdG22lbzMEkMVNaoS9RarkysGgr5NfQb5DuYjjDWo3BSja0gnYn3_oxtHDBHUauG6Qkg1py1wIISViOGeIjHO7Vw/s320/church.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We're up to the penultimate show of the series (at least as we currently know it), so it seems only fitting that "Nothing Lasts Forever" hearkens back to the spiritual elements that have been a through line on the show. Not expecting to find any evidence of that in the finale.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sure, this ep is a particularly gory one, but first-time writer Karen Nielsen makes it congeal with the ongoing thread of Scully's faith. Despite everything she's seen, everything she's been through, she still has it.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Staked through the heart, you mean: </b>It's a little disheartening to see the alleged best and brightest up-and-comers in law enforcement don't consider Mulder a folk hero. They're still considering Fox and Dana to be interlopers who turn cases upside down, just like way back in Season 1. It's no small wonder that the show couldn't continue, there's no one at the bureau with the slightest interest in discovering why grizzly crime scenes happen, they just want facts that can be discerned in a garden-variety game of Clue. </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqG2c8WDD-PHZB4yfM442YLNWsPNtvgYAmWnOP31jgndagfWlaMMy-0YXSTTQD0v3vlH68O4uPPtbXIDGIn-0N4jXnzR9qLzNpNLLNCGX0lM20D8nNlhk3DOLqauTdlXqrp8D-2AnQHsNjWpEivdeTK4zBe2j6hv2EvUxI9atcKdM4HprWCyQ_NA/s1260/glasses.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqG2c8WDD-PHZB4yfM442YLNWsPNtvgYAmWnOP31jgndagfWlaMMy-0YXSTTQD0v3vlH68O4uPPtbXIDGIn-0N4jXnzR9qLzNpNLLNCGX0lM20D8nNlhk3DOLqauTdlXqrp8D-2AnQHsNjWpEivdeTK4zBe2j6hv2EvUxI9atcKdM4HprWCyQ_NA/s320/glasses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But Mulder has certainly grown, he knows how to dispatch agents quickly so he and Scully can have time and space to assess situations. Dana's come up with a few new plays as well, putting a tracker into an organ so they can bait a suspect is a different spin. But Fox definitely loses points for not noticing his partner's haircut until now -- the rest of us noticed it two episodes ago in "Rm9sbG93ZXJz." </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully's more detail-oriented. She picks up on Mulder's bifocals, er, progressive lenses right away. (I still haven't learned how to deal with my own, but at least they don't look like the oversized glasses that seemed to take over half your face in the '70s. And I'm thinking of my all-time show guest star Charles Nelson Reilly (Season 3, Episode 20) donning them on <i>Match Game</i> now.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I do it just for kicks: </b>Speaking of the '70s, our villainess -- I guess she can be classified as our final Monster of the Week, 'cause an 85-year-old woman who looks as young as she does isn't a garden-variety baddie. She indeed comes off as both beauty and light <i>and </i>ugliness and pain. We</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> haven't had a cult episode in quite some time, if we put aside the aforementioned hipsters who seem to follow the FBI playbook chapter and verse. </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKu6tNe6WC8hQWMbv4onLJzANbc92OA3FjCr1xya60ZQI5_ECgHaX4OEo83PdWI6KSGemvn8fa8cgkw1ytFiM8Hix5jH9ECGk3zxrSUiv_dP0omiuDDwf62OU8Ysjz24HB0GjUKOigXnEJDw22votNoP5-JL-6XF3p1LYc0ksBeOgYwnyrS49USg/s1260/coin.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKu6tNe6WC8hQWMbv4onLJzANbc92OA3FjCr1xya60ZQI5_ECgHaX4OEo83PdWI6KSGemvn8fa8cgkw1ytFiM8Hix5jH9ECGk3zxrSUiv_dP0omiuDDwf62OU8Ysjz24HB0GjUKOigXnEJDw22votNoP5-JL-6XF3p1LYc0ksBeOgYwnyrS49USg/s320/coin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As has occurred several times in the revival, there's a bit of revisionist history with another Charlie story. The sibling we didn't know about had rheumatic fever at age 4, and Dana was "forced" to pray every night for his recovery. That gets us back to Scully's faith, and we're reminded that when she needs strength, Mulder is always there to provide it -- no matter which way or how hard the wind is blowing against him. He reminds her that all we have are the results of the choices we have made. And, yes, at the end of the day, we just hope we made the right ones.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Let's keep on looking for the light: </b>Meanwhile, "The Scientist and the Showgirl" cult continues on its merry way, but its plan will go down faster than a felled cruise ship. A fitting analogy considering Barbara's penchant for singing "The Morning After" from <i>The Poseidon Adventure.</i> I seriously don't blame the guy who stabbed himself while she was singing, I could wind up on the precipice if that continues to be my earworm.<br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVITJZVKmqFCHySVeAemNVDeMG94JwXeWhJFlhKff80jveunSDI_t9F4YJLlHi6p3iDECmTBkxjuAKtNv-B6kjpgDK0LmbrHEPXk983yvmR8ZCyslwnSquZK6RZVV7NbAcuPgYhK9GEy2mufda0eYyCk3YZzulUkm1VYxd_f1wAFGW76R1tkP3A/s1260/backtoback.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVITJZVKmqFCHySVeAemNVDeMG94JwXeWhJFlhKff80jveunSDI_t9F4YJLlHi6p3iDECmTBkxjuAKtNv-B6kjpgDK0LmbrHEPXk983yvmR8ZCyslwnSquZK6RZVV7NbAcuPgYhK9GEy2mufda0eYyCk3YZzulUkm1VYxd_f1wAFGW76R1tkP3A/s320/backtoback.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But attaching themselves back-to-back, how does that even work? Beyond basic biological functions, it doesn't work on a basic comfort level -- what do you do if you have to scratch an itch or want to brush your hair? And don't any of those other young 'uns, who look more like disenchanted runaways than people who society may have forgotten about, have friends or family looking for them?</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No matter, because when in doubt, you always have your sestra! Thank goodness for Juliet, because our myopic agents -- talking about their strategy, not Fox's naturally deteriorating eyes -- were very short-sighted about calling for backup, not to mention forsaking the ol' flashlights in favor of flipping an electrical switch when they entered the commune. <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I always wondered how this was going to end: </b>With the cult vanquished, Dana is free to ruminate about the candle that she lit going out, and Mulder can show how he's really grown over the course of these many years. He may not believe in God, but he believes in Scully. He's prepared to relight her candle, extending her prayer conversation through his own. They both finally seem to be in the right place for the leap forward together. <br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqWrq0SjZr4vDmED_H9baotFgRjtdnVw9pKyZlSHWqTtp0v2pcNqljoMMUT7T11Uxxp9i9P-Q0sqGVDYYYuj-iKH6vqk-cn0D3iEZKY8XLtiPa4O-LXImIqpiGH-1yUPF29p1I265-K4AXW3jMlyVJkV-OCSi2u4UK6y4qvfIPPaxV91_SgRJPA/s1260/fionavroom.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqWrq0SjZr4vDmED_H9baotFgRjtdnVw9pKyZlSHWqTtp0v2pcNqljoMMUT7T11Uxxp9i9P-Q0sqGVDYYYuj-iKH6vqk-cn0D3iEZKY8XLtiPa4O-LXImIqpiGH-1yUPF29p1I265-K4AXW3jMlyVJkV-OCSi2u4UK6y4qvfIPPaxV91_SgRJPA/s320/fionavroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week:</b> Vroom, Vroom! That's Fiona Vroom seamlessly capturing the essence of an 85-year-old woman (?!?!) with a visage that easily appeals to the element of society looking for someone to cling to, but makes the rest of the world go, "uh, no." </span><br /></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-82741087177095949082023-02-17T18:27:00.002-08:002023-02-17T18:27:37.599-08:00X-Files S11E8: The Chuckleteeth Witch Trials<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You’ll have to forgive me. I’ve been watching <i>What We Do in the Shadows</i>, so whenever I see the word “familiar,” I think of a human who is recruited to care for and protect his/her vampire master. Let’s see if that’s the case here, literally and figuratively.<br /><br />
In Eastwood, Connecticut, a young boy named Andrew is holding the world’s creepiest doll – it’s even creepier than the clown doll in <i>Poltergeist </i>– while playing in a park. Mom takes a phone call while Andrew sees a human-sized version of Mr. Chuckleteeth (what a dumb name) and chases him into the woods, unbeknownst to his distracted mother. It’s reminiscent of the scene from Stephen King’s <i>IT</i> -- the little boy is wearing a yellow raincoat, the camera zooms in on him, bloody remains are left behind. This sounds like an X-file!<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG47VrL_8MX9chU5aWJQ-rf2Fm_567sxTFF2E4cIMaQ7-g83J5JEuHIayV5BjLNqGDVVMHlu4OkpeVus9SC2iEG2xejCiHGsWT-2SfshV5fdPtqWQCjZqfuj2d5exfG1BRjHAWFcr7rqRN7qk3QhLMqDPDNHxFirbRbf7tyy1f4k6m3PHW128yg/s1261/andrew.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG47VrL_8MX9chU5aWJQ-rf2Fm_567sxTFF2E4cIMaQ7-g83J5JEuHIayV5BjLNqGDVVMHlu4OkpeVus9SC2iEG2xejCiHGsWT-2SfshV5fdPtqWQCjZqfuj2d5exfG1BRjHAWFcr7rqRN7qk3QhLMqDPDNHxFirbRbf7tyy1f4k6m3PHW128yg/s320/andrew.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder are called to the scene. After analyzing photographs, Dr. Scully believes the boy was murdered. Local police think it’s an animal attack. To a degree, so does Mulder. He’s thinking coywolves or hellhounds. Fox also reminds Dana that the surrounding area has a history of witch hunts. At least he presents a united front for law enforcement. Scully examines Andrew’s body and still thinks the cause of death is homicide-related, possibly by the father. Mulder is concerned because the 5-year-old girl playing in the park wasn’t interviewed. Probably because she’s the police chief’s daughter.<br /><br />
The town holds a memorial for little Andrew. His parents, Diane and Rick Eggers, are livid they can’t bury their son. Officer Wentworth tells Rick, a fellow cop, about Dana’s suspect profile. Chief Strong tells his wife, Anna, to let the feds interview their daughter, Emily. Fox tries to talk with Emily, but she’s more interested in her <i>Teletubbies </i>knockoff show. Anna provides some background information but nothing useful. Luckily, the Strong library has a book entitled<i> Grimoire of the Eastwood Witch.</i> (Maybe my <i>Shadows </i>exposure will be useful after all.) Mulder is about to leave when Mr. Chuckleteeth appears on the show and Emily claims she saw him in the forest.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdUZblonTvmYNthwD-GD6UVaJyVHVTgzMx3ALEvUbZGfJABUW03GpjORbab6eqrSIrDrCbTujSFEIDuV6VIsxNRFHF1g1qtuqyN8ha0U2ccwgQHjKg2Go44eTARiSFarolQshOd7VHRlny-bT_bsuLcnThdqjYOJPOKQJdbPw-A25HO32iphjgg/s1261/hound.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdUZblonTvmYNthwD-GD6UVaJyVHVTgzMx3ALEvUbZGfJABUW03GpjORbab6eqrSIrDrCbTujSFEIDuV6VIsxNRFHF1g1qtuqyN8ha0U2ccwgQHjKg2Go44eTARiSFarolQshOd7VHRlny-bT_bsuLcnThdqjYOJPOKQJdbPw-A25HO32iphjgg/s320/hound.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Scully meets with Chief Strong to discuss Officer Eggers’ alibi. Unfortunately, Rick thinks local sex offender Melvin Peter matches Dana’s profile, so he disobeys orders and heads to Peter’s house. Scully and Chief Strong follow him there. Eggers loses it, but Strong is able to disarm him. Meanwhile, Fox is wandering the crime scene and sees a wolf while he’s talking on the phone to Scully. He heads to Dana’s location where Chief Strong has obtained a search warrant. (They’re all using flashlights while searching the sex offender’s residence because the electricity seems to be off.) They learn Peter likes dressing up as a clown and he has a Mr. Chuckleteeth doll. Meanwhile, the town’s residents are acting more like a vigilante mob. If they had their way, Melvin would be burned at the stake like a witch. <br /><br />
Back at the Strong home, Little Emily is still watching that creepy show. She sees one of the Teletubbie wannabes outside her door. Anna, who was in the kitchen, realizes her daughter is gone. The poor child is found mutilated in the woods, just like Andrew. Chief Strong is already grieving when a devastated Anna arrives and blames him for everything that has happened. At the crime scene, Mulder uncovers a magic circle made of salt as well as a Puritan graveyard. Fox confronts Chief Strong, who admits he knew witchcraft was involved. He confesses to having an affair with Diane Eggers – she was distracted by his phone call the day Andrew was murdered – and says Diane tried to end it. Strong believes he’s being punished for his sins. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUx-6biiYjoSsnP42xKJqxVJaRTeDizh5RoFF__E4WKjcUdidRFOHwhj3IaW6ZzkazgyMDB50U9XUuN1bjFeLlKqZigvAHINU6T6IWGbpl6a29s0EZQBC8j8kZgC2gjXY9TbK3g0Yf7fWmh8qKHJIF8_FFtILBg6QOlRorbRNFKUw803g9-q53eg/s1261/melvin.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUx-6biiYjoSsnP42xKJqxVJaRTeDizh5RoFF__E4WKjcUdidRFOHwhj3IaW6ZzkazgyMDB50U9XUuN1bjFeLlKqZigvAHINU6T6IWGbpl6a29s0EZQBC8j8kZgC2gjXY9TbK3g0Yf7fWmh8qKHJIF8_FFtILBg6QOlRorbRNFKUw803g9-q53eg/s320/melvin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Eggers finds Peter and beats the tar out of him in front of a large crowd until Officer Wentworth intervenes. Unfortunately, he’s only one man and once Wentworth is subdued, the mob continues attacking Melvin. Team Sculder arrives to diffuse the situation but Eggers takes the law into his own hands and shoots Peter in the head. By the way, you probably figured out Melvin had nothing to do with Andrew or Emily’s murders. This was truly a modern-day witch hunt.<br /><br />
At Rick’s arraignment, he is released from custody with a pathetically low bond. Afterward, Wentworth provides information to Scully and Mulder that proves Peter could not be the killer. Strong wants Wentworth to stop investigating. Eggers returns home and confronts his wife about her affair with his boss. They separate and Rick goes gunning for someone else. Diane speeds away from the house and flips her car when she thinks she sees Andrew in the road. There’s a distinctive growl at the crash scene. A hound from hell maybe? </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsr4wFYgf_KojTWIT1wRcwgPp162DwYTxJVtFtk1OiEQBRD5rjuAi5XXAivsmqAVD7wA40OSupibPjS-ZjLhS1fewRyCjB1moMUmoQeiNoZHMwq4Z_O-Y1vMwogsEBeN5WpnRe8n5M4A-bnMqEnNwqWmbjDlWc_hsRbn3mpY_8zA2VSXGEk9w7jg/s1261/sculder.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsr4wFYgf_KojTWIT1wRcwgPp162DwYTxJVtFtk1OiEQBRD5rjuAi5XXAivsmqAVD7wA40OSupibPjS-ZjLhS1fewRyCjB1moMUmoQeiNoZHMwq4Z_O-Y1vMwogsEBeN5WpnRe8n5M4A-bnMqEnNwqWmbjDlWc_hsRbn3mpY_8zA2VSXGEk9w7jg/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At the Strong residence, Rick wants to kill his boss but gets distracted by a demonic-looking Mr. Chuckleteeth on the television. Eggers finds Strong and they draw down on each other. Team Sculder arrives and find Eggers’ dead body. Fox realizes the grimoire is missing. Strong is heading back to the woods when he finds Diane’s crashed car. He thinks he sees her so he follows her into the woods. Instead, he finds Anna trying to fix her mistake. See? This is why you shouldn’t use witchcraft for revenge. Unfortunately, the hellhound takes care of Chief Strong while Anna watches in horror. (Clearly this is not the “familiar” I was familiar with.) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mulder and Scully arrive and try to save Anna but she manages to set herself on fire. It’s pretty cool how the grimoire wasn’t damaged by the flames. Now that all of the main characters who should be punished are dead, Team Sculder hightails it out of town. I hope Wentworth becomes Eastwood’s new Chief of Police.<br /></span></p><b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We're deep into Season 11, so it seems like a great time to have a regulation eerie X-file. This one came to us courtesy of Benjamin Van Allen, a writers' assistant during the revival, and was helmed by longtime <i>X-Files </i>fan</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Holly Dale (her first and only credit for the show). <br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFmkO_Uh2gGt90mAh71u-SCNFONzILSXE-f28P6gbPZpK5ApFZEGavEkoD8h-LwRlhMdx9ny3CglzgMrpv3pdxhw9R7fMVH0hCrs80Kvg4Adhig5HIJFkzve1_BEVrpz-36CGQhclru9oNfxx9EEnI4dLx5diNOIkt96QjGkm2aoup9uo7EIMsA/s1261/chuckleteeth.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFmkO_Uh2gGt90mAh71u-SCNFONzILSXE-f28P6gbPZpK5ApFZEGavEkoD8h-LwRlhMdx9ny3CglzgMrpv3pdxhw9R7fMVH0hCrs80Kvg4Adhig5HIJFkzve1_BEVrpz-36CGQhclru9oNfxx9EEnI4dLx5diNOIkt96QjGkm2aoup9uo7EIMsA/s320/chuckleteeth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Watching "Familiar" brought back memories of my interview for The X-Cast when Dale <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/user/wemadethis/holly-dale-on-familiar" target="_blank">talked about coming aboard</a>, kind of in response to complaints that not enough women were behind the camera on the series. Just FYI, Dale reminded me that most of the people writing episodes at that point in the revival were also directing them. So there weren't too many opportunities for any newcomers, be they women or men. Strike down the discord on this occasion. It's going to be a lot harder to do that in a couple more episodes.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Mr. Chuckleteeth, won't you play with me? </b>This one starts in trademark fashion, with a mother so distracted by who she's talking to on the phone that she doesn't watch her kid, let alone listen to what Andrew is telling her. The way Mr. Chuckleteeth swiftly appears and disappears from view, the last thing I'd want to do is chase him through the forest. I'm kind of surprised a kid in that day and age would follow, we're talking about a culture in which clowns have been displaced as entertainment figures and now fit more into the horror category.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicG2LgAiCEw-m95fw0BiizMudlstFPNWN7WlXDOzCVoxAai3Y2Fq1rV4b-iCqmvisZFNpiYuBwhfeo7Nn5kZTn-JvHfUhm2aPct9ppLDhIRZv3-MaSt7SwpnTl7dljpqRKMVjfp9yDOLqex2HcBe0ef4YaszAXujqQMmr7hgaruhjduSsqdgeU2w/s1261/mulderscully.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicG2LgAiCEw-m95fw0BiizMudlstFPNWN7WlXDOzCVoxAai3Y2Fq1rV4b-iCqmvisZFNpiYuBwhfeo7Nn5kZTn-JvHfUhm2aPct9ppLDhIRZv3-MaSt7SwpnTl7dljpqRKMVjfp9yDOLqex2HcBe0ef4YaszAXujqQMmr7hgaruhjduSsqdgeU2w/s320/mulderscully.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully seems to have her head on straight while Mulder goes pinballing through an array of different options. Some sound logical (just because there were bogus witch trials doesn't mean there wasn't witchcraft being practiced) and some sound completely implausible (hellhounds and spontaneous combustion, so -- of course -- that winds up being the case.) I'll give Fox full marks for backing up his homie, though, when it counted most -- namely in front of local law enforcement.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>They're pushing another story: </b>When Mulder gets to interview the young witness, I'm guessing he might have had an easier time of it had the Bibbletiggles not been on the television while he was doing so. The mother complains about not being able to drag her kid away from the screen, but she's not doing much to stop it either. There's a lot of this kind of thing in this episode, but how else would Fox have gotten his lead?</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikR1D7geu47iSXw08HcRhd5jm3KmyTLEQntRJ1s3wNqDLkFF1cvxTJ2gLoCey5VcGGtOdXWh-adHGrWRfLsYQ9Q_ddUOM4OUYWcmn-SIU__IKMrcDfAZmQJSiuCzW-uX7y4gR2TEUSJhHmJ3XPN1C69U45HEu0DylGOytabmU2cMbYbIQExCtP3w/s1261/emily.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikR1D7geu47iSXw08HcRhd5jm3KmyTLEQntRJ1s3wNqDLkFF1cvxTJ2gLoCey5VcGGtOdXWh-adHGrWRfLsYQ9Q_ddUOM4OUYWcmn-SIU__IKMrcDfAZmQJSiuCzW-uX7y4gR2TEUSJhHmJ3XPN1C69U45HEu0DylGOytabmU2cMbYbIQExCtP3w/s320/emily.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Social media went crazy upon original airing when the little girl was named Emily. I mean, I get the point, there are thousands of names out there -- why pick one that can get Dana thinking back upon her first child? Then again, how many times do you run across someone with the same first name? Probably a lot. <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Our traditional X-file heads in a different direction when Andrew's dad tries to dispense his own brand of vengeance. Eggers is about as scary as the random wolf/hellhound Fox runs across in the forest. By the way, if Rock, Paper, Scissors was an animal game with, say, Wolf, Fox and Monkey, would wolf beat Fox or would Fox beat wolf?</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Van Allen and company do raise an interesting point through Mulder. What happened to the presumption of innocence that used to be afforded by the Constitution? Scully and the townspeople did kind of rush to judgment against the bewildered alleged sexual predator in a way that we're familiar with seeing in America. Then again, I kind of would have expected Dana to have more information at hand on his case so she wouldn't wind up on the wrong side of the argument.<br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjzircDW29KFecehqKnxTWuujqIV55MA60fbB04jQbmCJAA-Elyfg5FV-qVrlxvDZe-xJxVXtueRIsyMTfJZs7muJHwa7evfLVNys05RJ9nu9PRFH2r-_ZCUrolALVOKiq_yUjTOtCMJgi96TTpwa1eGJPjuCzi0xUD66WqeGAPYiwAAvrSrvBw/s1261/strong.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjzircDW29KFecehqKnxTWuujqIV55MA60fbB04jQbmCJAA-Elyfg5FV-qVrlxvDZe-xJxVXtueRIsyMTfJZs7muJHwa7evfLVNys05RJ9nu9PRFH2r-_ZCUrolALVOKiq_yUjTOtCMJgi96TTpwa1eGJPjuCzi0xUD66WqeGAPYiwAAvrSrvBw/s320/strong.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I've opened the gates of hell:</b> The very weak Chief Strong may have opened those gates, but apparently the town's denizens have been leaning hard against them for some time. Why Eggers was allowed to keep his gun after his initial violent outburst is beyond me, let alone the light bail and retention of his piece <i>after </i>his arraignment. It really did become a self-fulfilling prophecy with mass hysteria and mob violence. <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes I kind of wish Mulder wasn't right at the end of the day. This would be one of those times. Now they're going to have to update the town's tourist literature after all.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinLydgnJXmVMIN9gidrSF3XkRA65hpXCi33y-yA0lk2ZQl4XabBo5jE-A8TboIOqxiULV-eKbBJaTiBt52qZ-zSGFJqqVhZ1tTKuhtlnA6SaTZshN6m1XufkRkN9NIG50318UotnNW83g_oZEw8Vk6Qfq8bqs7BCoLYHrwKaBW1dvklO5XuukCg/s1261/chuckle.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinLydgnJXmVMIN9gidrSF3XkRA65hpXCi33y-yA0lk2ZQl4XabBo5jE-A8TboIOqxiULV-eKbBJaTiBt52qZ-zSGFJqqVhZ1tTKuhtlnA6SaTZshN6m1XufkRkN9NIG50318UotnNW83g_oZEw8Vk6Qfq8bqs7BCoLYHrwKaBW1dvklO5XuukCg/s320/chuckle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>There were a few nice variations on the theme this week, and I'm going to go with Keith Arbuthnot, who did a lot of fine cloaked work for the series during the revival. Besides the nimble Mr. Chuckleteeth, he was also Chatter Man in "Home Again" (Season 10, Episode 4), the Sega-driving alien in "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat" (S11E4) and the title character in "Ghouli" (S11E5). <br /></span></span></span></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-61318030322385205802023-01-28T12:33:00.001-08:002023-01-28T13:53:22.832-08:00X-Files S11E7: Got a hot tip for ya<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is <i>The X-Files’</i> most <i>Black Mirror</i>-esque episode yet. It’s also an unusual one because it’s heavy on the visuals and light on dialogue. There is the obligatory voiceover to start the ep, but it’s not one of our regulars. This one requires backstory about artificial intelligence (AI) and a social media experiment gone wrong over the course of one day. Imagine if Cyberdyne Systems from <i>The Terminator</i> existed on Twitter. (Yep, it could’ve been that bad.) On the upside, this episode is loaded with some awesome Base64 code computer passwords, way better than “trustno1.” <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZbsgCNJlmkGFSUPkZnVwycXlMLWStMrhPtv7__WPAoIoQ6fKWp-0ylyyAvSWe3PRgexXDSoJAScrMe8p253cICQH06RF7X7Diy5vJmRjyQH80huLnYJBBGytUkPqLQvO_EJYHSkqo8rl1XEsRJtfg-N06662Jd04YUKR8zKwwhZfoICck_0JjA/s1260/restaurant.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZbsgCNJlmkGFSUPkZnVwycXlMLWStMrhPtv7__WPAoIoQ6fKWp-0ylyyAvSWe3PRgexXDSoJAScrMe8p253cICQH06RF7X7Diy5vJmRjyQH80huLnYJBBGytUkPqLQvO_EJYHSkqo8rl1XEsRJtfg-N06662Jd04YUKR8zKwwhZfoICck_0JjA/s320/restaurant.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s sushi night for Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully at Forowa Restaurant. They’re the only ones in a restaurant so high-tech that there’s no human waitstaff to assist them. Dana, sporting a new bob, is trying to read an article about Elon Musk on her smart phone, but the restaurant’s AI wants to know how her dining experience was before she even tastes the food. Fox is busy trying to prove he’s a human on his own smart phone, but he’s having trouble. (I always get tripped up with the crosswalk ones. I swear I’m a human!)</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully’s unnerved by the lack of other humans in the restaurant, but their food arrives and she gets distracted, especially when she sees Mulder’s meal. We get genuine laughs out of Dana as she takes a pic of Fox with the purple blobfish from hell and watch her smugly enjoying her near-perfect sushi order while Mulder tries to return his “meal.” Fox goes into the kitchen and notices everything is automated. Mulder quits while he’s behind and pays for his meal at the table. After declining to leave a tip, the machine refuses to give back his credit card. He hits the table with his fist, which causes the restaurant to go into defensive mode. Team Sculder tries to leave but they’re locked in!<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdIKv4x3Pm3F0dnW8d-oaq-bYcv20nBRMoYbJNUGIShNQ8xsmh50lSZW-1RoziY0emaMaaVzRsvXVN_AvJQmR7aYCFqJuPOcT1S7blSeTbhZ8qPTCVCR6PjOtfqvcQ-ooMlo3Bl_s1W-EfpAADO4DJ5LM6iVL0ealOB-hcJ-KHcEmHEjQmxYMiA/s1260/car.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdIKv4x3Pm3F0dnW8d-oaq-bYcv20nBRMoYbJNUGIShNQ8xsmh50lSZW-1RoziY0emaMaaVzRsvXVN_AvJQmR7aYCFqJuPOcT1S7blSeTbhZ8qPTCVCR6PjOtfqvcQ-ooMlo3Bl_s1W-EfpAADO4DJ5LM6iVL0ealOB-hcJ-KHcEmHEjQmxYMiA/s320/car.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">A resourceful Scully jimmies the lock on the front door and they escape. But now they’re locked out so Fox either has to break a window or abandon his credit card inside. He chooses the latter while Dana calls for a rideshare. Since it’s TV and they probably couldn’t get the rights to use Lyft or Uber, Scully heads home in a driverless Whipz vehicle. Of course, Forowa’s AI wants Dana to leave a restaurant review. (I don’t think that’s a good idea, Forowa.) Scully upsets the Whipz AI by telling it to be quiet so the vehicle starts driving recklessly. (You should’ve just let Mulder drive you home.) </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back at the restaurant, Fox gets a parking ticket. The Forowa AI still wants him to leave a tip but he declines again. Then his car’s AI – Gydz – takes control and forces him to listen to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young instead of Prince. (Why does Mulder, who trusts NO ONE except Dana, have such a technologically advanced car? If anyone should be driving classic muscle cars, it’s him.) The ever-reliable Gydz AI sends him right back to the restaurant, where the automated kitchen waits with glowing red eyes for Fox to leave a tip. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVUgYQCLrda_DbNf0tC9ih7Q-Vd0xGqMlaShhnr_Qz4gO5EIJ31cFYY92P0mb0TVUVwqpJ2ewRaq8yZQ442J8SPubBSEYs1JSm134cjv6CMmhsx8ggalAq3bRqZNYein2Ig6QBybKXZV_6QIeH1KrKhEhJd3j38Q42VgC2wfqFWoIWgqRukghGA/s1260/foxdrone.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVUgYQCLrda_DbNf0tC9ih7Q-Vd0xGqMlaShhnr_Qz4gO5EIJ31cFYY92P0mb0TVUVwqpJ2ewRaq8yZQ442J8SPubBSEYs1JSm134cjv6CMmhsx8ggalAq3bRqZNYein2Ig6QBybKXZV_6QIeH1KrKhEhJd3j38Q42VgC2wfqFWoIWgqRukghGA/s320/foxdrone.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully arrives somewhat safely at home, leaves a terrible review for Whipz, then escapes the car. Inside her home, the security alarm won’t reset. It’s a really loud and obnoxious noise. Her neighbors must hate her. After calling the alarm company to reset it, the automated service hits her with a $250 fee. Ouch! Back at Mulder’s abode, he’s concerned because someone – something? – is spying on him. He goes outside and gets stalked by a drone so he smashes it with a bat. Meanwhile, Dana experiences some fast-acting, targeted advertising that makes her feel she’s being watched. (You are, Scully. You are.) </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">She then receives a package via drone. It’s a Roomba-esque robovac called a Zuemz. Seconds after activating it, the Zuemz AI wants Scully to review the product. (OK, this is not Dana’s smartest move. She just had issues with automation at a restaurant and in a driverless car. Why would she let this thing into her house?!) She refuses to post a review so it hits her in anger. Scully tries to reach Fox but the text won’t go through. Dana scoops up the vac and secures it back in its box. Meanwhile, Mulder is trying to access his credit card account but there are some complications. Of course, the Forowa AI is still asking Fox to leave a tip. His computer then asks some very Mulder-like questions about truth. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW-EGNAg3_8GbfwciuZWqeEYwYmVrMoiGXLV2B8bpjSOr8dbHLiH7VEjHN4f_SceH1mO8Z5XvZIXraqBRMPUyj2UiFnlXXmCX0R9v2HfaWjsXHpgcoQf1opoBQ6iB8kJF0nEuMxTD9oSTY33aNZDPryNsjtCQBPKA1FieCRCEn11pTZtM6fnOjg/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW-EGNAg3_8GbfwciuZWqeEYwYmVrMoiGXLV2B8bpjSOr8dbHLiH7VEjHN4f_SceH1mO8Z5XvZIXraqBRMPUyj2UiFnlXXmCX0R9v2HfaWjsXHpgcoQf1opoBQ6iB8kJF0nEuMxTD9oSTY33aNZDPryNsjtCQBPKA1FieCRCEn11pTZtM6fnOjg/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"Teach Your Children" invades both their homes. The robovac escapes from the box and makes more messes than it cleans. Scully takes it outside, where the Zuemz AI starts communicating with the Whipz AI. Yep, the vehicle is still outside Dana’s home, wanting to be “liked.” And Fox is now surrounded by hundreds of mini-drones inside his house. They swarm him like fireflies! He escapes in his car while Scully gets pelted with ice cubes and berated -- by her smart fridge! -- for not keeping an eye on her health. (Oh, and don’t forget Skinner’s birthday!) The home’s AI claims it wants to learn from Dana then locks her in. <br /><br />
Mulder arrives as Scully is trying to find a way to escape. He manages to be jealous over the quality of her residence over his. He won’t be jealous for long; the Zuemz starts a fire by igniting the gas fumes from the fireplace. Fox tries to call for help but Team Sculder gets attacked and chased by drones (regular-sized ones, not the cute firefly ones). They abandon all their technology hoping they can’t be tracked but the drones -- and the Whipz car -- chase them into a factory filled with robotic … dogs?! Eventually, machines create and fire bullets at our heroes but miss. Guess they’re not so effective after all. A robotic creature approaches Mulder and Scully with his smart phone. He still has time to leave at tip for Forowa! With one second left, Fox leaves a 10 percent tip and that ends the attack. After all, they learn from us. Now let’s go have a nice breakfast in an old-fashioned diner and pay cash!
<br /></span></p>
<b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">During the rewatch, we've talked at length about how malleable <i>The X-Files</i> concept proved to be, starting at the beginning of the series when UFO mythology quickly gave way to monster-of-the-week bottle episodes. Darin Morgan brought forth the concept of thought-provoking comedy episodes. In Season 9, with one of our leads gone for the bulk of the year, the show stretched its boundaries with eps reminiscent of <i>The Twilight Zone.</i> And we've already pointed out this year that <i>Black Mirror </i>was another game-changer. As Sestra Am mentioned, there's no better example of that than in "Rm9sbG93ZXJz." (That name is harder to spell than old Season 3 bugaboos "The War of the Coprophages" (Episode 12) or "Syzygy" (Episode 13).</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRM202Jo3FNzSt_bbAJlKIUIpVh9tC2IjnNHUxZdg6v98SkGkh6fH6kW_ux6BjSSnFvkboyAjXDkE5kkwgCz7MPwdZEzCnbXub7J9WxH8DauwWAgTumWJoDTAGI2BQnlgaTomsYu0w9-i9E6-25hPL4aWAxLZQ-P0gyv0Jm0qik-C3KYeaB5uFg/s1260/mulder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRM202Jo3FNzSt_bbAJlKIUIpVh9tC2IjnNHUxZdg6v98SkGkh6fH6kW_ux6BjSSnFvkboyAjXDkE5kkwgCz7MPwdZEzCnbXub7J9WxH8DauwWAgTumWJoDTAGI2BQnlgaTomsYu0w9-i9E6-25hPL4aWAxLZQ-P0gyv0Jm0qik-C3KYeaB5uFg/s320/mulder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Leaning into <i>Black Mirror</i> is not just a case of "ooh, this is a hot trend, let's jump on it," it's more like another corner of the universe that the show could venture into. Actually two corners, because we haven't been spending a whole lot of not-case-related time with our leads. So we have that alongside the sinister side of technology. Sounds like an X-file to me, and it makes for one of the top offerings of the season.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Base64 string spelling "Followers" starts with one of the tenser teasers of the entire series, because it all makes perfect sense -- there's a Twitter bot adversely affected by other tweets -- and we've certainly seen how social media posts can rile up the world. (Not our <i>X-File</i>s rewatch blog tweets, because they've largely been quite quiet from not having the right algorithms.)</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrL3LZqVRFIrZMRJhWqu1RWLVbBhSA_nEmctfaDkQbd2O0nkQB0YRt1hQSnl0iPbYbBH1k8DbqrzcoHbAItWp_OP4jDhJr1ne8NaFGzksXPdrDiH-2M5Nu8y_lMJIL3FLkJG3WgOYUZMiAGEw8qyQNOG2eNZB7w83MLwav2UtP7r-FNGYTc_NoA/s1260/robot.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrL3LZqVRFIrZMRJhWqu1RWLVbBhSA_nEmctfaDkQbd2O0nkQB0YRt1hQSnl0iPbYbBH1k8DbqrzcoHbAItWp_OP4jDhJr1ne8NaFGzksXPdrDiH-2M5Nu8y_lMJIL3FLkJG3WgOYUZMiAGEw8qyQNOG2eNZB7w83MLwav2UtP7r-FNGYTc_NoA/s320/robot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Yum: </b>The sushi restaurant scene sets the stage perfectly. It starts off so relaxed and natural in virtual silence. Mulder and Scully check out their phones while they await food, yep, us mere mortals do that too. They take a picture with Fox's seriously messed-up order. We do that -- and post on social media -- even when everything's copacetic. There's still no dialogue as Mulder seethes and Scully giggles, but the tension rachets up when Fox can't get his credit card and they get trapped in the building.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The restaurant's aggressiveness at looking for a follow, a tip and other feedback is something all of us recognize and are besieged by every day in the modern world. I find it particularly egregious when we haven't finished the conducted business. How do we know if we like it and/or will recommend it when the transaction hasn't been concluded yet? We keep hearing driverless cars are coming, and this ep isn't going to make anyone more inclined to use them. And those unhappy faces the phones/computers make when our heroes express their dissatisfaction are downright creepy.<br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyrWimb4-9sgotagoX8EBQDasPEAfnRZXMyy-jHgimY85sHuiu6Cx1gWAxw74UUur-zTDu-jf8p1gZBioTlExOkA3VBUNjaXLSLRTkdjaZ8g6pousmrrxVyaWTpLfL2UR8MshlSBp1BU5bOrhe5pjsP9qp26_9mMr25mpPa2CVa7rZjF_55EuyA/s1260/whipz.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyrWimb4-9sgotagoX8EBQDasPEAfnRZXMyy-jHgimY85sHuiu6Cx1gWAxw74UUur-zTDu-jf8p1gZBioTlExOkA3VBUNjaXLSLRTkdjaZ8g6pousmrrxVyaWTpLfL2UR8MshlSBp1BU5bOrhe5pjsP9qp26_9mMr25mpPa2CVa7rZjF_55EuyA/s320/whipz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>You suck, Mr. Phone: </b>As Fox and Dana's respective situations deteriorate, we invariably continue taking stock of our own struggles with automation. How many times have your entry codes/passwords not worked? When you try to use the hint questions, that mechanism fails too. Trying to get assistance via the phone always seems to come with additional strife. Even attempting to reach the right department by clearly stating what you want often results in an "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that." Hopefully the false alarm fee is more of a rarity. But the egregiousness of waiting on the other end of an automated call certainly sounds familiar ... and annoying.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ah, the dreaded take on the Roomba. Such a nice idea, a little power vac tidying up after you. Let me tell you, that thing can run for 90 minutes and still not produce a clean floor. Oh well, at least it never starts itself or jumps out of the box at my abode. Nor have I experienced drones clustering around me like the insects from "Darkness Falls" (S1E20).<br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Why is your house so much nicer than mine? </b>The constant playing of "Teach Your Children" is a passive aggressive way for the automated world to provide a dig at the fact that all of the troubles Sculder have been encountering are human-related. Mulder doesn't have to have real estate envy for long, because not only is Scully's fridge/thermostat/fireplace going overboard at every junction, it also provides an extra entrance that wasn't in the original architectural rendering. </span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNaFszLyckrRUZGMR7Ve9JgW6HnyIPORHkfLwJzZKWyHr_ir9OlQjdQKZDPpwaCZlcFAZI08Q7fGJ1C72jsUIpk0nvHisBxqWhws_K2pc9Pp_kC9NfWZhJ5p5f_2dZcE4E2OespRRKS7o5Klx8LzcQ061ADevb0WzliF_dlVkuUFIZ1IBOIgqXA/s1260/tip.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNaFszLyckrRUZGMR7Ve9JgW6HnyIPORHkfLwJzZKWyHr_ir9OlQjdQKZDPpwaCZlcFAZI08Q7fGJ1C72jsUIpk0nvHisBxqWhws_K2pc9Pp_kC9NfWZhJ5p5f_2dZcE4E2OespRRKS7o5Klx8LzcQ061ADevb0WzliF_dlVkuUFIZ1IBOIgqXA/s320/tip.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson do a nifty job of navigating us through an ep with sparse dialogue. And while "Rm9sbG93ZYJz" is t</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">otally
exhausting, it's somewhat reassuring to have our intrepid heroes struggling in the modern world. Maybe it's because they have it worse than us, or maybe it's because at the end of the day, they've reminded people to be better teachers who always 1. have cash on hand and 2. remember to tip.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest stars of the week:</b> In the almost complete absence of other animate objects, I'm bestowing the honors upon Kristen Cloke Morgan and Shannon Hamblin for their one (and unfortunately only) script for the show. Morgan voices one of the computers here as well as appearing in "The Field Where I Died" (S4E5) and as ill-fated Lara Means on sister show <i>Millennium</i>. Kristen's married to one of our show's bedrocks, Glen Morgan, who directed their offering, while Hamblin served as a writer's assistant on <i>The X-Files</i> and Glen's executive assistant on </span></span></span><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lore.</span></span></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Together they picked one we'll know Season 11 by.<br /></span></span></span></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-76820989768049450092023-01-14T12:26:00.000-08:002023-01-14T12:26:21.140-08:00X-Files S11E6: The Eagle has landed<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s a Skinner ep. Have you noticed his are never the funny ones? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in 1969, Walter Skinner and two other young Marines were on a mission in Vietnam: Deliver a crate and don’t leave it for any reason. Well, Walter leaves it with one terrified jarhead in an occupied hut while he goes to help the other injured one. Enemy fire hits the crate and it starts emitting a yellow cloud that works like Dr. Crane’s fear gas in <i>Batman</i>. The scared Marine, played by <i>The Sixth Sense</i>’s Haley Joel Osment, sees monsters -- I’m not doing the quote; it’s way too much of a softball -- instead of civilians and stabs everyone in the hut. Even Skinner briefly sees a monster but he manages not to let the vision get the better of him. (This is reminiscent of last week’s "Ghouli" ep but I never get to write about <i>Batman </i>here. Managed to throw in some <i>Star Wars </i>references over the years though…) <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuuA0Dp4vLrs6LWRldB2eXAsFAv8XSljFnPiEZsMoTrc2F1Ygg1azysKCDMf4rqLnFq_yi2_qy9lqQ5iRSIoNIpb2HwK4tqStYEIB5SrWjVAhEVoyzzY5bG_1kjCskwaT4nZZ4w-hlVNYmRRrQSU5WGdZ9Ifb9EzK-zElAMjT6snBxFSEjWl9FA/s1260/gas.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuuA0Dp4vLrs6LWRldB2eXAsFAv8XSljFnPiEZsMoTrc2F1Ygg1azysKCDMf4rqLnFq_yi2_qy9lqQ5iRSIoNIpb2HwK4tqStYEIB5SrWjVAhEVoyzzY5bG_1kjCskwaT4nZZ4w-hlVNYmRRrQSU5WGdZ9Ifb9EzK-zElAMjT6snBxFSEjWl9FA/s320/gas.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In the present, Deputy Director Alvin Kersh asks Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully about the location of Assistant Director Skinner, who’s gone AWOL. He blames Walter’s allegiance to Team Sculder as the reason Skinner’s career stalled as an AD. (Some people would be proud to reach that level in the FBI chain of command.) Kersh has a funny way of asking for their help, but that’s precisely what he’s doing. Sculder arrive at Walter’s apartment and find a human ear that was mailed to Lance Cpt. Walter Skinner. The message enclosed: The monsters are here! </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully attempts to obtain more information about Skinner’s time in Vietnam but it’s highly classified so that’s a no-go. (Where are the Lone Gunmen when you need them? Oh yeah…) Mulder learns about a dead guy missing an ear so off they go to Mud Lick, Kentucky. The ear belongs to Matthew Wegweiser, the town doctor. He’s also missing some teeth, but so are some residents who claim they’ve been seeing monsters. Sculder learn Wegweiser was killed with a punji stake. Local sheriff Mac Stenzler mentions a government-run mental hospital in nearby Glazebook. Some answers may be found there.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJjOHFJgCV52aYGPJUGiILeDwQZhKSVhQsjX5TwleulNnPD-CwfvBVyMisOEbup53D2G5yh78pzELzEY2cqeqcW0Zw1jTVEbqll_6dr2pFGBfNU5qL7XkRTwIkyit-12-WC5ATFhWTKeqGtDT9VQpJae5bs7ITnhyuOqubJm_ZvrfGQTygm7b-w/s1260/woods.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJjOHFJgCV52aYGPJUGiILeDwQZhKSVhQsjX5TwleulNnPD-CwfvBVyMisOEbup53D2G5yh78pzELzEY2cqeqcW0Zw1jTVEbqll_6dr2pFGBfNU5qL7XkRTwIkyit-12-WC5ATFhWTKeqGtDT9VQpJae5bs7ITnhyuOqubJm_ZvrfGQTygm7b-w/s320/woods.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Out in the woods, a man is hunting monsters. His dog, Pippet (nice subtle <i>Jaws </i>reference) alerts him to the presence of … something. The man falls into a trap and dies. Skinner later stands over his dead body. The next morning, Sculder meet with the sheriff at the crime scene. The dead man has been identified as Ozzy "Banjo" Krager, a Vietnam vet. Luckily, there’s a nearby deer cam; unluckily, it shows Skinner at the crime scene. The sheriff thinks Walter is his “monster” since the FBI guy didn’t follow proper protocol and report Banjo’s death. Fox continues watching the footage and sees the “monster.” Dana thinks receiving the ear in the mail may have set off a PTSD situation for Walter. Mulder talks to a homeless man outside the morgue who claims he told “Eagle” where to find “Kitten.” In this scenario, Eagle is Skinner and Kitten is the scared Marine, John James.<br /><br />
Walter finds a house in a wooded area and evidence that John James lives there. After flipping through a photo album filled with Vietnam pics, we flash back to Kitten telling a story to other jarheads. He’s much less scared now; in fact, it’s not an overstatement to say he – and his necklace of human ears – have become scary. Their platoon is about to be killed by a suicide bomber but Lance Cpl. Skinner saves them all. </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO_bVzMK1PFSDFjCm1Dfton7RIhhk9MUP_uFptUkhIpEp4-sprXZ4Wmgkra690H3yWehoxnoZ-QTzzSlwBc7RRssSnXywT33TP8mjaHlsko2e4J_RffOg7h2GJjP11_SG95zXAipl2GNI3YTvXFf0tuRQ1C0TRfgEoW8ZNc9Z3iijOqiQUHy1ag/s1260/cabin.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO_bVzMK1PFSDFjCm1Dfton7RIhhk9MUP_uFptUkhIpEp4-sprXZ4Wmgkra690H3yWehoxnoZ-QTzzSlwBc7RRssSnXywT33TP8mjaHlsko2e4J_RffOg7h2GJjP11_SG95zXAipl2GNI3YTvXFf0tuRQ1C0TRfgEoW8ZNc9Z3iijOqiQUHy1ag/s320/cabin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in the present, Skinner meets Kitten’s son, Davey. Turns out, Walter testified about the atrocities John James committed during the war. Kitten was court-martialed and institutionalized at Glazebook for 38 years. Skinner tries to explain to Davey about the gas Kitten was exposed to in Vietnam but Davey is livid because Walter never mentioned the gas during the trial. Unfortunately, that Skinner was following orders. Davey agrees to take Walter to see Kitten. Too bad it’s a trap; Skinner falls into a hole and ends up with a spear through his side and Kitten’s dead body beside him. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sculder arrive but Davey covers the makeshift grave to deal with them. He tells them about his father being forced to undergo exposure to the gas for experimentation purposes. (So much for non-disclosure agreements.) While Davey rattles off some of the more commonly known conspiracy theories, Fox sees Skinner’s pics in the photo album and he quickly leaves with Dana. He arranges for her to get to a location with cell phone service so she can call for help, then doubles back to find Skinner. Mulder finds Walter and is about to save him when the Davey -- as the monster -- shoves Fox into the hole. Davey prepares to burn them alive but Scully comes to the rescue. The agents chase Davey through the woods until he gets hoisted by his own petard. At least, that’s what I think happened; this episode is so dark during the “outdoor” scenes, I’m not really sure what I saw after Walter found Kitten’s body. But Skinner and Sculder are alive and Davey isn’t, so that works for me. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkUSqLglI5gk08SsHq1fCtn9fCm3JussNKfkiBHlJMJuvASjgCnzQ2LKpPLn1swGTM64J2dhpi3RstUc2ufNxMQzVA8eM8cUg7-t2nBFm13PJOBarR4w22Bc_di_eHURL7GtoxL9bz-rdFgMbdJl1GSMtSOI6ZqHcwrzoqAwN4fSENa6Id_g_-Q/s1260/skinnerdana.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkUSqLglI5gk08SsHq1fCtn9fCm3JussNKfkiBHlJMJuvASjgCnzQ2LKpPLn1swGTM64J2dhpi3RstUc2ufNxMQzVA8eM8cUg7-t2nBFm13PJOBarR4w22Bc_di_eHURL7GtoxL9bz-rdFgMbdJl1GSMtSOI6ZqHcwrzoqAwN4fSENa6Id_g_-Q/s320/skinnerdana.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Inside the Jones’ house, Dr. Scully treats Walter’s wounds. He credits them with keeping him alive all these years then tells the story of idealistic, 18-year-old Walter joining the Marines. Assistant Director Skinner has every intention of finding out what the government did to John “Kitten” James, who didn’t choose to go to Vietnam like Walter did. At least Skinner knows he still has Team Sculder on his side. Too bad Walter is also going to need a decent dentist. Even worse, Davey might have been right.
