X-Files Episode Guide: Shapes

Written by Marilyn Osborn

Directed by David Nutter

And we were so close to getting out of the hole we were in.

There is a tendency by many of those who saw this episode to utterly loathe it, yet another of the first season's continued problems of trying to assign a level of interest to a story that would otherwise be completely pedestrian. So we try and make this based on the very first X-Files, and if that isn't enough trying to link it to a series of deaths connected with the Lewis & Clark expedition, rather than just having what amounts to the ultimate shaggy dog story.

There are two obvious things wrong with Shapes, both of which can probably be ascribed to the fact that it's yet another episode linked to a first time (and in this case, only) writer for the show. (There are rumors that Morgan & Wong did some uncredited rewrites for this episode I hope those rumors are false, because otherwise there's definitely no excuse for the failings here.) There's the fact that the pacing for this story is god-awful slow. Those of us who are familiar with genre TV know that this is probably going to be a werewolf episode by the time the teaser's over.  It takes us well into the second act just for Mulder to confirm that this has something to do with werewolves, and another fifteen minutes for someone to tell us that it is. Usually, it takes Mulder minutes to get his theory for the case, and as we learn, he knew about it well before he and Scully arrived on the scene. So why the hell doesn't he try to show off for once? And then there's that the fact that it tries to make a mystery out of who the creature of the night is, when by the time the creature makes its second attack, everybody with half a brain knows that it's Lyle Parker. And it doesn't say much for Scully that she doesn't seem able to find anything suspicious about Lyle walking around naked right after his father is killed. It just seems like another lead-in to a Scully in jeopardy plot

Then there's the fact that this episode is trying to dress up an old story with a somewhat different twist--- the legend of the Manitou.  The X-Files did a much better job dealing with Native Americans then almost any other show of its era, but considering that this is being done by a  writer who clearly has no experience with the story, almost everything about it falls decidedly flat. The Indians versus ranchers struggle, the Indian law enforcement official trying to hold in his anger against the white man and his past, and then realizing that the old ways are trying to tell him something, the Native elder who seems determined to tell the FBI what he's seen from many years in the past--- it seems like a B-plot for a Monument Valley western, only it's never seemed more obvious that we're in Vancouver.

It's  a shame, because despite all these flaws, the episode is much better than expected.  Seeing the stuffed animals at the Parker ranch does gives this story more of an atmosphere than it perhaps deserves. And the genuine anger from many of the Indians does lend this episode more strength it probably should have, thanks to the solid work of Michael Horse and Donnelly Rhodes. It's also rare for any X-Files episode, that it for once presents a law-enforcement official who is sympathetic to the agents cause eventually The major problem with this episode is in retrospect with all the stories about werewolves we could get on TV--- Joss Whedon and Alan Ball would do such brilliant stories in supernatural based shows that this is can only seem bland and sluggish in comparison. It doesn't help matters that half the episode is bland and sluggish, and that when the tribe elder suggests the possibility of a sequel, we fervently hope he's wrong, because we don't want to go through all of this nonsense again.

It's fine. It's definitely nowhere near as bad as the worst of the series or even this season have been. But it's not particularly a lot of fun either. And it seems more like this was an episode that the network executives were pushing for more than anything else (which, in fact, was the case). Considering how well this series would do vampires, ghouls and Frankenstein, its a shame that they couldn't get the most basic trope of horror-sci-fi done well.  But then, they were never that good with ghosts and demons, either.

My score: 2 stars.

X-Files Episode Guide: Miracle Man

Written by Howard Gordon & Chris Carter

Directed by Michael Lange

Considering however you want to view Genderbender, this is the first real episode of the series to try and visit religion as an X-File. It's also the first episode Gordon has done for the series without his comrade in arms Alex Gansa, and perhaps not coincidentally, it's a shade better than most of his scripts for the series. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most confusing ones.

Strictly speaking, this might not be an X-File at all; it certainly makes it way to Mulder and Scully through them being asked to consult. Considering how cynical Mulder will eventually reveal himself to be to organized religion, it's rather surprising how open-minded he seems to be when it comes to dealing with faith-healing. He does view it with more than a few indelicate quips, but for most of the episode he views Samuel Hartley with a sincerity that he doesn't show a lot of the other faithful in the X-Files canon. He saves most of his venom for the boy's father,  who seems far more of a huckster, albeit one with a genuine healer on his hands.

Unfortunately, the episode makes one of it's two major missteps when it has Samuel identify far too closely with Mulder about the loss of his sister. Given what we ultimately learn about Samantha's fate, it's not impossible Samuel might know the truth; it's even (barely) conceivable that the girl that Mulder keeps