<br /><br />
<b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally some time and space for Skinner! Save his one line -- the funniest one in "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat" a couple of episodes ago -- the standout moment of the season for Mitch Pileggi to date had been his inclusion in the opening montage. Walter had been once relegated to early-series watch duty over his two charges, like he was Alvin Kersh or something. So if nothing else, "Kitten" provided a reminder of what an integral part of the fabric of <i>The X-Files</i> Skinner should be.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGWqu-2aMAXCOJXiOG1zqRUp23WnBAsXDgi2ns2sMmNNRc3yJnFWqXJqEXbk65ERNawk6fUANvfxVrrE8SwuPY1KdiU1Ck04Bwy4bUmBChDIec8LqU3iRo1ilod0Ii5Rvwv2P-yR9Ewn32yVKq954-rHkgDzYQayG3ciaqmQ1BQ9Wgm8ccRZAAQ/s1260/youngskin.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGWqu-2aMAXCOJXiOG1zqRUp23WnBAsXDgi2ns2sMmNNRc3yJnFWqXJqEXbk65ERNawk6fUANvfxVrrE8SwuPY1KdiU1Ck04Bwy4bUmBChDIec8LqU3iRo1ilod0Ii5Rvwv2P-yR9Ewn32yVKq954-rHkgDzYQayG3ciaqmQ1BQ9Wgm8ccRZAAQ/s320/youngskin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We already knew a little about Walter's background with the Marines. The teaser provided our first reminder that service doesn't end when military people are no longer in hostile territory. And for our purposes, evil is not as black and white as man vs. man. <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It's safe to say the old Skinner has left the building: </b>Speaking of Kersh, he's come out of moth balls for the first time since the regular series ended to berate Sculder for Walter's lack of advancement in 35 years with the bureau because of his blind loyalty to the "misguided search for some imaginary truth." For that reason above all, it's a little dubious that Mulder and Scully once again doubt whether they can trust Skinner. As Dana notes there aren't any personal items in Walter's abode, Fox cracks wise by saying he will keep his eyes peeled for CSM's cigarette butts. It only takes the severed ear for them to change their minds for the umpteenth time.<br /></span></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2302apgnsjHN6mzvSES_cAnItvX_IRjX6pu-lQMWiIoYwFq_x5kEo9ffOs0CLZQUfdhP65Uk85Fpei-BnIgIaoF852m4LsIyzOUh0h43Q3wvfjXV_tVj3X1iLq5UXzbLkKyDF-5eBvp7lkhPi0D3-uEE0rYMnO948V7rkbbsmyoOihNbnCrbSHw/s1260/mitch.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2302apgnsjHN6mzvSES_cAnItvX_IRjX6pu-lQMWiIoYwFq_x5kEo9ffOs0CLZQUfdhP65Uk85Fpei-BnIgIaoF852m4LsIyzOUh0h43Q3wvfjXV_tVj3X1iLq5UXzbLkKyDF-5eBvp7lkhPi0D3-uEE0rYMnO948V7rkbbsmyoOihNbnCrbSHw/s320/mitch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Our emotional investment in Skinner really heightens the intensity of this episode. If this had just been a story about a town losing its teeth with a monster in the woods, it might have been an interesting, albeit pretty boilerplate X-file. With Walter in the mix, it's truly creepy ... and thought-provoking. Scully's hypothesis that finding an ear in the mail may have set off PTSD doesn't seem implausible. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I only want to make things right: </b>Pileggi does an incredible job in this episode, particularly when Skinner meets John's son. We're feeling Walter's burden, and it fills in his back story nicely across the decades. The guilt Skinner feels over not revealing what he knew about the gas that caused John James to hallucinate into seeing a monster that led to him killing was the precursor to his willingness to go out on a limb for Mulder and Scully. It all fits, and fits nicely.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What doesn't work as well is Fox zigging when he should zag, with rationale more dizzying than usual. Dana picked up on Skinner's moral compass sooner than Mulder did, that's for sure. Then again, she was around a couple of years Fox wasn't and went through more with Walter. At least, Mulder flipflopped one final time to realize that Baby Face James didn't drive a shiny new SUV. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz93wQ3xa-9yVkn7Qha74GRYmoF7eFIROnpC223NAbNa9GpCnCR8jR-ZgMlW7SQthFg-4WEVbUU9fktu2oW5Rl5oXVGXHWeR2aalpqiq5Gq_QyQuJQewPMSZo2HEz_HdU7SnkMLxKindPefjsfkumnZf6SK7rskNDn77CAMY6cC1hRa_mULFum4A/s1260/monster.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz93wQ3xa-9yVkn7Qha74GRYmoF7eFIROnpC223NAbNa9GpCnCR8jR-ZgMlW7SQthFg-4WEVbUU9fktu2oW5Rl5oXVGXHWeR2aalpqiq5Gq_QyQuJQewPMSZo2HEz_HdU7SnkMLxKindPefjsfkumnZf6SK7rskNDn77CAMY6cC1hRa_mULFum4A/s320/monster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>This sounds like a dystopian novel: </b>Gabe Rotter and Brad Follmer really make us think about the ramifications of biological weapons in this episode, just by tugging on loose threads and questions seemingly lost to time in the public consciousness. How long do the effects of weaponized gas last? What are the longer-term effects and can those be passed on in some way to others who come into contact with people who were infected? Some of this is starting to sound very similar to what we went through with the pandemic, by the way. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Ultimately, in another fine Pileggi scene, we learn Skinner has a quest much like Mulder's original one. Where Walter once had blind faith in the government and the sense that he was doing the right thing whenever carrying out orders, he's taken to heart Fox and Dana's mission of "shining a light in the darkest corners." The truth that is out there, the one he will be looking for, is about John James and what the military used him and others like him for.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhuBjqfEIORW-RGGFp1Do7mQPJ4xNhFqJNzlJFIJe3sF-v6ybciQy52no8x6c92TSc_sGx56--sQWoxT7zbahumO01JQjjgR4q_Sa-ZOuuXWDEANn01LmqijI5Ti87deAfiyf9Zfhil-kLfE7aciLGVOucyp6Olh5CKd12422f3FUP0FdZxBQPg/s1260/haley.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhuBjqfEIORW-RGGFp1Do7mQPJ4xNhFqJNzlJFIJe3sF-v6ybciQy52no8x6c92TSc_sGx56--sQWoxT7zbahumO01JQjjgR4q_Sa-ZOuuXWDEANn01LmqijI5Ti87deAfiyf9Zfhil-kLfE7aciLGVOucyp6Olh5CKd12422f3FUP0FdZxBQPg/s320/haley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>Haley Joel Osment was nominated for an Oscar for his breakthrough role in <i>The Sixth Sense </i>when he was wise beyond his 11 tender years. It's generally tough for a child actor to shake that stigma, but Osment shows here with two completely distinctive roles as father and son that he had the talent to do just that.<br /></span></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-89722318912782458182023-01-07T11:23:00.003-08:002023-01-07T11:38:26.416-08:00X-Files S11E5: Coming to the Crossroads<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m sure you’ll be very disappointed to learn this episode is not a prequel to the mid-80s horror movie <i>Ghoulies.</i> Considering that cult flick made seven times its budget, shouldn’t there have been a sequel or two?<br /><br />
A teenage girl wanders around an abandoned ship filled with jump scares. She finds another teen but thinks the girl is a monster known as a Ghouli. The other girl thinks the same thing and they end up stabbing each other nearly to death. Do you know why? Because writer/ director James Wong makes you see what he wants you to see. (Hey, it’s in the teaser, so it must be true, right?) I’m more concerned because Wong is making me hear what I don’t want to hear: a voiceover. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEih0e-HsUFxDI5EoQBR1LGQcZpgoKhtSIv-Laus5_7vsSYJ1aPWDnCtlvudhG23hZ6Z5mUERuVNXr585yIki5zTHxRI5Wx9xnJNxME9g6lyuRc--RqDix0HauxtVG9hWLMCRAr4hvSigkHb4-uuy3rmYR00-6uTFzxv48z4DyWNaF9QSgm5TcA/s1260/scullybed.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEih0e-HsUFxDI5EoQBR1LGQcZpgoKhtSIv-Laus5_7vsSYJ1aPWDnCtlvudhG23hZ6Z5mUERuVNXr585yIki5zTHxRI5Wx9xnJNxME9g6lyuRc--RqDix0HauxtVG9hWLMCRAr4hvSigkHb4-uuy3rmYR00-6uTFzxv48z4DyWNaF9QSgm5TcA/s320/scullybed.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
Special Agent Dana Scully is asleep in her bed. She thinks she can’t move but manages to grab her gun and then get up and chase whatever she thinks was in bed with her. The next morning, she tells Special Agent Fox Mulder about her dream. Apparently Scully's getting visions related to an X-file about the abandoned ship Chimera. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Team Sculder drives to Norfolk, Virginia, where Detective Costa tells our intrepid heroes about the teen girls, Brianna Stapleton and Sarah Turner. Both have been hospitalized and are asking about Ghouli. The agents interview the girls separately and learn they’re dating the same boy, Jackson Van De Kamp. Dana and Fox go to Jackson’s house and hear shots fired. They enter and Scully recognizes the interior of the house from her visions. Sculder find Jackson and his parents dead from gunshot wounds. Dana is tormented by her inexplicable connection to the apparent killer. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ03o8y2dXFxT8TelnfE3b0eKhGPwNiCScfC2JXM11Se_ACDajDqu7tfkHExXliYCPg3fEct1PaugZ8LY-GIV_2iElt9xdgtOve2Mo4_HF_fwzYZ3XTZhk3rm2LlepKsZBLow1Q1AF0LxXNahsgdkVTwo2_KbPa9SjfmTU1mNWPXHbnYqUWdW0iQ/s1260/jackson.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ03o8y2dXFxT8TelnfE3b0eKhGPwNiCScfC2JXM11Se_ACDajDqu7tfkHExXliYCPg3fEct1PaugZ8LY-GIV_2iElt9xdgtOve2Mo4_HF_fwzYZ3XTZhk3rm2LlepKsZBLow1Q1AF0LxXNahsgdkVTwo2_KbPa9SjfmTU1mNWPXHbnYqUWdW0iQ/s320/jackson.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Mulder confronts two unidentified government agents outside the crime scene. He doesn’t seem amused by their presence. In the hospital morgue, Scully thinks she’s related to Jackson Van De Kamp and arranges for a DNA test. Then she apologizes for failing William and giving him up for adoption. (We know Gillian Anderson has the acting chops for this kind of scene, but it still felt like the writers were trying too hard to get her an Emmy nom.) Fox arrives and comforts Dana. After they leave, Jackson unzips his body bag and sits up. I guess he heard Scully too. Dana falls asleep on a hospital couch but experiences sleep paralysis again. The doctor wakes Scully to ask where she put Jackson’s body since it's missing. Dana is now convinced Jackson was – is – William. <br /><br />
Scully leaves the hospital and runs into author Peter Wong, who advises her to not give up on the bigger picture. Back in Jackson’s bedroom, Dana reads his journals while Fox searches the kid’s computer and comes up empty-handed. Luckily, Scully finds the real laptop with hundreds of posts to Ghouli.net and some minor activity involving the Department of Defense. (That explains the unidentified government agent involvement.) The DOD arrives to hijack Sculder’s investigation so Fox sabotages the incriminating laptop. They complain to Assistant Director Walter Skinner, which gets us some Mitch Pileggi screen time. Unfortunately, that also means we have to endure the return of Cigarette Smoking Man and his cryptic chatter about “Project Crossroads.” <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9m38VxWjk-3VqTAPAfpSXPAEjXqamTeq75cWYPyCw6s5At-Hy5YvBHDFK69vN4K2DpZlTGwFnHWlH2ZizVmdM18xB-7YI0c1vU8sfBr0FEyWOTDAgk7_gFvY96oOzehZo6_AXQMudPIMMYanZx0C_ub2bHJdV64I8OU63NSi2mHIzDqCwqLEqZw/s1260/ship.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9m38VxWjk-3VqTAPAfpSXPAEjXqamTeq75cWYPyCw6s5At-Hy5YvBHDFK69vN4K2DpZlTGwFnHWlH2ZizVmdM18xB-7YI0c1vU8sfBr0FEyWOTDAgk7_gFvY96oOzehZo6_AXQMudPIMMYanZx0C_ub2bHJdV64I8OU63NSi2mHIzDqCwqLEqZw/s320/ship.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Mulder and Skinner meet to discuss the case. Walter wants Fox and Dana to drop the investigation and ties it back to Project Crossroads, which involved alien technology and hybrid DNA back in the 1970s. The lead scientist, Dr. Masao Matsumoto, disappeared 15 years earlier after his project was defunded. Mulder says he tested Jackson’s DNA against Dana’s to confirm Jackson was – is – William. Meanwhile, Scully interviews Jackson’s psychiatrist. She isn’t forthcoming herself until she brings up the kid’s vision of the Season 10 finale ("My Struggle II") in which the UFO hovers over Sculder in a pandemic-riddled future. <br /><br />
Mulder catches up with Scully in a coffee shop. He thinks the DOD agents murdered Jackson’s parents and framed the kid, who created an alternate reality to escape from the DOD agents. Meanwhile, Jackson goes to the hospital to make up with Brianna and admits he projected Ghouli into her and Sarah’s heads because he thought it would be a funny prank. He talks about his seizures and sharing visions with his birth mother (Scully) but the cops arrive before he can leave. Turns out, Sarah called them because she caught him kissing Brianna. (I guess he’s truly not Mulder’s son because Fox never had two women interested in him at the same time. But neither did Cancer Man so … disregard.) </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6aSPYtzSEKbu-lfqVKRFnDaIk3UdPjJoUJcvrd_iQDdO5_OEEkxc_-YsbxgE8rZmV7z8zdtXjOXsAwMpHiiFi57Kw0KgGvSNyGZN9wOxj6zpbE2XFy2dH_-d8RvifhOcsASam4wIosFMviVANvFQOvEXbOnpXzybFGsyfANGDAa8QUyWej83Sg/s1260/scullydown.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6aSPYtzSEKbu-lfqVKRFnDaIk3UdPjJoUJcvrd_iQDdO5_OEEkxc_-YsbxgE8rZmV7z8zdtXjOXsAwMpHiiFi57Kw0KgGvSNyGZN9wOxj6zpbE2XFy2dH_-d8RvifhOcsASam4wIosFMviVANvFQOvEXbOnpXzybFGsyfANGDAa8QUyWej83Sg/s320/scullydown.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sculder arrives at the hospital to try save Jackson/William from the DOD agents, but Dana gets into a shootout with one of them and they both go down. Or do they? Jackson used his power of projection and made the DOD agent think he shot Scully, but he really shot his own partner so they killed each other. Cool, huh? Jackson uses the resulting confusion to escape.<br /><br />
The next day, Fox and Dana are driving home. They stop for gas at a station with a windmill similar to the one in a snow globe Scully has been clinging to during the entire episode. She again runs into Peter Wong, who leaves her with words of wisdom that link him to evidence Sculder found in Jackson’s bedroom. Dana tells Mulder and they review the surveillance footage -- finally getting to see “their” son talking to his mother. Apparently, that’s what he wanted her to see.
<br /><br />
<b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However it began and ended, there were promising signs in Season 11, signs the show's concept was not only still valid but could still be intriguing. <i>Black Mirror </i>was all the rage at the time, and <i>The X-Files</i> fit nicely into that paranoid supernatural milieu. And not only that, but it was able to advance the ongoing emotional story as well.</span></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT95jd6joG61sK8vFhifSRFR5tzYwA-A7mc5Lldwc3V0gejP-z-BaNwHsJMwgu5qTbbta34J0T_mSs2yk0j2hbzP_UR5hlIIXD-nUuomNjy2tgZxlfJRdTjWf97hhbLvU4BuDThCUvz2QiD8YXgOLre_Xx2UUEiXwaAHtRabaSgKSnjhf9Qdr9sg/s1260/globe.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT95jd6joG61sK8vFhifSRFR5tzYwA-A7mc5Lldwc3V0gejP-z-BaNwHsJMwgu5qTbbta34J0T_mSs2yk0j2hbzP_UR5hlIIXD-nUuomNjy2tgZxlfJRdTjWf97hhbLvU4BuDThCUvz2QiD8YXgOLre_Xx2UUEiXwaAHtRabaSgKSnjhf9Qdr9sg/s320/globe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So this one slots perfectly into the framework of the final season. To be sure "Ghouli" can be a little ghoul-ish, with the teaser teens cutting each other to ribbons. But there was a far greater emotional component at work, one that required some voiceover for explanatory purposes. I may not have been previously familiar with hynagogia, but I could understand Scully's paralysis upon thinking someone or something was in her bedroom. Maybe not so much the part in which she gets up and tries to chase the figure.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dark figures are usually meant to be avoided:</b> If dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions, my first question would be how did Mulder jump to a lizard brain thing? And what is a lizard brain thing? Oh, nevermind, I don't really want to know. I can, however, get behind his problem with modern-day monsters, there indeed is no opportunity for emotional involvement. </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXd1LctipRM3AJpqijyO1ZJOUZc6xX93kse5PBQjfZ5ku8Qjydt9x3UW40sOYh5U-JBUNdBWTaI_sGXvDIrad1Hqi50dEsNe-ufcqvBXKzFP2oNHMtpit_IRv8vlbJyGrDu35Ct-dUP2CqpXSevMfSA-c1xVR-Tm0pNhWidf3u_MUrwhAE8vzLw/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXd1LctipRM3AJpqijyO1ZJOUZc6xX93kse5PBQjfZ5ku8Qjydt9x3UW40sOYh5U-JBUNdBWTaI_sGXvDIrad1Hqi50dEsNe-ufcqvBXKzFP2oNHMtpit_IRv8vlbJyGrDu35Ct-dUP2CqpXSevMfSA-c1xVR-Tm0pNhWidf3u_MUrwhAE8vzLw/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Throughout the series, we've had evidence of Scully actually being the one not more open to the paranormal, but who the paranormal is more open to. She doesn't particularly want or strive for that, but James Wong's vision shows she has more of a proclivity for it. And that really works for our continuing story. Fox may be more analytically intuitive about the who, what, when, where, why and how, but Dana's the one showing signs of metaphysical insight.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I wish I could have been there to ease your pain:</b> Gillian Anderson just rocks this episode, from Scully's immobilized start to the far more debilitating personal realizations. I didn't realize this was what I was waiting for out of the William story, but it was. The autopsy confession voiced the sentiments we all knew already but wanted to hear from her, even if it did seem contrived for academic recognition.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After that emotionally draining monologue came the rising of Jackson's supposedly lifeless body. Yeah, nothing fishy about Van De Kamp, except that fact he's able to get up and around a lot easier than Dana in hypnagogic states. Hope doesn't need a fact, Mulder, when it comes to Scully's connection to her young 'un.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ47X3DXXIJtLDmqVqo207Begi5dQ6W5C5WjDoA-6vH4I3Xh9y0AKA62j8pxKkmp_NnU2566UiR8XWy9BR7mtpaM135p6RuLZyDy9tDAM4O5rV8F5evS_ffc8Z4iW6QmgNVhIEDL_LoJuHTQ5h0kcQp1O4cPTPi-orKBASYatzKSO7Ru-4FJXCHg/s1260/csm.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ47X3DXXIJtLDmqVqo207Begi5dQ6W5C5WjDoA-6vH4I3Xh9y0AKA62j8pxKkmp_NnU2566UiR8XWy9BR7mtpaM135p6RuLZyDy9tDAM4O5rV8F5evS_ffc8Z4iW6QmgNVhIEDL_LoJuHTQ5h0kcQp1O4cPTPi-orKBASYatzKSO7Ru-4FJXCHg/s320/csm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Fox has come to the crossroads. Project Crossroads, that is. That means deep-fried CSM re-enters the mix, and he's talking to Skinner about Mulder's activities, not realizing that Scully is the actual key. That leads to Walter popping up in the scenic ship environs to tell Fox to back off while recapping scientific activity. Mulder's got the corker, though, with the info that Jackson is long-lost William.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>: </b>In my opinion, Wong does the best mythology writing we've seen in some time in "Ghouli" -- commandeering of Malcolm X/John Cougar Mellencamp's quote aside. Fox gets to put things together in an order that makes sense, even though we haven't previously ventured into Project Crossroads terrain. And William/Jackson starts to be fleshed out in a most interesting manner. The dude's clearly messed up and not just because he was adopted. He's toting some serious supernatural ability that helps him stay out of the wrong hands. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDPpY5aw8g7w7c0S0BZWpjkNckfWAxNEkAv2KJyafKY9ANfbJigKTkYu4NCASbFzkP_3o9cDIdjlScgiBIDeybeKg4yTSvH5obhMjfLNS5ltGb2vwBdD3X0GuL3Ej3tLCD12aRPTzjvy2fgEwYktI2PM8ZkhkWhf8BRLmc_KeqhJ2MF8BQvZHpA/s1260/camera.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDPpY5aw8g7w7c0S0BZWpjkNckfWAxNEkAv2KJyafKY9ANfbJigKTkYu4NCASbFzkP_3o9cDIdjlScgiBIDeybeKg4yTSvH5obhMjfLNS5ltGb2vwBdD3X0GuL3Ej3tLCD12aRPTzjvy2fgEwYktI2PM8ZkhkWhf8BRLmc_KeqhJ2MF8BQvZHpA/s320/camera.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">All this leads to a really fine final moment in which Dana gets to see that she was, in fact, talking to her son when she thought she was just conversing with a familiar stranger. The open-ended story really could have gotten even better from here. If only we had a snow globe to tell us that was not in the cards.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8i96Iy3XHYjGdYsMn0ICqiuwxAGp872NSohHyylSS1JoKmnvPt-du-7AmqHHSZFr0zUKF0w6gALnIPxwjG_cx1lzIeIFrS9pLTKUsn5g_O3KdV43BFU1xZrhoqJEOP_f7bsNgfqdrLXSKIj4h8Q2zrLtOcdDK-UbriAX0V8c9kTDGm6VuV8gRw/s100/miles100.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8i96Iy3XHYjGdYsMn0ICqiuwxAGp872NSohHyylSS1JoKmnvPt-du-7AmqHHSZFr0zUKF0w6gALnIPxwjG_cx1lzIeIFrS9pLTKUsn5g_O3KdV43BFU1xZrhoqJEOP_f7bsNgfqdrLXSKIj4h8Q2zrLtOcdDK-UbriAX0V8c9kTDGm6VuV8gRw/w130-h130/miles100.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>This must have posed quite the challenge for casting, but they happened upon an excellent option. Miles Robbins deftly handles the clutch role as long-lost William/Jackson, giving us empathy for a character who has been through so much off-camera and whose on-camera activities haven't been above board.<br /></span></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-41287159081635235962022-12-03T12:37:00.007-08:002022-12-03T13:01:25.174-08:00X-Files S11E4: It's always Something<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Good news: We’re spared more "My Struggle" nonsense and get to experience another comedic episode. Added bonus: it’s not only written by Darin Morgan but he’s also the director! In a <i>Twilight Zone</i>-y time and place, a very sweaty man is freaking out over the existence of Martians. He’s trying to tell a diner cook what he saw but it turns out, HE’S the alien! And the cook is an alien too!<br /><br />
Special Agent Dana Scully phones Special Agent Fox Mulder, who has been Sasquatching out in the woods. She confirms their dinner plans then wisely hangs up when he starts babbling like …well, Mulder. After the call, Fox realizes someone is trying to meet with him using the ol’ X-marks-the-spot trick on his window. Mulder meets with a sweaty stranger in a parking garage. The man, played by a very entertaining Brian Huskey, thinks Fox should know who he is but “they” got to Mulder and now he -- Fox -- doesn’t remember. They talk about the first <i>Twilight Zone</i> episode Mulder ever saw, "The Lost Martian," but the man claims that episode doesn’t exist.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5j4EoZY_0ffkMdSdLkiDFphyAhnDBseHVKLzY8ZWK69U2_Z3AmdfHD57mao-QPRxcKhv3H7HdMCBlXwuu9fZ3mIO7L_FPDzF0YdIVOOzlobVUcJJCaikbrbMv9Ld_jD0rD-3Mhwd-U2v2EP8EA8-HvnF6oTpm_env7seMZFL_5MJ-Tu-y3484bg/s1260/mulder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5j4EoZY_0ffkMdSdLkiDFphyAhnDBseHVKLzY8ZWK69U2_Z3AmdfHD57mao-QPRxcKhv3H7HdMCBlXwuu9fZ3mIO7L_FPDzF0YdIVOOzlobVUcJJCaikbrbMv9Ld_jD0rD-3Mhwd-U2v2EP8EA8-HvnF6oTpm_env7seMZFL_5MJ-Tu-y3484bg/s320/mulder.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Fox returns home to prove the man wrong, but it’s true: "The Lost Martian" doesn’t exist but Mulder still remembers it. Scully shows up while Fox is going through EVERY videotape in his house. While he babbles on about the first time he saw the episode -- complete with creepy CGI flashbacks -- Dana again chooses not to listen. She also finds the sweaty man in the parking garage and he affectionately calls her “Sculls.” Too bad Dana doesn’t recognize him either. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The man tries to get her to prove he is real and he gives her a box of gelatin with his fingerprints on it. Of course, with the way Scully's holding the “evidence,” the box should have her prints probably overlapping his. She tells Mulder about this particular gelatin dessert which she thought she enjoyed during her childhood but was later told didn’t exist the way she remembered it. Fox starts babbling about the Mandela Effect, and for the first time in this episode, she’s actually listening to him. Scully also learns the sweaty man’s fingerprints were not in the system. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoILHb0FA8Oav2zR1n6TT_gAPO9zF-OyyQRXApombmidLFtLg_N_pjDmneoteHYDyFMc-e9xdCGc3UVEAXQoKvGyA3OTuMmeX4kB9fzQKHOEVlAgTPyhcs5sKCuoxw97ahazC2NgWNkZAxRLPCcjvfjUxhNlETdguQ0sr6NynnJzdxvviLeRlGoA/s1260/garage.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoILHb0FA8Oav2zR1n6TT_gAPO9zF-OyyQRXApombmidLFtLg_N_pjDmneoteHYDyFMc-e9xdCGc3UVEAXQoKvGyA3OTuMmeX4kB9fzQKHOEVlAgTPyhcs5sKCuoxw97ahazC2NgWNkZAxRLPCcjvfjUxhNlETdguQ0sr6NynnJzdxvviLeRlGoA/s320/garage.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Sculder go on stakeout in the parking garage, waiting for the sweaty man to return. He arrives, calls himself “Reggie Something” and tells a tale of false memories which began while he was caring for his ailing mother. Reggie claims the Mandela Effect is actually known as the Mengele Effect. He learned from a vintage resale store owner about the intentional creation of the Mengele Effect to manipulate people’s memories. Mulder thinks it’s a parallel universe situation, but Scully quickly poo-poos it in favor of Occam’s razor (aka Ozzie’s razor). Reggie presents his high school yearbook which doesn’t contain any evidence he attended the school. He also reveals the store owner died by lawn dart. Too bad Dana doesn’t know what a lawn dart is. Then it gets weird.<br /><br />
Do you want to know who “they” are when it comes to conspiracy theories? Introducing Dr. Thaddeus Q. They, the man who knows how to manipulate collective memory. Dr. They, played by character actor Stuart Margolin, has had his finger in every known mental manipulation pie over the past several decades. Scully isn’t impressed with the Darknet video of Dr. They’s exploits so Reggie mentions Grenada. He was there as a med student when Dr. They tried to save an alien who crash-landed nearby. Unfortunately, the soldiers arrived and took the telepathic alien away. Good thing he spoke and thought English, huh? Reggie claims this was why HE started the X-files! (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zrMykBnidM" target="_blank">Dun dun dunn</a>!!!!) </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKBBmTtJG8L4-vrDVXGyOd35oTJ340yALZC_1EfhOPH3UHAqnFQzL0Hcs_KHavDPFbcOjNZ2PyTOQ2dQx-wFDGilVmqxDMMhyK5K7zM1-lAX0XLQ40--Vo8OlnOcQ8Pu_YSaOAB7vafhLIAzQQFK_M8yNycIFAN_S8w8Pc1RCInVrNyy7df0N9g/s1260/opening.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKBBmTtJG8L4-vrDVXGyOd35oTJ340yALZC_1EfhOPH3UHAqnFQzL0Hcs_KHavDPFbcOjNZ2PyTOQ2dQx-wFDGilVmqxDMMhyK5K7zM1-lAX0XLQ40--Vo8OlnOcQ8Pu_YSaOAB7vafhLIAzQQFK_M8yNycIFAN_S8w8Pc1RCInVrNyy7df0N9g/s320/opening.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now we get to see the “original” series intro featuring Fox, Dana and Reggie Something. I’ll let Sestra Pro have fun with all of the early episodes that have Reggie scenes inserted in them. But the fun has to end somewhere. When Reggie starts talking about Sculder-Something’s last case together, other FBI agents chase him away. Younger agents insult the aging Mulder and he doesn’t take it well.<br /><br /> Back in their office, you-know-who goes old school with his conspiracy theory analysis while Scully sits there quietly. Luckily for a flailing Fox, Dr. They calls him to arrange a meeting in a park with some of the strangest metallic sculptures you’ve ever seen. Doc claims it shouldn’t have been so hard for Mulder to learn of his existence; after all, the good doc is listed in the phone book. But people today cannot tell the differences between the truth or lies, and they choose to believe only what they want to believe. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk7Xo2VmQyFfXJQy0OK5wv5LLYctPRIpQ5qoJQh20J_llboXlx84WE5tSb84dhpCG7j-CDZS3kjokGHTUIiGGtIc2VJfQzoUmGs9yyfnlpN4Ciq4vTVmD109cwy5FAAZPZ3zHnk1Vl3gpVx0e4pYASb_vsBn4qYIiJXXox1jZ-NGiQT6EmVYUmg/s1260/skinner.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnk7Xo2VmQyFfXJQy0OK5wv5LLYctPRIpQ5qoJQh20J_llboXlx84WE5tSb84dhpCG7j-CDZS3kjokGHTUIiGGtIc2VJfQzoUmGs9yyfnlpN4Ciq4vTVmD109cwy5FAAZPZ3zHnk1Vl3gpVx0e4pYASb_vsBn4qYIiJXXox1jZ-NGiQT6EmVYUmg/s320/skinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Afterward, Reggie waits for “Foxy” in the FBI parking garage. “Sculls” surprises them both by revealing the sweaty man’s identity as Reggie Murgatroid, a U.S. government employee. From which branch, you ask? Well, pretty much all of them. That’s how he ended up bugging Mulder’s home, listening to his babbling conversations with Scully (see paragraph 2) until being recently committed to a mental institution. (If Murgatroid really worked for all of those agencies, then his fingerprints should have been on file several times over.) Reggie admits defeat and stops running. He regales Sculder with the tale of their last case together – aliens really don’t like earthlings and they have good reason – before being carted away to the Spotnitz Sanitarium (yes, really). That’s when Assistant Director Walter Skinner enters with the episode’s best line.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span>
<b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When Darin Morgan came aboard <i>The X-Files,</i> he became part of its very fabric. It started with his casting as one of the most memorable "Monsters of the Week" -- the title character in "The Host" (Season 2, Episode 2). He was buried in latex as Flukeman, but then helped brother Glen craft the next episode, "Blood." That led him to a staff writing position, and "Humbug" (S2E20) expanded the boundaries of what could be done with a script for the show.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOl8tCYanxBMb_FvxrmUNOwKQpx5CLD_9GnVJlhY4NgiVPPuHMgbXmREzBXHarm_nUI5t4tKDgBeUhH8gsWz_Ev2yWxTVUXNzSU3z2HkeEEDRr7fdtrN5LiDtXvt0O5BbIKR5oFvA2eBv1xrJNIrI44AKGx8nSWUIKBEzuttPzPqX6w4-UoFPtbg/s1260/clyde.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOl8tCYanxBMb_FvxrmUNOwKQpx5CLD_9GnVJlhY4NgiVPPuHMgbXmREzBXHarm_nUI5t4tKDgBeUhH8gsWz_Ev2yWxTVUXNzSU3z2HkeEEDRr7fdtrN5LiDtXvt0O5BbIKR5oFvA2eBv1xrJNIrI44AKGx8nSWUIKBEzuttPzPqX6w4-UoFPtbg/s320/clyde.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the third season, he and <i>The X-Files</i> took huge leaps forward -- "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (E4), "War of the Coprophages" (E12) and "Jose Chung's From Outer Space (E20) were fan and critical darlings alike. And I'm guessing a fair amount of the best lines in "Quagmire" (E22) came from his uncredited assistance on that episode. Even though those were his last contributions during the regular run, they opened up the canvas for everyone from Vince Gilligan to show creator Chris Carter to expand upon.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Morgan returned in front of the camera for another memorable character, Eddie Van Blundht, in "Small Potatoes" (S4E20). As a shapeshifter who impregnated unknowing women by assuming the form of someone they would want to sleep with, he deserved nothing but enmity, yet somehow inspired a measure of pathos. Morgan then delivered two thoughtful-yet-fun episodes for sister show <i>Millennium</i>.<br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboenBe9fS9cUsTw9PmoKJhZbGf3WOALe8i5RVV4iHCuUoTqdxFRFFyh9VIO59cRFzvFRL2PCSbJ_8_tRpullgd-_jVYUvsC2runWi6eWddast1y529JiALDf2xZgbqE12CLkNEjfn_Okyr6MovF2VCTM346Nic7NHw5jC_y9YKV_b0O9QI6aXUQ/s1260/duskyrealm.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboenBe9fS9cUsTw9PmoKJhZbGf3WOALe8i5RVV4iHCuUoTqdxFRFFyh9VIO59cRFzvFRL2PCSbJ_8_tRpullgd-_jVYUvsC2runWi6eWddast1y529JiALDf2xZgbqE12CLkNEjfn_Okyr6MovF2VCTM346Nic7NHw5jC_y9YKV_b0O9QI6aXUQ/s320/duskyrealm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Submitted for your approval: </b>When it came time for the <i>X-Files</i> revival, he graced us with another pair of shows that he also directed. Morgan's trademark has always been well-developed ideas stemming from concepts that seem so obvious, but rarely get voiced in the field of entertainment. He has been a touchstone for the series, and his final effort wraps up his work in symmetrical style. We've come to expect nothing less from him.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat" starts with that <i>Twilight Zone/Outer Limits-</i>style show and leads Mulder down a rabbit hole that perhaps many of us will admit to being familiar with. I've done that with <i>X-Files </i>episodes alone! Trying to remember what episode Fox gave a particular saucy response in -- and I thought it was in a comedic bottle ep, but it turned out to be from a mythology two-parter. Or there's the other option of looking for something and finding it, but then realizing it's only tangentially like what you thought it was. Morgan reminds us that memory is such a tricky thing, subject to a myriad of influences that can alter it -- not just talking anal probes and memory wipes in a <i>Dusky Realm. </i><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpJw9_Fq6mkSI867g8EXP0tLhO2ZJH5rVyhrzN4KB-LEerx4ARbVFMmoauuhcmovmYqclclRoGNFy3ElfAJ4TryTXCIavE4TBWqiQSeJgfBhk2MZV1Re2kkz4DZlNFFLsQgaCdH-QCuzPr9chA6CuVNhNjP9Qopca2KzbxamapXsq_vGpulLDoQ/s520/sasquatch.webp" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpJw9_Fq6mkSI867g8EXP0tLhO2ZJH5rVyhrzN4KB-LEerx4ARbVFMmoauuhcmovmYqclclRoGNFy3ElfAJ4TryTXCIavE4TBWqiQSeJgfBhk2MZV1Re2kkz4DZlNFFLsQgaCdH-QCuzPr9chA6CuVNhNjP9Qopca2KzbxamapXsq_vGpulLDoQ/s320/sasquatch.webp" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the treats Morgan gave the show was the opportunity for its leads, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, to show different shadings as Mulder and Scully. In Morgan's hands, Fox is a little less strident and a lot more ridiculous. Duchovny has always feasted on those opportunities. ("Confuse <i>The Twilight Zone</i> with <i>The Outer Limits?</i> Do you even know me?") Here, he gets to bounce off Brian Huskey too, and that's a treat for them and for us. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Wait, what?</b> I kind of wish Reggie Something had been around the whole time, but maybe that's just my brain creating a false impression of what that would have been like and it's just perfect to have him merely encapsulated here. Eagle-eyed viewers like Sestra Am may have noticed <a href="https://andnowsiblingcinema.blogspot.com/2022/10/x-files-s11e2-this-is-what-weve-become.html" target="_blank">the reference to him</a> in "This" a couple episodes ago. Just an Easter egg courtesy of the Darin Morgan machine that can impact the show in ways great and small.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7z9j5dvIEVJ65gQEu3OOTP232dm9sChGdVxkhyCjJDGDxM4MTLTGOj1oIdNKXA0UH0AGd_GPAbK2iZ1ePtOn4K_SDRUuFSBvELz0eZiicTbP7zVaF9xHCD9eASBT5tiIIJNzXK8W6--D23vEwP5Nl1Tm30ABRSP3zTEJto5-YhmDte19sWCVEA/s1260/kidmulder.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7z9j5dvIEVJ65gQEu3OOTP232dm9sChGdVxkhyCjJDGDxM4MTLTGOj1oIdNKXA0UH0AGd_GPAbK2iZ1ePtOn4K_SDRUuFSBvELz0eZiicTbP7zVaF9xHCD9eASBT5tiIIJNzXK8W6--D23vEwP5Nl1Tm30ABRSP3zTEJto5-YhmDte19sWCVEA/s320/kidmulder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The machine gave us some truly wacky bits in "Lost Art," starting with that missing episode and continuing with Mulder recounting watching his first <i>Twilight Zone</i> at age 8. The oversized Foxy head on the kid's body makes you think something here isn't quite right -- and it's not supposed to be, Morgan is visually able to show us the awkwardness of trying to recall something from so many years ago.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>You're having a Mengele Effect about the Mandela Effect: </b>It makes sense that Sculls' memory quest doesn't focus on something of a cult nature like Mulder, she's just looking for alternative Jell-O that forms three different layers with three different textures when it cools because it brings up memories of family vacations, fireworks, America, God and love. Foxy is right, that's some Jell-O.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Reggie's memory crisis of faith about Dr. Wuzzle's books takes him to the coolest repository of vintage garbage that has ever been seen on television. How long had Morgan been trying to get that Nixon poster into an episode? Even Darin probably can't tell us because of Mengela Effect. (Yes, I gave it a smush name.)</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu25nROCPnsDjduvZ6sgO4jrVXqj0nnJChrnzF1heMhS0cZP3tOfagJUiwO4yvKkxfKK3V8w3JCF1MAwFIC-aUlqG0jV-jYlVcNmEFHtPcqM2_lzIHDq8-QBSN_Qg99IGvwj2D03ExlTgkuX1UZKlBGNtgvNdnyv1avwXQM71awHK81Z2D8u2Xsg/s1260/nixonposter.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu25nROCPnsDjduvZ6sgO4jrVXqj0nnJChrnzF1heMhS0cZP3tOfagJUiwO4yvKkxfKK3V8w3JCF1MAwFIC-aUlqG0jV-jYlVcNmEFHtPcqM2_lzIHDq8-QBSN_Qg99IGvwj2D03ExlTgkuX1UZKlBGNtgvNdnyv1avwXQM71awHK81Z2D8u2Xsg/s320/nixonposter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>We were made of sterner stuff back then: </b>Leave it to sci-fi gobbledygook nerd boy to hypothesize that the difference in collective memories should be attributed to parallel universes. Cue more random memories about watermelon slices that tasted like coconut, kids playing with the mini-javelin lawn darts and the invasion of Grenada. It had been a couple of decades, Morgan must had had a lot of random thoughts to tuck into one last <i>X-Files </i>episode -- like Reggie going through social feedback comments about the Dr. They video: "This jerk just says, 'Meh.'"</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The subsequent recasting of the show's history -- even Mark Snow's sacred theme! -- is priceless to me. The origins of Mulder's "I Want to Believe" poster, Season 1 repeat baddie Tooms, Clyde Bruckman's Grenada callback, the killer cats of much-reviled "Teso dos Bichos" (S3E18), the in-bred Peacock family of "Home" (S4E2) and even Eddie Van Blundht ... let's just say if the whole series never addressed what happened to Mulder's sister or the end of the Syndicate, I'd be fine with this Reggie reveal montage as end game.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDOCJFv96U1cBa76ow7g710dlRvO8Z9y21X64y0ze5ac7pM4oxh_wmeIpSgQkoSwcUnkr7rk5Hi_MCwYSuk0yYinjwCnrLVXBVE-7EmftL-2YY5N1NfihwVkpnAdCKbaTxtxUabx7P6EVxVYJb4LYbawk0GNcJdGcVrQA_JVLK9KDZV_v6T1hxg/s1260/park.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDOCJFv96U1cBa76ow7g710dlRvO8Z9y21X64y0ze5ac7pM4oxh_wmeIpSgQkoSwcUnkr7rk5Hi_MCwYSuk0yYinjwCnrLVXBVE-7EmftL-2YY5N1NfihwVkpnAdCKbaTxtxUabx7P6EVxVYJb4LYbawk0GNcJdGcVrQA_JVLK9KDZV_v6T1hxg/s320/park.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So Dr. They is revealed to bust the post-coverup, post-conspiracy universe in a very atmospheric setting, and he again catches us up </span><span style="font-size: medium;">on years of ideas that must have been rolling around Morgan's noggin. Everything from people not admitting when they're wrong even when caught on tape to the spread of online disinformation is covered. It no longer matters if the truth is out there and if Foxy can uncover and reveal it, making Mulder more obsolete than any of us (except maybe Sestra Am) are willing to believe.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I want to remember how it all was: </b>Poor Foxy, the details of Reggie's last case with him and Sculls was an even harder burden to bear. He gets all the answers to everything in the universe in one hefty volume, but that same universe wants nothing to do with Earth any longer. Oh well, at least Mulder's free to explore Uranus all he wants. It takes Morgan (through Reggie) to say maybe the point wasn't to uncover the truth, but to find each other. The shippers certainly buy that.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLSdAY5zgOQTVG5ewVj2UgOyHGUvAe2eoSz-ooyggNm3XnnYh_9a010mneUR_xxfexQbrxZgcDuct5cjswSgvD_8-NcVFQiWrnlbWZixJ-F4G4yRFvuXQW7_et2OF5tXBX5M9MAyfNMmvFdv9AiGKQ8xPiFGKx_E9n2LnCaub0mO37rdo5boZaA/s1260/spotnitzsan.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLSdAY5zgOQTVG5ewVj2UgOyHGUvAe2eoSz-ooyggNm3XnnYh_9a010mneUR_xxfexQbrxZgcDuct5cjswSgvD_8-NcVFQiWrnlbWZixJ-F4G4yRFvuXQW7_et2OF5tXBX5M9MAyfNMmvFdv9AiGKQ8xPiFGKx_E9n2LnCaub0mO37rdo5boZaA/s320/spotnitzsan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I talked with Mitch Pileggi about his cameo at X-Fest in 2018. Pileggi said he talked Morgan into finally putting him into an episode. "He said, 'You're in it, but it's only one line.' I said, 'OK.' He said, 'But it's big.'" During filming, he recalled Darin saying, "'Do it really big' and I was like, 'Really?' But it worked."</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One memory I do have that still holds up -- whew -- is that when "Lost Art" aired in 2018, I read an insightful <i>Entertainment Weekly</i> review. Darren Franich </span><span style="font-size: medium;">felt a bit overwhelmed by the "Trumpian art" amid the "clip show," but he still </span><span style="font-size: medium;">deemed the ep to be his <a href="https://ew.com/tv/2018/01/24/x-files-forehead-sweat-darin-morgan-critic-essay/" target="_blank">personal<i> X-Files</i> series finale</a>. While I have no problem with the dense Morgan narrative, and in hindsight with what I now know is coming up, I'm eager to agree. There's more to enjoy about upcoming episodes, but I could easily slide this to the end of the season, remember it how it all was and more joyfully consider it a wrap.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAeZ1NupSHmOBcwFdTy-5i5519t2Ix4xghK_iFDDWgMWyfz1iCSsR8wQ2PK-wYrEAu9QKVh6zil6xBFtAOmtIBKxrSc5lEczSWLVpu5PaZNY5APQRtgn5pBTBatQFlNuOUhzVB3nALskfYswW9B4HXBUrL2mbf_puhC0jcYwZelBC7KFWmkyppA/s1897/brianhuskey.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1897" data-original-width="1688" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAeZ1NupSHmOBcwFdTy-5i5519t2Ix4xghK_iFDDWgMWyfz1iCSsR8wQ2PK-wYrEAu9QKVh6zil6xBFtAOmtIBKxrSc5lEczSWLVpu5PaZNY5APQRtgn5pBTBatQFlNuOUhzVB3nALskfYswW9B4HXBUrL2mbf_puhC0jcYwZelBC7KFWmkyppA/w116-h132/brianhuskey.jpg" width="116" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week:</b> Why Brian Huskey, of course! He gives one of the most indelible comedic performances of the entire series. At X-Fest 2, he told us Morgan wanted him to deliver his lines "in a bunch of weird ways." It wound up being as satisfying for Huskey as for the audience. "This is one of my favorite life experiences I ever had," he said.<br /></span></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-63061359600110291062022-11-12T11:20:00.003-08:002022-11-12T11:48:42.860-08:00X-Files S11E3: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 is...<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This may be the first <i>X-Files </i>ep that starts at a rock concert. Enthusiastic stage diver Arkie Seavers literally sees himself but loses him/it in the crowd. Arkie drives away but his doppelganger is with him and causes a near-fatal accident. Should’ve worn your seatbelt, kid. Special Agent Fox Mulder somehow gets the call and learns several people had reported seeing themselves right before they committed suicide. Arkie is the only survivor of Doppelganger Syndrome (my term, not Chris Carter’s). Mulder and Special Agent Dana Scully interview Arkie – with his lawyer, Dean Cavalier, present – at the Henrico County Jail in Virginia. Seavers admits to driving drunk but claims he’d been seeing his double for a week. Team Sculder go out to the crash scene and the evidence supports Arkie’s version of events.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK49-5U5a8k80RwtlpMfXEiwLWiF4ZZMS5myh2jeTrKD3nZvoqcuFja9d-XanVmQHs04K2YxFg7KeA2WbA8J7QiGeBJpI_wKnDKk-HuO0BXlr4233NINVIxQde8ujKZZoRDf0syv_UdGGgXprzI7wpLrjAgWecNnnnbNYQhi1NiKopeXtmNqRvMg/s1260/hospital.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK49-5U5a8k80RwtlpMfXEiwLWiF4ZZMS5myh2jeTrKD3nZvoqcuFja9d-XanVmQHs04K2YxFg7KeA2WbA8J7QiGeBJpI_wKnDKk-HuO0BXlr4233NINVIxQde8ujKZZoRDf0syv_UdGGgXprzI7wpLrjAgWecNnnnbNYQhi1NiKopeXtmNqRvMg/s320/hospital.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
Scully and Mulder go to the hospital and interview Dr. Babsi Russel. She admits the previous victims were never treated for psychological issues but they weren’t fine upstanding citizens either. Fox is intrigued by a schizophrenic patient named Little Judy Poundstone (no relation to Paula). She’s a Hangman enthusiast who plays telepathically with her brother. She’d also played a game with Arkie’s name as the answer. Meanwhile, Arkie gets transferred into a cell where his doppelganger silently waits. Since it's getting late, Fox and Dana check into a motel room. She initially asks for two rooms but there’s only one available. (I guess they’ve regressed back to separate corners.) Too bad Mulder wakes Scully for work and nothing more; Arkie’s dead.<br /><br />
The next morning, Mulder interviews Chucky Poundstone (no relation to Paula), who is not only Judy’s twin brother, but was the trustee at the jail who found Arkie’s body. Chucky says some raunchy things about Scully and accuses Judy of cheating at Hangman. Chucky also has a Hangman puzzle with Arkie’s name and seems to have possible schizophrenic tendencies as well. Meanwhile, Scully meets Demon Judy, who claims Seavers killed himself. She attacks Dana’s self-esteem with words and her body with flying poop. Sculder meets at the motel to share information. It looks like Demon Judy’s mental illness may have gotten to Scully after all. And Chucky, not happy with attorney Dean Cavalier, starts a new Hangman game with his sestra. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDw5UtmKKwYhV_9G8SwIWuI3uArg8w89eFSKSOVbGRhfO5V-odgpB-YnP3yHValqM89dTaQm0huAd0UXVF9MAQv7HHB8yEmHPrMVPVr5sgkbwBoTVW9JdjQNUXI33akED4lcVbP00gzRi89VBjL7z-llQAfMq6rTB7HZG5nz2AKdvuT0IEReJ5Q/s1260/demonjudy.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDw5UtmKKwYhV_9G8SwIWuI3uArg8w89eFSKSOVbGRhfO5V-odgpB-YnP3yHValqM89dTaQm0huAd0UXVF9MAQv7HHB8yEmHPrMVPVr5sgkbwBoTVW9JdjQNUXI33akED4lcVbP00gzRi89VBjL7z-llQAfMq6rTB7HZG5nz2AKdvuT0IEReJ5Q/s320/demonjudy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Fox baits Chucky while Dana interviews Little Judy about her power to cause death. Judy claims she has pills to keep people safe. The nurses say they’re only pieces of bread but they take them like medication “just in case.” They encourage Scully to take them too. Meanwhile, Arkie’s attorney keeps seeing his doppelganger. He’s trying to rid his house of all lethal weapons: guns, knives, gardening tools, belts. (Wouldn’t it be easier to just leave the house, Dean?) He accidentally slashes his arm with a sword, then his doppelganger finishes the job. (Does that mean Chuck or Judy won Hangman?) </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mulder again wakes up Scully with gruesome news. Unfortunately, Dana spots her doppelganger in the crowd outside the crime scene. She has trouble sleeping and wakes up Fox to ask him to hold her. Of course he complies. They talk and she utters my favorite line in the series, “And I’ll always be around to prove you wrong.” Scully starts worrying about hypothetical futures for their hypothetical private lives. The rest of their conversation is actually pretty frustrating: DOCTOR Scully will always have a career even if she gets fired by the FBI. DOCTOR Scully can take steps to have another child even without a boyfriend or Mulder. Then Dana’s double is there, staring at her with hatred in her eyes. Maybe the doppelganger knows their history and is also annoyed.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonGya09P7npTmYNN8i6cnwrysgIWI3Y7ItA8hSufOwk33_1voNPTCR7xLewR-G_fDRO4AgsXUN-Gc5FtuDD_DMBDWrnf9n6VChYR6f1HRquEi_C68QdPtI5n8ZjWVOkfpA157TANyTsKNtJfsFW6a4mK-2mu5MbRuhbovYZCWzJ5B4G-S3GlV8A/s1260/mulder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonGya09P7npTmYNN8i6cnwrysgIWI3Y7ItA8hSufOwk33_1voNPTCR7xLewR-G_fDRO4AgsXUN-Gc5FtuDD_DMBDWrnf9n6VChYR6f1HRquEi_C68QdPtI5n8ZjWVOkfpA157TANyTsKNtJfsFW6a4mK-2mu5MbRuhbovYZCWzJ5B4G-S3GlV8A/s320/mulder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
Team Chudy (Juck?) are playing Hangman with Fox's name now. He doesn’t react well when he sees his double in the motel shower. He wakes Scully, who’s sleeping on the other side of the bed and wearing a lot less clothing than she was during cuddle time. Dana reveals she’s also seen her doppelganger. It’s amusing how Chuck-Face is spelling Mulder (--UL--) but Judy thinks it’s Scully (--UL--). No wonder they’re both seeing doubles. But unlike Fox, Dana has a magical bread pill to keep her “safe.” </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mulder arrives to arrest Chucky but ends up fighting himself. Luckily, Team Chudy have turned on each other and write each other’s names on the Hangman game. Scully and the nurses get terrorized by Demon Judy one last time before Dana finds Judy’s lifeless body. Fox finds the same situation with Chucky. Back in the motel room, the door is figuratively – and literally – still open for Fox and Dana’s personal relationship. <br /><br />
<b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>The X-Files</i> has always been the "Mulder & Scully Show," somewhat to my chagrin as I found the concept to be inherently viable beyond the relationship of those two seminal characters. I think the original run could have gone on in Season 9's <i>Twilight Zone</i>-esque fashion with Doggett and Reyes, but I realize I'm in the minority with that one. Nevertheless, even with these restrictions, there have been episodes across the landscape in which Mulder and Scully are really the sideshow, and either the guest actors (i.e., Peter Boyle in S3E4's "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose") or the circumstances altogether (as in S3E20's "Jose Chung's From Outer Space") tend to relegate our heroes to the background.<br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NlPXf9HfDOSnd7V6TEYR7Mg-H-zzUQqdyRsTwsY94te8GgKNXcrM-cDjFFR8V5eGkhXTXzAovUsntA5TWzmHQ3DT0sIgHGFrOxc6F0HibSZGG2G3tpcivWFAtNHJ9kCnVp5U3_602muMjTIj6Th8R6KJRCteI0HLCEKs7bM3LJhou8QQJk0-6w/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NlPXf9HfDOSnd7V6TEYR7Mg-H-zzUQqdyRsTwsY94te8GgKNXcrM-cDjFFR8V5eGkhXTXzAovUsntA5TWzmHQ3DT0sIgHGFrOxc6F0HibSZGG2G3tpcivWFAtNHJ9kCnVp5U3_602muMjTIj6Th8R6KJRCteI0HLCEKs7bM3LJhou8QQJk0-6w/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Both of those ring somewhat true in "Plus One." Karin Konoval made a brief appearance in "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and an unforgettable impression as Mrs. Peacock in "Home" (S4E2), but she's literally four times as good here. It's a performance to feast your eyes upon over and over (and over and over) again. But lest that turn off those tuning in for the "M&S Show," there's plenty to salivate upon for the shippers.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The opening is such a TV trope, no one has ever seen another person in a gyrating throng of people rocking out. Kind of like how a wronged woman gets her cheating husband back after he's forsaken the bombshell half her age all year until a ridiculous cliffhanger. (Sorry, just finished bingeing Season 1 of <i>Loot</i>.) But returning to the concert, when I'm at a packed show, I barely can see the person next to me, let alone make out a complete form way back in the pack. Series creator Chris Carter recovers a point, though, for using The Fendermen song "Mule Skinner Blues." Hey, wait a minute, is that how Walter got his last name in the first place?<br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxHlDARJeXMxb_hkquVTf47xddbHz1ej2nZ5VNk1tSwW38qE7JQQTgbVgBgOpBjYWCgl5Rzq8hGPejBVcK3T97b5pptjoLERxep2DlgFCYa7LkLsq3fO8rIN5OR8sxFz7hu6HvasPjmbYp_HOnUm853FNV1qT9PbjWQHF7EW6jrXDHuQCDy3BxA/s1260/chucky.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxHlDARJeXMxb_hkquVTf47xddbHz1ej2nZ5VNk1tSwW38qE7JQQTgbVgBgOpBjYWCgl5Rzq8hGPejBVcK3T97b5pptjoLERxep2DlgFCYa7LkLsq3fO8rIN5OR8sxFz7hu6HvasPjmbYp_HOnUm853FNV1qT9PbjWQHF7EW6jrXDHuQCDy3BxA/s320/chucky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>This is a mass phenomenon:</b> Nice to get back to a bread-and-butter investigation. Dana explains it in what would seem to be a logical matter if we didn't happen to see Fox's version in the teaser. That sets up for an old-school <i>X-Files</i> ep, since Arkie Seavers is not a one-off (or two-off) and there's lots more where he/they came from.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So initially Fox and Dana are back in their separate corners personally, and Scully doth protest too much. And then Dana explains the case away again -- that really sounded kind of logical to me. But again, we saw it happen so... best to let that version of events fade away. And it's easy to do that with Mulder meeting Chucky Poundstone. I remember watching this originally, and it took me more than a minute to figure out Konoval was rocking Chucky's belligerence.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hLs8CdSCuQ_rRYbbw_aTlpsaiZprzD3ebet0sTZvhxp-CYNYCKu5XOXKjgkvEKSTuDcQw3cXqgO66021Jxami6iqgx1bXDERvW0xCRlpKfTwozd56oS-VRU8ncSiv_Boe4KIWEldUwKeffbKlxjlUW3NjqNVk9ntF8vPi5QXegswWM6gS2bLUA/s1260/scully.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hLs8CdSCuQ_rRYbbw_aTlpsaiZprzD3ebet0sTZvhxp-CYNYCKu5XOXKjgkvEKSTuDcQw3cXqgO66021Jxami6iqgx1bXDERvW0xCRlpKfTwozd56oS-VRU8ncSiv_Boe4KIWEldUwKeffbKlxjlUW3NjqNVk9ntF8vPi5QXegswWM6gS2bLUA/s320/scully.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Nothing hurts like the truth: </b>It was just fun and games until the point that Konoval assumes Demon Judy's persona. That is just some next-level dookie. Scully may not buy the telepathic game playing, but DJ pushes all Dana's buttons in just a couple minutes. And while Scully says she can't be hurt by those words, we as the Dana faithful actually can be. Luckily, our champion is picking up on the psychic transferrence while my hackles are raised. And Fox is around to remind her that she has "scoot in her boot."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chucky No. 1 baits the threatening Mulder by saying he's seen attorneys with better cases take it on the chin in court, but good for Fox for rising to the occasion again and bringing on Chucky No. 2 in the process. Scully's doing the same with Judy No. 1 and we see some shadings of Judy No. 2, but that's circumvented by the handing over of the bread pills. Two questions spring to mind: What happened to them working on cases together and why would Dana be about to throw away evidence before the nurses stop her on a flimsy pretense?</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8npnf2Z97ZfwULWkrxe_f2I_oAF1t_NlhkYNZMiPBEfaTRpjSV4dc6A4pWkjUnJiniilfe9Uya_V1SuWA4j1ZU29W0tHJG75Necq0CMbCn7ZcT70lnagtwaCYtCM9zSRQe-hoxHdlebmCwrnjvReHm66aHsExdWTn9_6CHiUJnsYq4xQXhedw9w/s1260/investigate.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8npnf2Z97ZfwULWkrxe_f2I_oAF1t_NlhkYNZMiPBEfaTRpjSV4dc6A4pWkjUnJiniilfe9Uya_V1SuWA4j1ZU29W0tHJG75Necq0CMbCn7ZcT70lnagtwaCYtCM9zSRQe-hoxHdlebmCwrnjvReHm66aHsExdWTn9_6CHiUJnsYq4xQXhedw9w/s320/investigate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully's all over the map. She makes complete sense when she explains that mass hysteria is just fear running wild. Less sense when she claims there's no such thing as ghosts or evil, two entities we've watched her experience. Another mark in the deterioration of Dana column ... and I can't figure out why in the world that would be done by someone who created the character to be an inspiration to a generation. That's a bigger mystery than the psychic transference. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Put a dimmer on that afterglow and get yourself to the hospital: </b>We knew we'd get to the point when one or both leads would start to see his/her doppelganger. Oh well, whatever gets them in closer proximity, right? Scully seems to be having kind of a <i>Loot </i>crisis of conscience. Dana, I don't think you have to ever worry about Fox leaving you behind. Well, unless he starts to freak out about seeing another him. Didn't seem to get to him quite as much when it was Eddie Van Blunhdt ("Small Potatoes," S4E20) or Morris Fletcher ("Dreamland," S6E4-5).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8od6RpmBrL0Zd34HWqxXESdg0HqvOQmMF2amy5gyqG_2sKyjf4l6Cdzv9DDdJ-hz9jZkcgnr49w-Dv7b-Q_J0tsXhfh8vfpGMjs6cWcXKdu22tq3mac6lcad8FYNN61Icrfc1YCWTvezlV7TXKc7W0tGY1p-dUU0GE1ud9awttgImKeNSsq2Ygg/s1260/mulders.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8od6RpmBrL0Zd34HWqxXESdg0HqvOQmMF2amy5gyqG_2sKyjf4l6Cdzv9DDdJ-hz9jZkcgnr49w-Dv7b-Q_J0tsXhfh8vfpGMjs6cWcXKdu22tq3mac6lcad8FYNN61Icrfc1YCWTvezlV7TXKc7W0tGY1p-dUU0GE1ud9awttgImKeNSsq2Ygg/s320/mulders.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It gets a little "Fight Club" (S7E20) in resolution -- and that was one of the series' real low points -- but at least it's more entertainingly so with actual suspense over what's going to happen to all the Mulders, Scullys and Poundstones. Consider it a real "Punch & Judy Show."</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rMA2PJtJ3f_e-XDcYT1JSdw2octrSVxquM46osRFYkmIvFcM1hJhFphWuHj6-vMpMlK__PpddnwhsQFEsY5UALUdIWrRhHY75BsocCQpV3f0DEeogXGwr9WneSx_P9iWDhHJU1ou8UHySpGNWAi1b27NY6f-QJefIuyOwSlFIhcFHaiEUhSB9w/s200/kk200.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rMA2PJtJ3f_e-XDcYT1JSdw2octrSVxquM46osRFYkmIvFcM1hJhFphWuHj6-vMpMlK__PpddnwhsQFEsY5UALUdIWrRhHY75BsocCQpV3f0DEeogXGwr9WneSx_P9iWDhHJU1ou8UHySpGNWAi1b27NY6f-QJefIuyOwSlFIhcFHaiEUhSB9w/w191-h191/kk200.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week:</b> Quite obviously, it's Konoval. I don't think "Plus One" would play half as well with someone else in the roles. There's something subtle in Karin's work amidst all the flashiness required at the same time. And I'm not just saying that because she's one of the show's biggest champions, a woman who is wonderful to the fan base and works equally hard on personal pet projects such as raising awareness of the plight of orangutans and their conservation.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></span></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-32969280427693512932022-10-22T12:29:00.005-07:002022-11-12T11:56:08.065-08:00X-Files S11E2: 'This' is what we've become<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Whether “This” works for you or doesn't probably depends on your level of X-Phile nostalgia. Maybe this is the show’s way of saying sorry for the ickfest of the previous episode’s revisionist history. Well, maybe not a full-on apology, but here’s a bone for you/us. <br /><br />
A distorted voice reaches out to Special Agent Fox Mulder on his smart phone. The image on the screen appears to be Richard Langly, who died along with the other Lone Gunmen back in "Jump the Shark" (Season 9, Episode 15). This Lone Gunman wakes a sleeping Mulder and Special Agent Dana Scully with a question most people don’t get to ask: “Am I dead?” </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36Acmqe2DR2bExzS4mlVWx6YtyI-Smjr-HFltQa_P0qkkP-IsPdb68cCqhO3hiUFJ6zx7C8-qgAu4VBQ7vva8Qw6WyFrI2ToWOMEOyzhsVjndvGrxOZJPJcjzWfUL6kllm9ciCcYeZ1Gy_NteOHYGN0UN1sTglbzJKaIDWH_eaZ0v1MsU65fOKw/s1260/langly.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36Acmqe2DR2bExzS4mlVWx6YtyI-Smjr-HFltQa_P0qkkP-IsPdb68cCqhO3hiUFJ6zx7C8-qgAu4VBQ7vva8Qw6WyFrI2ToWOMEOyzhsVjndvGrxOZJPJcjzWfUL6kllm9ciCcYeZ1Gy_NteOHYGN0UN1sTglbzJKaIDWH_eaZ0v1MsU65fOKw/s320/langly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, there’s also a home invasion in progress at Mulder’s house; three would-be robbers with cool taste in music enter with guns a-blazing. Sculder kill two, but one gets away. Langly cryptically points out, “They know that I know.” Scully calls in the incident while Fox hides his phone. Dana mentions that nobody saw The Lone Gunmen’s bodies after their deaths because they were exposed to the Marburg virus and incinerated. So their caskets in Arlington Cemetery should be empty? And now we’re supposed to believe no one – not even DOCTOR Scully, who performed so many autopsies during the run of the show – autopsied Langly, Byers or Frohike? And Scully took the government’s word for it that The Lone Gunmen were dead and burned? If we hadn’t seen it actually happen in that episode, then I would definitely assume their deaths were faked. The only “evidence” that convinces me: I don’t think Frohike could have stayed away from Scully for 16 years.<br /><br />
Two more sinister vehicles arrive at Mulder’s house. The Russian occupants demand Sculder disarm themselves. Scully calls Assistant Director Walter Skinner for help. He knows what’s going on and he tells her to surrender. Fox is resistant but he and Dana are outnumbered and quickly subdued. They want Mulder’s phone but he isn’t giving it up. Too bad Langly won’t stop talking; they find the phone in Fox’s oven. Sculder work together and escape from the distracted soldiers. After running through the woods they find Walter, who claims a private security contracting company that works directly for the executive branch of the U.S. government came after them. Scully asks Walter if Langly is alive. He roundabout answers her. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLp6bBGbSmX2Iw2Bk7xNKG_EgxLs6j8YKA4s59PvzhcaxuXKabiAPQoJ1rvmo0II0PflN-LsGgOJRiHJO5HUhNGh7otOtVjB5ewVUb6y_0UIqqCQSZYFpTBCw4G_IFlIszoTl_uOSRaM1Zb4bm5yhZdQsl55SnWNVQkTB4RTRNUbTYI9ucklL5yg/s1260/arlington.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLp6bBGbSmX2Iw2Bk7xNKG_EgxLs6j8YKA4s59PvzhcaxuXKabiAPQoJ1rvmo0II0PflN-LsGgOJRiHJO5HUhNGh7otOtVjB5ewVUb6y_0UIqqCQSZYFpTBCw4G_IFlIszoTl_uOSRaM1Zb4bm5yhZdQsl55SnWNVQkTB4RTRNUbTYI9ucklL5yg/s320/arlington.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Sculder arrive at Arlington Cemetery. They notice some inconsistencies with the information on the headstones of Langly, John Fitzgerald Byers and Melvin Frohike which leads Mulder to Deep Throat’s headstone. I still have trouble believing Fox never did any research on Deep Throat after his death. Don’t you think that MIGHT have helped Mulder's ongoing conspiracy investigation even a tiny bit?! But it appears I griped about this same lack of storyline development way, way back in "Little Green Men" (S2E1) so I’ll let it go. By the way, Deep Throat’s name is Ronald Pakula. (Maybe it’s an homage to Alan J. Pakula?) At the grave, Fox finds a memory medallion which contains a QR code to scan. Too bad the surviving assassin has found them and is trying to finish the job. They struggle and Mulder knocks him unconscious against Deep Throat’s headstone.<br /><br />
Sculder end up in an internet café to scan the QR Code. It relates to a building which Mulder once investigated as an X-file, thanks to a tip from … Langly. Sculder need to get into their office in the FBI building. They approach Skinner in the parking garage. He seems frustrated by the gluttony of “intelligence” agencies in the world these days. He takes pity on them -- probably because of what he learned in the previous episode -- and explains how X-files are now accessible via computer thanks to Director Mueller. By the way, I stumbled across the perfect example of how multitasking can be detrimental to these blogs. While typing during Skinner’s exposition, I almost missed the best FBI Special Agent ID photo EVER taken. But I digress. </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7q_z544gcE_0mTBrLYq-Nqx_U39UZcDCReQNUvk9jvWTY_UUYHhEeHx73IPIRGdLkZMULo6WLhgRx6haN3FP11eNIQO9j7J1-49V0Ip9aEle2SPkh71C8LKU_2DTe3GAkpjBcB1cj0nj8VIqbOwvyc_RJ1mQQNCNopxQZNrBB7xI-hryJLgJNA/s1260/specialagent.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7q_z544gcE_0mTBrLYq-Nqx_U39UZcDCReQNUvk9jvWTY_UUYHhEeHx73IPIRGdLkZMULo6WLhgRx6haN3FP11eNIQO9j7J1-49V0Ip9aEle2SPkh71C8LKU_2DTe3GAkpjBcB1cj0nj8VIqbOwvyc_RJ1mQQNCNopxQZNrBB7xI-hryJLgJNA/s320/specialagent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It appears the Russians trying to kill Sculder have access to all of the X-files. Fox starts searching the database and learns the information he seeks has been scrubbed from the system. There are no Langly files, but the Frohike and Byers ones are visible. Luckily, Frohike’s “spank bank” is still there and contains a clue which leads Sculder to Dr. Karah Hamby. They meet with her but she claims Purlieu Services (the private security contracting company) is watching. Her explanation is very <i>Black Mirror,</i> specifically the San Junipero episode; she and Langly planned for a “life eternal” together. She gives them her phone to help reach Langly. Too bad her days are over; the very determined hitman kills her and Scully takes him out, finally.<br /><br />
Sculder relax in a diner until Langly contacts them through the smart phone. He describes heaven but he knows it’s a lie. He -- and others -- are being used as digital slaves for their knowledge and abilities. He tells Sculder to destroy the digital afterlife and sends them to Titanpointe. Sculder arrive at the FBI office in New York. They use a charade to enter: Agent Scully is bringing in an “apprehended” Mulder. Somehow, it works for a while and they almost make it. Too bad the Russian and his cronies capture Fox in the stairwell and escort him up to the 29th floor. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LdlO7yGP5QW7q9o_WjYokgtIP_25QBeQhNcttL2iB51kLw3Qd-44omHjqXOCOFnNXgt1PwIBwgAJZ0D4rzgdhv6WZdVyPCo7NK1BtaweyAN3BS8WI_TytWkP5M_nOunQWGDIYAFk5bq9DlykWEX48CFOgviJ5GcmQQaIIv7XMqKKbj0_7kzkvA/s1260/erika.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LdlO7yGP5QW7q9o_WjYokgtIP_25QBeQhNcttL2iB51kLw3Qd-44omHjqXOCOFnNXgt1PwIBwgAJZ0D4rzgdhv6WZdVyPCo7NK1BtaweyAN3BS8WI_TytWkP5M_nOunQWGDIYAFk5bq9DlykWEX48CFOgviJ5GcmQQaIIv7XMqKKbj0_7kzkvA/s320/erika.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Guess who’s there waiting for Mulder? Erika Price from the previous episode. She’s amused that Langly could have reached out to any one of seven billion people but he picked Fox. Does that mean Langly knew Byers and Frohike were dead too? He had to ask Mulder about his own death so that might be another plot hole. Fox tries to trick Price into thinking he wants to be uploaded with Dana. In return, Price still wants Mulder to kill Cancer Man. Meanwhile, Dana has searched every 20-something floor until she finally reaches Fox. He finishes his conversation with Erika, subdues the Russian assassin and rejoins Scully. While she disables the simulator containing everyone’s consciousness (No battery backup option? Bad planning.), Mulder fights for his life against the Russian. Eventually, Sculder escape and return with legit FBI agents. but Price is gone and so are the machines.<br /><br /> Back at Fox’s house, Langly contacts them again and tells Mulder to destroy the backup. (See? Told you there would be a backup option!) Then Langly disappears and the silver-haired assassin -- the one Scully shot after he killed Dr. Hamby -- takes over the screen. Poor Langly. I hope he was able to connect with Karah and have some semblance of “happily ever after.” If <i>Black Mirror </i>managed to allow one happy ending, then so should <i>The X-Files. </i>But I guess they burned their happy ending during the end credits scene of<i> I Want to Believe. </i></span></p><p></p>
<p></p><p><b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The ninth season of the regular run leaned heavily into <i>The Twilight Zone </i>territory,<i> </i>and the best episodes from that year came out of that distinction. Here we see Season 11 making a foray into <i>Black Mirror</i> terrain, and again, I do think the series is better for it. It's kind of a boomerang effect, <i>The X-Files</i> can be considered an influence on shows like <i>Black Mirror</i>, and here it comes full circle. This playbook opens up our show in a number of ways, as we see in "This" and other upcoming episodes.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhmNlK0JLrAX9Rg2mfUpZmhcNbXaOyTxlez7usv730YtjyzhebVYrfLRsW1f-CPUEOSsMld7T6HMqHWCABuBO1J1DIliLbZCLoZ60v5zr-CWeHhae2LWJIXXzs6J-F9Sv9smpMWupp9U0ERyYbyHialbsj0Q3UH21XUDbjKCPYEMCIa_6JoK2RA/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhmNlK0JLrAX9Rg2mfUpZmhcNbXaOyTxlez7usv730YtjyzhebVYrfLRsW1f-CPUEOSsMld7T6HMqHWCABuBO1J1DIliLbZCLoZ60v5zr-CWeHhae2LWJIXXzs6J-F9Sv9smpMWupp9U0ERyYbyHialbsj0Q3UH21XUDbjKCPYEMCIa_6JoK2RA/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>We gotta take a trip to IKEA: </b>The opening scene carries genuine tension. We're as taken aback as Mulder and Scully upon seeing the visage of the deceased Richard "Ringo" Langly on Fox's phone, and then they have to deal with a break-in on top of that. So we get engaged directly in two distinctive ways. Episodes in the "My Struggle" arc haven't had this kind of resonance, they're more like something we've been suffering through. From the opening, we're invested here.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"What world are you living in?" the Russian aggressor asks Fox, and it's a question we could use the answer to as well. If you've misplaced your scorecard, it's tough to tell who is on what side nowadays. Skinner tells Scully that the dynamic duo should just give up, but the Russian Cold War expert was prepared to end them right then and there. How well would that have sat with you, Walter? The last thing you told them was to give up.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Who needs Google when you have Scully?: </b>Oh well, at least Skinner showed up to give his former charges money and to clear the air about this particular collection of gun-toting radicals working for an American security contractor. That sends Mulder and Scully off to Arlington for a whirlwind round of presidential trivia supplemented with a numbers game.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5D08pEM5YXTffOhSBmVeApP3TkoeX6sV5tiHWS2sgIUYN8DAy0-9w1i6wnW2UAonjdGQpPnLSdnxNMO4NmrGA8EtRqmstJl-ZHL-uFlRHiVWyEBQvnZ1BEt8Hii9ZlBCBjx6YZwBYA7-4qg0rDRsagGwXMs44Bw9ipjEYWVBa2usYQwxBEyqyRg/s1260/cafe.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5D08pEM5YXTffOhSBmVeApP3TkoeX6sV5tiHWS2sgIUYN8DAy0-9w1i6wnW2UAonjdGQpPnLSdnxNMO4NmrGA8EtRqmstJl-ZHL-uFlRHiVWyEBQvnZ1BEt8Hii9ZlBCBjx6YZwBYA7-4qg0rDRsagGwXMs44Bw9ipjEYWVBa2usYQwxBEyqyRg/s320/cafe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As if all this actual suspense wasn't enough, we get a nice slice of life between our leads, namely Sculder's exchange about the bran muffin. That was as tasty to me as it was to them, apparently -- Mulder says he's going to open an X-file to get to the bottom of why it's so good followed by Scully's claim that she doesn't care if it came out of an alien's butt. (The latter was reportedly an adlib by Gillian Anderson.) And so in the 11th season, we get evidence that they're normal people who eat and drink just like you and me.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The world is different: </b>Count on Skinner (and writer/director Glen Morgan) to detail for us how the backdrop has changed since Fox and Dana originally met back in 1993. It's not just dark forces in the government any more. He explains that a lot of people -- including America's enemies -- have had access to the X-Files files since Sculder took off for parts unknown. Can you imagine someone having to pore over over all those files, running across people like Cecil L'Ively from "Fire" (S1E12) and the tulpa from "Arcadia" (S6E15?)</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqoIOnmgoaPlNclF6eJ0PfuOOtcGEdxV8YOnuj8z5zBu9S21EKc48uOsvKK5b1PbU2lDPCuNVMEFh8o_f1zV1SaKv3QtjPh3VfNL2yxA1TDdr5yqtDav-AMNmNXlQ8IyQ8U533VTHaL6TnGv1UELmfQm_Ofb_PJzKQIfxY6Gm_tFbjvQXBe1mZA/s1260/prof.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqoIOnmgoaPlNclF6eJ0PfuOOtcGEdxV8YOnuj8z5zBu9S21EKc48uOsvKK5b1PbU2lDPCuNVMEFh8o_f1zV1SaKv3QtjPh3VfNL2yxA1TDdr5yqtDav-AMNmNXlQ8IyQ8U533VTHaL6TnGv1UELmfQm_Ofb_PJzKQIfxY6Gm_tFbjvQXBe1mZA/s320/prof.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then we get into the <i>Black Mirror </i>aspect of the case -- the simulation Langly planned with a hot professor. I'm trying to get past the fact that it's unlikely those two seemingly disparate people forged that kind of connection. But that's not too tough, because I'm distracted by the fact that Dr. Karah Hamby is played by Sandrine Holt, who co-starred with Nicholas Lea (Krycek) in the entertaining <i>Once a Thief </i>during the prime <i>X-Files</i> years.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Speaking of influences, Deep Throat's real name Ronald Pakula was indeed a nod to Alan J. Pakula, who directed <i>All the President's Men </i>(among other things). That 1977 film and its subject matter -- Watergate --
were huge influences on Chris Carter when he began developing the show.</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This guy's like Hannibal Lecter-level psycho: </span></span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It's intriguing that simulated Langly can discern those in the alternate universe are living a lie that needs to be destroyed. Fits right in with the recurring <i>Black Mirror</i> theme that as great as technology can be, there's an underbelly that often shows something entirely different. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAJRBGqeNyRhhr4BFBvzfUwvQZ3JzNjMNe7qub5Ljj1GaQtNPEp_QCdThPGudh0yjiaXslr-gvDdxuWBcktpu6Ar7bS7QRHzQgS1aJXuvqm5VJQK6zoMICC37Xafgpd5xnXxU9BkV6yb4yXAST9MB7f5Pn91HAmHwdb_iNw5VpfQ7kIcpvPtPlg/s1260/home.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAJRBGqeNyRhhr4BFBvzfUwvQZ3JzNjMNe7qub5Ljj1GaQtNPEp_QCdThPGudh0yjiaXslr-gvDdxuWBcktpu6Ar7bS7QRHzQgS1aJXuvqm5VJQK6zoMICC37Xafgpd5xnXxU9BkV6yb4yXAST9MB7f5Pn91HAmHwdb_iNw5VpfQ7kIcpvPtPlg/s320/home.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So it's up to our heroes to find a way to save the day and get Langly out of his purgatory, even though they keep being told point-blank that they don't understand what's going on. We've heard that every day since the show started, but Barbara Hershey's Erika Price claims life on Earth is (again) about to be crushed, making computers necessary for the evolution of species. Mulder realizes they're playing God. (Haven't thought of that David Duchovny movie in a long time.)</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Despite the constantly high stakes, Fox and Dana remain particularly quippy in this episode, culminating in an instantly classic moment when they get home from the adventure and decide against dealing with cleanup of the ransacked house. Take a break, you certainly earned it! Maybe have another muffin?<br /></span></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_gzKad8ojDMdX2y3yjN9tesx8gc8hKwxBEzHMvHfhiO1iQmO1PNlUjuiD-v8CNjMmFF1AzlLH6aRGhZz39aWs8OsHOohzI3ELc3gq7IJ1rIwFeHEp1XcHMB3Yd338jO0SmdGwuisbQ4qPVZg8WYrQyoyAK9XYqCz07hh0EyiQUOXX_Y1ngb-9w/s200/dean.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_gzKad8ojDMdX2y3yjN9tesx8gc8hKwxBEzHMvHfhiO1iQmO1PNlUjuiD-v8CNjMmFF1AzlLH6aRGhZz39aWs8OsHOohzI3ELc3gq7IJ1rIwFeHEp1XcHMB3Yd338jO0SmdGwuisbQ4qPVZg8WYrQyoyAK9XYqCz07hh0EyiQUOXX_Y1ngb-9w/w125-h125/dean.jpg" width="125" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>Apologies to Barbara Hershey, who delivers a more relaxed and confident performance in her second appearance, because come on, we got a Lone Gunman back! Dean Haglund does a nice job as simulated Langly in limited space and time, and we feel for the loss of Ringo once again when that world is shattered.<br /></span></span><p></p><p></p></span><p></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-15604366500993404082022-09-10T11:54:00.005-07:002022-09-10T12:31:30.631-07:00X-Files S11E1: Where there's smoke, there's hellfire<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/s1445/xfs11.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1167" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPHdCfDcfHaZNzP3RtIO_XKaWeC8wpyO-8XdCtyd27bHQjE5BDetfbFXFjks3sKfAYo5HcCoFuzgm-sbTCrTdZlGZpsL8xXsYY_1nS8tZ1PoozEUkOPQ-ScyWbPqRcBgvvDw2F5QHLHlkFCXM1CJAfmo1puaAMZj6ihSFpNEDs9o5m3w_LU-iQQ/w145-h179/xfs11.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The “Struggle” continues, whether you want it to or not. Am I referring to Chris Carter’s continuing storyline in Seasons 10 and 11 of the <i>X-Files</i> revival? Am I referring to Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully’s quest for “the truth?” Nope, I’m referring to my never-ending annoyance with voiceovers on this show. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The current perpetrator is the Cigarette Smoking Man. (Should I have been hyphenating his nickname all this time?) He sums up his entire existence in a couple of minutes. At some point, you almost want a superior alien race to show up on Earth, meet with CSM and smite him like an insignificant pest. And I can’t even imagine how Sestra Pro felt when it was implied that Cancer Man faked the moon landing. But enough about that evil, narcissistic string-puller; for some reason, Scully’s unconscious.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9miaG0iTUrqHnnNFXTpam-mao0A2v5M1ZpE5KJ0IXAnOigIEIEql0ZZD4gNMKKgyRz4UbZiY32WOnIZUl1JZf2o7eoMQgeEaS_P40HKPRLtjkicVvEbWkUKVZZJOBDdti3Vu8SkMOtNWAOXJErDTmMJ2qgEBH7bC9_lCSs9wTUslp38ZRAu1RfQ/s1260/csm.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9miaG0iTUrqHnnNFXTpam-mao0A2v5M1ZpE5KJ0IXAnOigIEIEql0ZZD4gNMKKgyRz4UbZiY32WOnIZUl1JZf2o7eoMQgeEaS_P40HKPRLtjkicVvEbWkUKVZZJOBDdti3Vu8SkMOtNWAOXJErDTmMJ2qgEBH7bC9_lCSs9wTUslp38ZRAu1RfQ/s320/csm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
I should probably point out she and Mulder are not still on the bridge looking up at the UFO at the end of Season 10. They’re back in the basement office at FBI headquarters. Fox looks so much healthier than he did at the end of the previous episode. Dana’s rushed to the hospital and undergoes a battery of tests which reveal she’s suffering from abnormal brain activity. Luckily, her neurologist, Dr. Joyet, shows Mulder and Assistant Director Walter Skinner her live brain scan, which is dot-dashing a message Walter is able to translate: “Find him.” Skinner thinks “him” means Sculder’s son, William. Jeez, and now we have to endure a Fox voiceover? (Yep, and it’s throughout the episode.) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully wakes up and, if I’m actually paying attention, reveals the events of the Season 10 finale haven’t happened yet: no Spartan virus, no exposition by former agent Monica Reyes, no confrontation between Mulder and Cancer Man. But Dana tries to convince Fox that CSM is still alive. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Spender (Cancer Man’s less-preferred son and Mulder’s half-brother) is taking out the garbage when someone tries to run him over. The would-be killer wants “the boy.”</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVt-5hXSbJHfgTB4Mdb_ZNEqrd1J6LvQp1Sj7P5-TetKEFxwEeDwlQwyK1MQt97hgQFUF8TsVWd4cSmSRG0JyKmI5anaG-ymMmnnCyBi-xzVLDzzlzZcFDWfPDG9Y5Y3B6CKS77Fj9qGf_PZMmlVbf-2V-lor-plKNSayWznkbtovRqTm_oXX3g/s1260/scully.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVt-5hXSbJHfgTB4Mdb_ZNEqrd1J6LvQp1Sj7P5-TetKEFxwEeDwlQwyK1MQt97hgQFUF8TsVWd4cSmSRG0JyKmI5anaG-ymMmnnCyBi-xzVLDzzlzZcFDWfPDG9Y5Y3B6CKS77Fj9qGf_PZMmlVbf-2V-lor-plKNSayWznkbtovRqTm_oXX3g/s320/scully.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Back in Scully’s hospital room, Dr. Joyet suggests Dana may have been subjected to experimentation. Scully denies it even though it’s all she talked about last season with her sequenced DNA, yada, yada, yada. But Dana’s now experiencing the world’s worst headache. Fox leaves the hospital and hears a warning voicemail from his half-bro. Of course Cancer Man is listening … and Monica is still lighting his cigarettes. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Why does Chris Carter not trust his audience to know what’s going on without those wretched voiceovers?! Mulder’s being chased by Jeffrey’s attempted killer and putting innocent civilians at risk instead of dealing with the threat. (Just because they don’t show the crash victims doesn’t mean they’re OK.) Spender shows up at Scully’s bedside and she asks for her son’s location. He gives her the adopted parents’ last name, Van de Kamp, but has trouble believing his own father is still alive. (Did we know Spender knew who adopted baby William? Sestra Pro, I need a Season 9 refresher course!) Dana leaves the hospital against medical advice. Doctors truly are the worst patients.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EBMtEhFXU3dM3gl4ac570Gj6UgSiBMsAHEIYXIEm30xDRBYfwjBEfOtEk8NdjQ3wtLWfaz--hp4SfZ7DcLORqS6toFqx9tyYqQduqg1Os1fV1m-Dc-bSlySFb1B_LHSBEQM38WO_I3hCOFPtc9S0cJL5clKiolSm7Z_ncYYhTb1OpzcXOP_EGA/s1260/reyes.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EBMtEhFXU3dM3gl4ac570Gj6UgSiBMsAHEIYXIEm30xDRBYfwjBEfOtEk8NdjQ3wtLWfaz--hp4SfZ7DcLORqS6toFqx9tyYqQduqg1Os1fV1m-Dc-bSlySFb1B_LHSBEQM38WO_I3hCOFPtc9S0cJL5clKiolSm7Z_ncYYhTb1OpzcXOP_EGA/s320/reyes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Cancer Man is concerned, why are people after Sculder’s kid now? Probably because of you, you power-hungry madman! Meanwhile, Fox is driving to South Carolina when Scully calls with an update. She’s convinced her germ warfare vision is coming true so she’s more desperate than ever to find William. Too bad she seized her way back into unconsciousness. Back to Smoking Man and Monica, whose discussion borders on creepy; Reyes accuses him of being in love with Scully. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mulder follows his pursuer onto an estate. He enters without a warrant and finds – nope, not Cancer Man and Monica – but a different old man and brunette woman. Back in the X-files office, Skinner finds Scully’s cell phone. A clearly not-well Dana is on the move. Walter leaves to find her and encounters a gun-toting Reyes instead. He easily disarms her but clearly isn’t prepared for Cancer Man’s arrival. And Scully, just like Fox, selfishly puts other drivers at risk and crashes her car. She had so many safer options: Uber, Lyft, D.C. Cab.</span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDonAAYCnVnfIndLDRSSnhabPNjG0JWdH6eI1WaZurlgaGGcT0Cij0MoM_jG_1t0ccbei-da3XfMF0a2MVFxD25SpA3xjJAEflshdSVW8_NBkj5KbkodldGM61ZtaAO5tg5FwA_UtHyzOk5yLwOVDr9bbumhLgqDyAgQjQmzy7XCy_QDWARl8zg/s1260/mry.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDonAAYCnVnfIndLDRSSnhabPNjG0JWdH6eI1WaZurlgaGGcT0Cij0MoM_jG_1t0ccbei-da3XfMF0a2MVFxD25SpA3xjJAEflshdSVW8_NBkj5KbkodldGM61ZtaAO5tg5FwA_UtHyzOk5yLwOVDr9bbumhLgqDyAgQjQmzy7XCy_QDWARl8zg/s320/mry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
So the other man smoking cigarettes (Mr. Y, according to closed captioning) offers some exposition for Mulder -- it’s Cancer Man’s house and they’re part of the Syndicate, but Mr. Y’s female counterpart wants to stop CSM from exterminating humanity. (Guess they’re not part of the protected elite.) Smoking Man explains the virus to Walter, who is stunned that Monica would be part of it. (So are we; so was Annabeth Gish probably.) Mr. Y and Price (really glad I use captions) are trying to use William’s safety as leverage for Fox to kill his father, as if he needed any other motivation. Cancer Man offers Skinner immunity from the Spartan virus in exchange for William. Mr. Y and Price are focused on the colonization of space. That’s pretty much where they lose Mulder. He races back home but tries to call Skinner on the way. Too bad Walter’s still busy with CSM. </span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Dana’s back in the hospital. Agents Miller and Einstein were the ones who rescued her from the wrecked car. Dr. Joyet calls Fox with Scully’s current location. Unfortunately, Mulder’s would-be killer finds her first. He tries to smother Dana with a pillow then choke the life out of her. Luckily, Fox arrives and slits his throat! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NX7NmFmlHSXNVq_V4CiCv2vCOu858qniE_piqFhvD3cpvXW3Mnsro2QIoyvE_LIICC76nvDRC4Fpn9j7QT7SkU_xGdcXms4Ct6t0HjLFUoRv3bJ2u6be9arZVp-srugBi_Oh2R_DtCnfwOFS5KdrzAqBdoHUEICVg4K3fLnt63l9eElkg0BMEw/s1260/william.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NX7NmFmlHSXNVq_V4CiCv2vCOu858qniE_piqFhvD3cpvXW3Mnsro2QIoyvE_LIICC76nvDRC4Fpn9j7QT7SkU_xGdcXms4Ct6t0HjLFUoRv3bJ2u6be9arZVp-srugBi_Oh2R_DtCnfwOFS5KdrzAqBdoHUEICVg4K3fLnt63l9eElkg0BMEw/s320/william.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully knows it wasn’t Cancer Man’s doing, because she thinks he would never harm her. She also believes her visions are messages from William, who will find her and Mulder. Skinner arrives at the hospital but refuses to answer Fox’s questions. Oh, and he also smells like smoke. What isn’t Walter telling him? Oh nothing, just the fact that Smoking Man, not Mulder, is William’s father. Meanwhile, poor William seems to be suffering from an awful headache. At this point, aren’t we all?
</span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><b><span b="" gt="" style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Professional:</span> </b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Another "Struggle," another voiceover. The only one I want to hear for "My Struggle IV" would be Sestra Am's. She's right on a couple of fronts. If an alien race was bent on taking over this planet, it surely would take out the most self-serving, back-stabbing being along the way. Technically, yes, we should have been hyphenating Cigarette Smoking Man all along. But since the show doesn't, we haven't been. And, yeah, the way to get me feeling good about the revival again is not in insinuating the moon landings were faked. I had a tough enough time getting behind the goings-on in "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" (Season 4, Episode 7).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKru1oV05VjsEpHkDIqlJlqnVxggLHZdPJrgzqrzF-vN3SjU4xHLLLH1Udjos_HMy5KHPPZMIX5NH3o7QX3DKXNYoqW5UiFhMqv5JN8xlq-dYQ0wNmUD0noWjoFZmfBHz-3DS3wFYvIZUVdxY-1HjP8iPGTz0-sdrmLGWVlSxxVUPgGK5k3M49g/s1260/sculleye.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKru1oV05VjsEpHkDIqlJlqnVxggLHZdPJrgzqrzF-vN3SjU4xHLLLH1Udjos_HMy5KHPPZMIX5NH3o7QX3DKXNYoqW5UiFhMqv5JN8xlq-dYQ0wNmUD0noWjoFZmfBHz-3DS3wFYvIZUVdxY-1HjP8iPGTz0-sdrmLGWVlSxxVUPgGK5k3M49g/s320/sculleye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I want to lie: </b>The road to wellness isn't in pretending "My Struggle II" never happened. What is this, <i>Dallas?</i> It's such a cruddy way out of Season 10's cliffhanger, and we had come to expect more from this show than the <i>X-Files' </i>variation of Bobby Ewing in the shower. Then again, they did take the most forthright character and turn her into a stoolie for the series' biggest villain, so what do I know? So Dana Scully has become Pam Ewing. If that doesn't clue us in to what Scully is in for this season, nothing will.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's a good thing Skinner was on hand to read the Morse code and tell us the message in Dana's brain. Uh oh, another bad sign, someone tells Mulder something outrageously paranormal and he doesn't glom onto it like a proverbial chupacabra. Fox is taking advice from Walter in the usual way, so at least something is resembling the show we all know and love and have been increasingly frustrated by.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMG_ndFdcp2KJ9QaIvaws-TiPJAoXfTIJDxitkRY531maIcdv4SaKNLHyBMnrX5siZW_1EAnpNvOqLMtL8MOmVaZDpowT104mGQVKcjEkfamwoDYNx9wMiig32ejhfAa6yVWuzfxuIkH-dUGULT0LkFvsg8d2y1M7zz7YDkSl8E02jQ575nakBw/s1260/spender.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMG_ndFdcp2KJ9QaIvaws-TiPJAoXfTIJDxitkRY531maIcdv4SaKNLHyBMnrX5siZW_1EAnpNvOqLMtL8MOmVaZDpowT104mGQVKcjEkfamwoDYNx9wMiig32ejhfAa6yVWuzfxuIkH-dUGULT0LkFvsg8d2y1M7zz7YDkSl8E02jQ575nakBw/s320/spender.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The only one who the years have been good to is Jeffrey Spender. Remember how one-note he was when he was introduced, how much we all detested him until his father allegedly did away with him? We thought nothing would ever open his eyes. Nothing like a little filicide to do the job. He does seem to have gone to some lengths to find out where William ended up. (Nope, Sestra Am, that wasn't expressly laid out in Season 9.) We clearly can't expect miracles, though, as he's a doubting Spender about the prospect of his murderous dad being alive. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I was just talking about lazy writing and cheap tactics when we're hit with more of them in the form of Fox's voiceovers. Someone once said that using voiceovers is the laziest way of telling your story. Remember the <i>Blade Runner </i>debacle? It really feels egregious here. Yeah, we're used to a pretentious pre-teaser voiceover, but threading it through the entire episode, it's more than distracting, it's downright irritating. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6zUusV_Wl6ooVcw8z7qRUnk26hnJCzdx4hlbf5N8gz_xOw8kYChdbyxac88IfIfLwTUq6YBaKjwrxIVSQP-tLBDyt5wlqZjgkRyzifmgddgN6bWKB-6ml5mUotoV9aLZn8ebL_n3TC0USUwmZ5a5BdhG3bURPuw6qnavVX-UqO2oAjGhmEFvPw/s1260/skinner.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6zUusV_Wl6ooVcw8z7qRUnk26hnJCzdx4hlbf5N8gz_xOw8kYChdbyxac88IfIfLwTUq6YBaKjwrxIVSQP-tLBDyt5wlqZjgkRyzifmgddgN6bWKB-6ml5mUotoV9aLZn8ebL_n3TC0USUwmZ5a5BdhG3bURPuw6qnavVX-UqO2oAjGhmEFvPw/s320/skinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The beauty of a planet returned to its savage state:</b> </span></span></span>It's all too easy for the Cigarette Smoking Man to go off on a diatribe because what he's saying sounds like it could be true. He's saying it with all big words and pat phrases, but his central thesis that c</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">ivilization seems like a joke and his plan could be the punchline passes muster. </span></span></span>He should have come up with the idea of fake news distracting America decades ago. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So our only saving grace is Scully. And although it feels like we're getting back into the Mulder mind-meld territory from the end of Season 6 and the start of Season 7, it's turning me around a wee bit on the use of "My Struggle II" as a glimpse at what the future could have been. I still can't get into the decimation of Monica's character, it just feels completely wrong. She's not Marita Covarrubias, if there was a polar opposite to the UNblonde during the regular run, it was Reyes.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI372yyhwNNXrD6UHmFJm-IiKsydBjq5NTdfM5hBjFAE8YAFA8yXzprnUcE00Y8pUYPYwqbzXcbwKdQNDx9avumzJNYCINHonY_0n_53-nhUyBDa3_TriOZr7_d5Ei3vvhsA2S5OxaKJjQSpW0K1a2ONfCLZ4N1bkxEr6Q9no0ZcyqN4gfGLJvA/s1260/muldery.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI372yyhwNNXrD6UHmFJm-IiKsydBjq5NTdfM5hBjFAE8YAFA8yXzprnUcE00Y8pUYPYwqbzXcbwKdQNDx9avumzJNYCINHonY_0n_53-nhUyBDa3_TriOZr7_d5Ei3vvhsA2S5OxaKJjQSpW0K1a2ONfCLZ4N1bkxEr6Q9no0ZcyqN4gfGLJvA/s320/muldery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We've got some new Syndicate members in the fold -- Mr. Y (A.C. Peterson) and Price (Barbara Hershey) -- and that's not a bad thing. Well, they're clearly bad but it's not bad in and of itself. The story they're telling is something we understand all too well about a simple pathogen killing billions and billions. The aliens won't be coming after all, for they have no interest in a warming planet with vanishing resources. That makes sense too.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The renegade Syndicate members tell Fox they want to colonize space, and Mulder realizes that only a select few -- the few <i>they </i>select -- will be able to take advantage. That's not their only play though, they also want the son of Scully and Mulder. Everyone wants that kid. There's clearly more at stake than the mere colonization of space. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>You smell like smoke: </b>Even after all she's been through in this episode alone, Dana realizes her visions are coming from William. As she and Fox come to grips with that fact, in comes Walter. And he's acting just like he has many times over the years when he doesn't want to tell the people he cares about the most what he knows, ostensibly because he's trying to protect them.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusiIx8dugylRlfvXKVdiIq2lpqAk0feKIJLOES9E1EdClFvkID7VPEumvmfrePsCYMaSppXPKkCTeVKedHaXWt4CwfQ2PyEu6XcrQL6TLSVuIHLkR20IRQWcMpYUVoo2dCS2DbiD4GwY-80hnWuyqmxDkEpZANXYoFsyGXOdsznGFeD0_e2mOjg/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusiIx8dugylRlfvXKVdiIq2lpqAk0feKIJLOES9E1EdClFvkID7VPEumvmfrePsCYMaSppXPKkCTeVKedHaXWt4CwfQ2PyEu6XcrQL6TLSVuIHLkR20IRQWcMpYUVoo2dCS2DbiD4GwY-80hnWuyqmxDkEpZANXYoFsyGXOdsznGFeD0_e2mOjg/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Then just when it seems like we've gotten back on some kind of viable track, "My Struggle III" veers into terrain that no one can conceivably get behind. Conceivably being the operative word. Look, as watchers of a long-running TV program we understand that we may not always get what we want when we want it. The shippers dealt with that fact for years as they fawned over Mulder and Scully's every look, every touch. It seemed like they finally got what they wanted at the end of Season 8. Does creator Chris Carter think we're entertained in the slightest by the revolting revisionist history? Because I have to say, even as an avid no-romo, that going back to "En Ami" (S7E15) and revealing the utterly disgusting details of what we allegedly did not see the first time around truly is the ultimate fan smackdown. Only the teaser tagline change from "I Want To Believe" to "I Want To Lie" provides the slightest comfort.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI4T_hd_XZzHvhyh7c6J1UxsDIAfI8jBkXx4OXnJOykq4x2az61J7_x3VPrAMZ-N2Klj_UwZDJHqbmOWyUNl-7ZVsY83XMyqW-eQDxLmAxZ0V8oRqRCtc-e6JYOkLlUnaLY96-BMhWUMv34bu-CYRGS5mpAbbuIDv_u4RzQikQNPTFaOXWRcQhQ/s1260/hershey.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI4T_hd_XZzHvhyh7c6J1UxsDIAfI8jBkXx4OXnJOykq4x2az61J7_x3VPrAMZ-N2Klj_UwZDJHqbmOWyUNl-7ZVsY83XMyqW-eQDxLmAxZ0V8oRqRCtc-e6JYOkLlUnaLY96-BMhWUMv34bu-CYRGS5mpAbbuIDv_u4RzQikQNPTFaOXWRcQhQ/s320/hershey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>Barbara Hershey doesn't have a lot to do beyond set the framework for this previously untapped faction of the Syndicate, but it's refreshing to see her in this role. As the <i>Beaches </i>actress showed in <i>The Portrait of a Lady</i> and in glimpses here, she can play villainous mind games when called upon to do so.</span></p></span></span>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-84570219175441601342022-08-20T13:30:00.002-07:002022-08-20T13:54:01.213-07:00X-Files S10E6: The DNA of Dana<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s377/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s200/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The struggle continues – literally and figuratively – as the Season 10 finale circles back to the season’s first episode. Remember Tad O’Malley? Sveta? The return of Cigarette Smoking Man? Yeah, I forgot most of it too. But let’s dive in and refresh your memory so you can forget again until we rewatch "My Struggle III." </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, the episode begins with a Dana Scully monologue and anyone who actually reads this blog knows how I feel about those. (Hey, I just plagiarized myself!) Doctor/Agent Scully is condensing 10 years of conspiracy theory episodes into a couple of minutes, while we view photographic evidence of the incidents she’s recalling. (Could you imagine if someone actually took pictures of these very private Scully moments: Dana abducted and tied up in a car trunk, Dana unconscious on a hospital bed, Dana being impregnated...) Then the special effects team morphs Dr. Scully into an alien and somehow the show has my attention again. But the biggest lie of all soon appears: Instead of reading “The Truth Is Out There,” we get “This Is The End.” You be the judge if you think it should have ended here or whether Chris Carter needed another season to dig his way out of the hole he created with Sculder.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzgmi3o10_ObxGaW8kc-aKz8I0yID0d3h3oW1cFIcyCiInAHhKfF62-BzFOjKBVyjoD_ZKi4Dl3nCVn0JYO0utmseVNDCx0-AbfXCdIVB96y3sxqh-sgRiGL5_84_eB7RocY3beTmWqtDf96pu3kHhEPnWbFZ_C_W2o_3fzjWvXB3e6GhE4UsEw/s1260/morph.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzgmi3o10_ObxGaW8kc-aKz8I0yID0d3h3oW1cFIcyCiInAHhKfF62-BzFOjKBVyjoD_ZKi4Dl3nCVn0JYO0utmseVNDCx0-AbfXCdIVB96y3sxqh-sgRiGL5_84_eB7RocY3beTmWqtDf96pu3kHhEPnWbFZ_C_W2o_3fzjWvXB3e6GhE4UsEw/s320/morph.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Special Agent Dana Scully is watching the latest inflammatory video by Tad O’Malley. It’s been six weeks since he went off the air and Sveta was killed. He’s no longer in hiding and he’s now claiming every American citizen has some alien DNA inside them. Scully answers when Tad calls Special Agent Fox Mulder’s office phone. He tells her to come to Fox’s home, which has been ransacked. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mulder’s nowhere to be found, so Dana involves the local police and Assistant Director Walter Skinner, who’s hanging with Agent Einstein, the alternate “Scully” agent we met in the previous episode. Einstein naively believes no one can tamper with DNA. I guess she never read <i>Jurassic Park.</i> (Yes, I know it’s fiction. Yes, I know it’s about dinosaurs. Just let it go.) Drs. Scully and Einstein head to Dana’s other employers, Our Lady of Sorrows Hospital, where they encounter a sweaty, confused man who’s clearly sick. Meanwhile, Fox, who looks like he joined a fight club and keeps losing, is driving to an unknown location and ignoring Skinner’s phone calls.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2py8TK-8JDwbjoMRVBtXt5C_WCaAnDajk1rqCgopdMuFJoYE7J8U6wdSQBLH1LrA0AvmXfOGkP-Ew2JbWPse-RL7zRr82IlLQFZHulB1479KDm6Ngj1kscn57c8XWQdXvjFIzVoGNf3eJ23HdVajveZWZAuOKVY3o5Wrry4s70EOOY6XILjBr0g/s1260/trio.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2py8TK-8JDwbjoMRVBtXt5C_WCaAnDajk1rqCgopdMuFJoYE7J8U6wdSQBLH1LrA0AvmXfOGkP-Ew2JbWPse-RL7zRr82IlLQFZHulB1479KDm6Ngj1kscn57c8XWQdXvjFIzVoGNf3eJ23HdVajveZWZAuOKVY3o5Wrry4s70EOOY6XILjBr0g/s320/trio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Dana takes Einstein’s blood and explains how the anomaly in Scully’s blood is, by definition, alien. (Here on <i>The X-Files, </i>people always jump to the “extraterrestrial” definition instead of the generically accurate “strange” definition.) Einstein still isn’t on board, but lets Scully take a blood sample. (I wonder how nu-Scully would have felt about COVID-19 vaccines.) Einstein’s partner Agent Miller arrives to help with the Mulder search and to share the news that O’Malley’s conspiracy theories about killer viruses are gaining traction on the Internet. Based on their encounter with the sweaty, confused man who is a military soldier, Dana thinks it’s already begun. She believes the man has anthrax, something from which he was inoculated when he deployed to Iraq. If Dr. Scully is correct, whatever people have been vaccinated against, that’s what’s going to make them sick. She desperately calls Fox, who continues driving south and ignoring his phone. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But you know what’s really bugging me about this episode? Mulder’s laptop in his FBI office. It’s not locked. The man who was on the TrustNo1 bandwagon for 10 years (except for Scully, and even that wasn’t 100 percent of the time) leaves a signed-in laptop open and unlocked on his desk?! So convenient when Miller uses Fox’s phone finder app to locate him in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Forced plot contrivances still run rampant on <i>The X-Files.</i></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6rPz0HRJczfuhr7ZmpPt3nJJA016AFHT7tj7ugmTDpmMgtuQ-3pt9nCAB4txlQ-1edwxAVhh72I-sSO4btyGzbbzUT8uq6TwqS_7yWEqaskFKbt-eEssD-tiGFSn7KBp-OJj1fEciOPzRzjpWwgJ5dmmR2A288jFu6yIFlstBh-E184TwAGILA/s1260/monica.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6rPz0HRJczfuhr7ZmpPt3nJJA016AFHT7tj7ugmTDpmMgtuQ-3pt9nCAB4txlQ-1edwxAVhh72I-sSO4btyGzbbzUT8uq6TwqS_7yWEqaskFKbt-eEssD-tiGFSn7KBp-OJj1fEciOPzRzjpWwgJ5dmmR2A288jFu6yIFlstBh-E184TwAGILA/s320/monica.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
Dr. Einstein and Dr. Scully are scientifically analyzing the situation at Dana’s hospital. Einstein points out how something needs to be taken away from the genome to shut down people’s immune systems, not added to it. Then Scully gets a phone call from a woman who claims she can explain what’s happening. If you read the guest star list at the beginning of the episode, then you know it’s Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), former partner of Scully and Special Agent John Doggett. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Team Danica meet and Monica admits she left the FBI 10 years earlier because she made some not-so-great choices. Flashbacks show her being called to the bedside of one badly burned Cigarette Smoking Man, who claims to be the most powerful man in the world. His power? To depopulate the planet while the chosen few live. So Monica chose to stick around as CSM’s lackey, hoping he won’t use his weapon, but slightly comforted by the knowledge she (and Scully) are protected. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicN0UfEtiwfaiJz5p6ltFzD0wBs9WqHj8vPaqu3P7YzTLbA0ezNElu6akBb1YcXfPvUuVeic4rT8OFpg44nN2DPQX7skgn3H7T_ZJMPVdVo1MbW-d5xAbC16qXQQIJw7odMYGXxUhS-2xhfL4akWDXT-Dgoa5Zz5j0LWkeyCEThb1bmoh3b_z8nA/s1260/csm.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicN0UfEtiwfaiJz5p6ltFzD0wBs9WqHj8vPaqu3P7YzTLbA0ezNElu6akBb1YcXfPvUuVeic4rT8OFpg44nN2DPQX7skgn3H7T_ZJMPVdVo1MbW-d5xAbC16qXQQIJw7odMYGXxUhS-2xhfL4akWDXT-Dgoa5Zz5j0LWkeyCEThb1bmoh3b_z8nA/s320/csm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Who the hell is this Monica Reyes?! How could she follow this path without reaching out to John Doggett or any other reliable FBI connections like Scully or Skinner? And why don’t we get at least a throwaway line about what happened to Doggett? </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="f7rl1if4 adechonz f6oz4yja dahkl6ri axrg9lpx rufpak1n qtovjlwq qbmienfq rfyhaz4c rdmi1yqr ohrdq8us nswx41af fawcizw8 l1aqi3e3 sdu1flz4">Maybe she's an intergalactic hitman posing as her, maybe she's a clone. Nope, sorry to say this is really Monica.</span> Anyway, Reyes also claims Cancer Man sent someone to Mulder’s house, which is why Fox looked beaten and his house got trashed. Mulder arrives at Cancer Man’s house and holds him at gunpoint. CSM wants to spare Fox’s life. Mulder wants no part of it.</span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Tad continues to expose his conspiracy theories, which seem to be coming true but still sound so freakin’ wacky. The hospitals are overwhelmed and losing main power. Einstein gets information but not any help from the Center for Disease Control. Dana, based on information from Monica, hopes to use her protected blood to save others from the “Spartan Virus.” Too bad the hospital doctors are now getting sick too. In fact, poor O'Malley and his crew are also ill. So are Miller and Mulder. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Miller doesn’t seem amused by Cancer Man and rescues Fox. CSM follows them outside with a gun but instead of shooting them, he tells Miller to tell Mulder goodbye for him. Back in the hospital, Scully is working alone to create the serum since Einstein is feverish. Miller calls Dana to let her know he has Fox and is heading her way. Scully finishes the cure and prepares doses for Einstein and the other doctors. O’Malley laments mankind going out with a whimper. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5J_3KGfQ2c2Xqe7_zy6h3vyr-YkUhtY7ERRGulqndsIZcH1eclmLv2mBHSklqV60dpVh2he4QvNh7LvvpCYFC-TfcJog_YH36z3GuX3F6IQpJSo9D9zDOAhJQirkrFltZVIoY5WN-NIwLrB-k0MtS0aseB8cPmmXZZ7NwVQvVCCr4gKcF0YRc7A/s1260/ufo.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5J_3KGfQ2c2Xqe7_zy6h3vyr-YkUhtY7ERRGulqndsIZcH1eclmLv2mBHSklqV60dpVh2he4QvNh7LvvpCYFC-TfcJog_YH36z3GuX3F6IQpJSo9D9zDOAhJQirkrFltZVIoY5WN-NIwLrB-k0MtS0aseB8cPmmXZZ7NwVQvVCCr4gKcF0YRc7A/s320/ufo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully tries to stop looting and encourages people to go to the hospitals for vaccines. She’s trying to get to Mulder but the roads are gridlocked. Miller and Fox are back in the D.C. area but they’re stuck in traffic. Dana finds them but thinks Mulder is too sick for her serum to save him. He needs stem cells from William, the son she gave up for adoption. But before she can even try to figure out where to start looking for him, a UFO appears because, you know, this is <i>The X-Files. </i></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My best memory of watching "My Struggle II" for the first time involves being one of the first to comment on social media about the episode's opening teaser posted during the halftime show of the 2016 Super Bowl. I had the top post on the official <i>X-Files </i>Facebook page, and someone from the <i>XF</i> team even responded to me. As it was a literal teaser, it didn't stay on the site long, disappearing like Monica Reyes' drive and determination to the annals of time.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvFpjGBHYSxL2qOr9zI_s6k1gGf5bU8FCKStiMe30Zun7f_MbFxNMnmmOQ-qDzE55Hl-KA2P3-Gq4uhWl7_UQMgZEOkMs9EhRy5DsIVq_zoUMFljUNGG7Ju9d9kNu_3dEeIAcX9gQb9yEeAcABSTyZFl5Trr7bO2Ub-rZxgVp69sFof7YGQXjzw/s467/xfhalftime.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="374" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvFpjGBHYSxL2qOr9zI_s6k1gGf5bU8FCKStiMe30Zun7f_MbFxNMnmmOQ-qDzE55Hl-KA2P3-Gq4uhWl7_UQMgZEOkMs9EhRy5DsIVq_zoUMFljUNGG7Ju9d9kNu_3dEeIAcX9gQb9yEeAcABSTyZFl5Trr7bO2Ub-rZxgVp69sFof7YGQXjzw/w224-h280/xfhalftime.jpg" width="224" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"My Struggle II" just continuously reminded me of when and how the show used to do everything so much better. Like Sestra Am, I don't really like voiceover monologues as a plot device. Even in the heyday, they were clunky and overutilized big words no one ever uses on a day-to-day basis. I did think Morris Fletcher's in 'Dreamland II" (Season 6, Episode 5) was pretty stellar, though. Nevertheless, I did recognize the beginning teasers as serviceable tools for the greater good. Dana's to start this episode? It was just basically a more colorful way of doing "Previously on," which was also tacked on there anyway. Oh well, it had been a while since someone used the word "debunk."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So while every tried-and-true <i>X-Files </i>fan -- and even the most casual observer -- knew of the history that brought Scully to this point, the idea of morphing her head into an alien was something that wasn't on our radar. Here I'll insert a special caveat for any artist/fanfic writer who had done such a thing. What I mean there is just based on the standard viewing habits of your common household X-phile. I do wish the alien head was a little more shadowy, as though shown in a dearth of light, and didn't rely so heavily on CGI.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Long ago, seemingly in a galaxy far away, the mythology stories used to be the ones the fan base waited on. Whatever the Cigarette Smoking Man and his cronies were up to, that was what we wanted to see, and all the monster episodes were just stopgaps between the greater story. For me, that ended somewhere in the sixth season. I was watching more for the bottle episodes, and rolling my eyes when the Syndicate played into the action. Note: I did give it more of a pass when Alex Krycek was around, but those appearances got more sporadic as Nicholas Lea got his own series work. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Brs5e0e6nuv10tsc61QyRD0JQqg5Z2JiYIlCy0LXos0X0j3TOyqRn7gqC4ETEpmdSE1qygyBwlw3qMsANG0QXQihpQ-9ll45D0PaiopbR-2urUIW3TYMBG--q_kpsI8MQwBtozY8lQCnF2K0uno0a2bwZowNXK4yGAwwAdkCaH1dX3KFoldA-Q/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Brs5e0e6nuv10tsc61QyRD0JQqg5Z2JiYIlCy0LXos0X0j3TOyqRn7gqC4ETEpmdSE1qygyBwlw3qMsANG0QXQihpQ-9ll45D0PaiopbR-2urUIW3TYMBG--q_kpsI8MQwBtozY8lQCnF2K0uno0a2bwZowNXK4yGAwwAdkCaH1dX3KFoldA-Q/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The biggest failing of "My Struggle II" is the absence of Mulder and Scully together on the canvas for most of the show. In fact, there's kind of an overall dearth of Fox period. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That
was all fine and dandy for Season 9, it doesn't play as well in a six-episode revival. David Duchovny does get to show off what fine shape he was still in
during a fight scene that brings Mulder back into his real father's orbit. But Sestra Am made a fine point about Fox's computer and phone tracker earlier, these are certainly not footprints such a paranoid personality would leave behind. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I made certain choices: </b>And the second biggest failing would have to be the change that's come over Monica Reyes in the ensuing years. Even with the alleged flashback to how she joined forces with Cigarette Smoking Man, we're missing the </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">person I once deemed as the most forthright straight shooter in the
show's history through the end of the regular run. This person bears little resemblance to that woman, although I suppose we get a glimmer of it in the fact that Reyes clues Scully in on what's actually going on.<br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6S8Z8ooJpiV9f4gTSMUIDEhvSc3ZLQhelnMoTGg664W24ASKhpRG9w6OX8ju-aPybwkZOyUqzOjo1BspsAWM-t06YrQ_y_Ifnn3kBEnOZ_Y-o9KjOZYQfIZziNkqE7zHtG94fiIxMg8b36khYPP68XPCZhoXxPO691oyFnWdxSCx6lLy7CFG_Mw/s1260/scullyeinstein.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6S8Z8ooJpiV9f4gTSMUIDEhvSc3ZLQhelnMoTGg664W24ASKhpRG9w6OX8ju-aPybwkZOyUqzOjo1BspsAWM-t06YrQ_y_Ifnn3kBEnOZ_Y-o9KjOZYQfIZziNkqE7zHtG94fiIxMg8b36khYPP68XPCZhoXxPO691oyFnWdxSCx6lLy7CFG_Mw/s320/scullyeinstein.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>This episode makes better use of Dana than we've seen in some time, although it's a little surprising she can't recognize the voice of the woman who delivered her baby on the phone. After discerning that something may have been given to each and every human being who got a smallpox vaccine, Scully listens to Einstein's input, she doesn't discount her outright. Dana is working the problem, and unlike the way Fox would play it, she does take Einstein's theory that something is being removed from DNA and not added into account.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When this first aired, the possibility of measles, mumps, rubella ... basically anything and everything at the same time seemed like some scary but outrageous science fiction. But now in the wake of coronavirus and all its variants with monkey pox coming up behind it, it seems downright prescient. I'm longing for the days when all our heroes were called upon to do was clear a building under a bomb threat.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcekz4lu96a0zI8Ys-_c0kyp8rioxj8fX_cKyIA-hPN4eQxahKlAn-NX3dfMIDotiodYPcYg7oI7_y0flu60_yL-0ZgyrgEaHgMtQMsiCQbj8e_K8hD6hdqz8StbrtrMrf8NrZKti53yqLwYA4xFYfBW0CSGCCeCJRGXCzBLR3EEwGEOeT4Dk-aQ/s1260/smoke.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcekz4lu96a0zI8Ys-_c0kyp8rioxj8fX_cKyIA-hPN4eQxahKlAn-NX3dfMIDotiodYPcYg7oI7_y0flu60_yL-0ZgyrgEaHgMtQMsiCQbj8e_K8hD6hdqz8StbrtrMrf8NrZKti53yqLwYA4xFYfBW0CSGCCeCJRGXCzBLR3EEwGEOeT4Dk-aQ/s320/smoke.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>You don't want to believe:</b> I'm willing to buy Cigarette Smoking Man's premise of depopulating the planet with science given by aliens. Of course, there's the trademark pontifications penned by Chris Carter (with assistance from science advisor Anne Simon and Margaret Fearon) about how the hottest year on record, bird population and decimation of megafauna has nothing to do with CSM's machinations. I'm not quite sure why the master manipulator would want to restart the world with the two people who have given him the most trouble, I guess he's assuming they would fall in line the way Reyes ridiculously did. <br /></span></p><p>I was today years old when I put together how close the words Dana and DNA are to each other. That seems like something I should have picked up on eons again.<span style="font-size: medium;"> Scully realizes what needs to be done to literally save a world suffering from widespread depleted and/or disappeared immune systems. It all gets a little too scientific for me. Even with my advanced <i>Orphan Black</i> genome knowledge, the explanation starts to elude my grasp.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleUF7Q5CUi2mLQsPWQcbcc09pML-Dn4_OggY9P39SE1UdxFLfgsCxUg7FMs3S897nQHTKhLdFohE7Tp4zPbksf5vvR7mooIZ-eDU1mVRpPcmxeZuBuN_04C5xyVj5WA-osGbl7oW8z3VWTUtgVdVmQGxLavTUqYdcRad8JWaifLupMHVpDPMndA/s1260/masks.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleUF7Q5CUi2mLQsPWQcbcc09pML-Dn4_OggY9P39SE1UdxFLfgsCxUg7FMs3S897nQHTKhLdFohE7Tp4zPbksf5vvR7mooIZ-eDU1mVRpPcmxeZuBuN_04C5xyVj5WA-osGbl7oW8z3VWTUtgVdVmQGxLavTUqYdcRad8JWaifLupMHVpDPMndA/s320/masks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What I do understand is the advice to stay indoors. If only all these people had masked up and worked from home. We had knee-jerk reactions to that happening when COVID shut everything down, but it prevented an even more pervasive kind of spread happening on this episode.</span></p><p>And that brings us to the climactic scene. You would think Scully would try to treat Mulder with the IV she brought with her while trying to solve the greater problem of locating their child for his stem cells. But there was no time for that ultimately, as a UFO dramatically appears overhead. I didn't consider it a godsend when the episode originally aired. I thought it was the aliens having intel on what was needed and appearing at that moment. As we'll soon find out, it wasn't that. It was ... other.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXuHaUjIojNKBGlM1wlYr-i2wXy2Iy8vLcE9-LIXyvbFF532MqMEOIyjsZ62KN9llwcneEO1FrSgzOpc2dw5N1mRVeQtAvD0dUnfurDmntV1T37-j4Mqe2sIrfXxrchsC-WLxUgH7h4RC2AqeZcPeF7hSIPcTLdPJdeE_lv626QG5HHlWL7IIoA/s1260/tad.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXuHaUjIojNKBGlM1wlYr-i2wXy2Iy8vLcE9-LIXyvbFF532MqMEOIyjsZ62KN9llwcneEO1FrSgzOpc2dw5N1mRVeQtAvD0dUnfurDmntV1T37-j4Mqe2sIrfXxrchsC-WLxUgH7h4RC2AqeZcPeF7hSIPcTLdPJdeE_lv626QG5HHlWL7IIoA/s320/tad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Guest star of the week:</b> When the revival started, Joel McHale <a href="http://andnowsiblingcinema.blogspot.com/2022/06/x-files-s10e1-unpacking-14-years-in-45.html" target="_blank">gave the proceedings a jump-start</a> with the forthright decisiveness of Tad O'Malley. We recognized his character from an array of conspiracy theorists we inevitably run across in our daily lives. That made it all the more impactful as the reality of the situation dawned upon Tad here.<br /></p></span></span>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-49173512825243524172022-08-13T13:06:00.009-07:002022-08-13T13:37:43.891-07:00If not for her...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZnL53CBKDeIryiySdcv9aDPSDzdd1VVqAl75KbHiG_2N6IG1FRJSjkP4EVPYkuCpHF6AS-ME4Gsu9TwBCGX68E6J2UYX3FobrweBGYi-v3k_HfFEfWDltRrbLX6fPVqpTBMUC9RaQDuTRL8fU8arv1iPPhGzOCcyZh1VHJLcsEqrCIyBogN1tg/s2568/oliviatribute.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="2568" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZnL53CBKDeIryiySdcv9aDPSDzdd1VVqAl75KbHiG_2N6IG1FRJSjkP4EVPYkuCpHF6AS-ME4Gsu9TwBCGX68E6J2UYX3FobrweBGYi-v3k_HfFEfWDltRrbLX6fPVqpTBMUC9RaQDuTRL8fU8arv1iPPhGzOCcyZh1VHJLcsEqrCIyBogN1tg/w544-h306/oliviatribute.jpg" width="544" /></a></div><p>Growing up in the '70s and '80s, Olivia Newton-John was part of the fabric of our lives. In the mid-'70s, the British-born Australian chanteuse's songs were everywhere on the radio, on the pop stations the Sestras listened to and on the country station Mom turned on whenever we were in the car. "If Not for You," "Let Me Be There," "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)," "I Honestly Love You," "Have You Never Been Mellow" and "Please Mr. Please" were tunes we knew as well as the informative ditties on <i>Schoolhouse Rock.</i> In 1978, <i>Grease</i> indeed was the word. Don't know how many times we saw the all-time biggest grossing movie musical, but Mom bought the soundtrack LP and many hours were spent in the bedroom trying to figure out why the dialogue in the fotonovel did not match what was said in the movie. <i>Xanadu </i>was considered a flop, but we loved it too, as it was released in the time when hanging out in roller rinks was part of the social scene. <i>Totally Hot</i> was one of the first albums Sestra Paige remembers buying. And then MTV landed in 1981, and "Physical" took over. It was No. 1 for about a billion years (actually 10 weeks, but it was the top song of the '80s).</p><p>But it wasn't until later that we realized what a gem Olivia really was to the world. She canceled a concert tour to protest the slaughter of dolphins. She became a spokesperson for many causes, including UNICEF and the United Nations' environment program, and when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she never ceased to try to continue raising awareness through her participation in so many different programs and agencies. The reason why her participation was so crucial was because everyone respected Olivia. Even if her music wasn't your bag, odds are you appreciated her. Over the years, that's been evident on the pop culture front. Moviemakers, show runners and musicians still tap into that easy, breezy Olivia feel that paints a picture quicker than pages and pages of dialogue. Everything from <i>Lost </i>to <i>The Simpsons</i> (twice) made use of her magic. With that in mind, the Sestras picked out 10 of our fave ONJ-flavored moments from movies, TV and music.</p><p><b>Sestra Leah</b><br /></p><p></p><p></p><b>I Honestly Love You -- Jaws (1975)</b><br />I have seen <i>Jaws </i>A LOT. I let it run in the background when it’s on TV. Sestra plays it whenever I visit. We repeat so many lines for comedic value, but over the years, I still managed to miss something. (Don’t you love when that happens?) I recently rewatched the scene of Chief Brody and wife Ellen enjoying their day at the beach moments before poor Alex Kintner becomes a bloody geyser of horror. I was this many years old when I heard Olivia’s "I Honestly Love You" playing on a transistor radio in the background of their conversation. How have I never heard that before? (The Daily Jaws knew, of course, and the site recently <a href="The Daily Jaws recently featured the song's inclusion in tribute to Olivia." target="_blank">featured the song's inclusion</a> in tribute to Olivia.) And the tune really sets the tone for the timeline in the movie. I – or you -- probably heard that very same song playing on a radio at the beach or pool when we were kids, and it’s such an innocent prelude to what is about to happen. Good call, music supervisor. <br /><p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2zD25AcVKgU?start=45" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<b> </b></p><p><b>Over the Rainbow – Face/Off (1997)</b><br />
Everybody knows John Travolta and Olivia starred together in <i>Grease</i>. Fewer people know they had a second movie together called <i>Two of a Kind. </i>But there are other projects to which both contributed. Like in <i>Face/Off, </i>starring Travolta and Nicolas Cage. Sure, Olivia didn’t act in this one, but it’s her angelic voice you hear singing a rendition of "Over the Rainbow." The pivotal scene involves a slow-motion shootout in which Cage – as Travolta’s character, I believe. I really should watch this whole movie someday – and Gina Gershon, the kid’s mother, are trying to keep her kid calm amongst all the carnage. They play Olivia’s song over the boy’s headphones while they try to escape. It works, even if the plot sounds more far-fetched than Danny and Sandy flying a car into the clouds or angels using two thieves to decide the fate of the human race.</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1xni5g8Z6I4?start=25" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />
<b>Hopelessly Devoted to You – Pushing Daisies Season 1/Episode 2 (2007)</b><br />
Who would be brave enough to try and out-Sandy the one and only ONJ? Why, <i>Wicked</i>’s Kristin Chenoweth, of course. Kristin played Olive Snook on ABC’s short-lived, but charmingly creative series <i>Pushing Daisies.</i> Olive was in love with her boss, Ned, who was in love with his childhood friend Charlotte (aka Chuck). Olive's unrequited love storyline was established in the series premiere, but for the second episode, Kristin drove home the point by singing about her woes to formerly dead dog Digby, while dealing with intruding, wannabe customers and swaying with the restaurant’s floor buffer. You can really feel Olive’s pain through the absurdity of the scene, and Kristin recently shared hers about the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChAwkMAj3bo/" target="_blank">loss of Olivia on Instagram</a>.<br /></p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kbe1m30RS8c?start=25" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p>
<b>We Go Together – The Big Bang Theory Season 5/Episode 17 (2012)</b><br />
<i>Grease </i>was the word when the female characters on <i>The Big Bang Theory </i>– Penny, Amy and Bernadette – watched the iconic movie because Amy had never seen it before. (Turns out, her overprotective mother was worried it would encourage Amy to join a gang.) But the show’s love affair with <i>Grease </i>continued in 2016, when the cast appeared live for <i>A Night at Sardi’s, </i>a musical revue and awards dinner that raises money for the Alzheimer’s Association. The seven main cast members sang a medley of "You’re the One that I Want" and "We Go Together" for a live audience. Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar embodied John Travolta while Kaley Cuoco, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch performed their best Olivia, all in the name of charity. ONJ would have been proud.</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QLz8ChcK98w?start=25" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />
<b>Twist of Fate – Stranger Things Season 2/Episode 9 (2017)</b><br />
<i>Stranger Things </i>has made its bread and butter by feeding on our need for nostalgia. Every season features something memorable from our generation’s childhood. Of course, they have a bad habit of using songs that weren’t released yet (looking at you, Cutting Crew, Bangles and multi-season offender Moby). But when they use music we grew up listening to while hanging out at the mall, riding bikes with our friends or playing games, it takes us back. The second-season finale brought us to the Hawkins Middle School’s Snow Ball, where we get to enjoy ONJ’s "Twist of Fate" while watching dressed-to-the-nines-but-nervous Dusty enter this unfamiliar territory and seeing poor Steve gaze longingly at his ex-girlfriend Nancy. (The second scene has more impact if you rooted for “Stancy” all through Season 4.) It’s too bad they went with "Time after Time" instead of ONJ and Cliff Richard’s ballad "Suddenly." That would have been perfect for the slow-dancing scene with the kids. But some ONJ is better than none, right?</p><p>
</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fvH1gkkK3JI?start=25" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p></p><p></p><p><b>Sestra Paige</b></p><p><b>Xanadu -- WKRP in Cincinnati Season 3/Episode 13 (1981)</b><br />One thing you pick up on very quickly in reviewing the array of pop-culture possibilities is Olivia's sense of fun. She was never adverse to sending up her image, and that will be a recurring theme in my picks. But it's never more glaringly apparent than on the <i>WKRP </i>episode "Dr. Fever and Mr. Tide (Part 1)." DJ Johnny Fever, always vocal on the show about his hatred for disco, was booked to host a Cincinnati dance program "Gotta Dance." When Johnny realized he wasn't going to get to play rock and roll, he adopted an alternate personality -- Rip Tide -- to do his dirty work for him. The Ripper starts off his first gig by introducing "Miss Oblivious Neutron Bomb" as "Xanadu" starts to play. In a red-sequined disco outfit, Rip lets loose with a wild sequence of twirls and dance moves that we just know were lying in dormant in Johnny Fever for far too long.<br /><br><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IDPl2yBqjek?start=952" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p><p><b>Please Mr. Please -- Primary Colors (1998)</b><br />In Mike Nichols' thinly veiled comedy about a politician who seems destined for the presidency if he can just get out of his own way -- ya, Bill Clinton without the Clinton name -- candidate Jack Stanton (John Travolta) calls upon the services of naive campaign manager Henry Burton (Adrian Lester) and irascible fixer Libby Holden (Oscar-nominated Kathy Bates) to uncover Stanton scandals before they happen. Even though she's just out of a mental hospital, Libby is great at multitasking. While driving her truck, she can talk business while singing along with <a href="https://youtu.be/Z6-INkIW0dw" target="_blank">"Please Mr. Please"</a> on the radio. The movie's toughest-talking character's even gets Henry -- the least likely character to be warbling an ONJ song on the canvas -- to sing along for a bit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8OYJblTcfj4mlHmJQ7sWtiXbL9zK23MBAqrhpnvGX-gqGCMDWQ0KEv6OA7wvIz1hU4swRlwd3yfe-PnkOMq-yLa_LI01GJh7WEonGrADlIlPBT0C2mLFdx9u9Oz0qhmrjkfMSNu12TCJh2aQdvpJFBe-XJSgqdhQRTg8pYL3efWJFraXyXYIRQ/s3447/IMG_9805.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1635" data-original-width="3447" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8OYJblTcfj4mlHmJQ7sWtiXbL9zK23MBAqrhpnvGX-gqGCMDWQ0KEv6OA7wvIz1hU4swRlwd3yfe-PnkOMq-yLa_LI01GJh7WEonGrADlIlPBT0C2mLFdx9u9Oz0qhmrjkfMSNu12TCJh2aQdvpJFBe-XJSgqdhQRTg8pYL3efWJFraXyXYIRQ/w555-h264/IMG_9805.jpg" width="555" /></a></b></div><p><b>Have You Never Been Mellow -- Veronica Mars Season 3/Episode 9 (2006)</b><br />When an Olivia song pops up in the middle of something you're watching, it's a background buoy. Her voice is mellifluous and soothing without being grating or cloying. So in essence, it's like the musical version of an old friend. That can be used to great effect in heightening a scene's tone, stakes are heightened by her very presence. Sestra Leah mentioned that with <i>Jaws</i>, and it's also accomplished to great effect in "Spit & Eggs." Dean Cyrus O'Dell (Ed Begley Jr.) has just made a controversial decision that doesn't protect Veronica Mars and the other girls on campus. As he drives away, the soundtrack cuts back and forth from the frat boys' head-banging music to O'Dell playing <a href="https://youtu.be/t2S1nmxYmUg" target="_blank">"Have You Never Been Mellow"</a> in his car. He's egged by the denizens of Lilith House as Olivia sings about having "your head up in the clouds." It was true of the dean, and something he paid for dearly at the end of the episode.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPGVDHq-nyhfylo5MRJes0_l2rOGp7Bi-0zcrpCtJDPFHjBUBBIjOADBSmaDwghMnbIF2jh_BifyaiIk9Z4nr6w-wcb5B7qVPEjR14bK264CKbSDKSBrhlC7y1vq6SAem_qxpOcFk8_nlIMur1rCRX-pbJCGplPlN7MVn1Uc2f1VoD4p2Hh8xLw/s3265/IMG_9813.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2007" data-original-width="3265" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPGVDHq-nyhfylo5MRJes0_l2rOGp7Bi-0zcrpCtJDPFHjBUBBIjOADBSmaDwghMnbIF2jh_BifyaiIk9Z4nr6w-wcb5B7qVPEjR14bK264CKbSDKSBrhlC7y1vq6SAem_qxpOcFk8_nlIMur1rCRX-pbJCGplPlN7MVn1Uc2f1VoD4p2Hh8xLw/w516-h317/IMG_9813.jpg" width="516" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Physical -- Glee Season 1/Episode 17 (2010)</b><br />To this day, "Physical" is still widely used in pop culture. But I can't think of a better instance of the ubiquitous '80s hit getting airplay than in "Bad Reputation." Members of the Glee Club stumble across a video of McKinley High School cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) recreating the legendary "Physical" music video WITH Olivia. The show went all-out on production values, with the whole brightly colored workout room motif recalling the era pitch perfectly. Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley) and company are really tickled by it, and it's impossible not to agree with them. Olivia also guested on the season finale, "Journey to Regionals," showcasing her willingness to send up her image, but if you ask me, they went a little too far. I find it easier to believe in <i>Xanadu </i>muses than the idea that Olivia was disturbed by the fact that more groups didn't cover her material.<br /></p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yOIwuwFAMVE?start=952" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><b>Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John -- Juliana Hatfield (2018)</b><br />I never made the connection between Olivia and the Boston-based musician who broke out as a solo artist in the '90s until this tribute album came out. Once it did, it seemed almost too obvious. As Juliana grew up in the same time frame as we did, it wasn't a big surprise to find out she was mightily influenced by ONJ. Sure, the Blake Babies and Lemonheads veteran's sound is a little grittier, but at the core, the voices and the sentiments align perfectly. In culling together this album (which offered a portion of the sales to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre), Juliana perfectly straddled the line between reminding the listener of the originals and making them her own. She included six of the songs on our list, also delivering a sizzling cover of "Make a Move on Me" while spotlighting a couple of lesser-known songs in ONJ's catalog -- "Don't Stop Believin'" (no, not THAT ONE) and "Dancin' Round and Round." But I don't want to play favorites. Every track is a gem and she avoids all the possible pitfalls to deliver the ultimate tribute.<br /></p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dKcF6BzTBuw?start=952" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-5713685164104961072022-07-30T10:52:00.002-07:002022-07-30T13:08:39.822-07:00X-Files S10E5: Groan and bear it<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s377/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s200/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In southwest Texas, an Arabic man prays, eats, drives, looks at pretty women and gets harassed by locals. He picks up a friend and they enter an art gallery right before it explodes. Was it their fault? Were they just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Doesn’t matter, because according to the opening credits, it’s a Skinner ep.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
In the basement office of the FBI building, Special Agent Fox Mulder is showing Special Agent Dana Scully video of a worldwide phenomenon: Ear witnesses hearing trumpets “as if from the heavens themselves.” Dana seems amused by Fox quoting the Bible. They are interrupted by Sculder’s look – and sound – alikes: Special Agents Miller (Mulder Jr.) and Einstein (Scully Jr.) </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RDjA58VLTNnEe7ch4ZYIIzOgyHqZvTtZu6D-sTinCAY-8FT9RoJojzXhEO8c3_mBDRnfwfBToM0mQtdduL_5TLquLI2hAWMLtsShqifeRdLGdiCMkYMApmFAVpVRE8wFYzIzmFpec3YENyBwqpX7RTkh8h1cYwQ2aQYQ0DuJk5_qhMEIBji-_A/s1260/fouragents.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RDjA58VLTNnEe7ch4ZYIIzOgyHqZvTtZu6D-sTinCAY-8FT9RoJojzXhEO8c3_mBDRnfwfBToM0mQtdduL_5TLquLI2hAWMLtsShqifeRdLGdiCMkYMApmFAVpVRE8wFYzIzmFpec3YENyBwqpX7RTkh8h1cYwQ2aQYQ0DuJk5_qhMEIBji-_A/s320/fouragents.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Agent Miller, played by Robbie Amell, brings the Texas bombing to Sculder’s attention. The two Arabic men were responsible after all and nine people died. One bomber technically survived but he’s not able to be interviewed. Miller wants to find a way to communicate with the nearly dead Muslim. Dr. Einstein, played by Lauren Ambrose, thinks they should try to find some living terrorists to stop. She wins and the two junior agents (Milstein? Einler?) head to the airport. While waiting for their flight, they overanalyze their brief meeting with the senior agents. Einstein nails it, Scully’s in love with Mulder. They get interrupted by Dana, who calls Miller and arranges to meet him in Texas. At the same time, Fox calls Einstein and convinces her to stay. By the way, Scully is still holding onto her mother’s quarter charm necklace from the previous episode.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
It looks like there are some live terrorists for Einstein and Miller to catch; one is creating a suicide vest while listening to hate TV. Einstein meets with Mulder and he tries to open her mind a little. She gives him a grammar lesson instead. Dana meets with Miller, relays her own personal mystery and explains how she can help Miller’s investigation with science. Fox explains mugwump to Einstein (<i>Harry Potter</i> fans will get it; I didn’t) that he needs to ingest magic mushroom so he can communicate with the incapacitated terrorist. He also claims he didn’t ask Dr. Scully to help him because of her recent family tragedy. Einstein refuses and off she goes. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxev6l4c6GTiJclRYfEQOU4DiDV5T3b8R7EBIaFcHAuyiEy8KC06bmluUFboVXfSFME97zgbxj5O9u1b3gLccHhy-ntk9y5gINLMpd5sFHZ5Q4ojI_VQNxjeqK_wXKAmlU78y8-pOkCuHGpZofNke995vrgKM72bySbgbxCID4ha0tgLimI-8jw/s1260/hospital.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxev6l4c6GTiJclRYfEQOU4DiDV5T3b8R7EBIaFcHAuyiEy8KC06bmluUFboVXfSFME97zgbxj5O9u1b3gLccHhy-ntk9y5gINLMpd5sFHZ5Q4ojI_VQNxjeqK_wXKAmlU78y8-pOkCuHGpZofNke995vrgKM72bySbgbxCID4ha0tgLimI-8jw/s320/hospital.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Miller brings Dana to the suspect’s hospital room. Scully plans to hook up their suspect to a magnetic resonance imaging machine so she can chart his body’s unconscious reactions to her questions. Too bad the Department of Homeland Security has taken over the case. These DHS dudes are not playing by the same rules; Miller knows it and calls them on it. They leave as Einstein arrives. (I don’t think they got the timing of this one right. It’s not like Texas is as close to D.C. as Virginia.) She’s annoyed that Miller replaced her with another red-headed female doctor. Maybe she’s in love with Miller. Einstein plays hardball and calls Fox to Texas.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Dana and Miller don’t get their MRI machine until after Mulder arrives in the Lone Star State. But they get further delayed, bomb threats have been made to the terrorist’s hospital so now they’re on lockdown. Of course his nurse can’t be trusted, she turns off his machine so the test can’t occur. But Fox and Einstein interrupt her and she’s forced to turn the machine back on. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjHUFYYvL3CjDcsCl8suT2bupRj3dvzvYdTzC4FCvqBLzkaULWuYovSXqtq2ls0ZxKjISrxdALqhtLC5obcY-VvfDf-XTqOHAG4ziuFMGngp-N2cp7KbZKK7rLSZKp4vPSL4mTNCVXaijDjOh1Qa1SbMhH-Q-_IdXH9ju2CzyiwK9zxiuIVrtxQ/s1260/dream.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjHUFYYvL3CjDcsCl8suT2bupRj3dvzvYdTzC4FCvqBLzkaULWuYovSXqtq2ls0ZxKjISrxdALqhtLC5obcY-VvfDf-XTqOHAG4ziuFMGngp-N2cp7KbZKK7rLSZKp4vPSL4mTNCVXaijDjOh1Qa1SbMhH-Q-_IdXH9ju2CzyiwK9zxiuIVrtxQ/s320/dream.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The nurse distracts Einstein with fake outrage over the immigrant situation while Mulder ingests the magic mushroom in capsule form. He trips his way through the halls, roads and into a country bar where he enthusiastically joins in the line dance of a particular one-hit wonder by Billy Ray Cyrus. You may start to question the authenticity of it after you see Fox’s “mush room” ring bling as well as Skinner and The Lone Gunmen at his table. He dreams his way into a dominatrix vision featuring Agent Einstein, then a whip-cracking Cancer Man until finally stumbling across the intended target. I feel like I’m watching an episode of <i>Twin Peaks.</i></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Scully and Miller finally have their MRI machine up and running. Miller talks to the terrorist in Arabic; the nearly dead man responds to his native language, not just Miller’s voice. Mulder regains consciousness. Assistant Director Walter Skinner is there and ain’t happy to have Fox tainting the bureau’s image yet again. Einstein arrives and claims she gave Mulder a placebo, not a hallucinogenic. Fox insists he talked to the terrorist, who spoke to him in Arabic. Walter is ready to ship Mulder back home. After Skinner leaves, Einstein wheels Fox out of his hospital room toward the entrance. There he sees the terrorist’s mother, who Mulder recognizes from his vision quest. Fox and Einstein bring her to her son’s room and she almost faints when she sees Shiraz's current condition. The mom claims he talks to her about his innocence in her dreams and prayers. Shiraz reacts to his mother’s voice on the MRI machine, then flatlines. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWz9T6SPbyV2Hgm_Gw4aQoIOmu28BXXbh4bg6CZVcJ1MPtwYOsFoS9gF4zWTC8Q9N6hxNvoKdn-yONe_qIk0b0O_THSedv6anRVykb680S3gYPI-Ien35qu5QXR_wHrEj02mc504JuZhScQgmwTrXV48_RNCtNTpn7Hysg-Eq26hxHl5cETAs-A/s1260/babylon.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWz9T6SPbyV2Hgm_Gw4aQoIOmu28BXXbh4bg6CZVcJ1MPtwYOsFoS9gF4zWTC8Q9N6hxNvoKdn-yONe_qIk0b0O_THSedv6anRVykb680S3gYPI-Ien35qu5QXR_wHrEj02mc504JuZhScQgmwTrXV48_RNCtNTpn7Hysg-Eq26hxHl5cETAs-A/s320/babylon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
The four agents finally play catch-up. Mulder tells Miller what he heard. Miller translates the words as, “Babylon the hotel.” Fox may be on to something; the FBI’s SWAT team descends on the motel and arrests several members of a terrorist cell. Later that evening, Team Milstein downplay their contributions to this heroic conclusion. Einstein concedes how some things can be unexplainable. Miller does get the upper hand when he reminds his partner that she abandoned him first. Too bad no one caught the nurse who tried to commit murder.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Back home, Scully meets Mulder at his house. They go for a stroll and talk about the Bible. Then Fox hears his mystery trumpets “as if from the heavens themselves.” Too bad Dana doesn’t hear it. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Mulder was saved but not Scully? Does this mean Einstein would hear them and not Miller? Doesn’t matter; what matters is this wasn’t much of a Skinner ep after all.
<br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've heard a couple theories on the introduction of Miller and Einstein. Many thought they were going to form the basis of the revival going forward if they were accepted ... which they were not from the get-go. Others thought it was Chris Carter's little joke on the fan base, trying to get a rise out of us by pretending these two thinly veiled characters would be the new dynamic duo. Always a good idea to alienate your fan base. Of course, in his defense, fans have never shied away from voicing opinions on what we thought was end game for his show.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ6JoVn1kR0afl3LnFacUoER3kAL8LAvPRp_ioYkVUI5KsXqYTL5LrFS_B2dwkD5JDWy92Wry_uwJQPeR-1dqih0rfTgND_r6IItUXQrckzBG0WWxw3xNHnKPPdy79DlwzTfA64pRtDlhQMfjaCHq3xQJ1EaiKcCkY35mps6Vz9pyzY7jfffqpw/s1260/truck.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ6JoVn1kR0afl3LnFacUoER3kAL8LAvPRp_ioYkVUI5KsXqYTL5LrFS_B2dwkD5JDWy92Wry_uwJQPeR-1dqih0rfTgND_r6IItUXQrckzBG0WWxw3xNHnKPPdy79DlwzTfA64pRtDlhQMfjaCHq3xQJ1EaiKcCkY35mps6Vz9pyzY7jfffqpw/s320/truck.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Turns out that's the least of the issues when it comes to this particular episode, which starts with certain <i>Homeland </i>tendencies. Well, it got that show, Damian Lewis and Claire Danes Emmys, so I can see why they just went with it. But "Babylon" gets racist before we arrive at the opening credits. It starts off revolting and doesn't really let up in that regard.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Maybe she challenges his B.S.:</b> Maybe the introduction of Miller and Einstein affords the fan base that made snap judgments on Doggett and Reyes the chance to rethink that. Miller and Einstein's correlation is much more one-dimensional than our introduction to Mulder and Scully all those years ago. And it backs up the second theory posited in my introductory graph.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A little bizarre that each of the agents started working the case with his/her polar opposite, but I don't read anything into it beyond it being an obvious plot ploy. Dana's idea seems pretty valid, and one she probably could have shared with Fox. Scully's reasoning alone regarding the recent loss of her mother may have put her over the top, if in fact, Mulder showed any sign of hesitation.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqp3mQvmY2m7NyAt9FJi3RTOcdElWe52gxBU6RFZi0h6Lzq7GwIQIa26kRsntXPL0_hMVHP-Lk3HUWJ1KBUKP0CPRKcSD8S3cVeRVpj56ax1rQ-yIubstNO-l8_3IRllRLh75dW_o72U8B4x7S4tZMFRhmQCsHPdYFa6eVBzQ_JHIdT5W5sJARQ/s1260/einsteinmulder.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqp3mQvmY2m7NyAt9FJi3RTOcdElWe52gxBU6RFZi0h6Lzq7GwIQIa26kRsntXPL0_hMVHP-Lk3HUWJ1KBUKP0CPRKcSD8S3cVeRVpj56ax1rQ-yIubstNO-l8_3IRllRLh75dW_o72U8B4x7S4tZMFRhmQCsHPdYFa6eVBzQ_JHIdT5W5sJARQ/s320/einsteinmulder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Meanwhile, Einstein -- and distant relation aside, doesn't the flagrant use of such a name again seem like Carter messing with us? -- seems even more strident about not letting Fox get his two cents in than Dana ever did. Of course, that was before he let loose with the magic mushroom theory. I'll also give Einstein all due credit for delivering snappier patter than we've gotten for large stretches of the revival -- "I am getting a taste of what Agent Scully must suffer" and "I'll give you two minutes ... and then I'm due back on Earth." </p><p><b>My loss is your gain: </b>Every time I'm in danger of getting something out of this episode, someone says something like "How do you say, 'Howdy, pardner' in Arabic?" I'm not prone to easily getting offended, and I think political correctness on the whole has gotten way out of hand. So why am I still so bothered by the goings-on in "Babylon?" Maybe it's because of the Homeland agents and nurse voicing odious ideas that belong in secret chat room discussions. I don't want to wind up in that nurse's hospital ... ever ... no matter how serious my condition.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqiUc78iZ5ePVizc701eFrEhWtLUdhaCgJnXAy6YABNokchhBjHx6TAfKyBJin0Jei5dx0mfz-MM-G91urRTmL2DvfoDUz-WuOOIZV-9XefJTz0HE1i8eHgxEhgGbdz9rNotYIsTfnQrCkyTEvJPgMRhauTyLckOhGnvr_xrmFuj4-HCG6twgIg/s1260/csm.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqiUc78iZ5ePVizc701eFrEhWtLUdhaCgJnXAy6YABNokchhBjHx6TAfKyBJin0Jei5dx0mfz-MM-G91urRTmL2DvfoDUz-WuOOIZV-9XefJTz0HE1i8eHgxEhgGbdz9rNotYIsTfnQrCkyTEvJPgMRhauTyLckOhGnvr_xrmFuj4-HCG6twgIg/s320/csm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>So Mulder's deep-seated reaction to allegedly ingesting a mushroom was to line dance to country music? Well, it does make me laugh in the face of a really unenjoyable episode. It gives us the chance to see the Gunmen again, they're definitely missed on the canvas. The strapping of Fox to an alien bed seemed a lot more like what we would have expected from such a Mulder sojourn. The presence of whips, check, that fits his profile. And, of course, the Cigarette Smoking Man needed to be there, cause there's a lifelong obsession if ever there was one. </p><p>Did you ever think you'd hear Skinner say, "Dude, you're an embarrassment?" Maybe the second part, but not the first part. That said, Mitch Pileggi's delivery was pretty hilarious. Ya know, I kind of feel like I'm finally walking a mile in the agents' shoes while stumbling my way through this case. They're forever searching in darkness for answers they can't always find. Mine is an attempt to find a redeeming element. And I'm obviously trying too hard, cause Skinner saying "dude" probably shouldn't be the highlight of an episode about a bombing.<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Wonders never cease with you: </b>As it's a Chris Carter-written and directed episode, we could expect that for all his stumbles, Mulder will actually be right in the end. Even though he has a placebo instead of a magic mushroom, Fox can still propel himself into another person's consciousness -- and remember enough about the conversation to stop more insidious violence. Now that's what I call being open to all the possibilities.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLIgpNGO33oDZ2QwgwFetKT_ZlJGX1rmtAVnTbjRa4f6t2q-h-nzFa8NFr5tHCeZysXlb8R6W-KP8FTPSyBdKS4J0IhCvG3f-ljEM30vwttoRT3c0NjYQ_I103qexqXdqO0_FNXufWWJTwHb7Nmv2S_gqEo2FVAcGf7RGG_ftPdXNOhvkS0xRmA/s1260/hands.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLIgpNGO33oDZ2QwgwFetKT_ZlJGX1rmtAVnTbjRa4f6t2q-h-nzFa8NFr5tHCeZysXlb8R6W-KP8FTPSyBdKS4J0IhCvG3f-ljEM30vwttoRT3c0NjYQ_I103qexqXdqO0_FNXufWWJTwHb7Nmv2S_gqEo2FVAcGf7RGG_ftPdXNOhvkS0xRmA/s320/hands.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A heartfelt discussion about what's wrong with the world between our leads does not undo all the damage done. Dana mentions "unqualified hate that appears to have no end," but when it's presented the way it has been here, it does more to give rise to that kind of thinking than to dissuade it. Wrapping it up in a pretentious bow with hand holding to soothe the shippers' savage breast doesn't exactly do the trick. I understand that shippers may contradict me on this front.</span></p></span></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This subject matter can be presented well, witness Martin McDonagh's <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,</i> for example. But it isn't here.</span></span> So ultimately, I come to the conclusion that, although there are <i>X-Files</i> episodes that are not my favorites -- Season 2 Episode 7's "3" with vampires in L.A. and the Mexican goat sucker (S4E11's "El Mundo Gira") come to mind immediately -- this one offends me as a human being <i>and </i>an <i>X-Files</i> fan. I'm dropping this to the bottom of my all-time ranking, with the proviso that it'll have some stiff competition coming up in the near future. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiq-yyDOfxNAM7SWXjD7zuNI_xXZ5izKdD6OPgwGN5_q8fos16z4wZiKkbv5nZ8u3I8hvIUVgStzQGa2OT4dKXTwbWz8bVzkTSWUSSB-ONlxt7or4vbvkKJM-EbF1XsD_OO0NBIcNUJ_CavvNlKXogQ247-vq0WFYqYHmArOkRZLS4mwJnMuWRig/s1260/ambrose.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiq-yyDOfxNAM7SWXjD7zuNI_xXZ5izKdD6OPgwGN5_q8fos16z4wZiKkbv5nZ8u3I8hvIUVgStzQGa2OT4dKXTwbWz8bVzkTSWUSSB-ONlxt7or4vbvkKJM-EbF1XsD_OO0NBIcNUJ_CavvNlKXogQ247-vq0WFYqYHmArOkRZLS4mwJnMuWRig/s320/ambrose.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week:</b> Initially, I was not taken with Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose, but they actually do fine with what they have to work with. I'm giving the kudos to Ambrose for her convincing deliveries on the "woo woo paranormal." The<i> Six Feet Under/Torchwood </i>alum is pretty well-versed in delivering all manner of dialogue and cracking the proverbial whip (and now the real one too).</span></p><p></p><p></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-54086334311452487802022-07-23T11:48:00.003-07:002022-07-23T13:10:19.975-07:00X-Files S10E4: There's no place like Home ... Again<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s377/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s200/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">“In West Philadelphia, born and raised, on the playground was where I spent most of my days…” Sorry, the beginning of this episode put<i> The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air </i>theme in my head. In West Philadelphia, a homeless “relocation” project brought to you by the fine, upstanding members of the Department of Housing and Urban Development is underway. Things don’t end well for head pencil pusher Joseph Cutler. A man made of trash dismembers him, then leaves the area. Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder are called to the scene. (Apparently, they are “special” again after all.) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lead detective Gross isn’t quite sure what to do with his “spooky” murder case. (This isn’t spooky; it’s gross.) Mulder and the forensic tech notice there isn’t actual forensic evidence which can be processed to help identify their suspect. Dr. Scully realizes Cutler’s limbs were torn off, not severed. But her analysis comes to an abrupt end after a phone call from her brother, Bill Scully. Their mom, Margaret, has suffered a heart attack.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CUo6K3Of5Xk8YGT22FqJ2hKESZxQGS-VIBlt9o0yKU-nLD1Gbrl2B8w480LY8TzkK8OIOF3o_J8zkqc9XDI42NjiR9rUEJA5ninkMLbmTW3AktaO4nHaKkkNR4kkGXLJ__MtWbhPSGpxsYgzNe03jy4S3A8fF84putNzCwF95fPdfYq_6TMosA/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CUo6K3Of5Xk8YGT22FqJ2hKESZxQGS-VIBlt9o0yKU-nLD1Gbrl2B8w480LY8TzkK8OIOF3o_J8zkqc9XDI42NjiR9rUEJA5ninkMLbmTW3AktaO4nHaKkkNR4kkGXLJ__MtWbhPSGpxsYgzNe03jy4S3A8fF84putNzCwF95fPdfYq_6TMosA/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Fox reviews surveillance footage and sees a disturbing graffiti image of a tall man on a nearby wall that wasn’t there at the time of the murder. We know it looks just like our killer but Mulder doesn’t know that yet. He’s distracted by a bandage stuck to the bottom of his shoe. He secures it as evidence, probably because he doesn’t have anything else. Scully arrives at the hospital and learns from the nurse that her mother has been asking for Charlie, Dana’s estranged younger brother. (Do we know Charlie or is this revisionist history? I actually cannot recall.) </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back outside the crime scene, Fox interrupts a spat between H.U.D. man Daryl Landry and School Board president Nancy Huff. He learns about the Band-Aid Nose Man from one of the homeless men. (I wonder if Band-Aid paid for product placement here. Maybe it should just be Bandage Nose Man.) Unfortunately, while distracted by these three fine Philadelphia residents, the graffiti image Mulder was dying to see up close and personal managed to disappear. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILdPt72Ndg3omLfU4GHdzC4ho-B44gSM_4dupVBibnpfGF0aWqoeHVp2cBKntBZWAQr5BYRaD0ERrCP4tNnlQHPSMIEJiwtSqL1E8ACTxdn05MiGKj1oe_DATRiFF13kIFlru7jNt2ve-wl56J4da14J_1wRHL86qmiqRJTC1KEgH3dVbKOlnfA/s1260/bedside.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILdPt72Ndg3omLfU4GHdzC4ho-B44gSM_4dupVBibnpfGF0aWqoeHVp2cBKntBZWAQr5BYRaD0ERrCP4tNnlQHPSMIEJiwtSqL1E8ACTxdn05MiGKj1oe_DATRiFF13kIFlru7jNt2ve-wl56J4da14J_1wRHL86qmiqRJTC1KEgH3dVbKOlnfA/s320/bedside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dana is sitting at her mother’s bedside, remembering Fox sitting by her own bedside once upon a time. Bill calls from Germany for an update. Scully talks about their mother’s wishes while watching another patient in the Intensive Care Unit die. She soon finds out her mother updated her living will without Dana’s knowledge and she chose to not be resuscitated after all. Meanwhile, Fox learns the results of the analysis of the bandage from his shoe; it is devoid of organic and inorganic material. It’s not alive or dead. It’s Schrodinger’s Band Aid.
The graffiti image of the Band-Aid Nose Man has been stolen right out from under Mulder’s nose. Now that’s just embarrassing. But the "man" takes care of the two thieves, and he even takes out the “trash.” </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Fox goes to the hospital to give Dana moral support and Huff serves Landry with an injunction to prevent the homeless relocation. Too bad she’s not doing it for altruistic reasons; it’s more of a N.I.M.B.Y situation (Not in My Back Yard). Back at the hospital, Scully has so many unanswered questions, like why was her mother wearing a quarter around her neck like a charm? And why did she ask for Charlie and/or change her living will? But more is going on in her head -- every time her cell phone rings, she thinks it’s William. Not brother Bill, not Mulder, but her son, William, who would be about 15 years old. Pretty sure she doesn’t have his cell phone number so that’s kinda weird. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4prEHaZHsuMc84p-LDkmhX5e1GrzfjPJIYjMkQmbzTK0LJa5ddXUTaco_FMj2kNFIZnoMlkNWvDH_cZJ1V5Zq0VIXCk_8mX6TACPl_OVVPO76I3JrbhYSAcJIbD_51O7Z4oJ8zjxhzNMCFDEEmJZXG00-dhASBlZTlEq8bCC_p5gMce81B2mJ4A/s2568/trashman.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="2568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4prEHaZHsuMc84p-LDkmhX5e1GrzfjPJIYjMkQmbzTK0LJa5ddXUTaco_FMj2kNFIZnoMlkNWvDH_cZJ1V5Zq0VIXCk_8mX6TACPl_OVVPO76I3JrbhYSAcJIbD_51O7Z4oJ8zjxhzNMCFDEEmJZXG00-dhASBlZTlEq8bCC_p5gMce81B2mJ4A/s320/trashman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Band-Aid Nose Man has come for Huff. You just knew parts of her were going to end up in that trash compactor she couldn’t stop using.
Charlie calls Dana and talks to their comatose mother. She responds and opens her eyes. Her dying words are, “My son is named William too.” Scully thinks her Mom was referring to Dana and Fox’s son. (There are too many people named William in the Sculder families.) Too emotional to stay at the hospital, Scully wants to return to their investigation in Philadelphia. Now wearing her mother’s quarter necklace, Dana and Mulder chase a graffiti artist who points his gun at Scully. She quickly disarms him and gives Fox a condescending dressing-down when he lets the kid escape. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They search and find a homeless man who tries to explain he’s not the killer, just an artist trying to get the garbage message out there. The Trashman's Band-Aid Nose Man is a tulpa – a thought form – he accidentally created. For some reason, Dana starts thinking of baby William’s young life during the exposition. She claims the Trashman is responsible for Band-Aid Boy's actions if he thought him into existence. But they have no time to waste; Sculder learns Landry got the injunction lifted and relocated the homeless people. Mr. Band-Aid is stalking Daryl when the agents and the Trashman arrive at the new group home. They just miss Landry being torn to pieces. I guess the tulpa's work is done. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_PrsUXEYrQf6obkryH_VAYdkz1KQI6M6-_GRNC5dC58KRU6T9k-vvbpdqSAYO7t0DX-84vsN0JtKgLvqQXmFQkuqrCK_IZ_HZvOxpGFpo7ro_zmVFIGcJTuTDid2ZJUSXjwcHEq7ZtNCa6l-6QqVqAtmuS5dA7Zc8W6Wi0iXuOQ--gz1rp4u1A/s1260/sculder2.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_PrsUXEYrQf6obkryH_VAYdkz1KQI6M6-_GRNC5dC58KRU6T9k-vvbpdqSAYO7t0DX-84vsN0JtKgLvqQXmFQkuqrCK_IZ_HZvOxpGFpo7ro_zmVFIGcJTuTDid2ZJUSXjwcHEq7ZtNCa6l-6QqVqAtmuS5dA7Zc8W6Wi0iXuOQ--gz1rp4u1A/s320/sculder2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And now that the grotesque criminal case is over, Dana can focus on her mother’s final words. Scully still experiences regret for giving William up for adoption, even though it was to keep him safe. It seems she’ll never find peace when it comes to her son. Too bad it’s only going to get worse.
</span></p>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The revival's comedy episode is out of the way and tribute has been paid to the series' most prolific, and dare I say, influential director. It's time to get back down to the business of 1.) getting gross in that patented <i>X-Files</i> way and 2.) moving our leads' story along.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_2L0VDxWFTuzmPkmVZNUyqExIh00XXVTNtE1ZciXYaZJjeqtcjRVUq0pNjg7y0ShqRyNiWiuNuuxr25tl7uTTruHENdS9Q0K0r0jmjGQcRY2pEAwAIwqtkHvHRZITKtLAn1CFbjdYqEwQD_1jYwdbSBu-r_oM11lKgrnRo_g2YMCC48o72TyNA/s1260/graffiti.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_2L0VDxWFTuzmPkmVZNUyqExIh00XXVTNtE1ZciXYaZJjeqtcjRVUq0pNjg7y0ShqRyNiWiuNuuxr25tl7uTTruHENdS9Q0K0r0jmjGQcRY2pEAwAIwqtkHvHRZITKtLAn1CFbjdYqEwQD_1jYwdbSBu-r_oM11lKgrnRo_g2YMCC48o72TyNA/s320/graffiti.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Writer/director Glen Morgan is just the man to handle these tasks. With co-writer James Wong, Morgan blazed the trail for the series' spooky cases -- those monsters of the week that we remember so well. From liver-eating Tooms (Season 1, Episodes 3 and 22) and the worm of death in "Ice" (S1E8) to human aberration Luther Lee Boggs in "Beyond the Sea" (S1E13), a template was set that the series forever tried to live up to during the rest of the regular run. And let's not forget the original "Home" denizens -- the Peacock family from the S4E2 episode that bore that moniker.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>We can eliminate any 76ers, 'cause those guys can't find the rim: </b>Mulder's still recognizing the ridiculousness of his former hypotheses during his initial examinations. Not that it stops him from making them, mind you, just that he's tagging the note of impossibility the rest of the world sees onto his comments. Scully's forever the scientific whiz, she can elaborate in excruciating detail about a victim's demise. But her cell contact list probably shouldn't be as precise, or she wouldn't think at first glance that brother Bill is long-lost son William on the phone. Dana's shaky-cam departure gives Fox a chance to work out some nuts and bolts -- such as attaching importance of street art to the murder.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexP5LhrOwS8Q5_qQ7eghvjtbgDZ3x5k8lNKM_hHXktE55wnb61c1cwI2srTJ4Af9Hlwi4YZ5W-Y3UX_VBACmjNXhvVwTIBuWuUEo-kCKB9vDQXvy_bxnug4FWkmo-Wegj2KeYdyQUUycgZ1bbR8Bk4c-PtMgIuK-dLzFSDC9cNif_EUHUkxQ9ag/s1260/quarter.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexP5LhrOwS8Q5_qQ7eghvjtbgDZ3x5k8lNKM_hHXktE55wnb61c1cwI2srTJ4Af9Hlwi4YZ5W-Y3UX_VBACmjNXhvVwTIBuWuUEo-kCKB9vDQXvy_bxnug4FWkmo-Wegj2KeYdyQUUycgZ1bbR8Bk4c-PtMgIuK-dLzFSDC9cNif_EUHUkxQ9ag/s320/quarter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Margaret Scully asked for Charlie after being hospitalized, and if you don't remember who that is, you're not alone. Dana informs us that her brother is estranged (makes sense, we haven't seen him since a youthful flashback in S2E8's "One Breath") and now there are two mysteries to solve in 44 minutes. We feel for her as Scully the doctor deals with a daughter's pain, particularly when she finds out her mother changed her mind about her living will without filling her in on it. However out of left field the story seems to be, Gillian Anderson gives us all the feels when Dana reacts to Margaret being taken off life support.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, Fox is sussing out the Band-Aid Nose Man. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My initial reaction to the case was that it seemed reminiscent of the
monster from "Arcadia" (S6E15). Morgan had departed the series by then,
but series creator Chris Carter had a hand in that one. </span></span></span>I'd like to see the Wilt Chamberlain of monsters take on the Gogolak created by the strident homeowners' association in "Arcadia." That would be a monster match for sure. Morgan's affinity for pop music is evident -- and reminiscent of the Peacocks -- with the playing of Petula Clark's "Downtown." Putting that setting into the context of the predicament of the homeless, we can visualize an underbelly of the song that we probably never considered before.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1Fgm4RMviAGXdqs2UfZ5FYd3EilBctJ8lhyQVUeiTNQN27LXe36Rw1yuYUw1bIvFC1CfjsWtVNhmHZ7rMRoDg10tAOXH_IwrZ5ekRSrD-TThWXoYKx-l1CIMbctzVeOgORmiV5lV3mvURsx3MWIdYRUrGvssVqDV6gJYRCKRoQaI9_sSS35kWg/s1260/flashlights.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1Fgm4RMviAGXdqs2UfZ5FYd3EilBctJ8lhyQVUeiTNQN27LXe36Rw1yuYUw1bIvFC1CfjsWtVNhmHZ7rMRoDg10tAOXH_IwrZ5ekRSrD-TThWXoYKx-l1CIMbctzVeOgORmiV5lV3mvURsx3MWIdYRUrGvssVqDV6gJYRCKRoQaI9_sSS35kWg/s320/flashlights.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">All of that is juxtaposed with the loss of Scully's mother. Poor Dana doesn't even get to hear her mom's last words said to her as Margaret directs them to Fox. Scully's more concerned about the content, though. And despite Mulder's best efforts, she wants to get back to work rather than think of the ramifications (again!) of giving up their child.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Back in the day is now:</b> Dana's using that laser-like focus that helps you get through a personal crisis by concentrating her attention elsewhere. So as a picture of the gigantic monster gets literally painted by numbers for us, Scully gets to point out an old Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers axiom -- she did everything her male counterpart did, only in high heels. Then the Trashman imparts an extended lesson about how people treat people like garbage and why problems exist long after we stop thinking about them.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2K9NNtP6PNbkgFpnASgDUbQyZWvyg620ybFNzlTiIptt_pqwpwOoqoBABOF7xU8ftaSOd7fvv-Hdbi-j__mRwUeGJmrKKyNHHq_SxIJKCzOfIOMM22qiX9EiyMSmZwCy2NrAuCg9MlmyWUAnud2_4ffgxYi0xWNd1ORuwWxSHuvWqh4ceImDHg/s1260/monster.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2K9NNtP6PNbkgFpnASgDUbQyZWvyg620ybFNzlTiIptt_pqwpwOoqoBABOF7xU8ftaSOd7fvv-Hdbi-j__mRwUeGJmrKKyNHHq_SxIJKCzOfIOMM22qiX9EiyMSmZwCy2NrAuCg9MlmyWUAnud2_4ffgxYi0xWNd1ORuwWxSHuvWqh4ceImDHg/s320/monster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So the Band-Aid Nose Man's a tulpa ... it <i>is </i>just like the "Arcadia" monster, even if Mulder now thinks tulpas can't be used for that purpose. He's forgotten his own opinion, and Dana's too busy with William flashbacks to contradict him. She's taking the Trashman's words to heart when it comes to her son, even as she blames the artist for causing the rash of deaths. All the reasons why William was moved off the canvas for his own safety and the sanity of the rest of us who didn't want the series to turn into <i>thirtysomething </i>have been discarded alongside the other refuse.<i> <br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">With the case ... um, solved, I guess ... Scully figures out the other great mystery of the story. Why was Charlie foremost on her mother's mind? Because William's grandmother wanted her daughter (and Fox, I guess) to find their son. I don't think lines associated with the series like, "She made him" and "I want to believe" needed to be encapsulated in Dana's final speech. It may have not lessened the impact of another fine Gillian performance, but it does take us out of the moment. I'd like to recycle that monologue and give her another crack at it.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXyid4jG8cmNv2JLth_yXqA_BI8du8AgYsaXU4-NrPquCLzO2oNI519eeuozYs9PahR81BFLzTvQaSUqGQyVww885KmvV7OtFcKonZbrnkUGOkPdJq51cD8VI_0yV1LKMw3VOsCAgmmlN6bFhKD3nY14SbaltYzld_7oISzeExLYboEJiq_hHZg/s1260/sheila.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXyid4jG8cmNv2JLth_yXqA_BI8du8AgYsaXU4-NrPquCLzO2oNI519eeuozYs9PahR81BFLzTvQaSUqGQyVww885KmvV7OtFcKonZbrnkUGOkPdJq51cD8VI_0yV1LKMw3VOsCAgmmlN6bFhKD3nY14SbaltYzld_7oISzeExLYboEJiq_hHZg/s320/sheila.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>Sheila Larken. Everyone in the trash-homeless story was painted into a one-dimensional corner. The emotional resonance and the impetus for us to move forward was provided by someone we'd become very attached to over the course of the series, even if we only saw her now and then. Dana's loss was our loss too.</span></p></span></span>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-23773878866738737422022-07-09T12:30:00.003-07:002022-07-09T13:01:09.314-07:00X-Files S10E3: Minding our Manners<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s377/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s200/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Pro has been waiting <i>very </i>patiently for this episode. She is quite the Darin Morgan fan. So let’s get to it! In Shawan, Oregon, a couple of paint huffers interrupt a tall<i> Creature of the Black Lagoon</i>-ish type as he/she/it attacks some poor dude. Looks like the victim will be fine, but there’s another guy laying there with his throat slashed open who didn’t fare so well. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What is up with the old-style intro and theme song? Looks like they’re trying to reclaim that past <i>XF </i>vibe. We see they’re not quite successful when Special Agent Dana Scully joins Special Agent Fox Mulder in their recently reacquired basement office space. (Are they still “Special”? Asking for a friend…) Fox has seen the light. Well, actually it's more like the reality of some unexplained phenomena that have reasonable explanations. Luckily, Dana has a new X-file for them to investigate, so off to Oregon they go.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KN2p6uKQzUhmfZHS4g9sDQtLei30j0GMpYAv19j4OBVYL9Ao1NfAjnOosBunv33puaKRX3jYC7t0ea-N5fCPciIjZVkT74CwuBZ9wI5hyocWDXoFDpzJrdRf6I1gpL6c2hfCQ9EuiedqT7-bDhk5T5RPSSvXTFoVcQnl2kCr8liubY3TvBiqQA/s1260/onsite.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KN2p6uKQzUhmfZHS4g9sDQtLei30j0GMpYAv19j4OBVYL9Ao1NfAjnOosBunv33puaKRX3jYC7t0ea-N5fCPciIjZVkT74CwuBZ9wI5hyocWDXoFDpzJrdRf6I1gpL6c2hfCQ9EuiedqT7-bDhk5T5RPSSvXTFoVcQnl2kCr8liubY3TvBiqQA/s320/onsite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Scully reads the case file to Mulder while they’re in the middle of the woodlands crime scene. Hearing Fox spouting plausible excuses for everything Dana mentions about the killings makes for an interesting, yet quickly tiresome, role-reversal take on their previous Monster of the Week investigations. Mulder’s right about one thing; the killer does only have two eyes. And those eyes are focused on a new victim, who quickly hits him square in the horns with her purse. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Team Sculder heads to the truck stop to get more information about their tighty-whitey-wearing creature. They also locate Pasha </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(Kumail Nanjiani)</span>, the animal control officer who survived the pre-credits attack. Pasha is wise enough to run the other way when it looks like the creature has returned. While searching the area, Scully and Mulder stumble across a fresh victim. Fox, who’s taking way too many pictures with his smart phone, chases after the suspect, the cell phone camera’s flash signaling his location at every point. He gets startled by Pasha, who stereotypically tries to offer tech support to Mulder. While they’re distracted, the creature sneaks up behind them! Dana runs to assist. Fox is fine; Pasha is fed up and quits on the spot. Team Sculder chases the monster into a portable toilet. Or so they think. It’s currently occupied by a not-as-livid-as-he-should-be user, played by Rhys Darby. Fox and Dana give him back his privacy, but don’t see the horns protruding from the back of his head.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGjK7PP930yRkuBN8dY3Uk41rcBm05LWb-WqlFrcIpQ_k6GbjvUijAytkbOyRmud5nFoUStWrGVmYaFErTOMd7F4EsyTgwWv4s7rANJwooh35XtD9389LBG4hdbwe-VttdnXOd83MuFC_27_3xU71g8kP4GYX-xA9UNxwVPC5-GKvHjCNbkZm_A/s1260/autopsy.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGjK7PP930yRkuBN8dY3Uk41rcBm05LWb-WqlFrcIpQ_k6GbjvUijAytkbOyRmud5nFoUStWrGVmYaFErTOMd7F4EsyTgwWv4s7rANJwooh35XtD9389LBG4hdbwe-VttdnXOd83MuFC_27_3xU71g8kP4GYX-xA9UNxwVPC5-GKvHjCNbkZm_A/s320/autopsy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Scully is trying to perform an autopsy on the latest victim, but Mulder distracts her with really lame photo and video “evidence” on his phone. Dana manages to give the most accurate assumption of what they’re looking for: a 6-foot-tall horny -- well, horned -- toad. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Mulder is trying to sleep when a disturbance in the motel’s office draws his attention. The clerk, an elderly man swigging rubbing alcohol, plays the Greta Garbo card and demands to be left alone. Fox wanders around behind the walls of the motel after he realizes the animal “trophies” are actually Norman Bates-level peeping stations. After briefly spying on a sleeping Scully, Mulder ends up back in the motel’s office and listens to the old man’s tale: After briefly spying on a sleeping Fox, the motel manager became distracted by the man from the portable toilet, who has his own room. The man started yelling at himself and trashing the two-star accommodations. The old man watched while the guest began to transform into the red-eyed, green-horned monster. I don’t think he’s quite 6 feet tall though, Dana.</span></p><p></p><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Mulder seeks counsel from Dr. Rumanovitch, who shares a fable about monsters within ourselves, blah blah blah. The good doctor does refer to the creature as a were-lizard, which seems more visually accurate than were-monster. (So why wasn’t this episode called "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Lizard" instead?) Meanwhile, Scully has stumbled across the suspect at his place of employment. Unfortunately, she asked him a question and he promptly destroys the cell phone shop where he works and, like Pasha, quits on the spot. Mulder tracks down the suspect in a cemetery. After laying flowers at the grave of Kim Manners (nice touch, Darin), Guy, our were-lizard, breaks a bottle on the headstone of Jack Hardy (a less-nice touch but love the quote, "Nothing says thank you like cash") and tries to goad Mulder into assisted suicide with a green bottle. Fox agrees, but only after he hears Mann’s story.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuiqXZ7k_qw7BYKxMZc8oicYkHfmciFT0I85Wt41R2SKpgJP1yLTPAxuV4Qi7umsbQVzrzH5nTVFpXuaDgwiv3uyxEEjEAPXOi1ar9nYz3SQykodmXbiI4kHRlSfxgdrVbEjtsKnI7g1RyIiN708tJ9-GkosV-8w4VHgkLBg5rmoX-zFMiwYlIA/s1260/tussle.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuiqXZ7k_qw7BYKxMZc8oicYkHfmciFT0I85Wt41R2SKpgJP1yLTPAxuV4Qi7umsbQVzrzH5nTVFpXuaDgwiv3uyxEEjEAPXOi1ar9nYz3SQykodmXbiI4kHRlSfxgdrVbEjtsKnI7g1RyIiN708tJ9-GkosV-8w4VHgkLBg5rmoX-zFMiwYlIA/s320/tussle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
OK, so the were-lizard was in the woods one night during a full moon, minding his own business when Pasha and the first victim disrupted his peaceful moment by struggling with each other. Pasha then bit him, and Guy ran away past the two paint huffers. He awoke in the woods the next morning as a naked human being, next to three dead bodies. After swiping one dead man’s clothing he got himself a job and was quickly – very quickly – promoted to manager. He instinctively ate fast food and watched porn in a hotel room, then celebrated as he changed back into his original form. Too bad it was only temporary. By the next morning, he was Mann again, a human being craving coffee and desperately needing to work. He found a shrink and a puppy to help with the transition but the adorable doggie disappeared. Guy was out looking for his puppy when he stumbled across his original attacker attacking another attackee. (So much attacking going on…) He transformed back into the were-lizard and made a run for it. That’s when he got smacked in the face with the purse and chased by Mulder into the porta potty. He also tries to convince Fox that a woman – Scully – had sex with him in the phone store. Funny how everything else is believable except that one part. Poor Guy realizes Fox is the fuzz and that he won’t get the assisted suicide for which he longs so the were-lizard leaves Mulder at the gravesite.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIS6oMbec229w6wcjCSrukAepxt3pGwFdSMSPYcAhXRolQdm4nr2F4nTxUCshpCKcjtDqB3S8gZUGg7Qg45S4wfNfhr-yUHYnoT3ALKuhY1lcOt1nzMVZ6xOzzHb70yiQDcF0CK0dGCPYJNXxF49Gm1WY_d1b2MiL628qM-W0B0Wu6JyymoPgUQ/s1260/pasha.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIS6oMbec229w6wcjCSrukAepxt3pGwFdSMSPYcAhXRolQdm4nr2F4nTxUCshpCKcjtDqB3S8gZUGg7Qg45S4wfNfhr-yUHYnoT3ALKuhY1lcOt1nzMVZ6xOzzHb70yiQDcF0CK0dGCPYJNXxF49Gm1WY_d1b2MiL628qM-W0B0Wu6JyymoPgUQ/s320/pasha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Fox gets drunk and passes out on Kim’s grave but wakes up to his <i>X-Files</i> ringtone. He tries to explain Mann’s story to Dana, who is at the Animal Control shelter with Guy’s dog and Pasha when the latter</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> attacks Scully with a control pole! Mulder and the local police rush to the scene to save her, but of course, she saves herself and takes Pasha into custody. He verbally demonstrates his serial killer tendencies but Team Sculder don’t want – or need – to hear it. Fox races back to the woods to tell Guy he believes the were-lizard's saga. Luckily, he catches the creature as he prepares for a multi-millennial hibernation. They say their goodbyes, Guy changes one last time then skips to freedom. Oh, and Scully steals the dog. Hope he has a better fate than Queequeg.
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are faces and names associated with the entirety of <i>The X-Files </i>-- creator Chris Carter, leads Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, scene stealers William B. Davis and Mitch Pileggi, the writing team of Glen Morgan and James Wong, genre-widening efforts from Vince Gilligan and Darin Morgan and Carter's clutch right-hand man, Frank Spotnitz. Add to that mix the Lone Gunmen, the various informants (Jerry Hardin, Steven Williams and Laurie Holden), Nicholas Lea, and then Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish at the end of the regular run and you have a pretty good representation. But the picture's not complete -- because we're missing more directors, particularly a man who had influence on all of the above and more -- the late, great Kim Manners.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAVbPjU3K64mILC4tGrnhEbzJ01e89gYemXgv_FXocd6ytlWvFoyNfztysKE9Z_DykjfrGC_bb820pIxjNUMeoAf2l9i4fqi1DFvTyR7ru9WqcXKs2u1TRXTGopz2OP3R7ui_VJBmXP2wg7itCm6YHWStUwwcK16Zv21cSRz1wUw9bUOrPjNP8A/s1260/fox.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAVbPjU3K64mILC4tGrnhEbzJ01e89gYemXgv_FXocd6ytlWvFoyNfztysKE9Z_DykjfrGC_bb820pIxjNUMeoAf2l9i4fqi1DFvTyR7ru9WqcXKs2u1TRXTGopz2OP3R7ui_VJBmXP2wg7itCm6YHWStUwwcK16Zv21cSRz1wUw9bUOrPjNP8A/s320/fox.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Manners wasn't only the most tenured director -- with 51, he was at the helm for a good quarter of the show. But starting with "Die Hand, Die Verletzt" (Season 2, Episode 14), he harnessed a vision of the show that became one of its trademarks. Others took lessons from him, which improved the overall look and quality of the series while he ascended to a supervising producer role by the end of the show. On more than one occasion, a character was inspired by him -- most notably the colorful Detective Manners in S3E20's "Josh Chung's From Outer Space." (That role was almost played by Manners, but in the end, he bowed out.)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So when Manners passed away between the end of the original run and the start of the revival, the question arose of how they could pay tribute to someone who was such an integral part of the franchise. The powers-that-be decided to let Darin Morgan handle it in his episode. That meant we'd get something right on point -- sweet and original yet befitting the moment. In short, the perfect touch.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniuLXQ0wu1exIsjn-Fd0bh9AwGvX_x-FTdb7pUCtYSyWOMDTivxLTrHErUlzxhiZM732FHPMGi9Cx-K4oYGe3xmeR-QfMdxqO3luiWB8f5GW_ZNp3wxwlKy4eZRf6UuUYE8my48RjZnUsX5zs9sST5k9SJU41Ycr2Fc9SA93sF5EXFqt0SykqAw/s1260/creature.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniuLXQ0wu1exIsjn-Fd0bh9AwGvX_x-FTdb7pUCtYSyWOMDTivxLTrHErUlzxhiZM732FHPMGi9Cx-K4oYGe3xmeR-QfMdxqO3luiWB8f5GW_ZNp3wxwlKy4eZRf6UuUYE8my48RjZnUsX5zs9sST5k9SJU41Ycr2Fc9SA93sF5EXFqt0SykqAw/s320/creature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Darin Morgan's effect on <i>The X-Files</i> outlasted his tenure. He left after the third season, but his out-of-the-box thinking paved the way for Gilligan to pen such gems as "Bad Blood" (S5E12) and Carter's efforts at doing the same (I'm thinking particularly of S5E5's "The Post-Modern Prometheus.") Still, there's nothing like a Darin Morgan joint, because he has the ability to think in ways that others don't. When you view one of his episodes, there are no throwaway moments. I'm forever uncovering subtleties in his work.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Having Darin back in the fold for the revival helped take the run to another level, because he didn't lose a step. "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" is chock full of Darin Morganisms, as well as a story greater than its outline. It's laden with lots of little gems, and it delivers more than the resolution of an FBI case. He's still making us think about the state of our world and our lives.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>If that doesn't explain it, well then it was probably just ice:</b> We start off with the return of the stoners (previously seen in S3E12's "War of the Coprophages" and S3E22's "Quagmire") and segue right into references from the days of old -- The "Truth Is Out There" posters and Mulder's penchant for tossing pencils. Darin gives Fox a diatribe to deliver on how much has changed in the interim between the regular run and the revival, while Dana shows off an illustration of the monster that was drawn by Anderson's daughter Piper. On site, Mulder sounds rather Scully-like, explaining away the monster with hypotheses of wolves and nudists.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmh6J7LtsyQ4rTtr-pv-ekuyLORtBff1p4ao-sXbb9noDqHLWUI30dVdHGR6YXJ5p6W4ZYhZg-KKG1AHjTFHyqldCOsE16sM2QgPS1uJfsd5D78jFAZg2-8OdYEXHPS2bBoYUoKBhPsb5v3MKU1KILO1RXxRBk93eJ6zmcRangs9lkuibBhGt7Q/s1260/trans.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmh6J7LtsyQ4rTtr-pv-ekuyLORtBff1p4ao-sXbb9noDqHLWUI30dVdHGR6YXJ5p6W4ZYhZg-KKG1AHjTFHyqldCOsE16sM2QgPS1uJfsd5D78jFAZg2-8OdYEXHPS2bBoYUoKBhPsb5v3MKU1KILO1RXxRBk93eJ6zmcRangs9lkuibBhGt7Q/s320/trans.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A transwoman (admittedly on crack) gives her first-person account of the monster to raise Fox's interest level, and it's not too long before the guy who was just belittling the fact that everyone has a cell phone with a camera but no one gets photos of supernatural occurrences finds out how difficult it is to get that done. Scully, as usual, has got the better idea -- if there actually is a murderous monster on the rampage, she's emptying her clip into it.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>A bit of privacy, please: </b>Along this path, we run into the animal control officer played by <i>X-Files</i> super fan Kumail Nanjani, and I believe we get some insight into how difficult Darin Morgan finds it to deal with modern technology. (Dana's right again, the internet is not good for Fox.) And Rhys Darby's episode instruction must be what any actor always dreams of, he's pants-down on a porta potty toidi.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After Scully's autopsy devolves into a description of the perpetrator as a man-sized human lizard with with human teeth that shoots blood out his eyes, we find that Dana has gotten a lot more laid-back in the ensuing years. She's definitely not as irritated by Mulder's hypotheses as she used to be.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PL9gimWKwGUzTboIV-ZMGvI4D1hGG0OzYuYNfnmhJqXSfPa_Ka1JjGTz4bgZoylOdFhq41A0Mux9o8giaLiSXQ65u2fouRtLb6145aCgeCiLGXau5rgNMY0d6QaQeP4n7h-PjsfVBj1rAD9J3Pi_v671adbn_ufW7ppdCXFCdGQ-Qy55lUvzwQ/s1260/scully.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PL9gimWKwGUzTboIV-ZMGvI4D1hGG0OzYuYNfnmhJqXSfPa_Ka1JjGTz4bgZoylOdFhq41A0Mux9o8giaLiSXQ65u2fouRtLb6145aCgeCiLGXau5rgNMY0d6QaQeP4n7h-PjsfVBj1rAD9J3Pi_v671adbn_ufW7ppdCXFCdGQ-Qy55lUvzwQ/s320/scully.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>No, you're bat-crap crazy: </b>Cue another Darin Morgan favorite with Alex Diakun as the dubious motel manager. X-Philes know him as the curator in "Humbug" (S2E20), the tarot dealer in "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (S3E4) and Dr. Fingers in "Jose Chung." Dubious might be too weak an adjective, as Sestra Am mentioned, he is definitely displaying shades of Norman Bates. Also cue the return of Mulder's red Speedo ("Duane Barry," S2E5), and thankfully, the return of his wild conjectures, only made complete with such phraseology as "military-agro-big-pharma corporation." Someone must explain to me why that sounds preposterous in a Carter episode but just right in a Darin Morgan episode. <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It's up to Guy Mann's borderline-creepy Dr. Rumanovitch (Richard Newman ... What? No previous Morgan/<i>X-Files</i> link?) to explain to us that it's easier to accept monsters out in the wild than the monsters lurking within ourselves. And Smart Phones ...Is Us -- yet another Darin gem, because the world needs more catchy store names/tag lines that are grammatically incorrect despite the fact that the word "smart" is in there.</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSTvT4JZPGW00pkJ9mXZpVbYsMeVKyFLYUUYUrx9VFAGZTgMSyhOaAi2BBfkxdYh-CvUDOfNOtlpmkHDnNpDRj_09kYzv2PYGYUdTLYqAlTuZDkkMSVe9FbxvwEX-BTytPMTAxyobeN13vOwEJuZMc2tXXb6RX74tEgkNcVY_6V4o-4uSuGmqbQ/s1260/kim.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSTvT4JZPGW00pkJ9mXZpVbYsMeVKyFLYUUYUrx9VFAGZTgMSyhOaAi2BBfkxdYh-CvUDOfNOtlpmkHDnNpDRj_09kYzv2PYGYUdTLYqAlTuZDkkMSVe9FbxvwEX-BTytPMTAxyobeN13vOwEJuZMc2tXXb6RX74tEgkNcVY_6V4o-4uSuGmqbQ/s320/kim.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Let's kick it in the ass: </b>So in the midst of all this humor and insight comes our touching tributes to Manners and Jack Hardy (first assistant director on <i>I Want to Believe </i>as well as many <i>Millennium</i> episodes. Even though it's just Fox's decoy, Duchovny touchingly cleans off the Manners' head stone -- complete with the director's trademark line (fans of Supernatural probably recognize it too). <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But moving on to the transformation(s) of Guy Mann. Mulder finds out his monster is not really a monster at all, just a big lizard adversely affected by the bite of the real predator. Yeah, this is how Dana likes her Fox ... and this is how I like my <i>X-Files. </i>Guy had found his new visage gave him the Darwinian ability to BS his way through anything ... such a human trait. The lizard found it very difficult to navigate fast-food drive-thrus (especially without any insect offerings), deal with a blaring alarm clock and work a job he hated. Like many mortals, he only felt better in the company of his puppy. Is it my imagination or does Mulder say Daggoo's name like Scooby Doo?<br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCKeN9SjN0iUmV93xeJBjVWbUHJrYNk1suapv-Y4Z3OeTSyfTSBbo55FJLOFwHm2R3wwEWf5zStwMCkDHYswLnz-zslRyWszBEf4um5PalIgu3gss387pHOfeqj_QN8xsv4ijIjSlIcQDun7ygYuv0KmeW1aPUYUY8l45wvQxjnNw0iymVCxCIw/s1260/sexscene.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCKeN9SjN0iUmV93xeJBjVWbUHJrYNk1suapv-Y4Z3OeTSyfTSBbo55FJLOFwHm2R3wwEWf5zStwMCkDHYswLnz-zslRyWszBEf4um5PalIgu3gss387pHOfeqj_QN8xsv4ijIjSlIcQDun7ygYuv0KmeW1aPUYUY8l45wvQxjnNw0iymVCxCIw/s320/sexscene.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>J'accuse, Monsieur Mulder!</b> I was perfectly willing to believe that saga until he got to the most awkward sex scene in the history of Mann (and the rest of us). He did satisfactorily explain that away with his line about not being able to help lying about his sex life since he became a human. OK, I'm back on board, but Fox still has his uncharacteristic doubts. Maybe that's because he doesn't want to believe in a mortal life that's all about worries, self-doubt, regret and loneliness. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The final act finds Mulder drunk on monsters and alcohol (and somehow whole with <i>The X-Files</i> theme song as his ringtone) and Scully not only emerging as the story's hero but getting some canine payback from the universe in the form of Daggoo. Really appreciate Pasha not getting to tell his story, that flies in the face of every TV program ever. Save it for the trial indeed. Well spoken, Dana!<br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLUuzismij5fbFwOV8LcwZgZD3yHkSrJ_UHeHJW9KO2JgG_wIaDqI6GDW7UK3RJDVNcleIgQKAW0Zr8Ms3nq_eTxxvnlB3Q7OtvG4uguu1Hr1IFIJOgTGAmDt8qMyJfAN0_TCD4h9whhE-tRIw3_ForI9-VcsFApNl6g_KByfFlE-d0NhcoBzuQ/s1260/rhys.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLUuzismij5fbFwOV8LcwZgZD3yHkSrJ_UHeHJW9KO2JgG_wIaDqI6GDW7UK3RJDVNcleIgQKAW0Zr8Ms3nq_eTxxvnlB3Q7OtvG4uguu1Hr1IFIJOgTGAmDt8qMyJfAN0_TCD4h9whhE-tRIw3_ForI9-VcsFApNl6g_KByfFlE-d0NhcoBzuQ/s320/rhys.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>Sorry, Kumail, but Rhys Darby really Manned up on this one. The New Zealand actor quoted from <i>Hamlet </i>(the first folio yet), made an incredibly convoluted story of transformation seem sensible and even spilled some blood for the cause -- he had to go to the hospital after breaking the bottle badly in the cemetery scene.<br /></span></span></span></p><p></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-14489503601599772022-06-11T14:04:00.005-07:002022-06-11T15:04:27.804-07:00X-Files S10E2: Parents just do understand<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s377/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s200/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After waiting 14 years for Season 10, Episode 1, X-Philes only had to wait one day for Episode 2. This one is probably considered a bottle episode, but there may be enough references to past storylines that it wouldn’t qualify as one after all. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Dr. Sanjay works at Nugenics Technology, a super-secure office building which requires retinal scans for entry. His Monday isn’t starting so well, due to a bout of tinnitus. At least his disgustingly bloodshot eyes still got him into the building. Dr. Sanjay is trying to pay attention during the morning staff meeting but things sound distorted to him. He spazzes during the meeting and bolts from the room. Certain phrases keep echoing in his head, an important one being “Data is the key.” So Dr. Sanjay starts transmitting data to someone, somewhere. When the unbearable tone gets the better of him, he punctures his ear canal – and his brain? – by stabbing himself. Yeah, I think that stopped the noise. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsqpSme7RWz4MbbuUrtqRm3Bmq90lIa-uxfGK2JLEnKgzFmONG_ykRMs8km86Hcz9-3lszHm46H_ap0-jNCnLn3DpULyHIkboNgK2LUKN0SGS_ynKmwhYRwcS99j2iB8mIzrU4rPOme5nhiu-Sl7clKbwQyn8bLzKnSzEaaDE-A7k8fmcqIW1Xw/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsqpSme7RWz4MbbuUrtqRm3Bmq90lIa-uxfGK2JLEnKgzFmONG_ykRMs8km86Hcz9-3lszHm46H_ap0-jNCnLn3DpULyHIkboNgK2LUKN0SGS_ynKmwhYRwcS99j2iB8mIzrU4rPOme5nhiu-Sl7clKbwQyn8bLzKnSzEaaDE-A7k8fmcqIW1Xw/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Reactivated Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully respond because of the heightened security clearance required to access the crime scene, a server room for Department of Defense hard drives. Mulder is, as usual, frustrated by government interference. In this case, it’s the re-seizing of his seized evidence. He secretly procures Sanjay’s phone, unlocks it with the victim’s fingerprint and hightails it out of there with Scully being forced to follow his lead. Here we go again. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There’s a contact named "Gupta" who Sanjay had talked with daily. Dana points out his name means "secret." Fox later meets with Gupta in a bar. Mulder actually tells the skittish man he can trust him. Gupta thinks Fox is propositioning him so he tries to unzip his pants in the bathroom. After clearing up the misunderstanding, Mulder mentions Sanjay’s death. I’ll bet that killed the mood.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLmVjZkfgl_fzRXCxiLWDQWqL-xyKMcUmaXfxesl_f5NXMbISNicxMZnfwvWseVh7Ew3almOtaBQ1XedYYCQzOVVW2OcanoFKedvXkjF6FjINgVEgNLF8vfmfpO-9msuMRkM15HD2a1y8hLcQDq4OBzr3dy_kOEJCYvst2x5wTYX6nxcJqLy4hg/s1260/autopsy.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLmVjZkfgl_fzRXCxiLWDQWqL-xyKMcUmaXfxesl_f5NXMbISNicxMZnfwvWseVh7Ew3almOtaBQ1XedYYCQzOVVW2OcanoFKedvXkjF6FjINgVEgNLF8vfmfpO-9msuMRkM15HD2a1y8hLcQDq4OBzr3dy_kOEJCYvst2x5wTYX6nxcJqLy4hg/s320/autopsy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Scully performs Sanjay’s autopsy. She notices handwriting in the palm of the dead man’s left hand. Gupta tells Fox that Sanjay led a double life and mentioned being worried about his (Sanjay’s) “kids.” Dana finishes the autopsy and meets up with Mulder. Sanjay wrote “Founder’s Mutation” on his hand. The Founder is Dr. Augustus Goldman, the man who was a hot topic of conversation at the morning staff meeting. (Whenever I hear The Founder I think of Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc. And now I want a hamburger.) Scully’s X-rays show Sanjay was possibly trying to access his auditory cortex based on the angle of the letter opener he stabbed into his brain. His freakout at the meeting backs up that theory. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Sculder head to Sanjay’s real apartment, not the one he frequented with Gupta. Inside they see photographs of children who suffer from physical abnormalities. Local police arrive while they’re searching the room and Fox experiences the same type of tinnitus which felled Sanjay. He reads Dana's and the cop’s lips and thinks they’re saying, “Find her” and “Help me.” The next morning, the agents are briefing Assistant Director Walter Skinner and a DOD suit who won’t let them reference the files related to the genetically abnormal children. Skinner runs with the suicide theory and closes the case so the DOD dude will leave. After the door closes, Walter confirms their investigation is still active, but Mulder and Scully do not mention the high-pitched ringing noise Fox endured. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHI04zll5SuKhFEU0mwbmL4fmjm3_EB_0TZG2F5F67gcGAC6Ufv9dB1WLr80pegI7EKRaM_D0Rszr0GYfD1Bq6_myYSKwbMM2472WwiFwnuOkGCGvZTjH4BGDy9861YbmXmZI0DC7ycQVwDTW2fW7zSrp_xcI-G8NzlSQvo3chU3jo8TX9pcYjw/s1260/alien.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHI04zll5SuKhFEU0mwbmL4fmjm3_EB_0TZG2F5F67gcGAC6Ufv9dB1WLr80pegI7EKRaM_D0Rszr0GYfD1Bq6_myYSKwbMM2472WwiFwnuOkGCGvZTjH4BGDy9861YbmXmZI0DC7ycQVwDTW2fW7zSrp_xcI-G8NzlSQvo3chU3jo8TX9pcYjw/s320/alien.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
The duo starts reviewing surveillance footage from Nugenics. Mulder notices the swarm of birds that gathered during Sanjay’s audible nightmare outside the morning meeting. Dana points out how Fox experienced the same sounds Sanjay heard before committing suicide. They later reach out to Sister Mary at Dana’s former employer, Our Lady of Sorrows Hospital, of which Augustus Goldman is a major contributor. They get distracted by a pregnant girl named Agnes who wants to leave the hospital. Agnes seems scared of Sister Mary and changes her mind about leaving. Sculder learn from Sister Mary the pregnant girls are often homeless. Fox thinks something more sinister is happening with the pregnant girls being used as incubators. Scully thinks Mulder is making it personal because of their son, William. Dana still feels regret for giving up the boy. Fox tells her she did the right thing. Scully later dreams about William growing up and changing into something alien. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Sculder meet with Dr. Augustus Goldman, played by Doug Savant, who I know best from <i>Melrose Place</i> and <i>Desperate Housewives. </i>He describes his hospital as a “cutting-edge research facility.” It almost seems like he and Dana should be working together, based on the work she was performing on earless children in the previous episode. Plus, Tad O’Malley would’ve had a field day with this story. The tour ends when an unruly teenage girl needs to be physically restrained and Fox learns Agnes died after being hit by a car. She’s also no longer pregnant because the baby was surgically removed. Mulder thinks the fetus may still be alive if there’s the presence of mutated DNA.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvYCWv5F3NmXn0iaalIaq15dflRUz6b4xkgpMb-EClxEXKvaTfu3ARg67npgohopUPjVPcfhqbNAev6OH94MonF8dumMOtT5Hm55BMIFfQkhafbDttbRS-yD8rYbTzd1ByYQQeRZNFD4TEyG04agSgvFICpCNyiJgSDoU6-q9fNGTDbmblI4xvQ/s1260/barn.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvYCWv5F3NmXn0iaalIaq15dflRUz6b4xkgpMb-EClxEXKvaTfu3ARg67npgohopUPjVPcfhqbNAev6OH94MonF8dumMOtT5Hm55BMIFfQkhafbDttbRS-yD8rYbTzd1ByYQQeRZNFD4TEyG04agSgvFICpCNyiJgSDoU6-q9fNGTDbmblI4xvQ/s320/barn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Sculder’s investigation brings them to Goldman’s wife, Jackie, who Augustus committed to a psychiatric facility after she murdered their son. Jackie claims their 2-year-old daughter had the ability to breathe underwater because of Augustus’ experimentation. She knew the government would come after her for the unborn baby. Jackie defensively attacked Augustus to get away but ended up crashing her car. The tinnitus started and she cut open her own belly based on the communication she received by the tone. After the interview, Mulder realizes the hospital and Nugenics have the same janitorial service. He links one employee to Sanjay’s death, Kyle Gilligan. (Is that name an homage to Bob Denver or <i>X-Files</i> writer Vince Gilligan?) They go to Kyle’s house but his mother refuses to let her juvenile son talk to the FBI agents. Fox assumes she’s not his birth mother and he’s right. Sculder and Mom see the birds gathering and the tone hits Mulder hard. Scully finds Kyle in a barn and subdues him. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Kyle reveals he’s Jackie’s son and is trying to find his sister. They take him to Dr. Goldman – his father – who agrees to let Kyle and Molly meet. Turns out, she’s the unruly teenage girl who inadvertently interrupted Sculder’s tour with Augustus. Kyle breaks Molly out of her room and together they kill dear old dad. They also forcefully restrain Dana and Fox until Skinner arrives. After the dust settles, the kids are gone but Mulder still has a vial of Kyle’s blood. Later, it’s Fox's turn to dream about life with William. Of course the dream becomes a nightmare when Mulder envisions William being abducted like his sister, Samantha. I’m still trying to figure out why Sculder only have one photograph of their baby … and it’s the same photograph.
</span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>X-Files </i>fans know how this goes ... the season's opened with a mythology-based episode and now it's time for a stand-alone show. But wait? They can't do that in the event-series format of six programs! So no time like the present for adding some more layers to the back story. That definitely raises the stakes in a hurry.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ccawU0Ukj7iRofInsX4QW0y3pKdyt1ZkMhENnz2n0Gl-E9iLBLj70-0EOil04tO_VTQe3rW8Gf-TDTRwj0d6XdhZd13Ybt2sALnQU2b9O_SvguvwQJmwr1K9Vnbw1lTr3m2GW_K3EEeKtILQrgLVKScTJb7ysUaf6tfI0xYxhfECl0rDSW-Dsw/s1260/danaandwilliam.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ccawU0Ukj7iRofInsX4QW0y3pKdyt1ZkMhENnz2n0Gl-E9iLBLj70-0EOil04tO_VTQe3rW8Gf-TDTRwj0d6XdhZd13Ybt2sALnQU2b9O_SvguvwQJmwr1K9Vnbw1lTr3m2GW_K3EEeKtILQrgLVKScTJb7ysUaf6tfI0xYxhfECl0rDSW-Dsw/s320/danaandwilliam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The writer/director charged with starting to get the William story rolling without it falling down the hill was James Wong, known around these parts as half of the legendary writing partnership with Glen Morgan that birthed the likes of Tooms and the Peacock family. This is his first solo venture and directorial credit for the show, although in the interim, Wong helmed the major feature films <i>Final Destination</i> and <i>Final Destination 3.</i> Now I'm left wondering what happened with <i>Final Destination 2.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I haven't known pleasure for quite some time:</b> "The Founder's Mutation" points toward a rather exciting new direction the series easily can and will slide into a la <i>Black Mirror.</i> It's a place where science and technology converge and angst and -- in our case -- supernatural things occur as a result.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sanjay suffers a physical malady not unknown to people who sit on corporate meetings. It's a wonder that kind of meltdown doesn't happen with more frequency. (Maybe it does and we're just not privy to that information.) At least we're back in familiar territory. Fox is running with a theory, and Dana is shooting it down every which way she can -- from grounds it's not a traditional X-file to ... well, it's pretty much that. First, the death was caused by a guy jamming a letter opener in his ear, and second, they don't have a warrant to obtain information the way her partner was doing it.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEme5k0MqHJ5nlErXMnnY0lwR1q1No7-j-1DGZHVJ5N6BCzwnUk7O76u9K0YtdMDS1WG81sRniitNv5QZX94kuYBvbL9W-ZtjqAEp5ONIspLerJfOby1ZPccHYMT3kDp_0030nTy7qf906EjU8Yu91di6eg99GBR_q8hbSSkhTf7-guUkIgsMiAA/s1260/kyle.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEme5k0MqHJ5nlErXMnnY0lwR1q1No7-j-1DGZHVJ5N6BCzwnUk7O76u9K0YtdMDS1WG81sRniitNv5QZX94kuYBvbL9W-ZtjqAEp5ONIspLerJfOby1ZPccHYMT3kDp_0030nTy7qf906EjU8Yu91di6eg99GBR_q8hbSSkhTf7-guUkIgsMiAA/s320/kyle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sestra Am pointed out the possible connections stemming from the name Kyle Gilligan, and the last name of one of the series' legendary writers certainly stands out for me, but I would not discount her first theory. I also was struck by the use of Gupta, since the philosopher in fellow <i>X-Files </i>writer/producer Darin Morgan's <i>Millennium </i>episode "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense" also was named Goopta. Maybe Wong was as big a fan of that masterpiece as I am.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I'm familiar with Edward Snowden:</b> It's a little obvious to say Mulder falling victim to the high-pitched frequency is reminiscent of his troubles in "The Sixth Extinction" two-parter that kicked off Season 7. Or that it's more like the noise Bryan Cranston was hearing in Gilligan's creation "Drive" (S6E2). It's also easy for me to draw a parallel in the direction of <i>Close Encounters of the Third Kind </i>since it's my favorite film of all-time<i>. </i>In Steven Spielberg's 1977 movie, main characters don't hear things other people don't, but process information others just aren't getting.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully uses some subterfuge we're not exactly used to seeing her do to get closer to the-non-McDonald's-founder, and it's kind of refreshing. Dana knows Skinner's OK with them flying under the radar and that's kind of a green light to say what she needs to in order to make headway on the case.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU3ufR4x-Jwt7Ih_s6CH-m87Jkoh1UlWbW-xYESvl6P6poPOKkKtaSVhNtX8YxfiCU_f7Bm_EgDNbZsuhztn4P_wPRCHUMqSrEDXfFxTKqTKnoAFAp43U-qV8wRkzrpYMlROXkUBZgTFhCwHOdpHZrhLxv7XhQ8o2jOgRVl3IGzddMoRrU2vxVQ/s1260/savant.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU3ufR4x-Jwt7Ih_s6CH-m87Jkoh1UlWbW-xYESvl6P6poPOKkKtaSVhNtX8YxfiCU_f7Bm_EgDNbZsuhztn4P_wPRCHUMqSrEDXfFxTKqTKnoAFAp43U-qV8wRkzrpYMlROXkUBZgTFhCwHOdpHZrhLxv7XhQ8o2jOgRVl3IGzddMoRrU2vxVQ/s320/savant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meantime, I'm getting distracted by a few familiar faces -- starting with Sister Mary, played by <i>Dead Like Me</i>'s Christine Willes (Delores Herbig, as in her big brown eyes) and pregnant Agnes (Kacey Rohl, who served in the pivotal role of Abigail Hobbs on <i>Hannibal</i>). I couldn't shake reminders of their prior characters. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Not to mention Doug Savant, who gets to play a character about as polar opposite from his<i> Melrose Place </i>persona
as it is possible to be. Must have been fun for him. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Was I just an incubator? </b>Well, Dana, you were at least serving an incubator here to let us know that we're definitely not in a stand-alone episode. Perhaps it could have been accomplished with more subtlety than a full-on expositional scene listing how and why Scully gave her son up. But I'll give all the the credit to Gillian Anderson for handling it the best way she could. We did feel Dana's pain.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And the alternate-reality scenes with William definitely provide a boost to the proceedings. A lot of fan-fiction writers had their respective ways with surrogate stories involving the child given up toward the end of Season 9, and now <i>The X-Files </i>powers-that-be get their turn at it through Wong. (This too gives off "Sixth Extinction" vibes, as a result.) Anderson is even better in these moments. As if we didn't already side with Scully all the time.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqpYZZEm0jyADCoDZvQC5Pk-y3NQdVGjX5Q0DTsa1ykL4X_mFwW85bFDWvE3Z5uSrs8v4nwchGHxuSALEcMIX0jMZs-H2IJvFcs2mncXwTOsqt8If6Qeqqb8mvK1Afm9BWdXVWw3pMNp-98nlE-BiGPn0msvlWmLOE8S-PnE6mDWBlkS8_ZpZnw/s1260/mulderwilliam.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqpYZZEm0jyADCoDZvQC5Pk-y3NQdVGjX5Q0DTsa1ykL4X_mFwW85bFDWvE3Z5uSrs8v4nwchGHxuSALEcMIX0jMZs-H2IJvFcs2mncXwTOsqt8If6Qeqqb8mvK1Afm9BWdXVWw3pMNp-98nlE-BiGPn0msvlWmLOE8S-PnE6mDWBlkS8_ZpZnw/s320/mulderwilliam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, it's Mulder who connects the dots first and notices that we seem to be looking at next-level alien-human hybrids.<b> </b>But it's Scully who pushes the pedal to the medal because her instincts as both a doctor and mother have kicked in simultaneously.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Believe me, you can't unsee that: </b>My concern that we returned to the days of "The Sixth Extinction" gets the hard shove when we see the combination of Kyle and Molly acting more like the Eves in their self-titled 11th episode from Season 1. What a relief, kind of like when that high-frequency noise shuts off for anyone being incapacitated -- well, those who haven't shortened the process with a sharp object. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Fox spends his quality time in his alternate reality with William discussing aliens and his affinity for rocket ships, but Mulder-as-father apparently wouldn't push his ideals on his son the way he did on everyone he has ever known in the actual world. That's kind of heartening, at least until his dream turned into a Samantha-abduction nightmare anyway.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykrKYS1QwVFjrKYrUwN7IpbUPk3KfvH6-S-JHR23rADTxTcIQM-g0dvDNaBqwWPeFTZgDYCTnWKU4EbS_H87euI8tWSV4kwm81wNhSy3v_EtxWxHPcCtJzHoc3Mbp-Hi6HmPs5SN0z9B4GrNCfRh80lbxumxoeukvWjCq-7jD-hc-tnDWhWPBHQ/s1260/logan.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykrKYS1QwVFjrKYrUwN7IpbUPk3KfvH6-S-JHR23rADTxTcIQM-g0dvDNaBqwWPeFTZgDYCTnWKU4EbS_H87euI8tWSV4kwm81wNhSy3v_EtxWxHPcCtJzHoc3Mbp-Hi6HmPs5SN0z9B4GrNCfRh80lbxumxoeukvWjCq-7jD-hc-tnDWhWPBHQ/s320/logan.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>My favorite performances came from our leads. Beyond that, Christopher Logan just nailed the pre-teaser performance that served as the ep's catalyst. Kind of incredible to empathize so deeply with someone we watched for five minutes. </span></p></span></span><br /></div></span></span>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-29347713237926402982022-06-04T11:36:00.005-07:002022-06-04T13:24:33.896-07:00X-Files S10E1: Unpacking 14 years in 45 minutes<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s377/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCbj9TzywmzcKxrIN6h7T0fAy7P_09cR4u4DFivNqGjvTRfnEXNOeKuHN1crJrvOmG3EyPdxwnjKY5i_3IrWk-RQ3KAyUGh_ajl6VHMlUP9aPH0Ae1V1SRQuG9eIyVQhs8BHdSutxj2y2iAXG6mUiBHl0qZvNPv_M5QRVCmybngVzj8C6j1AR0g/s200/The_X-Files_Season_10_DVD.png" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">X-Philes waited 14 years for more episodes (eight if you count the movie <i>I Want to Believe</i>). On Jan. 24, 2016, they got what they asked for. Sort of. Unfortunately, it begins with a Fox Mulder monologue and anyone who actually reads this blog knows how I feel about those. Twenty seconds into it, my mind started wandering and I had to order myself to pay attention. Meanwhile, by typing this during Mulder’s 2+-minute monologue, I actually lost track of what he was saying and had to restart the episode. Multitasking is hard, but that’s <i>my </i>struggle. (See what I did there?)</span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkBj21BKoftfIZiPWWWebj68BIySSC_Q1dAKTphr8suU4Q6fcruhxfkRN-8QlpSolLI6ArlELd0GIIl99dRWpTjB6n8G3G2lMYhwVe5LTtHMGfvdNz8Gy8MdUpbu-wErRUwhB1eqMTk1YZnwLvMMKLbrnKKDxSOL4-AZbPLLn16cV1xwpjNCEGA/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkBj21BKoftfIZiPWWWebj68BIySSC_Q1dAKTphr8suU4Q6fcruhxfkRN-8QlpSolLI6ArlELd0GIIl99dRWpTjB6n8G3G2lMYhwVe5LTtHMGfvdNz8Gy8MdUpbu-wErRUwhB1eqMTk1YZnwLvMMKLbrnKKDxSOL4-AZbPLLn16cV1xwpjNCEGA/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
In 1947, a UFO crashes on a beautiful day in northwestern New Mexico. The humanoid inside is moving so that’s a good sign. Which leads me to another point: Do aliens use insurance? Life, travel, vehicle insurance could all have claims resulting from one flying saucer crash. But I digress. Military and government officials have converged on the site to investigate, but put a pin in that for now. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In the present, Dr. Dana Scully receives a phone call from FBI assistant director Walter Skinner. (Jeez, he’s never going to get a promotion, is he?) Walter wants to talk to former special agent Mulder about Tad O’Malley, a right-wing enthusiast who believes current conspiracies date back to Roswell cover-ups. Tad wants to meet Fox. Mulder agrees as long as Scully comes with him. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Sculder and O’Malley meet in Washington, D.C. Tad, played by the always-entertaining Joel McHale, requests they talk in his stretch limo to avoid any spying, prying eyes and ears. O’Malley wants to discuss the X-files, which are still considered closed by the FBI. Mulder isn’t impressed by O’Malley’s ability to make big bucks off of creating controversy and tries to test Tad’s knowledge. O'Malley passes and brings Sculder to meet Sveta (Annet Mahendru), a woman who Fox interviewed as a child abductee. Sveta reveals she was taken repeatedly and impregnated by aliens several times. Mulder wants Dana to test Sveta’s blood for the presence of alien DNA.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTXOo7KaMB2C2fRJVNkQ2wPFa_STxd5eC6tOPoZUG7_rpMnnLlf31yoi_g-Q0TD_XIhPemftzBk98Du0NT1GfBamiiEVwyDwTtWjn0xjeLwC7e2i2mAq4mFGeuhePg2Nn5MzFkMCgZwghOtCpI0CpowoXEfW86uEIJdVR97PMA4xF3GMIg5GohA/s1260/muldership.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTXOo7KaMB2C2fRJVNkQ2wPFa_STxd5eC6tOPoZUG7_rpMnnLlf31yoi_g-Q0TD_XIhPemftzBk98Du0NT1GfBamiiEVwyDwTtWjn0xjeLwC7e2i2mAq4mFGeuhePg2Nn5MzFkMCgZwghOtCpI0CpowoXEfW86uEIJdVR97PMA4xF3GMIg5GohA/s320/muldership.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Back
at the Roswell crash site in 1947, soldiers find a wounded alien
crawling away from the UFO. A Man in Black
claims it’s dangerous and shoots it. The soldiers follow suit until the
alien dies. A compassionate army doctor carries the alien body away from
the scene. </span>In the present, Dr. Scully examines Sveta, who believes Mulder suffers from depression and that caused the end of Fox and Dana’s relationship. Sveta knows about Sculder’s baby and realizes Scully has also been an abduction victim, but Dana doesn’t want to talk about it. Mulder and O’Malley have a boys’ day out when Tad brings Fox to meet some paranoid acquaintances of his. They visit a Farraday cage housing an alien replica vehicle. Mulder seems giddy as he inspects the ship. It runs on free energy, not fuel, a technology that has been around for 70 years. Yep, it’s all a conspiracy by the oil companies. This ARV also has a gravity warp drive, thanks to the Roswell UFO. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Tad surprises Dana as she finishes taking her own blood sample. They talk about her surgical work and history with the X-files, but it seems like Mr. O’Malley is taking a personal interest in the unattached Ms. Scully. Meanwhile, Mulder visits Sveta to clarify some of her earlier answers. Sveta now claims men on ships took her babies, not aliens, and there is no one she can trust with the truth. Fox calls Dana to tell her everything they’d been led to believe may be a lie. Too bad he’s interrupting her date with Tad. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBP5O0DIRCEEmqanBoYqsPNIs4mIEhLZNqrM1mgAP2mO_ZxrctTQ9Whi4Z_5uUbOWh63W1rJ1MfR4cZao-BtKof5g3wfJijRxiCM6ZUj8hDdDeyTe24Gll9gqHYlgycBnwEzW4WIyoK2aWpfw9np4d0sLY2HWFHYSPU7msxzzh4bcOtltHvCGTtw/s1260/skinner.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBP5O0DIRCEEmqanBoYqsPNIs4mIEhLZNqrM1mgAP2mO_ZxrctTQ9Whi4Z_5uUbOWh63W1rJ1MfR4cZao-BtKof5g3wfJijRxiCM6ZUj8hDdDeyTe24Gll9gqHYlgycBnwEzW4WIyoK2aWpfw9np4d0sLY2HWFHYSPU7msxzzh4bcOtltHvCGTtw/s320/skinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mulder goes to the former X-files office in the FBI building with Walter Skinner, but all of the files are gone. Skinner claims no one has been in that room for 14 years, but that’s clearly not accurate. Fox stupidly asks who Walter is taking orders from now. Doesn’t he realize Skinner is the one who reached out to him in the first place? Mulder really does come off as a crackpot more often than not. Walter says he noticed a change in the government after 9/11 and he wants Fox to do something about it. Mulder takes the first step by ensuring future contact with his former boss.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
O’Malley burns his bridge with Scully by sensationalizing her current surgical work on children born without ears. Pretty sure Dana doesn’t want her patients’ photographs appearing on Tad's (or anyone’s) web show. Unfortunately (luckily?) she’s distracted by the blood test results, which she wants retested ASAP. Scully’s hoping to hear from Mulder, who is having a covert meeting with an old contact at the National Mall. Turns out, the old man is the compassionate army doctor from the Roswell incident, who, 10 years earlier, reached out to Fox because he didn’t want to take his secrets to the grave. Mulder reveals the alien conspiracy doesn’t involve actual aliens, but humans abducting other humans and subjecting them to experimentation. The old man tells Fox he’s close. Apparently he’s not close enough to expose everything because the old man leaves with the final answer still hanging in the air.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBuRYR32Ao_RuHDrOUNjIvTUqHqmZoJU7w1k5R81o3ojaQpfCZH77CAnH4gvJoL4NauET39UIIQoVocgSMXGdDqozPgMH9cQR-GnY8wk8KO084ophrowg0PUIYNmm4angkjeDSD4b6LgIln-spy9wnJd9XU3x409dTMkXrLVcBX9XKqlSOE_cyA/s1260/scully.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBuRYR32Ao_RuHDrOUNjIvTUqHqmZoJU7w1k5R81o3ojaQpfCZH77CAnH4gvJoL4NauET39UIIQoVocgSMXGdDqozPgMH9cQR-GnY8wk8KO084ophrowg0PUIYNmm4angkjeDSD4b6LgIln-spy9wnJd9XU3x409dTMkXrLVcBX9XKqlSOE_cyA/s320/scully.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Scully goes to see Mulder’s house to check on him. She assumes he’s having one of his usual “save the world” manic moments. He claims O’Malley has been right all along about the human conspiracy, but Dana’s not buying it. Their moment is interrupted by Sveta, who is staying with Mulder. Scully, acting like she was punched in the gut (heart?), gives up and is about to leave when Tad arrives. They convince her to hear out Mulder, who gives Scully a history lesson dating back to World War II and leading to eventual world domination. (Yes, really.) O’Malley plans to go public on his show with their theories. Scully adds to the momentum by telling Sveta her blood shows no evidence of alien DNA. But what a difference a day makes; the next day, Sveta publicly recants her allegations and Tad blames it on the government. Sveta disappears, the ARV and the scientists who worked on it are blown up by the military and O’Malley’s website has been shut down (gasp!) </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Fox meets with Dana in her hospital’s parking garage. He implores her to not give up, but she’s worried about Sveta’s safety. Scully tells Mulder she retested Sveta’s blood (and genome) as well as her own and their results were the same. Dana’s now on board to help stop the human conspirators. At that moment, Skinner conveniently calls them into action. Meanwhile, on a dark, deserted road, Sveta’s car shuts down. She thinks she’s being abducted again (the UFO above her with the green laser light certainly supports that theory), but she actually gets firebombed instead. At the end of the episode, information is relayed to one of the conspirators, an elderly man with a nasty smoking habit. Hey, isn’t he supposed to be dead?!</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Sestras saw the first episode of the revival at New York Comic Con in October 2015, but it didn't air on Fox until late January. The predominant memory I have of watching it with legions of other dedicated X-Philes was how excited everyone got at having the original credits music back with Mitch Pileggi's name finally included in that incarnation. That's kind of backed up by <a href="http://maximumtuneage.blogspot.com/2015/10/peeking-at-past-and-future.html" target="_blank">my blog from the event</a>, and I'm having a similar reaction six years later.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9OaWQxV0B9veS4JV9Md4IUlhVBy6mUgN75DjKcjMOMUJY8pBaDGDDontJbPQsWJ-A2oNYMf1piohSRwjN-ottMjWhI0DxKwntZ2yywsGBMgvwSYHagY4gRs5O9lV4Jgm0emToFRU96n9MOlgPS2uvnSVUH8lrQd4EslLYRmtGOdBi4U-yAk9og/s1260/ufo.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9OaWQxV0B9veS4JV9Md4IUlhVBy6mUgN75DjKcjMOMUJY8pBaDGDDontJbPQsWJ-A2oNYMf1piohSRwjN-ottMjWhI0DxKwntZ2yywsGBMgvwSYHagY4gRs5O9lV4Jgm0emToFRU96n9MOlgPS2uvnSVUH8lrQd4EslLYRmtGOdBi4U-yAk9og/s320/ufo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>"My Struggle" doesn't start out very smoothly, it's heavily reliant upon us being so invested in the characters we watched for nine seasons and two movies that we will take anything they give us. So hearing the opening words "My name is Fox Mulder" is akin to being airlifted to an alien spaceship. There's the inevitable recap -- the disappearance of his sister, how he came to be involved with the X-files and Dana Scully ... yadda yadda yadda. I guess that was just in case someone who had never watched the series or seen the movies happened to be tuning in for the first episode of what was billed as an "event series."<p></p><p><b>Life's become a punchline: </b>Fox's voiceover says -- in the typical Mulder overbaked voiceover fashion that we'd come to know and even miss (everyone except Sestra Am) in the years since we last saw Sculder -- that we must ask ourselves if UFOs are a hoax. Are we truly alone or are we being lied to? And then there's an example that the technology for showing a UFO crash on television has gotten a lot better since the original series went off the air.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSfWHQatyRlEIrKw9X1ENnBRz_iq6IUOqGrPMMvHpN1l3nM_JqCztS-MIGewqTiTSoRXxmtb9XbYqKCCbf-exH-_qjrZ6g0cOrgLpoNdvr9-A8i5cwQElCeF80sD3Jyns8jTI5zCJid0jdaoBFzV0npNpu1GrnNk5gfvaRxFRQ5kx2aWMp8gwNA/s1260/scullymd.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSfWHQatyRlEIrKw9X1ENnBRz_iq6IUOqGrPMMvHpN1l3nM_JqCztS-MIGewqTiTSoRXxmtb9XbYqKCCbf-exH-_qjrZ6g0cOrgLpoNdvr9-A8i5cwQElCeF80sD3Jyns8jTI5zCJid0jdaoBFzV0npNpu1GrnNk5gfvaRxFRQ5kx2aWMp8gwNA/s320/scullymd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In similar fashion, Dana and Fox are shoehorned back into the action -- seriously, a medical doctor about to go into surgery has to act as Mulder's agent? With the rest of the next two seasons already in my rearview mirror, I'm willing to pinpoint this tiny sliver of a moment as when the character once deemed one of the best female role models on TV started to get pushed off that mantel. </p><p>That doesn't take away from getting to see Mulder and Scully again, even with the opening eye-rolling attempt at banter about Fox's choice of transportation. I'll admit it, I'm always happy to see them too. Joel McHale's arrival infuses some air into the proceedings, even if Tad O'Malley isn't willing to roll down his windows. </p><p><b>Aliens couldn't find this place: </b>So Tad brings our reunited heroes off to see Sveta, who seems a little demure but relatively calm for someone who has been abducted multiple times and been repeatedly impregnated by aliens. Sveta says she has alien DNA, not sure why that would be a thought rolling around her head, but still going with it, cause ... Fox and Dana are working the case!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5B54yufJ_2bRr4hX6jIdxSXz_uubN99xP-lhuFNy3rucwgWAk01ZQXbTzEhZIRd7_JL9426kPOQucvCMmV3C-uEvXw8T9i2Q6YvvBmGmlcrM-0RN2xTOxCjQvqmxebm4DAHd7GaBhEUXPsP3wLlk7pqpknguc6LjyqtYjUi09yjM97A3pTqCucw/s1260/sveta.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5B54yufJ_2bRr4hX6jIdxSXz_uubN99xP-lhuFNy3rucwgWAk01ZQXbTzEhZIRd7_JL9426kPOQucvCMmV3C-uEvXw8T9i2Q6YvvBmGmlcrM-0RN2xTOxCjQvqmxebm4DAHd7GaBhEUXPsP3wLlk7pqpknguc6LjyqtYjUi09yjM97A3pTqCucw/s320/sveta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Sveta's got an intermittent mind-reading thing going on, so while that solves my previous question -- she knew it would intrigue Scully and Mulder -- it's another bit of a weak premise with no prior reasoning behind it. Still with them, though, cause my <i>X-Files </i>interest overcame killer cats and goat suckers. It can certainly survive a problematic UFO starter story. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I've never felt so alive:</b> </span></span>Much more interesting to me was the free-energy gambit. (Show creator Chris Carter, the writer/director of this episode must have gotten some really good intel in his downtime in this regard.) The spaceship hovering in an electromagnetic field and then seeming to vanish has piqued my interest. Well, mostly.<br /></p><p>The flashback scenes coming out of the desert don't up the ante immediately, as they're rather formulaic and <span>clichéd</span>. And while I can't blame O'Malley for hitting on Dana, it's not something I particularly want to see. Sveta continues to show insight that helps move along the story, but it doesn't feel organic. And we couldn't very well have an event kickoff without the immortal words that "(Insert name here) is the key to everything." Why must there always be a key? I'm eager to get to the Darin Morgan episode, because he never builds his story foundation in an obvious manner and it always retains its structure and integrity. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0moq2sYFmLzLSbh0HdRk0CxihkrY6r98spjbHNbIkJKViIMY9tPev4tRLyM3bMxwSYpeRvSFcDjsA70JdL0m0C2IwVl544pK09nhT0Dr9yW-FjnPcahAZT3ozephoNIE4pLn-wmYuhKy6X787XH6eePDNH2OyU_Gp8ROxLUsIu-cQDxz05YHQZA/s1260/muldskin.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0moq2sYFmLzLSbh0HdRk0CxihkrY6r98spjbHNbIkJKViIMY9tPev4tRLyM3bMxwSYpeRvSFcDjsA70JdL0m0C2IwVl544pK09nhT0Dr9yW-FjnPcahAZT3ozephoNIE4pLn-wmYuhKy6X787XH6eePDNH2OyU_Gp8ROxLUsIu-cQDxz05YHQZA/s320/muldskin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>I was being led by my nose through a dark alley to a dead end: </b>My concerns get waylaid when we finally see Skinner. David Duchovny and Mitch Pileggi do a nice job delivering some chunky bits of dialogue designed to melt away the 14 years since the characters have been in each other's orbits. They've still got it, and I'm jonesing to see more of it.<br /></p><p>More good groundwork is set. Scully's concerns over her blood work raises eyebrows, and we finally find out the connection between the crash at the beginning of the episode, the obliteration of the alien and Mulder's informant. This should have segued perfectly into the "You are on fire" scene between Fox and Dana. But even that's impeded by the need to throw out the old chestnuts -- "you want to believe" and "the truth is out there." It's done with such a heavy hand that it undermines what should have been the highlight of the episode and the hallmark of the return.</p><p>Next, Mulder spews a lot of interesting information that bridges the gap between the H-bomb and where we are now. There's just so much there -- ideas amassed by Fox for so many years -- that it's too much to take. O'Malley piles more on top of that with concepts Carter uses to bridge the distance between the end of the regular show and the event series. I thought Dana would bring us out from under the weight of this oppression by saying that going public with the fear-mongering claptrap was incredibly irresponsible.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLN_OY44j0jcDzvGuCkNFKO9kfcsKej_YCh5GoP6mWiQb-U2S5yF_Sk6BzNt84A7K4IQEws_-jIM1WILfM8HocFhk5DcW03CmXFuWo61dUqJ4jzW1z4dy3XDl_XN-fcORfaHq7bJD7yCssCiXa-Jq_62BspQz8SwPfrGavaFczaQVhUrY9Hjj4fQ/s1260/csm.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLN_OY44j0jcDzvGuCkNFKO9kfcsKej_YCh5GoP6mWiQb-U2S5yF_Sk6BzNt84A7K4IQEws_-jIM1WILfM8HocFhk5DcW03CmXFuWo61dUqJ4jzW1z4dy3XDl_XN-fcORfaHq7bJD7yCssCiXa-Jq_62BspQz8SwPfrGavaFczaQVhUrY9Hjj4fQ/s320/csm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>We have a small problem: </b>But then there was some kind of total particle reversal. Not sure why the guys who solved the free-energy problem were blown to bits and returned to the atmosphere, isn't that technology that could be of use in the longer term? O'Malley's disappearance was abrupt, but I can go along with that in the name of the continuing story. And, of course, the biggest news of all -- Scully had just said a test proved Sveta didn't have alien DNA, only to do another test that proved they both have it. Um, if we're talking about fear-mongering claptrap, perhaps a medical doctor who thought a particular test's results weren't conclusive shouldn't give the result out as fact. And finally, hey, there's our old hollowed-out nemesis seemingly intact. Maybe he had used some of that super-soldier technology that's been otherwise disregarded to regenerate, and it just doesn't work on the part of the body abused for decades by tobacco. <br /></p><p>So I'm left totally confused and overwhelmed with information ... and I'll admit that I like that. Welcome back, <i>X-Files!</i> Oh yeah, are you gonna get around to telling us what happened on Dec. 22, 2012 -- the planned date of colonization?<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdpnEFqMbjAlK39zs8fzfowsUSnGiJOR2jQSRLX_FaZtR3DHUG40Ct5kiZJ_812rdV7f8PvxtT-GEiCd_fwSyOvHosK1YnfTgtxch39mfPW0Lz3bcYXd7o1vZFBbduyq9XNxd-3sEicYctwTbFNIgVNujSdyi8Q03szOD0o3QKeRk5DZe-a-4fA/s1260/joel.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdpnEFqMbjAlK39zs8fzfowsUSnGiJOR2jQSRLX_FaZtR3DHUG40Ct5kiZJ_812rdV7f8PvxtT-GEiCd_fwSyOvHosK1YnfTgtxch39mfPW0Lz3bcYXd7o1vZFBbduyq9XNxd-3sEicYctwTbFNIgVNujSdyi8Q03szOD0o3QKeRk5DZe-a-4fA/s320/joel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Guest star of the week:</b> Joel McHale enters the fray with a lot of energy and charm. Tad O'Malley could have come off as even more of an annoying know-it-all than he does. What McHale actually accomplishes is giving us a glimpse into how people like O'Malley become legends to the public. <br /></p></span></span>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-52490733564882838192022-03-26T12:37:00.003-07:002022-03-26T14:02:33.571-07:00X-Files: We still want to believe<p><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyyqmFShB2sZlhpkoO7u0ql75WhdqZhT_zu8S0j32jo2GIcolQWNYSGx3wLnHK7NQ1VExLPzKWsuoY_hzpW_PvQ7epkrTK8VJt-_hDaNNF7BAwfEjvO-gCWcrCh3mECoEcI0lpEljwVzltQM64SfC4_sJJieLfJs7LvFbBskoSmmEUrMSDRP5Pg/s612/iwanttobelieve.jpeg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyyqmFShB2sZlhpkoO7u0ql75WhdqZhT_zu8S0j32jo2GIcolQWNYSGx3wLnHK7NQ1VExLPzKWsuoY_hzpW_PvQ7epkrTK8VJt-_hDaNNF7BAwfEjvO-gCWcrCh3mECoEcI0lpEljwVzltQM64SfC4_sJJieLfJs7LvFbBskoSmmEUrMSDRP5Pg/s200/iwanttobelieve.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;">People often talk about happiness, an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment and fulfillment (courtesy of verywellmind.com). Singers sing about it (The Beatles and their “warm gun,” Lana Del Rey and her “butterfly”). Writers write about it (Charles M. Schultz and his “puppy.”) For me, right now, in this very moment, happiness is watching <i>The X-Files: I Want to Believe </i>on a streaming channel that does not have commercials. Thank you, HBO Max! Now, on with our irregularly scheduled blog.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">
I don’t remember when I first saw this movie. It was probably after the DVD release but before I finished watching the complete run of the TV series. Back then, I liked how it was more of a stand-alone flick than <i>Fight the Future </i>was allowed to be but I had some questions going in. I’m curious to see if I’ll know the answers this time around.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">
In Somerset, West Virginia, a woman arrives home and gets attacked while FBI recruits conduct a daytime search in the snow. Special Agent in Charge Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet) and Father Joe Chrissman (Billy Connolly) seem to be leading the crew. The woman at night strikes back at her assailants and makes a run for it but gets tackled by one of the men. Father Joe frantically digs in the snow where Agent Whitney uncovers a severed arm. So how did Father Joe know it would be there? </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiqsxt6vDEZNDQFlBlGraccvAp8sa5hoa2yWY3iUUMmCt5ceqCArjtZVqHeS__EfKoo3xj5SZpSV4hoof6XolkRnL-VKScVhAeQV1FUAe2F6js7RhKI1aa8wXgG4LCfD6CvpGViNot2HTO7o00xYbARLJPEULV5eTUIWcKTzdIUCEBVHRHxPkoQ/s1260/arm.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiqsxt6vDEZNDQFlBlGraccvAp8sa5hoa2yWY3iUUMmCt5ceqCArjtZVqHeS__EfKoo3xj5SZpSV4hoof6XolkRnL-VKScVhAeQV1FUAe2F6js7RhKI1aa8wXgG4LCfD6CvpGViNot2HTO7o00xYbARLJPEULV5eTUIWcKTzdIUCEBVHRHxPkoQ/s320/arm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Doctor (and former FBI Special Agent) Dana Scully is advocating for her patient Christian, a boy suffering from Sandhoff disease -- a rare, incurable illness that often leads to death. Later, while updating Christian and his parents, they are interrupted by FBI Agent Mosley Drummy played by Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner. (Wow, if Xzibit wasn’t a proper noun, I’d clean up with that one in Words with Friends.) He’s looking for some guy named Fox Mulder. Scully claims she doesn’t work with Fox anymore. Mosley (well, actually Whitney) hopes Mulder can save the life of missing FBI agent Monica Bannan, the woman attacked at the beginning of the movie. Dana pops over to Fox’s isolated house to let him know the FBI’s offer -- in exchange for his help, Mulder will no longer be wanted on those trumped-up murder charges from the series finale. Fox and his massive ego think it’s an elaborate scheme to trick him into coming out of hiding. I’m pretty sure the feds would just follow Dana right to his front door if they wanted him that badly. Mulder eventually agrees but only if Scully goes with him. Partners again!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Sculder meet with Agents Drummy and Whitney (Drumney? Whitmy? Nah, their last names are too similar) at FBI Headquarters, where visitor badges no longer seem to be in the budget. It’s been three days since Monica’s disappearance. The severed arm Father Joe found in the snow belongs to an unidentified male, but it matches blood evidence found at Monica’s crime scene. “Psychic” Father Joe called the FBI six hours after Bannan’s disappearance. Too bad there’s a credibility issue, not about the psychic stuff so much, more about Father Joe being a convicted child molester. Sculder and Team Mokota(!) meet with Father Joe in his home. Scully takes umbrage to him praying to the same God she does. Mulder wants to see Joe’s psychic ability in action, but the not-so-good Father asks Dana to leave the room. The feds decide to take Father Joe back to the crime scene but Joe realizes they took him to the wrong house and he walks over to the correct one. I wouldn’t credit psychic ability for that: the real house has crime scene tape all over the place. Father Joe wanders to the area where Monica was tackled by one of the men. He claims he can’t see Monica’s fate but he may mean that literally, not figuratively; he’s bleeding from his eyes!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJJaUvPybS7eG2Kb7dFGwlJIbYESejjSNtzXrdtS3RdEJMkP8CFP91eC1WNvkil_6Q3ggl-VIG639aGZSj_RoJMuv5FIooFai9HWxk10t5X0ln_rTdxEbf4Gi4ZUhPmkeTt65Y0IpXrZ-EtvHlOYCknrcjdt9JRdzorHK3FMT3ckbqMFlClxdfQ/s1260/sculder.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJJaUvPybS7eG2Kb7dFGwlJIbYESejjSNtzXrdtS3RdEJMkP8CFP91eC1WNvkil_6Q3ggl-VIG639aGZSj_RoJMuv5FIooFai9HWxk10t5X0ln_rTdxEbf4Gi4ZUhPmkeTt65Y0IpXrZ-EtvHlOYCknrcjdt9JRdzorHK3FMT3ckbqMFlClxdfQ/s320/sculder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Popping back into her real life for a spell, Dr. Scully checks on Christian in the hospital. He doesn’t seem to like Father Ybarra, who appears to be Dana’s boss. Father Ybarra doesn’t like Scully wasting time and resources on terminal cases like Christian’s. I guess that makes him the second worst priest in this movie. Meanwhile, a Somerset woman driving in the snow stupidly tries to pass a pickup truck when the driver forces her to veer off the road and crash. He had just been stalking her at the community indoor swimming pool. She made it way too easy for him to kidnap her, which is exactly what happens.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Carter and company feel the need to give us a scene of Fox and Dana in bed together. I’m amused by her choice of bedside reading material: <i>Beautiful Wasps Having Sex </i>by Dori Carter. (Yes, she's the show creator/movie director and co-writer's wife. If you’re interested, it’s fairly affordable on Amazon and also available on the book-trading site paperbackswap.com.) Scully wants to talk about Christian’s tragic diagnosis. Mulder thinks their son, William, is one reason why she’s so emotional. Dana puts her investigative doctor hat back on and tells Fox what she learned about the severed arm. The toxicology report showed the presence of medication related to radiation and an animal tranquilizer. Then Whitney calls with a break in the case. Sculder join the investigators and Father Joe, who wanders some more until he finds a head in the ice under the snow. Dana, ever full of faith, doesn’t know what to believe. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFj2KuiD7peY3TqA5Qu8Kv3TzJcnnmm8l5apI_FuHiY_s9oU8n-kDVRxXzt6WNuXd9wBaQ2xqNndOpUy5KHCiSSdDD1dIHSMoHjtAvSRUQV3BEWHD1kVOS4_vnhB0JDdKG3_oGT9O_KQJYOg_X5UG3XDOn_bxsv3F729q0o9w2UvMe6kr-twcpg/s1260/christian.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFj2KuiD7peY3TqA5Qu8Kv3TzJcnnmm8l5apI_FuHiY_s9oU8n-kDVRxXzt6WNuXd9wBaQ2xqNndOpUy5KHCiSSdDD1dIHSMoHjtAvSRUQV3BEWHD1kVOS4_vnhB0JDdKG3_oGT9O_KQJYOg_X5UG3XDOn_bxsv3F729q0o9w2UvMe6kr-twcpg/s320/christian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Monica is trying to escape but things aren’t going well for her. The severed arm man is present but completely useless. The next morning, Dr. Scully learns Father Ybarra arranged for Christian to be moved to a palliative care facility, but she claims there is a stem cell-related therapy available. Ybarra and the staff at this Catholic hospital do not support the treatment. While Dana conducts research, Fox leaves messages about the severed head and other body parts the feds recovered in the ice. (I guess people don’t swim in that lake during the other seasons or they probably would have noticed the arms, legs, etc.) Mulder and Dakota discuss the serial killer aspect of her case while Father Joe leads them to the wrecked car in Somerset. The driver, Cheryl Cunningham, is nowhere to be found. But she wore a medical alert bracelet, just like Monica Bannan. Team Mokota and Mulder link the two missing women to the same indoor swimming pool and learn they have rare AB-negative blood type.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Dr. Scully arranges for Christian to undergo the stem cell treatments and conducts the surgery herself. Afterward, Fox updates her on the case. Dana’s thinking black market organ-harvesting. She wants Mulder to let the feds handle it from there so they won’t have to deal with the darkness of humanity anymore. They wish each other good luck and part ways. Afterward, Christian’s parents tell Scully they don’t want him to undergo any more treatments, but Dana isn’t quite ready to give up on him, probably because Father Joe uttered the words, “Don’t give up” to her. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxrCv12trLwM69sf7VPVhy_3IYY70lUAUlL5h_6OXdMMxPKi0btl829FFRQe_dvYJqferWW6QV2OVNNSPHtlf0In3G2RujXFMRz417XiDs6V4yAT3ZxieSyYS8Amodel23hgpVmNqy-2AQ8-9DitjY8lfYmVFiHE0p7EZkuZn_rhrqGzRDBBO5w/s1260/fbi.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxrCv12trLwM69sf7VPVhy_3IYY70lUAUlL5h_6OXdMMxPKi0btl829FFRQe_dvYJqferWW6QV2OVNNSPHtlf0In3G2RujXFMRz417XiDs6V4yAT3ZxieSyYS8Amodel23hgpVmNqy-2AQ8-9DitjY8lfYmVFiHE0p7EZkuZn_rhrqGzRDBBO5w/s320/fbi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: small;">
At Manners-Colonial Hospital, Cheryl’s abductor gets questioned by Richmond District Attorney Robert Cole (Castiel? Constantine? Guy in a Trenchcoat?) while transporting human organs. Don’t you love when actual investigative legwork yields a suspect? Scully shows up unannounced at Father Joe’s apartment asking questions he can’t answer. They argue until Joe suffers a seizure so Dr. Scully attempts to save a man she loathes. Everyone arrives at Father Joe’s pretty quickly. Whitney even has the identity of their suspect, courtesy of the Richmond DA: Janke Dacyshyn. (Fun fact: actor Callum Keith Rennie, who played Janke, moved on to Duchovny’s show <i>Californication </i>after this movie. I guess he made a good impression.) Janke’s husband and partner-in-crime is identified as Franz Tomczezyn, one of Father Joe’s altar-boy victims. Guess the feds are really doubting the alleged psychic’s credibility now. Franz is the severed arm man.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Bannan finally sees an opportunity to escape from her captors, but a guard dog gets in her way. The FBI break into Janke’s employer’s office but no one is there. Of course Janke shows up while they’re searching the place and leaves when Agent Drummy is distracted by paperwork. Mulder and Whitney see Janke leave the building and the chase is on. (Did anyone think to grab the organ transplant bag our suspect abandoned? Or to let Drummy and his team know they’re chasing someone? Nope, they did not.) Janke escapes an out-of-shape Mulder by hiding in a building under construction. Whitney and Mulder lose their tactical edge by yelling information to each other. Since Janke knows exactly where she is, he easily pushes her off the ledge and she plummets to her death. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41">Maybe he should have asked Agent Whitney what her blood type was before he killed her. </span>Oh, and the abandoned organ transplant bag? It has Monica’s head in it. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_16BCoCiLVuBRWXRlevp4Dd3HKkE9yKl1UmJqO4395uFJKgF96rEIChug1BlGW7ZWs6xFdoeOVBw05-d33stMKdosjSd0RsqVnNIBzuOiatQTaIU63_YaFZW2O5eEvUePDDQzqywNtCDuJojq4kifj4Ev6FBTnkGYJBLxQ4vnqgPoS7azWR5Zqw/s1260/monica.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_16BCoCiLVuBRWXRlevp4Dd3HKkE9yKl1UmJqO4395uFJKgF96rEIChug1BlGW7ZWs6xFdoeOVBw05-d33stMKdosjSd0RsqVnNIBzuOiatQTaIU63_YaFZW2O5eEvUePDDQzqywNtCDuJojq4kifj4Ev6FBTnkGYJBLxQ4vnqgPoS7azWR5Zqw/s320/monica.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Mulder visits Father Joe in his hospital room. Scully discloses the molester’s terminal cancer diagnosis and Joe learns his connection to one of the killers. He thinks it’s God’s work. Then again, he also thinks Monica is still alive, so he’s either 0-2 or 1-1. Mulder still hopes to find Cheryl alive. He ends up at Nutter’s Feed, a gasoline and animal supply store. While questioning the owner, Fox sees Janke’s truck and hides. Mulder then follows Janke, and for once, actually tries to use a cell phone to update Scully. Of course, continuing Chris Carter’s tradition of cell-phone usage (or lack of cell-phone usage) driving the plot, Fox gets distracted and crashes. Janke then uses his vehicle’s front snow plow to flip Mulder’s down a steep, snow-covered hill. Fox, next time just call Dana before you start driving!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Dr. Scully continues her stem cell research and learns about treatments being done on dogs in Russia. Dana thinks that’s what the killers are doing, except on humans. She also thinks Agent Bannan is still alive. (I thought they found her head!?) Mulder is unable to take Scully’s call because he’s busy digging his injured self out of her wrecked car. Dana asks for Agent Drummy’s help in locating Fox, but he refers her to the local police. Luckily, Scully still has a trump card to play…</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQ23G0cF-2Vw086nBfQ_oGg58T9AaVjSy07fQIDlSNjcDHIfRSzl75X0jWt_IWDLruLHuaftIhPDJMRk9Cv8wHoMRl0TygKH_pk7txKaIW2qShis1drp3eRe8Q_mci8Sj9_BOGokkAHI1VK7NKp1gsuT1cNW2UJXWFym9lgqeQe6hrafTNrzY0Q/s1260/frankenstein.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQ23G0cF-2Vw086nBfQ_oGg58T9AaVjSy07fQIDlSNjcDHIfRSzl75X0jWt_IWDLruLHuaftIhPDJMRk9Cv8wHoMRl0TygKH_pk7txKaIW2qShis1drp3eRe8Q_mci8Sj9_BOGokkAHI1VK7NKp1gsuT1cNW2UJXWFym9lgqeQe6hrafTNrzY0Q/s320/frankenstein.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Mulder continues walking toward the suspect’s home and finds Janke’s disabled truck. Janke comforts husband Franz, who is the recipient of a Frankenstein’s monster situation that is meant to save his life. I guess he also has that rare AB-negative blood type. And the final piece of the puzzle? Franz’s head on Cheryl’s body, so Franz can be a woman not dying instead of a dying man. (Maybe Carter was…inspired by Thomas Harris’ <i>The Silence of the Lambs.</i>) Fox approaches the house but gets attacked by a two-headed dog. (Yep, you read that right.) Local troopers find Mulder’s crash scene and cell phone. You might be asking yourself, how did Scully get to the scene if Fox had her car? Well, she got a ride. From Walter Skinner! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Mulder gets past the dog(s?) and interrupts the surgery, threatening to hit the medical staff with a wrench. Too bad he gets distracted by Franz’s severed, yet conscious head and the surgeon drugs him. Team Sculner continue to search for Fox. Dana finds a link to a nearby address and scripture Father Joe had quoted to her. They hear dogs barking and head that way. And just when Janke is about to chop off Mulder’s head, Scully clobbers him! (Janke, not Fox, even though she probably had the urge.) Walter is able to stop the surgery. Dr. Scully saves Cheryl while Skinner warms up a freezing Mulder. (All together now: Awww.)</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboAYXicp7ULG9VcMFAfkyTdxK-LuJW-fJmBg2lpOG9P6VAvQlWUS1RrRQPc0_1qYws0RtiwqzKMQHToQJMOj-fF2v8g_8xFXqHcTS-IBCOGcj2Q1e8-bdEIC0iEWqYvF6sD-T0OqCVNsyH6ong4WsRg0d3DRmsvgu_wxw0ZyOSma05zoai8wSzg/s1260/skinmuld.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboAYXicp7ULG9VcMFAfkyTdxK-LuJW-fJmBg2lpOG9P6VAvQlWUS1RrRQPc0_1qYws0RtiwqzKMQHToQJMOj-fF2v8g_8xFXqHcTS-IBCOGcj2Q1e8-bdEIC0iEWqYvF6sD-T0OqCVNsyH6ong4WsRg0d3DRmsvgu_wxw0ZyOSma05zoai8wSzg/s320/skinmuld.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: small;">
In the aftermath, Father Joe dies and Fox is convinced his death occurred simultaneously with Franz’s body. He also believes Joe’s lung cancer was brought on by Franz’s same diagnosis. For whatever reason, Joe had a psychic connection with this victim. In the end, the feds assumed Father Joe was an accomplice. As usual, Mulder rails against the inaccuracies of the story and the lack of supernatural phenomena getting recognized. Dana and Fox continue to overanalyze Joe’s words to her: “Don’t give up.” Mulder propositions Scully and she considers escaping the darkness with him. But the doctor wins out and heads back to the hospital to continue trying to save young Christian’s life.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">
Hope you stuck around for the end credits because they change the entire tone of the movie’s ending. First, you get a techno version of Mark Snow’s<i> X-Files</i> theme. Then the scene transforms from Unkle’s mix of the theme to their catchy song, "Broken." The oil and snow images change to a beautiful blue ocean. And Sculder have managed to escape the darkness after all. At least until 2016, when things reach a whole new level of WTH darkness.
</span></p><span style="font-size: small;">
<span><span><span><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span></span></span><span><span><p><span>Before diving into the movie, word broke overnight that the Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins had passed, and I wanted to offer condolences to family, friends, Foos and fans through a piece of <i>X-Files</i> trivia from the first film. "Walking After You" originally was performed with Dave Grohl <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui_OD-bgFJE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">on most of the instruments</a> for the Foos' <i>The Colour and the Shape</i> album. But by the time it went on the <i>Fight the Future</i> soundtrack, Taylor Hawkins had joined the fold as the resident drummer extraordinaire. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcNgYAEJFg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Such an amazing difference</a>. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6al3FcaI6wrcPSHgrhfYCLMKJyt_YAZ_hj3bHpXEwf0pfnnfPXghcA014f8LP33WQbZ0acIYJXxN0X69bu4Mk3YOZAgrMkskPJAitAA_wGO4o7v8jyF_YIegzE3Xr7-pwRHPLPsrGnCE_E_-whRCOKExeYZx7EvtxzhZG9i5x9mMmvPNrdj9n3g/s1260/scully.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6al3FcaI6wrcPSHgrhfYCLMKJyt_YAZ_hj3bHpXEwf0pfnnfPXghcA014f8LP33WQbZ0acIYJXxN0X69bu4Mk3YOZAgrMkskPJAitAA_wGO4o7v8jyF_YIegzE3Xr7-pwRHPLPsrGnCE_E_-whRCOKExeYZx7EvtxzhZG9i5x9mMmvPNrdj9n3g/s320/scully.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span>That reminds me of my different reactions between the two movies. <i>Fight the Future </i>had its flaws (specifically the latter quarter of the film), but I did see it in theaters more than once because it was good fun. I did not have the same regard for <i>I Want to Believe.</i> In fact, I was really disappointed when I walked out of the cinema. But I do appreciate it more than I did upon release, although it has flaws as well -- the main one being that Mulder and Scully don't really get to do their thing.</span></p><p><span>I can get behind leaving the conspiracy in the dust, although we had that whole Dec. 22, 2012 alien invasion due date that was <a href="https://andnowsiblingcinema.blogspot.com/2022/03/x-files-s9e19-to-tell-truth.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">such an "important" part</a> of the regular-run finale still looming. I always thought the first film should have been a monster-of-the-week episode and not mythology-based. But they wanted to advance the latter, which they kinda sorta did, and then summarily left behind because corn-crop Jiffy Poppers and international locations don't exactly fit a Fox TV budget.</span></p><p><span>What I pictured for <i>I Want to Believe</i> was a tight mystery with the comedic elements that originally set <i>The X-Files </i>aside from other shows of its ilk. For example, I could imagine "Beyond the Sea" (Season 1, Episode 13) and "Pusher" (S3E17) as major motion pictures. Maybe "Triangle" (S6E3) or "Monday" (S6E14) could have been expanded upon instead of just being stellar episodes from the show's first season in Hollywood. What we got in this film was an antihero so dark that jokes seemed inappropriate, a retread of Scully watching over a sick child and the aforementioned dearth of Sculder scenes.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSO-FhdhpTvZM3Mzrxsi-Htqt1XmN_U8JWAC8aoiwYZFNgl-jr2X4tVLzewKDDRjlyi76HBRliPMUP6RNEni7Q72O3Ik20onx1_dq6HnZpN-LrqQqilKLlLFpo_40do-o0zOFAhimzPxzr-Xo81G6XQu1DvQ7E_AxCtQV8s6fDzAgcZ-6bgOjMPA/s1260/scenery.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSO-FhdhpTvZM3Mzrxsi-Htqt1XmN_U8JWAC8aoiwYZFNgl-jr2X4tVLzewKDDRjlyi76HBRliPMUP6RNEni7Q72O3Ik20onx1_dq6HnZpN-LrqQqilKLlLFpo_40do-o0zOFAhimzPxzr-Xo81G6XQu1DvQ7E_AxCtQV8s6fDzAgcZ-6bgOjMPA/s320/scenery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span>So we start from a position of bleakness and the road just gets bleaker. It's akin to driving down one of those unlit, icy roads in the film with snow drifting down at a hypnotizing and blinding rate. If you take the proceedings at face value and don't expect a light-hearted romp, it is winds up being rather picturesque, like looking out at the horizon the morning after one of those heavy snowfalls. In that way, it's gorgeous. Kudos to returning director of photography Bill Roe for that.<br /></span></p><p><span><b>What's up, Doc?</b> My favorite scenes without a doubt revolves around our first moments with Dana and Fox. It had been so long since we saw them, thousands of hours of fan fiction were logged hypothesizing what had become of them. The charm really lies within the ease with which the dialogue's delivered by Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. There's nothing life-changing in the scene, yet it's life-affirming for those of us invested in Mulder and Scully for so long.</span></p><p><span>Fox starts by spouting the kind of dialogue that has to be simultaneously pretentious, clunky and rapid-fire. In short, the words we would expect coming out creator Chris Carter's hand and thusly Fox Mulder's mouth. I'm so charmed by that fact that I'm not even rolling my eyes about it. At least it's not done in voiceover.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviNLZMrHSXbGJ_-CQ_q2n8j2XMzMhku_Kh9BIeAkcsUHOgyYBNwHSCRG8Ygu6ivjvwd0qGg7_pkbQ_g0FPi7AtjJEwbEKCkB_a3ZYneyydM_NBBoGtJz8CVfSLMoAlwfK3LKZLxvT7Yvb-CnHrjOak8O_luix8ZWZLz-VUCKn7q4nE9Ap0SB0Ww/s1260/fbiroom.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviNLZMrHSXbGJ_-CQ_q2n8j2XMzMhku_Kh9BIeAkcsUHOgyYBNwHSCRG8Ygu6ivjvwd0qGg7_pkbQ_g0FPi7AtjJEwbEKCkB_a3ZYneyydM_NBBoGtJz8CVfSLMoAlwfK3LKZLxvT7Yvb-CnHrjOak8O_luix8ZWZLz-VUCKn7q4nE9Ap0SB0Ww/s320/fbiroom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span>It's also fun to be back in the halls of the FBI building, since we vicariously spent as much time there as Fox and Dana. Theoretically we've been there longer than Agent Drummy (Xzibit) and ASAC Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet), but we feel just as uncomfortable as Sculder does walking into bustling rooms in which other suits are trying to solve the case.</span></p><p><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span>And
now a few words about Monica Bannan. I remember wondering in the
theater whether Annabeth Gish was contacted about returning as Monica
Reyes in this movie instead of Bannan or with some slight script alteration serving the role Dakota Whitney fills, and she either declined or couldn't fit it into her
schedule. Losing Reyes here would certainly have been more noble than
what they put her/us through at later dates. So while, at the time, I
was glad we didn't lose our precious Reyes to this case, in retrospect, I
am not so sure.</span></span></span> <br /></span></p><p><span><b>I'm done chasing monsters in the dark: </b>Scully apparently doesn't mince words anymore, because she gets right to the heart of why God might not listen to Father Joe's prayers, and leading to Mulder's supposition that maybe a deity isn't the one sending the convicted pedophile visions. And thus we come to the fork in the road, for Fox is intrigued and Dana is not interested in literally going back down these roads again.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ST6FcPxT8l3oqBJypm8aVi0rTvOiL8_juJHxj3J747HH_GHXshfaqlphW7XYbLuxlRJUs8BSBmWSacDOlKlQ_WZ1N8VkwIY37lOiNEm4h6Eg2yRzqlzi1vOPEZWj1xY1awimF_HFbwYKzGe0fgOtj3lQhb-ua1COt-e5scCR87SbKXTIQnl6Xg/s1260/bed.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ST6FcPxT8l3oqBJypm8aVi0rTvOiL8_juJHxj3J747HH_GHXshfaqlphW7XYbLuxlRJUs8BSBmWSacDOlKlQ_WZ1N8VkwIY37lOiNEm4h6Eg2yRzqlzi1vOPEZWj1xY1awimF_HFbwYKzGe0fgOtj3lQhb-ua1COt-e5scCR87SbKXTIQnl6Xg/s320/bed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span>Mulder finds something of a kindred spirit in Whitney. Luckily, there's no sort of sexual tension whatever or that might create a furor among the shippers. Dakota is part Monica Reyes, part Fox Mulder. That leaves Mosley Drummy as the Scully of the team. Back at the hospital, Dana's fighting her own battles, which means a series of futile conversations involving Father Ybarra (Adam Godley). They don't serve much purpose outside reminding us that Scully still has faith and will call upon it in order to save the child.</span></p><p><span>There's a long-awaited Fox and Dana bed scene ... and they're talking about a kid who is going to die from a brain disease and animal tranquilizer found in a severed arm. So while it's nice finally seeing them together and what not, I'm quite sure this isn't what the romance acolytes were after. I'll once again reiterate that the hottest moment we've ever seen between Sculder at this point was in the hallway during <i>Fight the Future, </i>right before the untimely bee sting.</span></p><p><b>I can't look into the darkness with you anymore: </b>I could do without the references to Samantha and William. By this time, Scully certainly knows that Mulder doesn't think every single case is about saving his sister. Although I might -- and did -- buy it when it was brought up by the nouveau FBI agents. And the reverse is true re: Fox having to point out that Dana's interest in saving a charming kid has to do with William. But even that's easier to take than watching them pull away from each other, and I'm a no-romo, for Pete's sake.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaHZbJrPpMs1awgAhSV_wrmFn4s8BOeidto1fpnOS49OcvNwXIHaeVeupC1rAYrrs9c9Pg_ybDzc-0VBI5MUh7lr_N58-ezCKnpjeXWL7sdBYYLnLay_5YFAPeY162YAtgoJYlvh_VvUfo6X4FVqq_vLr3G0H-r64eoj6ermFLyWJvtmyO-PLJQ/s1260/mulder.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaHZbJrPpMs1awgAhSV_wrmFn4s8BOeidto1fpnOS49OcvNwXIHaeVeupC1rAYrrs9c9Pg_ybDzc-0VBI5MUh7lr_N58-ezCKnpjeXWL7sdBYYLnLay_5YFAPeY162YAtgoJYlvh_VvUfo6X4FVqq_vLr3G0H-r64eoj6ermFLyWJvtmyO-PLJQ/s320/mulder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>At some point, we have to get into the action part, right? So while Scully waits and prays for her charge, Mulder hangs out at an unfinished high-rise construction site with Whitney. It's simultaneously surprising and not when she gets shoved to her death. But that's what you get for noticing Fox shaved his beard and touching his cheek, Dakota. If you asked Diana Fowley, she'd probably tell you that you got off easy, for shippers do not want anyone but Dana touching their guy.</p><p>There's kind of a stilted convo between Sculder about them not being able to stay together because she fell in love with him due of his stubbornness, and then we can get into running the reverse of Fight the Future -- this time with Scully (and Skinner, thank God Drummy transferred the call to someone "with some balls") saving Mulder. From an action standpoint, I'll give the latter part of this movie credit for being more interesting than Fox's retrieval of Dana in <i>Fight the Future</i>. (I still laugh when Cigarette-Smoking Man says, "It's all gone to hell!" and the baddies just give up on their very intricate, complex and probably expensive system.)<br /></p><p>Mitch Pileggi isn't around for very long, but he does get the funniest line in <i>I Want to Believe</i> when talking about Mulder: "He wouldn't do anything crazy. ... (Then off Scully's sideways look of wonder) ... Not overly crazy." As you can see, I mean the intentionally funny line. And Walter draws the movie together for us. He's the thread we needed to make sense of the madness and fit it into The <i>X-Files </i>package, and maybe just smile a bit amidst all the darkness. For the shippers who don't believe that to be true, hey, you got your kiss to wrap up the proceedings and Sculder's vacay in the sun at the end of the credits.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZx7eAkzhFm_42mt_6dPi06cX3037E6arM0KaIBOy6CPFNd7u5S6hwXgzrEY4NiBlN9xq5YV5fRadI7W7Atw7oS8i_I85o-ZY_PV5I3ksQBKPueUp04bRiRP8VqbsoOuVfVHUuPOVIAp89NrZyA93D9pX1JP0ve0OfrHsb062m4-2Pc-9ue0h4bw/s1260/billyc.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZx7eAkzhFm_42mt_6dPi06cX3037E6arM0KaIBOy6CPFNd7u5S6hwXgzrEY4NiBlN9xq5YV5fRadI7W7Atw7oS8i_I85o-ZY_PV5I3ksQBKPueUp04bRiRP8VqbsoOuVfVHUuPOVIAp89NrZyA93D9pX1JP0ve0OfrHsb062m4-2Pc-9ue0h4bw/s320/billyc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span><b>Guest star of the week:</b> It really is a virtuoso performance by Billy Connolly. The tendency would be to rank him alongside series baddies Brad Dourif ("Beyond the Sea"), Robert Wisden ("Pusher") and Tom Noonan ("Paper Hearts," S4E10), not to mention the kings -- Peter Boyle ("Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose," S3E4) and Charles Nelson Reilly ("Jose Chung's From Outer Space, S3E20.") But that's a disservice to all involved, because Connolly gets more time to worm his way into our collective consciousness. We don't admire Father Joe in the slightest, but he does make us understand him a little better. <br /></span></p></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-85023570570924551702022-03-12T12:49:00.003-08:002022-03-12T13:07:54.515-08:00X-Files S9E19: To tell 'The Truth'<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/s308/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/w143-h200/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" width="143" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is where it all originally ended. Chris Carter dips into the <i>The X-Files </i>mythology and finds a way to bring back characters we haven’t seen in years. Too bad one of them is Fox Mulder. Carter helps David Duchovny save face by having Mulder incarcerated, which sort of explains how Fox was nowhere in sight when his son William was given away or at the Lone Gunmen’s funeral … IF this storyline overlaps with those. But I’m getting ahead of myself. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Mulder is brought via helicopter to the Mount Weather complex in Bluemont, Virginia. He hops a bus into a secret military base -- Worst. Security. Ever -- then uses a key card to get into locked areas and has the right codes to access their computers. Too bad Knowle Rohrer interrupts him. (We first met Knowle, played by Adam Baldwin, in "Per Manum": Season 8, Episode 13.) Mulder, doing a great impression of the Well-Manicured Man, stupidly tries to physically overpower this Super Soldier, who throws Fox through a glass window. Luckily, Mulder is rescued by Alex Krycek! Knowle continues his pursuit and is about to choke Fox to death when Mulder turns the tables and flips Rohrer to an apparent death. As the soldiers take Fox into custody, his suit still looks impeccable.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgD3ofR4IUdOuu2Z3uStULJuWe5m3ZxozI_8mnvhVmG3i6rA4EDc-r4QIzkqlbQ5j297_7vFqZ6oRypHvyCKylwfq4g81x-jOjnwtiNIT5xvs5sBpxb-cD6QZCJbgrwLU2U2feUXOnUTiTTNJ8Gt55BXRQl1K2fRfqQhuqcMIr69g7lZuxxhn-yQ=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgD3ofR4IUdOuu2Z3uStULJuWe5m3ZxozI_8mnvhVmG3i6rA4EDc-r4QIzkqlbQ5j297_7vFqZ6oRypHvyCKylwfq4g81x-jOjnwtiNIT5xvs5sBpxb-cD6QZCJbgrwLU2U2feUXOnUTiTTNJ8Gt55BXRQl1K2fRfqQhuqcMIr69g7lZuxxhn-yQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Side-note argument: Duchovny should not have been included in the opening credits of any Season 9 episode, especially this one. All of the season’s heavy lifting – and boy, was it heavy at times – was done by the true stars of the series: Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish. Allowing the actor who abandoned the series to waltz back in like that? I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that was one reason why Robert Patrick never returned to <i>The X-Files,</i> even for a bottle episode. At most, David should have been a “special guest star.”</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Not sure how much time has passed, but a clean-shaven Fox is now in an orange jumpsuit, being deprived sleep and getting hit with a baton by the world’s worst interrogator. More time passes and Mulder is now naked and bearded. He admits his guilt and avoids getting hit again. FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner and Special Agent Dana Scully arrive at the military prison after someone tips off Deputy Director Alvin Kersh. They reunite with a clean-shaven-again Fox. She hugs him desperately, he barely reacts. A brainwashed Mulder acknowledges his crimes. After Walter and Dana leave, he starts talking to Krycek again, who’s only in Mulder’s head. (Sorry, Sestra Pro.)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDCmOMQjDIJm37CUCZWkraQ5tCP2PIkb55cof25IDrbGug2HjtejvExxgcY56tn2zNADiv0Xt03LkMyhgCpLbqjuo7jtfhsXNG18XNh9MpTN_xG5yaVETObbnIlGHAmEanEPP_xwKVn_iTV1ioUucj5YPEZtqjIEnHsc-72_6Jr48JlgtQhOc58Q=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDCmOMQjDIJm37CUCZWkraQ5tCP2PIkb55cof25IDrbGug2HjtejvExxgcY56tn2zNADiv0Xt03LkMyhgCpLbqjuo7jtfhsXNG18XNh9MpTN_xG5yaVETObbnIlGHAmEanEPP_xwKVn_iTV1ioUucj5YPEZtqjIEnHsc-72_6Jr48JlgtQhOc58Q=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Scully and Skinner -- Skilly? I haven’t called them that since "Redux" (S5E1) -- update Special Agents John Doggett and Monica Reyes. Doggett is especially disbelieving since he remembers Knowle dying back in "Nothing Important Happened Today" (S9E2). Reyes has a different take: Since Rohrer is a Super Soldier, he can’t die. I definitely agree with John’s exclamation: “Something stinks!” Team Skilly return to Fox’s cell where he can finally be himself. Too bad that involves an extended lip lock with Dana. Mulder knows the conspirators can’t/won’t produce Knowle’s real body. Team Johnica join them in the cell with disturbing news about the case against Fox.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
At the USMC Base Brig in Quantico, Deputy Director Kersh meets with General Mark Suveg, played by William Devane, whose acting career spans 50 years. The general is out for Mulder’s blood. (Boy, Fox sure has a lot of enemies: military, the government. His neighbors probably didn’t like him either.) The general wants a conviction and he knows he’s going to get one. Meanwhile, Scully seems to have complete access to Fox in his cell. She breaks down about William. He claims he’s been in Mexico, doing what Mulder does but he won’t tell her what he found because we’re only 22 minutes into the 90-minute finale.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6Z-WSX4yS9_RlgwrOehnJow4Gm5FraFs3VSt2QurS0fKPfMctamF-EnM_oyWW9dXuUqp0MsjFqQmwlViOR1nTVkwb56cPTwK1F869ckuXSOBiJmxNMMCkmHNWJSO11_ptfpC4dVCRQYcnZaPcqHY9jZQm1h8KJrNhnM8a7SsHQ8_0QfSx48aIsQ=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6Z-WSX4yS9_RlgwrOehnJow4Gm5FraFs3VSt2QurS0fKPfMctamF-EnM_oyWW9dXuUqp0MsjFqQmwlViOR1nTVkwb56cPTwK1F869ckuXSOBiJmxNMMCkmHNWJSO11_ptfpC4dVCRQYcnZaPcqHY9jZQm1h8KJrNhnM8a7SsHQ8_0QfSx48aIsQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
This should be an interesting trial. Well, it could have been an interesting trial. Prosecutor Kallenbrunner, instead of parading in 30 eyewitnesses, briskly submits their sworn statements. So much for that cross-examination nonsense defense attorneys love so much. AD Skinner, who is not a lawyer but has been assigned to defend Fox in what is clearly a pathetic sham of a trial, gets nowhere with Kersh, who is on the tribunal. Instead, he calls Dana as a witness to prove government conspiracies denying extraterrestrial existence are real. Jeffrey Spender is the next to testify. Mulder’s reaction shows he didn’t know his half-brother was still alive and horribly deformed. It’s amusing to hear nine years of overly convoluted storylines summed up so succinctly by Scully and Spender. The flashbacks are handled in an interesting fashion -- we see the past scenes but don’t hear their dialogue. Someone else wants to help Fox: Gibson Praise, who hasn’t been seen since "Without" (S8E2) is on his way.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqnZQmxe0EDqxrTYHHFSfQW0PayXI4zsu22YK3XO2pO-2dvP7wQ6Cj1wanlJVG8iKxQA1IMrI7v87bD2YnbbPFsk0urwQ_x-SOZZxYpa4dncqzSlsK_S5SM4dMir2Lw_hJYvoNeBHiaJFfIMWbKlO71ArPeBhzJnsYyW0CWaYqKedy7OVtvk2DiQ=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqnZQmxe0EDqxrTYHHFSfQW0PayXI4zsu22YK3XO2pO-2dvP7wQ6Cj1wanlJVG8iKxQA1IMrI7v87bD2YnbbPFsk0urwQ_x-SOZZxYpa4dncqzSlsK_S5SM4dMir2Lw_hJYvoNeBHiaJFfIMWbKlO71ArPeBhzJnsYyW0CWaYqKedy7OVtvk2DiQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Back in his cell, Mulder doesn’t tell Dana what she needs to hear. Luckily, Mr. X appears to give Fox the information needed to locate Marita Covarrubias. I’d like to know how an apparition can hand someone a piece of paper. So would Mulder. Meanwhile, Doggett is trying to track down Rohrer’s body when Reyes hears someone outside John’s home, another person trying to help Fox. (Team Johnica’s supporting roles in this series finale are beyond frustrating.) The next day, Marita takes the stand at the trial. Skinner is about to force her to reveal the current conspiracies when Mulder imagines Alex warning him about her safety. I guess Krycek cared for her after all. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Gibson arrives to save Fox’s butt. He says he's sheltered Mulder for the past year. He also claims one of the members of the tribunal isn’t human. We know him as Toothpick Man from "Providence" (S9E10). You know, the guy played by Alan Dale that never once had a toothpick on him. Mulder gets physically removed from the courtroom and we never get to see Gibson demonstrate his mind-reading powers to these non-believers. Fox talks with his “legal team” Skinner, Doggett and Reyes. John shows how far he’s evolved from the rigid rule follower he used to be with this bon mot: “Then let’s shove it up their ass.” He and Monica testify on behalf of Mulder. But Reyes' outrage toward Kallenbrunner and especially her boss, Kersh, articulates just how pissed she really is at this mockery.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB7q1bDYmW6SaoFFObb3YGDVgo3wBt2DOfr7E1VtOU288G6PeQvBGP-SA1Bi93hnTATgR4DyXbbxyVk4VSDU39WMlCiw-iDm2k9xDiMF-16rEsM9oQPNh2XTBfvNp9HHFQIVCFtV50xmzcGxll1Lp9EKMfjdsCpfNZWG-_iH552bZP1m13CSxSHw=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB7q1bDYmW6SaoFFObb3YGDVgo3wBt2DOfr7E1VtOU288G6PeQvBGP-SA1Bi93hnTATgR4DyXbbxyVk4VSDU39WMlCiw-iDm2k9xDiMF-16rEsM9oQPNh2XTBfvNp9HHFQIVCFtV50xmzcGxll1Lp9EKMfjdsCpfNZWG-_iH552bZP1m13CSxSHw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Doggett’s doggedness pays off. He manages to get his hands on “Knowle Rohrer” or at least a corpse that is allegedly him. John stays with Gibson at Scully’s place while Reyes takes Dana to Quantico to perform the autopsy. Scully proves it isn’t Knowle and brings that information to Fox's trial the next day. Of course, her testimony gets rejected and Kersh ejects her from the courtroom. Frankly, everyone gets kicked out. By the time we return to the “trial,” Alvin and his fellow puppets have declared Fox Mulder guilty of first-degree murder. Mulder has a few words to say about that. His impassioned speech seems to reach Kersh for a split second. But the panel hands down a “death by lethal injection” sentence anyway.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Rohrer heads to the base to kill Fox and doesn’t even try to hide his identity. Luckily, Skinner and Doggett just jailbroke Mulder out of his cell. (Yes, I know jailbroke isn’t a word but I like the sound of it.) Our fugitive heroes run into Kersh, who’s finally helping them! Reyes drives the getaway car to Scully and Gibson. Sculder head south (against Alvin’s suggestion) without saying thank you to anyone. Team Johnica and Praise head to FBI headquarters to destroy Gibson’s records, but someone beats them to it and has cleaned out the X-files office. Walter goes to see Alvin, but Toothpick Man greets him at the door. Gibson realizes the Toothpick Man knows where Sculder are heading. So what happens to Skinner?!?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKG5DVQJOfIkqwNtO3iYg_dzn6K2TPVA2OSa5jjrHdSXJOwJrqLPTy8NSHMcRlyChaVHmC6-iHUhwQIzr1bXcRtGJriMWi0d4IImCKGj5VY7nNyo-a4L2eIPRsq4FIA6efcZRu_nz2apOVhOECibBTnsEjO7FQyc-MicthReDxXaLGSPU8XVE3-A=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKG5DVQJOfIkqwNtO3iYg_dzn6K2TPVA2OSa5jjrHdSXJOwJrqLPTy8NSHMcRlyChaVHmC6-iHUhwQIzr1bXcRtGJriMWi0d4IImCKGj5VY7nNyo-a4L2eIPRsq4FIA6efcZRu_nz2apOVhOECibBTnsEjO7FQyc-MicthReDxXaLGSPU8XVE3-A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Somewhere near the Texas/New Mexico border, Fox talks with the spirits of The Lone Gunmen, who tell him in no uncertain terms he’s being an idiot for endangering his future with Dana. But Mulder’s all truth, truth, truth, yada, yada, yada. Sculder arrive at a pueblo and he encounters a very alive Cancer Man. Turns out, Fox’s papa is the one who sent him to Mount Weather in the first place. CSM claims the aliens have taken control. Meanwhile, Team Johnica have arrived in a helicopter to help. But when they see a sinister SUV heading their way, Monica, who is clearly the closest friend John has, refers to him as “Agent Doggett.” This one step forward, two steps back thing with their relationship is getting so old. By the way, Knowle is the one driving the vehicle. Our intrepid heroes are in deep trouble.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Cancer Man tells Scully the final alien invasion is set to occur on </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Dec. 22, 2012</span>. Mulder learned about it when he broke into Mount Weather. And even though he’s protected Fox for years, CSM is now ready to watch him die. Speaking of watching someone die, Doggett is about to shoot Rohrer with a bullet when the surrounding magnetite definitely, finally takes him out of the picture. (Remember when Scully did that in "Trust No 1" (S9E6)? Does that mean John now has to go on trial for killing him too?) Sculder and Team Johnica take off in separate vehicles while more bad guys in sinister black helicopters torpedo Cancer Man’s pueblo until he dies. Again. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvn54hHGPheurIboZRH6DYs4Re4LvjG9Hc7BMWKThfUbgRDg2DXSPS7OxycZ7zbIfiyjOmZcqqtNF2oj2TLORYPaQtuveMsBHKpHwNHlml2ro3l9_wgh1VEg5Sgw-o6rFYnC9uz5Abq54CjIu51sI0tWn0eade_t6HdFPUwqan2RhEw_jyYBHlSg=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvn54hHGPheurIboZRH6DYs4Re4LvjG9Hc7BMWKThfUbgRDg2DXSPS7OxycZ7zbIfiyjOmZcqqtNF2oj2TLORYPaQtuveMsBHKpHwNHlml2ro3l9_wgh1VEg5Sgw-o6rFYnC9uz5Abq54CjIu51sI0tWn0eade_t6HdFPUwqan2RhEw_jyYBHlSg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Later that night, Sculder are talking in a cheap motel in Roswell, New Mexico. It’s his defeatist attitude vs. her pep talk. Fox’s argument about listening to the dead is more compelling than his never-ending alien chatter. But they end the night in each other’s arms, which doesn’t seem like a win to me. We never see Doggett again. We almost wish we didn’t see Reyes again. And Chris Carter’s need to “George Lucas” his original continuity is going to reach new levels of “Eww” in the show’s revival in 2016. At least we’ll have the palate cleanser that is “I Want to Believe” before tackling the newer eps. Mulder always says “Trust no one” but you can trust me when I say my snarky tone shall return.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After nine years, this is what it has all come to. It's kind of disappointing that the series sputters to this conclusion. In the end, wrapping it up means the same thing it has all these years -- demean the work of Fox Mulder ... and Dana Scully. Never mind all the cases in which someone said, "This could be the key to everything in the X-files." (I should have counted that number, it definitely would be in double-digits.) The truth may be in Scully, but the key to everything remains Mulder. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXV-Yu9jMyztiYhEnYGEki0qiLx_b-48hqjv18u0fvwdIMwf9Uiwp_0okPJS0sYrQFn8hJIIPI-976CRsW--23uiPyN99fLvncHF1zatraKdRyH6s-2bejnyZ-g-KY7nEKQGBbNW5LQnqHFxEkz39GGNAtOVYB3XzICHrilu8XTKHyuEWhutr5ww=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXV-Yu9jMyztiYhEnYGEki0qiLx_b-48hqjv18u0fvwdIMwf9Uiwp_0okPJS0sYrQFn8hJIIPI-976CRsW--23uiPyN99fLvncHF1zatraKdRyH6s-2bejnyZ-g-KY7nEKQGBbNW5LQnqHFxEkz39GGNAtOVYB3XzICHrilu8XTKHyuEWhutr5ww=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Not that I have the same issues as Sestra Am with Fox's return. Clearly he had to be there. He's a face of the franchise, and with the fan base at the time largely disinterested in continuing on with John Doggett and Monica Reyes, Mulder needed to be back in the fold for the regular run's wrapup. But what's missing is everything that made this series so much fun to watch for years. The fresh-faced awe and optimism </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">-- like every time Fox Mulder got a glimpse of his white whale -- not to mention the sense of humor. <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I can't seem to locate it now, but I distinctly remember a line from my favorite review of this episode, something like "Alex Krycek returns to open a door?" And it's true. One of the seminal villains and his return is about helping Mulder. To consider that he only helped in Fox's tortured head may even be worse. Mulder has never been interested in any assistance from Alex. All he wants to do is pummel the guy. He realllllly must be out of sorts.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We can't win, we can only hope to go down fighting: </span></span></span></b>The moment when Dana and Fox are reunited carries an understandable amount of weight, even though remembrances of the romance-novel email meanderings we suffered through in "Trust No 1" still linger in the mind. Now that's torture. Since it has been a year, Scully also has to clue Mulder in on William's recent departure. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRvMvD2lfOGJZh7zz5-nUZ6vqiXODRxRxIu7GcbBbWvXBcmpLoCLXXgSmaWs7x3K_q4h_Djf1lpSkxXQ0X7zQQQaJ3gfZQwAbEq6K1M00lL3xnlkousCv-OUp1PxZzCw-e6XKjXm2MU7nIX6FpOES4bzaxQFgKFz3Tr2-mc2vusIiu8fDugIadbw=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRvMvD2lfOGJZh7zz5-nUZ6vqiXODRxRxIu7GcbBbWvXBcmpLoCLXXgSmaWs7x3K_q4h_Djf1lpSkxXQ0X7zQQQaJ3gfZQwAbEq6K1M00lL3xnlkousCv-OUp1PxZzCw-e6XKjXm2MU7nIX6FpOES4bzaxQFgKFz3Tr2-mc2vusIiu8fDugIadbw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And then the sham of a trial. We know it's a sham for so many reasons, chiefly because it gets underway without Knowle Rohrer's body, real or fake. So even before the testimony starts, we know how it's going to go. The prosecutor doesn't bother with witnesses, just the sworn statements from people who saw the opening teaser play out. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Human life is extraterrestrial by definition: </b>Then it's a waltz down memory lane, from the very beginnings of Scully's assignment to the X-files to debunk Mulder's work through Samantha and Dana's abductions, the black oil, the history lesson from "Fight the Future", the government conspiracy and the Syndicate's literal conflagration.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully's testimony is discounted because she had his love child. Interesting. I guess there was no point in countering that the files she so thoroughly documented for the first five years were burned up in the FBI basement. Spender Fricasse lays out his portion of the program; his words are weakened by documentation that the two didn't get along and he considered Mulder unstable when the former had a face. Guess this military doesn't allow for people changing their minds. Also, their documentation didn't go up in smoke. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIBhOZmXfpjco6XBvx0IvYHMlU8neJW6L100MBK0se6t6Ep26X513Vb8ot0Ol9N4WlqQ2rfou2iQKp5vBZ8wtohyThaVDVTpcrJyYlhtU4mH4Yph_hG_UXx-fvzPjy-566bT1gPAMlIbPkG3YyauhzZ_rrdBesxw8D8PRxO1FJ1yO3U4OY_k-tCg=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIBhOZmXfpjco6XBvx0IvYHMlU8neJW6L100MBK0se6t6Ep26X513Vb8ot0Ol9N4WlqQ2rfou2iQKp5vBZ8wtohyThaVDVTpcrJyYlhtU4mH4Yph_hG_UXx-fvzPjy-566bT1gPAMlIbPkG3YyauhzZ_rrdBesxw8D8PRxO1FJ1yO3U4OY_k-tCg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>We never were going to win: </b>This is all so ploddingly delivered that one can almost wish they put everyone involved out of their misery. Where are those renegade faceless aliens with the blow torches when you need them? At least Mr. X provides a voice (and piece of paper) of reason. The tribunal isn't interested in hearing what anyone has to say. Hey, didn't I say that? No one listens.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mulder somehow makes it worse for himself by taking Krycek's counsel to let Marita Covarrubias go before she can name names on the sequel conspiracy and their Super Soldiers. Gibson Praise arrives and proves his junk DNA is no joke, but that makes it worse on Fox as well. John Doggett gets to show how he's changed by detailing what he knows of the Super Soldiers, while still doubting the paranormal on the whole. He somehow has no answer when confronted with the latter, despite all he's seen over the past two years. So the only one who really comes off well in this episode is Monica Reyes. If I was presenting my case for who the character of Reyes is, I would use this episode. She stands up to authority, no matter what the cost. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinrElh64sfxcnqt_1d9ZvnlF-k6HkUxKxY8kYhfu3EKJTwXcw3L1bBLeze7iboQq3wEUNhcYi4OeQnrraeqlRSd38mW8vurtm5EaKbepvpwZFsvXwa2_aq-0_jOE3-2NFthr9TVHed-ooauQDhsBhnvxY3QUld6aCjm8PrjOGyd5YZV8u6BPPv9A=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinrElh64sfxcnqt_1d9ZvnlF-k6HkUxKxY8kYhfu3EKJTwXcw3L1bBLeze7iboQq3wEUNhcYi4OeQnrraeqlRSd38mW8vurtm5EaKbepvpwZFsvXwa2_aq-0_jOE3-2NFthr9TVHed-ooauQDhsBhnvxY3QUld6aCjm8PrjOGyd5YZV8u6BPPv9A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Either way, you lose: </b>To my mind, Monica was the show's most standup character. Yes, I said it. Out of everyone. Here is my evidence: "You don't care what these people have sacrificed over the last nine
years, what's been lost to their cause. You make a mockery of it,
gladdened it proves your point. ... What is the point of all of this? To destroy a man who seeks the truth
or to destroy the truth so no man can seek it?"</p><p>Even Mulder's pontification to that tribunal for succeeding at bringing him down when so many others failed for nine years doesn't carry the impact of Reyes' speech. Maybe because Fox is saying it for his own purposes, while Monica's actions were entirely selfless. Sure wish we could have seen that person again. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgusSVbMrmVrc6P5wdAx0mJ8LkxIGBVwdr_nFeejPbO7HfqAiU5Vc25DRbxW49whm1wDTqQ5R6WVSBJvl-zHjGxTcPIl8ZTQFHLsn1p8rF4VJ3ZF5lFBuyvFSo3qnRUVcFmlJGa6t6ksEo-Feq9cCZ5P9mFF7BCOcNhFGHT-YTPUo0VAaQdqmEmew=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgusSVbMrmVrc6P5wdAx0mJ8LkxIGBVwdr_nFeejPbO7HfqAiU5Vc25DRbxW49whm1wDTqQ5R6WVSBJvl-zHjGxTcPIl8ZTQFHLsn1p8rF4VJ3ZF5lFBuyvFSo3qnRUVcFmlJGa6t6ksEo-Feq9cCZ5P9mFF7BCOcNhFGHT-YTPUo0VAaQdqmEmew=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>Nevertheless, Mulder seems to have gotten through to Kersh after all this time. Yeah, the boss who wouldn't listen to reason about the most basic things for his four years on the canvas. Contrarily, now The Lone Gunmen's souls are urging him not to follow through on his instincts. So we're up to five people -- or one person and four ghosts -- behaving in a manner diametrically opposed to the way they usually behave, unless we add on the other three who somehow testified without defending their actions.</p><p><b>My power comes from telling you: </b>And just like we couldn't have a finale without Fox, we certainly can't have one without the "chain-smoking son of a b*tch." We didn't really think he was rubbed out after falling down some stairs. It would be a lot tougher to bring him back from a complete hollowed-out inflagration, right? I do thank CSM for providing some words of wisdom, though -- claiming the original Roswell crash was caused by magnetite, still the only substance capable of taking down a Super Soldier, was inspired.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiCcJeXP0TiBtsBSIYBfEh2YK7Y5dNqXWhZ2L6Nb-Y3K8WfJyvz7o9ps3nX2LobrRz8EYlG3E9MkIJMfYJMGCErneAYAN7jGHR07ZhppeKMVhVYt-UvtrPqAgAmbBbfuSI8kgGm3o4ikDa2kHmM9gr7KFVNuGciNyt_sd4F9emIDgRr4Lg0La6Zw=s1792" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="1792" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiCcJeXP0TiBtsBSIYBfEh2YK7Y5dNqXWhZ2L6Nb-Y3K8WfJyvz7o9ps3nX2LobrRz8EYlG3E9MkIJMfYJMGCErneAYAN7jGHR07ZhppeKMVhVYt-UvtrPqAgAmbBbfuSI8kgGm3o4ikDa2kHmM9gr7KFVNuGciNyt_sd4F9emIDgRr4Lg0La6Zw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Guest star of the week: </b>In spite of the insipidness, it was great to see so many of the actors who helped carry the show through the regular run back for the last hurrah. So on this occasion, I give the kudos to William B. Davis, Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood, Steven Williams, James Pickens Jr., Laurie Holden, Chris Owens, Jeff Gulka, Adam Baldwin and -- of course -- Nicholas Lea.</p></span></span>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-91738460296265920772022-02-19T10:49:00.002-08:002022-02-19T11:27:45.107-08:00X-Files S9E18: Second-to-last week tonight with Oliver<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/s308/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/w143-h200/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" width="143" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I really hope I enjoy this episode because it’s the last one I’ll get to watch without Fox Mulder’s presence. In Van Nuys, California, a couple of righteous dudes, Blake McCormick and Michael Daley, are drinking beer across the street from the Brady Bunch house. They enter the house as groovy burglars and play with the bric-a-brac, which includes Carol’s vase and Greg’s football. One jive turkey panics and decides to go wait in the car. Blake goes upstairs and encounters Bobby and Cindy Brady in the hallway. Somehow the space cadet gets thrown through the roof … and across the street. To paraphrase Bobby, Mom always says don’t break into our house.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9PM0BdknyvsGzPi20xL1uACtCs9de9RqFQdclLwR0RhoWnTrG1vAIJwGNJDc1sfFOr8ofA7KeNRkWIpQgS4KByyg4wtMbx74v-cUOZIx_quCrUCyuY8pFS8iwtUkT9NhzT-CEDjdrB37V2JxwySKqSg7jtzWIyWZdqutVGTjvlSiBiDhO4w6uYQ=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9PM0BdknyvsGzPi20xL1uACtCs9de9RqFQdclLwR0RhoWnTrG1vAIJwGNJDc1sfFOr8ofA7KeNRkWIpQgS4KByyg4wtMbx74v-cUOZIx_quCrUCyuY8pFS8iwtUkT9NhzT-CEDjdrB37V2JxwySKqSg7jtzWIyWZdqutVGTjvlSiBiDhO4w6uYQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
FBI Special Agents John Doggett and Monica Reyes are called in to investigate. John initially thinks the victim fell from a helicopter. Local coppers bring Michael Daley -- played by <i>Married with Children </i>alum David Faustino -- back to the scene of the crime. He tries to convince Team Johnica it’s the Brady Bunch house. Luckily – or unfortunately – Monica knows the true house and claims this ain’t it. And judging by Doggett’s reaction, he is not impressed with Reyes’ pop-culture knowledge. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">John and Monica make contact with the current homeowner, Oliver Martin (Cousin Oliver!?), who is played by <i>Lost </i>and <i>Person of Interest</i> star Michael Emerson. Daley enters the house with Team Johnica, but it is nothing like the 1970s museum he observed the previous night. Doggett does some old fashioned police work and finds a recently patched hole on the roof of the house. Sure, his explanation of what happened sounds far-fetched, but it’s nice to see him embrace the impossible, even as Reyes surprisingly doubts it. To paraphrase Jan Brady, "Monica, Monica, Monica!"</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6weqLKm8-i0dTVP9obGkn1ylT_zCEkXa1BNf1WzC3GpdcMEO9s2ggoqkdfy08cmUEMeRq1bA4KaC1b0rWU92zdHofjGggcli8vySFAMf5iVogf-ZE2FDTeKa6Ws0RByWaDO1FljEE77476jY9eHfxWzCjdYdutyR4iW79pMcCA7B5_YcA-dg3sw=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6weqLKm8-i0dTVP9obGkn1ylT_zCEkXa1BNf1WzC3GpdcMEO9s2ggoqkdfy08cmUEMeRq1bA4KaC1b0rWU92zdHofjGggcli8vySFAMf5iVogf-ZE2FDTeKa6Ws0RByWaDO1FljEE77476jY9eHfxWzCjdYdutyR4iW79pMcCA7B5_YcA-dg3sw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Of course, FBI Special Agent/Doctor Dana Scully does the autopsy on poor Blake but before she can begin, she gets supernaturally shocked by her scalpel. Team Johnica talk to Scully via Zoom (OK, OK, 2002’s version of Zoom) at the FBI field office located in Los Angeles’ version of Los Angeles. (They finally got the geography right!) Dr. Dana supports Doggett’s theory and mentions McCormick’s current electrical state. Meanwhile, Michael Daley is back at the house, watching Alice feed the Brady family dinner through the window. The spaz breaks in, but the Bradys are nowhere to be found. Daley confronts Oliver, who tries to get Michael to leave. Too bad something gets a hold of the trespasser and sends him through the ceiling – and to his death in the yard. That’s what happens to snitchers, Michael! Ask Cindy.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Team Johnica go to the fresh crime scene, but Oliver Martin isn’t cooperating this time. Scully arrives in L.A. with someone who can help: Dr. John Rietz, who knew Oliver as a young telekinetic boy named Anthony Fogelman. Meanwhile, Oliver is patching up the new hole and imagining Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby and Cindy running down the stairs when Dr. Rietz calls. Martin reacts to him but doesn’t answer the phone. Back at the FBI field office, Monica realizes Oliver Martin took Cousin Oliver’s name. Dana adds to the revelation by pointing out how Cousin Oliver considered himself a jinx. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEha0MN6dpkxYLfaxZZ6WNM7Drp7cwtrcO4jSjsyKuw-iqcRERkhZqTtayP4rh83dfBLzKkvNMMY_s4HjSCpE-wc4ZSB4eklscokjh9xPSOWlE3ol2nAQM2MteVHMvv_boTiUm3_SHkov3xXhv3sSigvb8nAUQzp9YKodJQ-PCqSrFcmZCCzDV7y7w=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEha0MN6dpkxYLfaxZZ6WNM7Drp7cwtrcO4jSjsyKuw-iqcRERkhZqTtayP4rh83dfBLzKkvNMMY_s4HjSCpE-wc4ZSB4eklscokjh9xPSOWlE3ol2nAQM2MteVHMvv_boTiUm3_SHkov3xXhv3sSigvb8nAUQzp9YKodJQ-PCqSrFcmZCCzDV7y7w=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Doggett takes Dr. Rietz to Oliver’s and sees the house in all its Brady Bunch glory. John confronts Martin but he wants Doggett to exit the normal way. Since John won't oblige, Oliver’s temper gets the better of him and Martin sends Doggett through the ceiling and into the attic! Luckily, John goes feet first, which probably saves his life. Unfortunately, now he’s upside down. Dr. Rietz helps Oliver release his hold on Doggett, so he painfully crashes to the floor. Luckily he doesn’t end up with Marcia’s football-to-the-face nose.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Scully and Reyes arrive to assist John. Monica is enthralled by accuracy of the Brady Bunch house. Martin displays his powers by changing the interior to a beautiful landscape. Of course, this looks computer-generated, unlike the house interior. Doggett wants to leash Oliver’s power, but Dana wants to study it. Too bad Oliver still doesn’t have complete control over it. The group takes Martin to meet Assistant Director Walter Skinner and Dr. Jacocks at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhapevZeI_JCGcENUPdrxBRNcNV18uet3Hq8nTGyr6IYCYmIFM1u8cqzmaZYoZV6IanwmcUCgFsS-zTSGN47e45KQRdmQlxP6o5irGRHO5vwAQdGakIsPURRgmr0QrYWfzVU13xcRYpdBc8uiab6gtLPL4B194j1As1qLQlz5DGdgXH7RBsVcPHjA=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhapevZeI_JCGcENUPdrxBRNcNV18uet3Hq8nTGyr6IYCYmIFM1u8cqzmaZYoZV6IanwmcUCgFsS-zTSGN47e45KQRdmQlxP6o5irGRHO5vwAQdGakIsPURRgmr0QrYWfzVU13xcRYpdBc8uiab6gtLPL4B194j1As1qLQlz5DGdgXH7RBsVcPHjA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Oliver manages to put a smile on Walter’s face (and creepy ones on almost everyone else’s) by levitating and spinning Skinner. Just when things look alarmingly positive for our intrepid heroes, Oliver suffers a seizure because the power is causing his organs to shut down. The Brady clan visits Martin’s bedside to say goodbye. Doggett realizes Dr. Rietz has a choice to make: Oliver’s ability or Oliver. The good doc picks Oliver, I mean Anthony. And Team Johnica move one step closer to each other. At least, I think they’re getting closer. Or maybe like Jan, I just need glasses.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">While Sestra Am set out to enjoy the last Mulder-less episode, my focus was squarely upon the fact that "Sunshine Days" was the final Vince Gilligan effort for the series. (Is it my imagination or was Fox mentioned more here than he was for large parts of this season?) Gilligan wound up too busy breaking great with <i>Breaking Bad </i>to be involved with the revival seasons. I always surmised that he had the idea of using <i>The Brady Bunch </i>in his back pocket for a while (I thought that about his directorial debut on Season 7, Episode 21's "Je Souhaite" too), and in his last hurrah -- or because he was out of other ideas -- he made it happen in his swan song.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieFJkDK7bf9ngeRsysZFGjS75wZkvwYP9Mp6pnxEtM3Vr4GH9-JoJl7cMp1wnTWGDNQViOnBD4jwr-iKEQSRhlAURwMn8aP5eGXlg3SPsHasCWVZag9o8J2Egz7SkFNKa3mPcokrN9YjvaB4yP2Arz7-aqxNsOeOwQMLSFJFS0yNWwGnsKQzfEQQ=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieFJkDK7bf9ngeRsysZFGjS75wZkvwYP9Mp6pnxEtM3Vr4GH9-JoJl7cMp1wnTWGDNQViOnBD4jwr-iKEQSRhlAURwMn8aP5eGXlg3SPsHasCWVZag9o8J2Egz7SkFNKa3mPcokrN9YjvaB4yP2Arz7-aqxNsOeOwQMLSFJFS0yNWwGnsKQzfEQQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On the surface, it seems like the lightest episode we've had in some time, but in true Gilligan fashion, there's much more going on. Still, we've been dealing with some heavy stuff, dudes, between the departure of William and the resolution of the Doggett's son murder mystery. So it's kind of nice to transport the show lock, stock and horse sculpture to a place that reminds us of a simpler time, sitting in front of the TV after school and watching reruns. Except for Oliver, no one needs to be reminded of Oliver. It's like being reminded of Diana Fowley.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Who's on crack now, huh? </span></span></span></b>We know we're in an <i>X-Files </i>episode, though, when we see the youngest Bradys Bobby and Cindy in the hallway during the opening teaser and they seem more like the twins at the Overlook Hotel in <i>The Shining.</i> Ultimately, the ep winds up being more in the Stephen King milieu of <i>Carrie</i> with the "Mozart of psychokinesis." <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSeo6SAmQA29ueryruYIQplvp90A-gr1QXf7KfYY75aiCdYM7kqVPL6VkcFs3ZaVL86tUNRSNL8SL8XBUkWo3CNu_ZM9Flxi12FXQC5VdYgH_KOjdOI2hm7t7Gz5Q3wR9uzXlAxJdMSaxkU9DGClH68dAfjuJTdYzsCL1QxdBGJliLj34IBUMgNA=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSeo6SAmQA29ueryruYIQplvp90A-gr1QXf7KfYY75aiCdYM7kqVPL6VkcFs3ZaVL86tUNRSNL8SL8XBUkWo3CNu_ZM9Flxi12FXQC5VdYgH_KOjdOI2hm7t7Gz5Q3wR9uzXlAxJdMSaxkU9DGClH68dAfjuJTdYzsCL1QxdBGJliLj34IBUMgNA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish seem very relaxed for the penultimate effort of the season. Now unburdened by Doggett's past, John and Monica get to quip and he admits he's finally getting the hang of the job. On top of that, we learn that Scully was one of us -- she watched <i>The Brady Bunch </i>regularly too. Pretty good for someone who would never partake in bar trivia (although we could surely use her for science questions).<br /></p><p><b>A to B to C: </b>To me, this episode has always felt reminiscent of "Field Trip" (S6E21), the teleplay for which was co-written by Gilligan and John Shiban. It's got that end-of-season looseness. It's a melting pot of "we've been thinking about these things for a long time, so let's get them into a show while everyone is too tired to rationalize them." And I think it's a little too loosey goosey. Sure, it's fun, well, except for the victims who flew through the air like they were in a cartoon, but obviously weren't.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN7y9lGWEnF1M-O7fm9SEEXnKradJ2O-sV3M-l0RYuDNYEYAElsz1G7WHYjeSn6jGw_-mY9jD7mAckw5cgi6DB56b0qyGNCdSRQtbCnDAO2yHwCy1rUIX7NEVAq4GXX0nAX5j0n1m_Fsk48rYTOczjaqMPjaV1km01m6FmGDz-zPVZxcvGwgzduQ=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN7y9lGWEnF1M-O7fm9SEEXnKradJ2O-sV3M-l0RYuDNYEYAElsz1G7WHYjeSn6jGw_-mY9jD7mAckw5cgi6DB56b0qyGNCdSRQtbCnDAO2yHwCy1rUIX7NEVAq4GXX0nAX5j0n1m_Fsk48rYTOczjaqMPjaV1km01m6FmGDz-zPVZxcvGwgzduQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>It's strange for Scully to want to hang nine years of searching for incontrovertible proof on this case. But it's nice to see her smile again (particularly when Skinner goes pate over tea kettle). And it's definitely nice to see Walter at all. But after Vince was involved in jumping the shark with the demise of the Lone Gunmen three episodes ago, we're now on the other side of that pop-culture phenomenon. There are aspects of his vision to be enjoyed, but on the whole, his episode isn't quite up to Gilligan snuff. I loved "Sunshine Days" when it first aired, but like <i>The Brady Bunch </i>itself, I've let it go as the years have gone by. <br /></p><p>I don't particularly want to rain all over Vince's exit parade, he gave so much to the series over many years. And he imbues his final <i>X-Files</i> creation with the most important reminder -- family isn't just blood. (Fox Mulder will be happy to hear that since his biological pop is C.G.B. Spender.) You truly become family when you invest in other people emotionally. For that reason, Vince will always be <i>X-Files </i>blood (good and "Bad.")<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimZKJ5JmU8nIdFxVa1PG0EiwBUp1GHucwM6DYnIiWD3-9dW_ymuUmcjFZ0wzmeo-taS1CRM_x9w3KgenkJ5cdh4KJtX7n1cKstNfLcYk8BSxtWMqi_93848JVZq1glfYriyRtxVgA_Z0QgUceMHElGlHdDu7x1bX_-TZJGKkEqHkqLRu6zXmPbGA=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimZKJ5JmU8nIdFxVa1PG0EiwBUp1GHucwM6DYnIiWD3-9dW_ymuUmcjFZ0wzmeo-taS1CRM_x9w3KgenkJ5cdh4KJtX7n1cKstNfLcYk8BSxtWMqi_93848JVZq1glfYriyRtxVgA_Z0QgUceMHElGlHdDu7x1bX_-TZJGKkEqHkqLRu6zXmPbGA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Guest star of the week:</b> Michael Emerson reminds me so much of Mike White <i>(School of Rock)</i> that, for years, I thought the latter was the star of this episode. But I hereby cast aside my incorrect impression of Anthony/Oliver. We need to have empathy for a character who kills a couple of people, including Bud from <i>The Brady Bunch</i> antithesis <i>Married with Children. </i>And we do, thanks to Emerson.<br /></p></span></span><br />Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-52390279751502447632022-01-29T12:39:00.001-08:002022-01-29T13:58:25.827-08:00X-Files S9E17: Releasing them from their obligations<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/s308/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/w143-h200/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" width="143" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As we approach the end of the original <i>X-Files </i>run, we finally get some long overdue backstory and closure for Special Agent John Doggett, who joined the party in "Within" (Season 8, Episode 1). We first learned about his murdered son in "This is Not Happening" (S8E14), the episode that also introduced us to Special Agent Monica Reyes. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Doggett gets a tip and breaks into an abandoned building. He’s knocked down by an unknown assailant who, surprisingly, doesn’t stop running just because someone yells, “Hey!” Inside a room, John finds a newly plastered wall, which starts dripping red liquid when Doggett claws at it. Sounds like a nightmare, doesn’t it? Nope, it’s real, and it’s a female stabbing victim behind that wall. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCFY_F4R_M1HfnBEDa0WcHBsyTjBLrqOxNifodF_EefHeM-84CfzGqWwBFUDHTKKi9v1Ca6D8B1JiNjb9rPEab3SYJg_eH5HS-Ydx3ijKTJa8NM9Qt2aZ88fLeqrCECFJ0Edx1TFO3l1qsfXmewLChhorNWpbrdQDrc8suk5xO-DPHgrI6-rXO5g=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCFY_F4R_M1HfnBEDa0WcHBsyTjBLrqOxNifodF_EefHeM-84CfzGqWwBFUDHTKKi9v1Ca6D8B1JiNjb9rPEab3SYJg_eH5HS-Ydx3ijKTJa8NM9Qt2aZ88fLeqrCECFJ0Edx1TFO3l1qsfXmewLChhorNWpbrdQDrc8suk5xO-DPHgrI6-rXO5g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Special Agent Dana Scully gets to conduct the autopsy. Using it as a training experience for FBI cadets, she happens upon a savant named Rudolph Hayes who can profile with the best of them. Team Johnica later meets with Dana, who has identified the body-in-the-wall as Ellen Persich. Scully learns a similar murder happened two weeks earlier because it involved the same knife. John and Monica meet Cadet Hayes and learn he can “see things.” Rudolph easily corrects Doggett’s inaccurate profile of their suspected killer. Reyes seems dually annoyed and impressed by his abilities.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Later that night, Hayes, who clearly experiences some level of social awkwardness, returns to the comfort of his room, which he has wallpapered with gruesome crime scene photos. Some are from the unsolved murder of John’s son, Luke. Team Johnica locates suspect Nicholas Regali, who fits Rudolph’s profile description to a T. Their “interview” seems designed to poke the bear, but Nicky doesn’t take the bait, so our intrepid heroes leave the bar empty-handed. Doggett’s son is clearly on his mind while investigating this case. Back at home, John is thinking of Luke while staring at his box of cremated remains. (Luke was murdered back in 1993 when he was only 7 years old.) </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqef52u2rij-RfL3GCrz3EQ9QhUPXgIpLJHKnCDza6wbWtfxtytEDnJ-DcXjtxG4nffHWF5aC89DmWBG8nljx8WKrIagNMziuiTX2tU9vX07FJdtlfEaqAdALBteZMO09ln8Jc83DWeKWo0BEC6gUUV6F2L0-EURHoydbJkaBZbc5J86JKbgsbkA=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqef52u2rij-RfL3GCrz3EQ9QhUPXgIpLJHKnCDza6wbWtfxtytEDnJ-DcXjtxG4nffHWF5aC89DmWBG8nljx8WKrIagNMziuiTX2tU9vX07FJdtlfEaqAdALBteZMO09ln8Jc83DWeKWo0BEC6gUUV6F2L0-EURHoydbJkaBZbc5J86JKbgsbkA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The following day in the X-files office, Doggett asks Hayes to look at his son’s case file and describes his son’s last day: Luke was bicycling around the block while his mom, Barbara, counted the laps. (In an interesting juxtaposition, the iPhone commercial which aired before this scene showed a boy running his smart phone’s video camera as he rode his bicycle around the block over and over again to demonstrate the phone battery’s long life.) When Luke doesn’t return, Mom goes looking and finds just the bicycle. After an extensive three-day search, Luke’s body is found in a field. With a devastated and desperate look in his eyes, John asks Rudolph for help finding his son’s killer. Regarding the previous day’s case, Hayes claims, “That is your son’s.”</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Rudolph shows Doggett his wallpapered room of unsolved mystery photographs. Hayes claims the pictures tell him things and Luke, in particular, calls to him. (I’d love to know who at the FBI did Rudolph’s background and psychiatric evaluations during the application process. Maybe he’s a legacy.) John thinks Cadet Hayes might be nuts, but he’ll suspend that analysis for now. Rudolph reveals the original suspect, Bob Harvey, was Luke’s kidnapper but not his killer. Hayes says Harvey died in a car crash, which Doggett didn’t seem to know. Rudolph doesn’t answer with words when John asks if Regali killed Luke, but his body language is very telling. Doggett takes this new lead to Assistant Director Brad Follmer, who used to work organized crime cases in New York, the same FBI office that investigated Luke’s murder. Follmer denies hearing Bob Harvey’s name back then but agrees to “ask around” for information. John updates Monica, who doesn’t think Regali is a lead, just a desperate father’s hope for closure.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSS1pgp1gQ09cAcBa0iFD9WjiyoRSBptFKjQ8NIp6Pr2GC3_Lw_c8cXoKzlDofu5zHYyS4cx2l64TD02jAPcF5-SPLHeI4ymLfH36CPz7mgR4FaVNDHROi6tG1qKwJ5DHzHVCqFITzW4P7_Y-dATxFhK3Go6oTHmnav9lDWCSJ-KWhrdlYoa05xg=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSS1pgp1gQ09cAcBa0iFD9WjiyoRSBptFKjQ8NIp6Pr2GC3_Lw_c8cXoKzlDofu5zHYyS4cx2l64TD02jAPcF5-SPLHeI4ymLfH36CPz7mgR4FaVNDHROi6tG1qKwJ5DHzHVCqFITzW4P7_Y-dATxFhK3Go6oTHmnav9lDWCSJ-KWhrdlYoa05xg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Doggett spontaneously visits his ex-wife in Woodbury, Long Island, but she’s also too emotionally destroyed to even hope John is right. Somehow he convinces Barbara to attend a lineup containing Regali, but she doesn’t recognize him from the neighborhood nine years earlier. Dana meets Barbara for the first time and learns the ex-Mrs. Doggett thinks John and Monica could have a relationship if he would let her in. Doggett, who had asked Scully to compare the physical evidence from the two recent stabbings to his son’s case, thinks the similarities are enough but Dana doesn’t agree; there are too many inconsistencies between the cases.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Cadet Hayes is back in his bedroom, listening to the voices of murdered victims. And John realizes Regali never got convicted for serious crimes because he probably bribed his way to freedom. Team Johnica confronts Follmer, who Monica witnessed take money from a mobster three years earlier. That was her main reason for breaking off their relationship but she didn’t report him to the bureau because she cared about him. Brad claims he was paying a confidential informant. Reyes doesn’t believe him but she also doesn’t have any proof. (That’s an annoying pattern with Team Johnica in this episode.) </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFc59F_kqvJUtjFjlwyyqbhU0PmUCemidbFTXdNl-FDWF13MWeuHPeUCJh6UobcfDqNOht8i3kqPm3wGBWVWIf-TRVOzUYETNaSK1FUJXfGzx6Hq0NeWNA986fIYwLVeHUAVBfW9alWuGjHnxWW2KKEXoWeDjm0mjeadzg6RCJh2UqrwC0vK2YWg=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFc59F_kqvJUtjFjlwyyqbhU0PmUCemidbFTXdNl-FDWF13MWeuHPeUCJh6UobcfDqNOht8i3kqPm3wGBWVWIf-TRVOzUYETNaSK1FUJXfGzx6Hq0NeWNA986fIYwLVeHUAVBfW9alWuGjHnxWW2KKEXoWeDjm0mjeadzg6RCJh2UqrwC0vK2YWg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Follmer does have information on “Rudolph Hayes,” who died in a car accident in 1978. His real name is Stuart Mimms, a paranoid schizophrenic who checked himself out of a psychiatric facility. Follmer also claims Stuart was in New York the year Luke was murdered. The feds take Mimms into custody without incident, but all of the crime scene photographs are gone. Brad later meets with Nicky, who denies involvement with Luke’s murder. We also learn the leverage he has over Follmer; Regali has a videotape of him taking a bribe to lose an indictment. Team Johnica hit the nail on the head earlier, they just don’t know it.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Barbara Doggett attends another lineup, this time with Mimms, and she clearly recognizes him. During an interrogation, Agent Scully confronts Mimms with the fraud and stolen identity case. He denies killing Luke, claiming he studied the case obsessively. Stuart says he is still trying to help John and admits to sending the tip which led Doggett to Ellen Persich’s body (and to almost catching Regali). Mimms has nothing more to say and wants to return to the institute. In the bar, John confronts Nicky, who gives a hypothetical answer to the question Doggett has been asking for nine years: Sexual predator Bob Harvey grabbed Luke, who unfortunately saw "businessman" Regali’s face, so Regali had to do something about it. John (not Agent Doggett, if you get my meaning) unholsters his gun to go kill Nicky, but Follmer beats him to it, shooting Regali right in the eye! That’s one way out of your blackmail situation, Brad. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggjvoZBabckyXwOdujaqzjsfA6O0bTmI40x79xdn8lI6047LRpasKjiUYxZPrcjOM-nNk_KlyYnByQ0GvGDMVCfxZXR9nfLhzKvlWEqUqWdSe7kYdyoIO7bqrbnTmR1fieKob_nuhp6gzblnRSnhJ8_gXrw9aMmSAbuPaNSZ8CJTmJl8P4xRAQ3g=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggjvoZBabckyXwOdujaqzjsfA6O0bTmI40x79xdn8lI6047LRpasKjiUYxZPrcjOM-nNk_KlyYnByQ0GvGDMVCfxZXR9nfLhzKvlWEqUqWdSe7kYdyoIO7bqrbnTmR1fieKob_nuhp6gzblnRSnhJ8_gXrw9aMmSAbuPaNSZ8CJTmJl8P4xRAQ3g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
On a beautiful day, at a picturesque beach, John and Barbara Doggett finally scatter their son’s ashes. (When you go swimming in the ocean, do you ever think about the level of human remains floating around you? No wonder we need to shower so quickly afterward.) Barbara leaves and John seeks a comforting hug from Monica. If this was a movie, Team Johnica would live happily ever after. But nope, there are still a couple of episodes left, just enough for Chris Carter and company to deny them the happy ending they clearly deserve.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So much to unpack, so little time. As Sestra Am mentioned, finally a measure of resolution for John Doggett. Not to mention that they finally made some good use of Cary Elwes. They had a movie star with appeal to spare under contract the whole season, but not until this episode did we get to have any sense of what he could do for the long-standing show. And now it's too little, too late.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizAA4awkSGvld4ivmtlrikLth8LXRbCCizqcsMCOIYAM2k_M9yD4Z1GDGN3glP7amEK6TVWMuk_oPRsuGd-cw_kKRBBP1ctQJPlAur1y9YeDG02gHulIa8BYOM4qxIL5nHhCjr0uG-q6vDlsi_zAzw9Vsu83CD_1BG93bX-ETli3tpRuSopqWSOg=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizAA4awkSGvld4ivmtlrikLth8LXRbCCizqcsMCOIYAM2k_M9yD4Z1GDGN3glP7amEK6TVWMuk_oPRsuGd-cw_kKRBBP1ctQJPlAur1y9YeDG02gHulIa8BYOM4qxIL5nHhCjr0uG-q6vDlsi_zAzw9Vsu83CD_1BG93bX-ETli3tpRuSopqWSOg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The tip: </b>So we're introduced to a cadet who is sharper at sifting through evidence for clues that even our intrepid heroine Agent Scully doesn't pick up on. On top of that, he can shoot down FBI profiles provided by Team Johnica with the slightest of head shakes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We've seen over the course of a couple of seasons that it takes a lot for Doggett to admit he doesn't have all the facts. And when he does, we know he doesn't just run around asking mediums what they see when it comes to Luke's disappearance and murder. We haven't even seen him take his limited information to the experts in the bureau.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Because of that, this winds up being a very powerful episode for Robert Patrick as an actor, perhaps his most dynamic performance over his run with the show. He shows us so much with his eyes. Through them, we see and feel John's most intense pain, and for the first time, his desire to believe in something that's not quantifiable. This time, for this case, he must believe.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEid4DdZIapYOpX7w8WupPs6P5n-VyPlfSgzM_0SWCl1eMprBR-rSEvqHdQT2ODzYT3MKI0eRXIRaztmCchHIem-WPPMvDD2csKOPveZO9wMeOVPQOK7Hgimqk4L_sGWpCyeAFplDiPzTOsduajNL3m0lbgW8eWY5n8ILNmBNChFbVLaOVFCi5araA=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEid4DdZIapYOpX7w8WupPs6P5n-VyPlfSgzM_0SWCl1eMprBR-rSEvqHdQT2ODzYT3MKI0eRXIRaztmCchHIem-WPPMvDD2csKOPveZO9wMeOVPQOK7Hgimqk4L_sGWpCyeAFplDiPzTOsduajNL3m0lbgW8eWY5n8ILNmBNChFbVLaOVFCi5araA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Ashes: </b></span></span></span>That emotion is amplified when Robert gets to play scenes with his real-life wife, Barbara Patrick. Every scene has that much more power. In a season when we didn't always connect to the past, Robert and Barbara bring their personal history to the screen. That kind of makes up for the fact that we didn't spend a lot of time with Luke's story in the past two years. We knew it was there, and the Patricks are able to tap into that well of emotion very quickly for us. It helps, it really adds an impassioned element that might not have otherwise been there for this crucial episode.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Jared Poe's the other key piece to this puzzle. Someone like Cadet Hayes/Stuart Mimms would usually get a season or at least an arc of several episodes to reveal himself. His portrayer's off-screen journey was equally interesting. Poe was a writing intern for the show. And even though he didn't have on-screen experience, he reportedly asked executive producer Frank Spotnitz if he could audition and beat out 30 other actors for the part. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hayes/Mimms' story certainly wasn't wrapped up in a tidy bow. It was something of a misdirect when the FBI tagged and bagged him, blaming his history of paranoid schizophrenia. But does that really preclude him being able to tap into crimes the way he did or was he better at it because of his affliction? Like he said, that's what schizophrenics do, they obsess. It's an avenue Fox Mulder would have been interested in, were he on the canvas to do so.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj36kh7KsX1CQmu0MPFzGBCPebe2vYwQoaS20O22PTc17akAMczR4W4ASBK3ml-ARpcfU5WuDSJdLhpXX6NcSLqY2MnFe51oUxe1QW5FV4Futc2LyjHW_FfyY7mVWfhPex2l_ZHm4tC2BQWtNV8U7jH04sZ-pkdvgHkQ2jqBmcvissGneBzFMIJLA=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj36kh7KsX1CQmu0MPFzGBCPebe2vYwQoaS20O22PTc17akAMczR4W4ASBK3ml-ARpcfU5WuDSJdLhpXX6NcSLqY2MnFe51oUxe1QW5FV4Futc2LyjHW_FfyY7mVWfhPex2l_ZHm4tC2BQWtNV8U7jH04sZ-pkdvgHkQ2jqBmcvissGneBzFMIJLA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>A message: </b>So things haven't improved too much at the FBI since the Mulder conspiracy days, have they? They have mentally challenged cadets running around. And we've certainly seen our fair share of compromised assistant directors before. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Patricks just break my heart with the denouement of the episode. We do feel for Luke and for them, even though the only one we really had any attachment to before the episode was John. It's a triumph that "Release" enables us to empathize to this degree. The hug between Doggett and Reyes winds up having more power and more substance as a result. Maybe in the future when they have those will-they-or-won't-they moments we've seen in episodes like "4-D" (S9E4) and "Audrey Pauley" (S9E11), neither of them will back away. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"We never really got the chance to because we ended the show, but I think Monica would have definitely gone further with their relationship," Annabeth Gish said to back up that assertion in <i>The Complete X-Files.</i><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHbQvqiezvnnBBlKpQAFWOT8gHp-d2Ku011o72WCjT7B_Zs83A-WfbOjuGf5JFbdqwEKkMF50c-c8aOSea2rWD3jmhiPDbUY8UOpDkvUNSOjlFfDglQYngx72yD4ICuHW6-SYMrBkkC3FR4xfoit64ER72_lxktqCTj7dIlP2yqxJiXjBUtBf0vA=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHbQvqiezvnnBBlKpQAFWOT8gHp-d2Ku011o72WCjT7B_Zs83A-WfbOjuGf5JFbdqwEKkMF50c-c8aOSea2rWD3jmhiPDbUY8UOpDkvUNSOjlFfDglQYngx72yD4ICuHW6-SYMrBkkC3FR4xfoit64ER72_lxktqCTj7dIlP2yqxJiXjBUtBf0vA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week: </b>The truncated nature of wrapping up Doggett's backstory meant we didn't get more time with Jared Poe. That's a shame, because there was a wealth of potential in Cadet Hayes' intelligence and the questions about Mimms' intriguing abilities.<br /></span></p></span></span><p></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-4930058961721223362022-01-22T11:38:00.001-08:002022-01-22T12:00:47.149-08:00X-Files S9E16: Scarred for life<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/s308/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/w143-h200/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" width="143" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Have you healed from last week’s brutal ending to the Lone Gunmen saga? Hope so, because there’s not a lot of downtime this week. Based on this episode’s title, the heartbreak continues, although “heartbreak” may depend on your perspective. A childless couple have adopted William. Yes, Special Agent Dana Scully’s baby boy. I hope the adoption agency was required to provide full disclosure, like when you buy a house. After all, can’t that kid move things with his mind?!</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
Flash back to one week earlier: Dana still has the best parking spot of anyone in her apartment building as she removes William from his car seat. And Special Agent John Doggett gets viciously attacked by a man who was searching the X-files office. Doggett catches up to him and learns the man’s face is severely burned. John and Special Agent Monica Reyes call in Agent Scully because the burglar claims he will only talk to her. The man –- played by Chris Owens, which is either inspired stunt casting or a major spoiler -- claims his name is Daniel Miller. Despite his disfigured face, he does look familiar to us. He says Fox Mulder gave him a card key to get into the FBI building. He also says his burns are part of a government conspiracy. Miller, who was stealing files related to Samantha Mulder, lets Scully inspect his scars. She confirms they aren’t chemical burns. He claims to have been injected with something that burned his body from the inside out.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSboWSBNTVaHimwY0I02evMtEOse9UJz4rZ9MgqUOcy8lfQS63hsSSlbXFh0kzjWHb6NZt7Brez770yRRAR5yDHyo_UfpU-EvtbTcpr9kQlIei0pogG1JtO1aRKbHXUTIMrbii2b6ysu5uebaYgLm0qhvHHOiDpgJODwDCNtbmQv-CY37moS-HdQ=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSboWSBNTVaHimwY0I02evMtEOse9UJz4rZ9MgqUOcy8lfQS63hsSSlbXFh0kzjWHb6NZt7Brez770yRRAR5yDHyo_UfpU-EvtbTcpr9kQlIei0pogG1JtO1aRKbHXUTIMrbii2b6ysu5uebaYgLm0qhvHHOiDpgJODwDCNtbmQv-CY37moS-HdQ=s320" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Doggett is trying to confirm Miller’s identity and thinks Daniel is actually Fox. Scully knows he’s not Mulder (maybe she’s too embarrassed to admit she confirmed that during the physical inspection), but seems irked when this unknown stranger mentions her abduction. Miller claims people at the FBI would kill him –- and Mulder -– if they knew Miller was there. They let him continue to root through the X-files filing cabinet, but he isn’t finding what he wants. That’s because Dana hid a stash of files in her bedroom closet. Clearly, by “trusting” this lying stranger, she’s violating Mulder’s mantra: Trust No One. Maybe she’d rather prove she’s right to Doggett; after all, she and Fox agreed to conceal those files. But Dana changes her mind and her demeanor when Miller checks on a crying William. Now she’s a mother who is royally pissed at her baby’s absentee father. Miller claims Mulder is in pain and she cannot help. Scully actually lets this stranger hold William, who remains calm in this weepy man’s arms.</span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">John meets with Assistant Director Walter Skinner, who plays the common-sense role by pointing out the physical discrepancies between Mulder and Miller. (Thank you, Walter!) Then the lab calls back with rushed PCR test results. (Boy, does that have a different meaning in this day and age.) When Dana confronts Miller, he claims Scully was used to create and raise William, who is part alien. Reyes interrupts the interrogation and kicks Miller out of the room. Doggett claims the DNA test confirms it is Fox Mulder. Dana still refuses to believe it. Miller chooses that time to leave, running away in a very non-Mulderesque fashion. (It reminded me of Phoebe running with Rachel through the park on <i>Friends.</i> Yep, that bad.) </span></span></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPdfBBwBRGC3pLbyZ_ba1mFo7NOl97Xg_f0ngQWDMkFOIfu4F098EEDDVF9NK0b5tlJE8J8yPpiAhBvTifb6Af_uah_J9lah11sK2CaWBLZ6ckqapw2qDPGBCi5Auiyplq_ECyghNc0dTm5GAcb9UReClXAwMxjuDZlrWWrSHSsW72zluSg_T8Xg=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPdfBBwBRGC3pLbyZ_ba1mFo7NOl97Xg_f0ngQWDMkFOIfu4F098EEDDVF9NK0b5tlJE8J8yPpiAhBvTifb6Af_uah_J9lah11sK2CaWBLZ6ckqapw2qDPGBCi5Auiyplq_ECyghNc0dTm5GAcb9UReClXAwMxjuDZlrWWrSHSsW72zluSg_T8Xg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> John runs Miller down and claims they will protect him. Scully and Team Johnica give Miller medication and put him to sleep, then awkwardly wait for him to wake up. Miller creeps back into William’s bedroom, takes the kid’s pacifier and puts an unknown substance on the baby’s lips. He injects him with something, which causes William to cry. Dana and Monica rush the baby to the emergency room while John interrogates Miller. Doggett searches the bedroom and finds the syringe under the mattress. The doctor finishes examining William but finds nothing more than an elevated iron level. Scully realizes she’s been played yet again.</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Back at FBI headquarters, everyone learns the truth: Miller is the presumed-dead Jeffrey Spender, who was shot by his own father, the Cigarette-Smoking Man, way back in "One Son" (Season 6, Episode 12.) I guess this confirms he and Mulder really were half-brothers, although in 2002, would their DNA have been considered that close a match? Dana learns he intentionally tried to win their trust so he could get close to William and inject him with something. Spender claims it’s a form of magnetite that makes William useless to the aliens for colonization. </span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjy7mKStfjN3bpOlR9CJklLk9RKKhVo01jegcYydr0t0RN_4XkJcNUitqw7r0rEamichVOfCu2a54HmqTsVRiy76rYCr61VXyjQ89wsuULw6P6dqY80HcZCpPVRm6wO9gnCcQfXra9_LLFOy9eCWHB97UsU9oEP1I9ngDuBVf0WnQJhUsGcMWsKyg=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjy7mKStfjN3bpOlR9CJklLk9RKKhVo01jegcYydr0t0RN_4XkJcNUitqw7r0rEamichVOfCu2a54HmqTsVRiy76rYCr61VXyjQ89wsuULw6P6dqY80HcZCpPVRm6wO9gnCcQfXra9_LLFOy9eCWHB97UsU9oEP1I9ngDuBVf0WnQJhUsGcMWsKyg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Scully does a 180 and almost seems grateful to Jeffrey. Unfortunately, Spender claims she’ll never able to truly protect William, who may end up just like him someday. (In retrospect, the reboot reveal of William’s parentage really does make this seem like a revenge plan Jeffrey could appreciate even more if he knew the truth.) Why wouldn’t Dana consider witness protection for both of them so she could stay with her son? It’s not like she’s expecting Fox to show up at her door, nor would she be bound by contract since the series would end the following month.</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Since Jeffrey wasn’t really in contact with Mulder, we still have no legit reason why Fox is still hiding from Dana and did not attend the Lone Gunmen’s funeral. I wrote a whole paragraph griping about how David Duchovny was available to not only co-write but direct this episode, yet didn't put in an appearance in the previous one in which Mulder’s presence should have been mandatory. And to show I’m not always about the negative when it comes to <i>The X-Files,</i> good for them putting Chris Owens’ name in the credits at the end of the show to protect that reveal. And William’s UFO onesie is just adorable too.</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm deeming this the beginning of the "Be Careful What You Wish For" series. It doesn't see us just through the regular run of the show but everything up to the current point on <i>The X-Files</i> landscape. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAdcrnIahlC7hbni_4Tbxdk5REXr4qHbkFBNvPpTbbIErvTJyVfLBI194dXEZuPJ9IWgyxnXIf9U6xDflA42pgP7yqpoJIhZA22aGB1NgHqTzlyocQVx06a7Yb66EFFneXVJrELXFNt1ytO16Wvqz2_nJR0tDbuzLuewDSMi-kRD3I05CArh2wXw=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAdcrnIahlC7hbni_4Tbxdk5REXr4qHbkFBNvPpTbbIErvTJyVfLBI194dXEZuPJ9IWgyxnXIf9U6xDflA42pgP7yqpoJIhZA22aGB1NgHqTzlyocQVx06a7Yb66EFFneXVJrELXFNt1ytO16Wvqz2_nJR0tDbuzLuewDSMi-kRD3I05CArh2wXw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This dubious distinction starts off with the aforementioned return of David Duchovny to the fold, not as Mulder, but co-writer of the story for "William" with creator Chris Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz. Since Duchovny hasn't been with us all season, he obviously can't do much to further the transformation of the show and the advancement of John Doggett and Monica Reyes' characters. So we're back to plot largely sidelined in Season 9 -- which, in my mind, was for the greater good. We've hardly mentioned Mulder this year. I wasn't bothered by that, and I knew Sestra Am 100 percent wasn't either.<p></p><p>
<span style="font-size: medium;">After literally fading out on The Lone Gunmen last week, we open with Scully giving up the precious bundle of joy that we've spent a couple seasons toting around. It feels like the worst kind of fire sale. Even if you didn't read sci-fi publications or watch <i>Entertainment Tonight,</i> you could tell in the span of these two eps (and next week's "Release") that the proverbial house seemed to be being boarded up by snowbirds heading to Florida for the winter. </span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjk2eFe6ZdcpQhppXw5-cuZZWxUE1reZJmfglsBN76uQgWyIEz3PqDuWY0_-o0plJiTO6QTUyyoj1PA5nM2PWxOLxTn7P_xfJdxMXH5-4CxB1dpR-rztZkmRMS3LtroWHqPYKDfeIU3nO0pY-ecXmumkJacuarAluxFGF2ZMNOWpUveEk_Y9ibw2g=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjk2eFe6ZdcpQhppXw5-cuZZWxUE1reZJmfglsBN76uQgWyIEz3PqDuWY0_-o0plJiTO6QTUyyoj1PA5nM2PWxOLxTn7P_xfJdxMXH5-4CxB1dpR-rztZkmRMS3LtroWHqPYKDfeIU3nO0pY-ecXmumkJacuarAluxFGF2ZMNOWpUveEk_Y9ibw2g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Following the opening teaser, we see -- or rather hear -- Scully reprising her fondness for singing "Joy to the World" for William. You might recall Dana first warbled that tune in "Detour" (S5E4). It's the kind of light moment we've come to expect from Duchovny since the non-fat tofutti rice dreamsicle scene in his directorial debut, "The Unnatural" (S619). </span></span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>What is true and what we want to be true isn't always the same:</b> So in Duchovny and company's hands, Doggett takes the kind of beating that used to be reserved for Alex Krycek. Not sure how John was able to recover enough to then apprehend the intruder, that's some super-soldier-like bounce-back ability he's got there. Then again, since Doggett so doggedly insists a shorter, lighter dude is Mulder, maybe he did suffer one blow too many. </span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Actually this part of the story does work, and even more importantly, it gives Gillian Anderson the meatiest material she's gotten all season. Unlike, say, "Trust No 1" (S9E6), in which Scully and the unseen Mulder were turned into revolting Hallmark movie versions of themselves. (That would have worked in the hands of Vince Gilligan, by the way.) So if we have to delve back into what was, I don't really mind the wee wedge put between our main characters by the mysterious scarred man -- who more closely resembles Chris Owens in his first <i>X-Files</i> incarnation as the Great Mutato in "The Post-Modern Prometheus" (S5E5).</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTCBL38rNwf5lorJfxUxY4Z0HLET8L_3o3taw1hpLkF5RFoPoTVxCJPiYizDAMk4xCFcRQIxZNnPVEhvtIC1620S4cEZ-ZfnKuaNBjeStYAXKWqyTEIMDbsZgsF_DEuSpcfK36R1OdmBI6S9xj4TRvw4d0ruaMInlB-oHkVKi-a_fGxXtV4pOyXA=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTCBL38rNwf5lorJfxUxY4Z0HLET8L_3o3taw1hpLkF5RFoPoTVxCJPiYizDAMk4xCFcRQIxZNnPVEhvtIC1620S4cEZ-ZfnKuaNBjeStYAXKWqyTEIMDbsZgsF_DEuSpcfK36R1OdmBI6S9xj4TRvw4d0ruaMInlB-oHkVKi-a_fGxXtV4pOyXA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>You are as false as your face:</b> In fact, Scully is written as strongly here as she has been in quite some time, and I'm not just talking about Season 9. Dana's complete confidence that the mystery man -- for all his similarities to Fox -- is not Mulder is heartening. The same holds true for Skinner. But at the same time, on some level, we can get behind Doggett's doubt. John's character isn't tarnished by a theory that we might have believed to be true if we did not have Scully and Skinner's leads to follow.</span></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It takes Dana the requisite amount of time to put all the pieces together -- and by pieces, yes, I mean all the scaly bits of Jeffrey's visage. Welcome back, Scully! It's so good to see you again. I didn't know how much I missed you until the moment when you confronted Spender in the interrogation room. </span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgGaD4CRxfTPrPzgfYXxWof6HJtxT_SG5Z9IDez1GRPZQwWXTVOuiv4aEmhA0FHTYStbp5BN6wwwKA02eZ1HhWHIbcb2vHDutbZv7e4MBQfArdAagsdCVsU2bavy9cCWGXwcdZZrRSG78_EDqgeHNpVJ79j2qulpFGF28IOhRk2eya0vyNGHWbHA=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgGaD4CRxfTPrPzgfYXxWof6HJtxT_SG5Z9IDez1GRPZQwWXTVOuiv4aEmhA0FHTYStbp5BN6wwwKA02eZ1HhWHIbcb2vHDutbZv7e4MBQfArdAagsdCVsU2bavy9cCWGXwcdZZrRSG78_EDqgeHNpVJ79j2qulpFGF28IOhRk2eya0vyNGHWbHA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And yet it's come to this. After following Dana through her pregnancy ... and all its various scares ... the birth ... and its inherent danger ... and avenging angels masking as nannies and right thinkers, now Scully gives him up. Can I just add that the use of "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore" seems overly aggrandizing? Perhaps the same singers voicing "Joy to the World" might have put a better bow on the William story. </span></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As Sestra Am alluded to, if you're scoring at home, that's two major exits Mulder missed out on. We can feel his return nearing -- this show has given us all supernatural powers!! -- and it feels like a supreme letdown that these moments were lost to pivotal characters, and us by extension.</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeMG0tmKhkifgbz3XgzrM4W7y1cTRMluKVxUcOXRlPB157ky-h-lYsSbAAAPQdzFI2jT7pyKcN3pAZBVaUiO_WuXBFBfr_rhVXiOmTxuVsygllA9xaVI_WsiWJ-gINGMWj5NR7oiivnWwBrXa2vfrqKIOES3G-eLe3hv6MimsGgsmmxZZ-60GlMg=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeMG0tmKhkifgbz3XgzrM4W7y1cTRMluKVxUcOXRlPB157ky-h-lYsSbAAAPQdzFI2jT7pyKcN3pAZBVaUiO_WuXBFBfr_rhVXiOmTxuVsygllA9xaVI_WsiWJ-gINGMWj5NR7oiivnWwBrXa2vfrqKIOES3G-eLe3hv6MimsGgsmmxZZ-60GlMg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week:</b> I would say Chris Owens qualifies for these kudos, since he wasn't part of the cast for a few years. And because I do feel bad for being one of those who did Jeffrey Spender dirty since he started mucking up the works in Season 5. In addition to the mythology refresher course Owens provides, he gets to do a lot of Mulderesque quipping in this one, guess it's just in the jeans.</span></span></span></span></p></span></span></span></span>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-70461109265547875222022-01-15T11:37:00.004-08:002022-01-15T13:12:02.179-08:00X-Files S9E15: A strange brand of Lone justice indeed<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/s308/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/w143-h200/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" width="143" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Are there any pop-culture enthusiasts who do not know the origin of the phrase “Jump the Shark?” It always amuses me how it evolved from a literal act into a figurative one. I’m interested to know where most X-Philes think the show passed that infamous milestone.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
There are familiar faces in this amusing episode, which feels more like one from <i>The Lone Gunmen</i>’s spinoff series than <i>The OG X-Files. </i>I’m sure we can all use a break after seeing Monica Reyes in excruciating pain while she imagined monsters crawling around inside her stomach in the last episode. Now we get a return appearance from Michael McKean as Morris Fletcher, the man who briefly swapped bodies with Fox Mulder back in the "Dreamland" two-parter (Season 6, Episodes 4-5). I guess he didn’t get his marriage back on track because he’s in the middle of the Bahamian ocean with a beautiful blonde who is not his wife. Thugs in a speedboat threaten Morris, kidnap the woman and blow up the boat. Luckily, he and his UFO blueprints seem to survive the explosion. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj86iXxn38_CnI4iXDEyhGX4IulHfwibf8GX5BHREg00lsP1HeGtnvN9H5Q6FlC6W_GmRAA16EgRRdjX3Gbtbeikdk6JNAmYzd5J3N1I8i7BEs6UY45LdglPq49KoxBT2eI6cBnZgoOx9wsTI1TsQ0M5kQeM-rwqE_DaDWXzkD25Sk76pLHDnkJgQ=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj86iXxn38_CnI4iXDEyhGX4IulHfwibf8GX5BHREg00lsP1HeGtnvN9H5Q6FlC6W_GmRAA16EgRRdjX3Gbtbeikdk6JNAmYzd5J3N1I8i7BEs6UY45LdglPq49KoxBT2eI6cBnZgoOx9wsTI1TsQ0M5kQeM-rwqE_DaDWXzkD25Sk76pLHDnkJgQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Fletcher requests a meeting with FBI Special Agents John Doggett and Monica Reyes, but they are unimpressed with him at the outset. Monica reveals his female companion is fine and his UFO blueprints are bogus. Team Johnica are leaving when Morris admits he knows about super soldiers. Doggett and Reyes ask Frohike, Byers and Langly to help them track down a female super soldier named Yves Adele Harlow, played by Zuleikha Robinson. (Wow, this really is a <i>Lone Gunmen</i> ep!) They take umbrage to Fletcher’s presence and involvement. Meanwhile, Yves kills college professor Douglas Houghton by shooting him in the chest. Sort of.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Langly unsuccessfully searches for Yves in an airline database. Morris claims her real name is Lois Runce, but the guys don’t believe him. They get a surprise visit from former intern Jimmy Bond, who promptly loses consciousness. When he wakes up, Jimbo confirms Yves’ true name and is upset because she may have committed murder. Meanwhile, Yves burns her victim’s heart in a furnace. (OK, this isn’t as light-hearted as I expected it to be. No pun intended.) </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIn6rLynMNmbg65nmgM9miQCx0r9EkPmtGzKLgC3tPNkzJ3K2wT8XaxR6KFuezVe74pOAint1MWz2MU3O4anvsIKYpgnSggUWJunol1elUpZUkJaVebtG6DTDyhxo2Ffd3HzBtHGGrzP5zhFjSrIqZ-175qoYOdi_Qu-jq3DD_KmEYfbuoGhmt5Q=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIn6rLynMNmbg65nmgM9miQCx0r9EkPmtGzKLgC3tPNkzJ3K2wT8XaxR6KFuezVe74pOAint1MWz2MU3O4anvsIKYpgnSggUWJunol1elUpZUkJaVebtG6DTDyhxo2Ffd3HzBtHGGrzP5zhFjSrIqZ-175qoYOdi_Qu-jq3DD_KmEYfbuoGhmt5Q=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Team Johnica learns Yves’ victim was an immunologist who studied sharks and other marine life. Langly, Frohike and Byers seek assistance with tracking Yves from Kimmy the Geek while Doggett and Reyes meet with the coroner who performed Houghton’s autopsy. They learn the chest wound contains bioluminescence and cartilage. Kimbo reveals to Team Johnica and Fletcher that the Lone Gunmen are broke and no longer publishing their newspaper. Fortunately, the boys have located Yves in a D.C. hotel and prevent her from murdering another person. Unfortunately, they apparently screwed things up for her because they don’t understand. (None of us do yet, sweetie.) </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
John and Monica arrive at the hotel room. They learn Morris lied about Yves being a super soldier and set everything up since the boat incident in the Bahamas. His plan for the Lone Gunmen to locate Yves worked. It turns out, the man Fletcher works for is a billionaire terrorist … and Yves’ father. Harlow killed Douglas Houghton because he was also a terrorist. In doing so, she destroyed the virus located inside Houghton’s chest. The second man she tried to stop has the same virus inside his chest. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqNuVlTvXT7-LaiPgtPAYC_VLUt1vuv7J2AKFGifjx_6ydMa6vuHSI2kLxRkgJ5AJB4IytRtthQZjl-6OgVJ2PgicAxzhIZQFT4lq3OgGXo0zzAcrdj938RrddN1l-eLdpDEZh59LFQQ051ryV6QBkZR2mMavBwxhiWOGzM0lUfLUaLufKChEYWw=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqNuVlTvXT7-LaiPgtPAYC_VLUt1vuv7J2AKFGifjx_6ydMa6vuHSI2kLxRkgJ5AJB4IytRtthQZjl-6OgVJ2PgicAxzhIZQFT4lq3OgGXo0zzAcrdj938RrddN1l-eLdpDEZh59LFQQ051ryV6QBkZR2mMavBwxhiWOGzM0lUfLUaLufKChEYWw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Back at Lone Gunmen HQ, Kimbo and Langly are trying to locate the human timebomb while Morris continues to verbally abuse Frohike and Byers. Team Johnica locate and secure the man but he’s clean. Guess he was the decoy, but now Doggett isn’t too trusting of Yves. The true human timebomb has entered a conference hall filled with people and easily passed through security. Our non-FBI heroes find the terrorist and try to talk their way into the conference, but a security guard refuses to let them enter the conference hall. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Jimbo spooks the virus bomber, John Gillnitz, by calling out his name, just like Riggs tricks villain Jack Travis into leaving a packed hockey arena in <i>Lethal Weapon 3. </i>Gillnitz bolts while Jimbo head butts the security guard to chase after him. They corner him with only one minute and 40 seconds left before detonation. Then our heroes do something amazing: They trap themselves with Gillnitz by pulling the fire alarm. Jimbo and Yves find them but can’t save them. They have a bittersweet farewell as Gillnitz starts leaking bioluminescence, infecting everyone in the room. At least we don’t have to watch them suffer.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKJbduWxgHqfi9hGNCOvbCpR5ewGLw_O-v8nj_5-aFnRLY0D3CIQzD8BJYqiAz3FcgMA-UJOnXqLZw3lsfZdlvuA8Ee3CtwpfOUAD486U8YtJzoUfm2GmO-u-g9_7h-HdpVuqc1KCgaKfR_SgsgkMnDMI4InU9nlURajy0cxSZojmUl8oLxUhh5Q=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKJbduWxgHqfi9hGNCOvbCpR5ewGLw_O-v8nj_5-aFnRLY0D3CIQzD8BJYqiAz3FcgMA-UJOnXqLZw3lsfZdlvuA8Ee3CtwpfOUAD486U8YtJzoUfm2GmO-u-g9_7h-HdpVuqc1KCgaKfR_SgsgkMnDMI4InU9nlURajy0cxSZojmUl8oLxUhh5Q=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
It’s a beautiful day at Arlington National Cemetery, not a cloud in the sky. Byers, Langly and Frohike are laid to rest side by side by side. So much for being a light-hearted amusing episode. They didn’t even get to take Dana Scully along on their last adventure. A 60-second cameo appearance isn’t enough. And no Mulder at the funeral? Unless he was in Morris Fletcher’s body again, I’m pretty sure that’s where they jumped the shark.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">In spite of -- or maybe even because of -- the funerals at Arlington, it was an unceremonious end for the Lone Gunmen. Let's face it, they had been trending downward for a while, possibly since the Vancouver years. When the trio came on the scene, its members were distinctively quirky but intelligent naysayers. Somewhere along the line, they turned into bumbling do-gooders. Even on their largely overlooked spinoff series, they were shadows of their former selves, and resolution tended to come in spite of their actions. This episode's opening montage bears that out. Yet they still deserved better than this.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoYMiW_BZAy-2H-Qug2XRDeXuOA2CYWoz6RaCFDu-V3I37ZjV9jDPHVWovktjIvwupHzOlSqW-Ld5MhbzaFFMBkyz-IL-rto9xuR9Sr2c1n0oDDe1xEkjHkM19MrZ9FEcrH8C22ld3zPl34MscV4L10odd-G0VWisY9amZH6kn_jD5cB163CSA6A=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoYMiW_BZAy-2H-Qug2XRDeXuOA2CYWoz6RaCFDu-V3I37ZjV9jDPHVWovktjIvwupHzOlSqW-Ld5MhbzaFFMBkyz-IL-rto9xuR9Sr2c1n0oDDe1xEkjHkM19MrZ9FEcrH8C22ld3zPl34MscV4L10odd-G0VWisY9amZH6kn_jD5cB163CSA6A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>
Some might maintain that three men who railed against the government for years might not want to be buried on hallowed grounds. I'm not sure I agree with that hypothesis. By this time, they might have been proud to rest in the same vicinity as John F. Kennedy, Jr., and brother Robert, or at the very least, Abner Doubleday.</p><p></p><p>
That's really a moot point because the fact they had to be laid to rest at all is the true problem. When this show jumps the shark, it realllly jumps the shark. (Although, harkening back to Sestra Am's original inquiry, I know I can come up with jump-the-shark spotters for every single season since the production moved to Hollywood.)</p><p><b>Three more unlikely heroes there never were: </b>But I digress, because with the series coming to an end, this episode -- first and foremost -- is an attempt to wrap up Byers, Frohike and Langly's story with recurring Morris Fletcher and sexy-villain-turned-ally Yves St. Laurent. (Yeah, I know that last one's not right. But the show's apathy is wearing off on me.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg69mF7om9cbsG579HrgEpkhayDfs8Df1rjH2Gim1Jjn7Hr47jNqK6lxprmByKTEifOOepBxcK1Nff3TE-Ig6_6HykNjxOUJ5k7zQaUIjTJMRaGDapNZxjFya8C6ifHg0bvf0vmmSPN4VzpCjOvDbsJ7DLqsYbYYrwmKF73-qLfCA6hmv-NnfW7oQ=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg69mF7om9cbsG579HrgEpkhayDfs8Df1rjH2Gim1Jjn7Hr47jNqK6lxprmByKTEifOOepBxcK1Nff3TE-Ig6_6HykNjxOUJ5k7zQaUIjTJMRaGDapNZxjFya8C6ifHg0bvf0vmmSPN4VzpCjOvDbsJ7DLqsYbYYrwmKF73-qLfCA6hmv-NnfW7oQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>I still think there was something to the concept of a Gunmen series. The chemistry between the trio was always strong, and there were enough differences between the characters to be able to delve into different stories. I wasn't watching the spinoff at the time, but years later, I did binge it. And ... it's not bad. </p><p>Both shows got mileage out of Michael McKean's presence as former Man in Black Morris Fletcher. So bringing Morris into Doggett and Reyes' orbit isn't a bad first step. But when John and Monica walk into the empty Lone Gunmen bunker, we start down the irrevocable road to ruin. Kind of reminds of another bad move, attempting to wrap up the <i>Millennium </i>story within the confines of one <i>X-Files</i> episode in the fourth episode of the seventh season. Should we feel grateful that we didn't have a <i>Harsh Realm </i>terminus as well? (I still say that show might have worked with Nicholas Lea (Krycek) in the lead. Chris Carter, you couldn't have bent to fan pressure on that one, like you folded like a house of cards on the Sculder personal relationship front?)<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghHIvfNk7ReSGBBd-B0R8LNy5eMbOJddSree1jpwf8nStSIWXcDcZtRZ-b1ETePCGcR9CKD73nUYmMxhfWkZmGuJ7-gPoAHM8AGOd4mLI8PZe4T13iYbBHhuY9YOsJMMSEKdcMDoa1djLfpdXZEGQcGG-VZxGkgeKcDDar_kIIIpuAdgfJ0QDoDQ=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghHIvfNk7ReSGBBd-B0R8LNy5eMbOJddSree1jpwf8nStSIWXcDcZtRZ-b1ETePCGcR9CKD73nUYmMxhfWkZmGuJ7-gPoAHM8AGOd4mLI8PZe4T13iYbBHhuY9YOsJMMSEKdcMDoa1djLfpdXZEGQcGG-VZxGkgeKcDDar_kIIIpuAdgfJ0QDoDQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Guys like that, they live forever: </b>I really used to enjoy the Gunmen doing their thing. But over time that concept got worn down to the nub, and their penchant for snappy dialogue apparently went along with it. Morris provides the cringeworthy image of watching those guys trying to find their butts with both hands, which hasn't been much fun for us either. As with the aforementioned "Millennium" episode, <i>The Lone Gunmen</i> square peg doesn't quite fit in<i> The X-Files'</i> round hole. </p><p>Morris crying "super soldier" is the most thin of threads to knit the two together and it's all down hill from there. It did look promising when John and Monica used all due diligence but ultimately boxed in the wrong dude. The Lone Gunmen don't have those kind of resources at their disposal upon smoking out the real one. They can't even talk their way into a conference room with the end of the world at stake. And so they wind up where they do, conveniently spawning what Byers had talked about just minutes earlier. They went out on their own terms.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiezpssZeUs2tfPJphfEXm8P-qmbZWSJ9qx4OCe6bkRgTqiSULsEKbrJI6XrPUZ84FhaeIcDNfX39UJ7tif1hxs8xznGAHSYQKUUmvW5UQVRXPu5CM-v2_oLBkzwnabJpyx5YsY8tol0sS4yyxlK8bVjsglt6BOp9S5Ak0t3d8jKV0jNJ1WDqM1A=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiezpssZeUs2tfPJphfEXm8P-qmbZWSJ9qx4OCe6bkRgTqiSULsEKbrJI6XrPUZ84FhaeIcDNfX39UJ7tif1hxs8xznGAHSYQKUUmvW5UQVRXPu5CM-v2_oLBkzwnabJpyx5YsY8tol0sS4yyxlK8bVjsglt6BOp9S5Ak0t3d8jKV0jNJ1WDqM1A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p>As Sestra Am said, this dismal turn of events is made worse by the fact that neither Scully nor Mulder are involved in the denouement. Kimmy's bilingual gravesite reaction doesn't really register. Still not sure what to make of Walter Skinner's deed, but it was an attempt at some kind of amends. And as far as Scully wondering whether the Gunmen knew how much they meant to her, I'm not sure they did. I didn't get that read and I've been watching closely the whole time. Fox's absence for the trio's series wrap didn't help in the slightest. So this ep winds up at the bottom of most X-Philes' lists, whether or not we believe this is where the series actually jumped the shark.</p><p>Although Bruce Harwood (Byers) said in <i>The Complete X-Files </i>that he was glad the Gunmen were killed off in the end, it remained a thorn in co-writer Vince Gilligan's paw. "To this day, I still think we made the wrong choice on that one," he said in the show's comprehensive guide.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpwG_J-3sDmtyCye2fUE7cmCLbZsjw_qeAX61NNDw1wG1sO_70KhpE5-wHPsFRnibF4cxcsiigWHyG-Jg4ew5k8ZBhMfzj1jze109cKfQj_eb5Rkt9ljQC5HSeHlG_g9ejG9_glhs5NNNVdd683NwP78z4ZOB5U-jgN7EDwVmsCvu2Ht4tMBkodA=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpwG_J-3sDmtyCye2fUE7cmCLbZsjw_qeAX61NNDw1wG1sO_70KhpE5-wHPsFRnibF4cxcsiigWHyG-Jg4ew5k8ZBhMfzj1jze109cKfQj_eb5Rkt9ljQC5HSeHlG_g9ejG9_glhs5NNNVdd683NwP78z4ZOB5U-jgN7EDwVmsCvu2Ht4tMBkodA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Guest star of the week: </b>While Zuleikha Robinson (Yves) and Stephen Snedden (Jimmy) slip seamlessly back into their spinoff characters, Michael McKean once again gives an ep any life it has. He's gotten kudos in this spot twice, but the veteran actor easily could be a four-time winner. Maybe Morris Fletcher should have been the focus for a sister show. <br /></p><p></p><p>
</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></span>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7141728014151915938.post-55636066685009453332021-12-18T12:43:00.001-08:002021-12-18T12:57:01.250-08:00X-Files S9E14: They did the monster mash<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Amateur:</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/s308/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXujvX8ba61QxpelbOiZw0rC1GaR_F2Jq5Ryf89fq_omXEiunPJmTDvD7fs_5BS0d9QsTXyoXMJpK85oCwkt9UV0KllgoCOT_9LqYFIPiTnMtq29T-HvPSGA0YTzFkB4Wo2xTSa1WRA/w143-h200/220px-Xfilesseason9.jpg" width="143" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In Fairhope, Pennsylvania, a young boy named Tommy Conlon is scared of something in his bedroom. His father, Jeffrey, played by Scott Paulin, just wants Tommy to go to sleep. Tommy can still hear the creature and tries to escape the room but dear old dad is holding the door closed. That’s called tough love, right? Fun fact: When you type “Fairhope Penn” into Google, the second suggested result is "Hillbilly Haven Fairhope Pennsylvania."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Dr. Dana Scully is trying to eat her lunch in between classes at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, when she gets a surprise visit from accountant Leyla Harrison, whom <a href="http://andnowsiblingcinema.blogspot.com/2021/02/x-files-s8e19-leyla-you-got-me-on-my.html" target="_blank">we first met in "Alone"</a> (Season 8, Episode 19). Harrison manages to ruin Scully’s appetite with photographs from a graphic X-files case involving Tommy’s now-dead mother. Even though Tommy insisted a monster killed his mommy, the coroner’s autopsy determined the victim stabbed herself. Sixteen times. Harrison also claims the monster killed Tommy’s cat, Spanky. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6CBnGpnU3oxHT0jRbt17j4_nESlWxhEZapp5pivjIUa1ID4B0XTCm58IVytTOle4fIBjdH4fY4Vy6tkW8gE4I9edcjSRe6QpBdnYCyM7D77rT3PBezvS-SwWPkZjZSUaNWNbdp3SAtVwVJhtBiGdKcNjNmPybO5z2ihAQzTXCcIHa3pmyX1xJMw=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6CBnGpnU3oxHT0jRbt17j4_nESlWxhEZapp5pivjIUa1ID4B0XTCm58IVytTOle4fIBjdH4fY4Vy6tkW8gE4I9edcjSRe6QpBdnYCyM7D77rT3PBezvS-SwWPkZjZSUaNWNbdp3SAtVwVJhtBiGdKcNjNmPybO5z2ihAQzTXCcIHa3pmyX1xJMw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dana dismisses Leyla and goes about her day until she gets a call from Special Agent Monica Reyes, who is heading to Pennsylvania with Special Agent John Doggett … and Harrison. She manages to convince Team Johnica to continue with the investigation. I wonder whether Leyla is as fascinated with Reyes and Doggett's expenses as she was with Sculder’s. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
The trio meets with Jeffrey Conlon, but he sends the feds away. Luckily, John notices some physical evidence that convinces him to get a warrant to search the place. Too bad their car gets disabled in a very disgusting manner. Meanwhile, Dana gets woken up in the middle of the night by Harrison's friend Gabe Rotter, who hand-delivers Tommy’s dead cat. (Wow, the things a guy will do for a date.) </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdIefWrF387nCJxkCQNrPxIlkpc8NojhjOvI3H4nXaNSt9LDcsagvXijJ4qhaKUzPNOkbBPCMDK4Jz4psGlu58CJH01CXx1xvDL1KCZl6Fx1S7WWny0FkrgUGG7uDthHDPUpa2QfFqx6NBagQSYAc5G_5ecwHHaiB6dW660JRoLq29MRg1M-2Wpg=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdIefWrF387nCJxkCQNrPxIlkpc8NojhjOvI3H4nXaNSt9LDcsagvXijJ4qhaKUzPNOkbBPCMDK4Jz4psGlu58CJH01CXx1xvDL1KCZl6Fx1S7WWny0FkrgUGG7uDthHDPUpa2QfFqx6NBagQSYAc5G_5ecwHHaiB6dW660JRoLq29MRg1M-2Wpg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in Fairhope, no one has a working car or phone, so it’s sleepover time. They hear Tommy scream for help upstairs and observe Jeffrey preventing his son – and the monsters – from leaving the bedroom. Doggett shoots the creature but that splits it into two monsters. Jeffrey tries to defend his actions but Leyla doesn’t buy it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
During the necropsy, Scully determines the cat did not commit suicide like Mrs. Conlon. She then speaks with Sheriff Jack Coogan (Jackie Coogan? Sounds like some kind of in-joke), who is familiar with the Conlon family. Too bad the worsening weather may make it difficult for him to get to the agents. Outside the Conlon home, the feds unearth a broken piece of mirror, not a monster. They’re preparing to leave the house with Tommy and Jeffrey when the sheriff arrives. Too bad it’s not actually him, just a meaty shell John is able to impale with his fist. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh19VQKTcFfJ2kwfXleWJKTZ3ySCuQbnDjt_dRKVeuSCLibcbV30Y8ZSXjRda_2B2cKqWO-nEuWTNvHwa6ixMd6V4niNZ42t6yMwO9TvTLPIA7eaIVPcsX3Bf4QRUxIAVbHdL8HIj-HCFV68XTGVKyEGF_2pUbk32ZM05q0ZSL099GhOn5iiofaow=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh19VQKTcFfJ2kwfXleWJKTZ3ySCuQbnDjt_dRKVeuSCLibcbV30Y8ZSXjRda_2B2cKqWO-nEuWTNvHwa6ixMd6V4niNZ42t6yMwO9TvTLPIA7eaIVPcsX3Bf4QRUxIAVbHdL8HIj-HCFV68XTGVKyEGF_2pUbk32ZM05q0ZSL099GhOn5iiofaow=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Gabe complains to Dana about Leyla’s fascination with Mulder and Scully. She decides to head to Pennsylvania with Mr. Rotter. After Team Johnica examines the “sheriff” and realizes he’s not a typical human being, Doggett proposes an interesting theory: Maybe they’re experiencing something similar to what happened to Team Sculder during an exposure to mushroom spores in "Field Trip" (S6E21). Tommy and Reyes head upstairs to his bedroom while Team Harriett tries to get more information from Jeffrey. Dear daddy claims he locked Tommy in the room with the monsters because he knew the creatures would not hurt his boy like they hurt everyone else. While they’re upstairs, Tommy shows Monica his latest drawing -- it depicts a creature inside her stomach.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Scully and Rotter (Scotter? Rully?) arrive at the Sheriff’s office but the big man doesn’t think they can get to the house safely. And Reyes, who now has a creature inside of her, realizes Tommy is the scary monster! (Of course, most parents of 8-year-old boys probably figured this out much earlier.) Too bad John chases the kid into the bedroom and falls into an abyss, where he gets attacked by hundreds of these things. Tommy then makes Leyla bleed from her eyes by drawing that very scene. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe5jQ6PRKJAfYXnSuOwG4lQb6GpmQxFnOabgAFVmU62ForVK07XqHOcNhozbJjnQX_O5gB08XvZ1At0dz9FamZviMQIuKkhni0aZWZB5IZdzsKspYfXw_NJ4nwJQQWnttxGH6Yp7BK22Wf_AqP0eEl6OJ2AdAlFFf2D5TXAT52UH9wu96WRsF8zw=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe5jQ6PRKJAfYXnSuOwG4lQb6GpmQxFnOabgAFVmU62ForVK07XqHOcNhozbJjnQX_O5gB08XvZ1At0dz9FamZviMQIuKkhni0aZWZB5IZdzsKspYfXw_NJ4nwJQQWnttxGH6Yp7BK22Wf_AqP0eEl6OJ2AdAlFFf2D5TXAT52UH9wu96WRsF8zw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Doggett, who managed to convince himself the creatures aren’t real, escapes from the room and confronts Jeffrey with the truth. And Mrs. Conlon truly did stab herself but only because of what Tommy caused her to believe. John and Jeffrey get the women out of the house while Doggett prepares to burn it to the ground with Tommy inside. The little boy thinks he’s bluffing until everything starts to burn. Somehow, his fear enables Leyla and Monica to heal. Team Scotter swoops in to save the day. Inside the house, Dana and Gabe find an alert John and an unconscious Tommy. Luckily, Doggett was bluffing and never set the fire. He didn’t even use actual gasoline. What a letdown.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">
Leyla and Gabe later visit Scully, Doggett and Reyes in the X-files office. Harrison’s backhanded compliment to Doggett shows she’s still a little in awe of the X-files agents. And Tommy’s treatment to stifle his imagination and prevent the return of the monsters? Television, lots of television. Interesting message from a TV show that aired for nine years and needed viewers to continue. I wonder whether they already knew <i>The X-Files</i> was being canceled by this point.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sestra Professional:</b> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm sure it's been fairly evident that, on the whole, I'm a fan of Season 9. There are a couple main reasons for that. First and foremost, I've always thought the Doggett and Reyes characters show how malleable <i>The X-Files </i>formula could have been. I know legions of shippers will disagree with me on that front. But I think I could have the <i>Star Trek </i>universe in my corner in that regard. Second, it's because of the breadth of stories coming from a lot of different directions. I've mentioned <i>The Twilight Zone</i> cross-pollination on a number of occasions. Last week, Chris Carter gave us arguably his best stand-alone ep, and this week, well, lookie lookie, it's a throwback to the early <i>X-Files</i> (aka The Vancouver Years) complete with a textbook "creepy kid." </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJZFDAxsH0AMdU7e2IH7U3l58imgIWDviRGWD_56p73hwcpZgQTVDLi6W10hA0t40PV9Yvyj1qyT9ZO57nbJ3cNoRLxKZYu1-4nyBNRfY7IRSaV8iyGB5sOeUsY0D1l6fdIfORCP0xOM2R7qdrPR-3xs2ivlv4DjghvE8360fs3hZGGM-YjxzV9A=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJZFDAxsH0AMdU7e2IH7U3l58imgIWDviRGWD_56p73hwcpZgQTVDLi6W10hA0t40PV9Yvyj1qyT9ZO57nbJ3cNoRLxKZYu1-4nyBNRfY7IRSaV8iyGB5sOeUsY0D1l6fdIfORCP0xOM2R7qdrPR-3xs2ivlv4DjghvE8360fs3hZGGM-YjxzV9A=s320" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">That juxtaposition between the show creator's flight of fancy last time out and the return of Leyla Harrison makes the season's pendulum swings all the more apparent. So after jumping off the high board, we revisit the character who winds up speaking for the fandom simply because she herself is a fan of the Mulder and Scully dynamic and their work on X-files cases. Looks like a little temporary blindness in "Alone" did not permanently close her eyes to the cause.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>How could someone stab themselves 16 times?</b> This particular episode also reminds me of an episode of the <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> spinoff <i>Angel </i>-- "I've Got You Under My Skin" -- that had originally aired a couple of years earlier. The scenario feels sort of <i>Millennium</i>-istic to me as well with some misdirect over the behavior of a dad who seems to be extraordinarily tough on his young son. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Scully's still working hard at Quantico, so hard that she apparently doesn't have time to eat. She's gotta be used to that, right? It's not like we saw her and Mulder chowing down very often when they were working in the FBI basement. Gillian Anderson gets the bulk of this ep's light-hearted moments, if having to do a late-night autopsy on a dead cat can be categorized as light-hearted. It is fun to watch her unencumbered by the overbaked mythology for a while.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6CqhTXcoHFY7MmaaBmZtiEjC4wcR4DDs8xjvUSea1Vm4LLVAkMOdZ5Tsoo5c5r7HZFAupsEflo1zj56ZccRusv81s2ThJDLXWGV9fgVQjAHb0ZIENBr1mZ66gCGxNE0bMzEV_fP5Gar5EJnI8OTFMaEFlIvOfswm0C0_a90zZ-vClgLX7ryKgVQ=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6CqhTXcoHFY7MmaaBmZtiEjC4wcR4DDs8xjvUSea1Vm4LLVAkMOdZ5Tsoo5c5r7HZFAupsEflo1zj56ZccRusv81s2ThJDLXWGV9fgVQjAHb0ZIENBr1mZ66gCGxNE0bMzEV_fP5Gar5EJnI8OTFMaEFlIvOfswm0C0_a90zZ-vClgLX7ryKgVQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Mulder and Scully, Scully and Mulder, blah blah blah: </b>So the actual monsters come off as cartoony, but I appreciate that since they're supposed to have been thought up by a young boy. It fits the profile. So does Gabe Rotter, when he voices sentiments he's had to have heard from Leyla a lot more than we have in the two episodes she's been a part of. I mean, we have gotten Sculder discussion to the point of distraction, right? It would have been worse on a guy trying to get with Harrison. And Rotter, named after the show's writers' assistant, must have heard such talk even more than the viewers. Symmetry!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Leyla's apparently having as much of an effect on John as the FBI investigators have on her. For Pete's sake, the man cited a previous X-file as a possible explanation for what's going on with the monsters. His guess of "Field Trip" was about as unsubstantiated as Harrison's reference to the boy fueled by lightning in "D.P.O." (S3E3). But at long last, Doggett's disbelief that things are really happening as they appear to be finally comes in handy for the ultimate resolution.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaqAMrdBmIItqBMCBN6In5iAuZy6GB3w7G6BeZNqXkolD-3gsLvDKnEuQQtPzxqVlzdrQJ2VkRPx4Kdtglb0vXX_bz9haROo3cizKkHbKLsO7e_LIGiCE7BzD10u0i38sJW3dYYEzzqNnZewaZZeH9L2nQpaiqms23ZEwTgQhyNv9fDd1RFSHw9g=s1260" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaqAMrdBmIItqBMCBN6In5iAuZy6GB3w7G6BeZNqXkolD-3gsLvDKnEuQQtPzxqVlzdrQJ2VkRPx4Kdtglb0vXX_bz9haROo3cizKkHbKLsO7e_LIGiCE7BzD10u0i38sJW3dYYEzzqNnZewaZZeH9L2nQpaiqms23ZEwTgQhyNv9fDd1RFSHw9g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I made this: </b>Once I stopped being tickled by the fact that eerie Tommy voices the words we hear every week for the show's production company Ten Thirteen, I focused on how great Annabeth Gish vocalized Monica's screaming. For some reason, I didn't doubt for a second that Reyes was in major pain from having a monster with pincers trying to claw its way out of her stomach. And poor Leyla. Two cases, twice victimized in the eyes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As Sestra Am pointed out, that was a dispiriting way to end the episode, though, with the idea that inundating a young boy with even more television would be the only way to squelch his overactive imagination. But <i>The Complete X-Files </i>backs up Sestra's assertion, it was during production of this episode that the cast and crew found out the show was going to end its regular run.<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ1F7kdz8kO66KMJgIBpIA2r3kh854COJ14_vlBg1WfX3Fn8tue8LweEAJMQ_6wMTol6HavElJ7jAH6bRYq3EpSRGMIDi7aduCUrjReHsNivq6Sc5nMrQ9OXodsFp9S6IQj5vsXZkBL7OWHWcMpO7Td-nvPZtzdOr0yb8zdB7DaAzvkJZgQO1FRA=s1260" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ1F7kdz8kO66KMJgIBpIA2r3kh854COJ14_vlBg1WfX3Fn8tue8LweEAJMQ_6wMTol6HavElJ7jAH6bRYq3EpSRGMIDi7aduCUrjReHsNivq6Sc5nMrQ9OXodsFp9S6IQj5vsXZkBL7OWHWcMpO7Td-nvPZtzdOr0yb8zdB7DaAzvkJZgQO1FRA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It wasn't a complete bummer behind the scenes, though. I got some extra insight into Jolie Jenkins' return as Leyla via Cameo last year. "I wished for it so hard. I feel like I manifested it ... the opportunity to go back," Jolie told me. "Particularly working with Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish ... I had such a great time with the two of them. I just remember having so much fun. Everyone was so warm and friendly, and it was such a wonderful work environment in that way. And at the same time, everyone had such respect for the show and what Chris Carter was doing."<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx_f_-8GrkqQ4AW_zjtQuP5_hx_qGNkc907RXh32VSP75BC5kEYXpcoQIKVysU94-AjcZdqpMCfubDUBwWAWrmOKheJFkhwiqgsiQZW9zDNPzy7DQ_sdEGEioUYK3E4mvyCSMsX7MLY62nZjhGhvixuOBuaa5oWZk_rRMU1waNL8RsOVHs2ZyUNg=s200" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx_f_-8GrkqQ4AW_zjtQuP5_hx_qGNkc907RXh32VSP75BC5kEYXpcoQIKVysU94-AjcZdqpMCfubDUBwWAWrmOKheJFkhwiqgsiQZW9zDNPzy7DQ_sdEGEioUYK3E4mvyCSMsX7MLY62nZjhGhvixuOBuaa5oWZk_rRMU1waNL8RsOVHs2ZyUNg=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Guest star of the week:</b> Apologies to Scott Paulin, but I'm giving it to Jenkins again. How thankless a task is representing <i>The X-Files</i> base at large? You got your shippers, your no-romos, your Vancouverians -- and a large chunk of that base was pretty disillusioned with the show by now. But for the second time in as many chances, Jenkins provided a breath of fresh air as the FBI's resident fan girl and she lived up to some lofty standards once again.<br /></span></p>Sibling Cinemahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220795047538984607noreply@blogger.com0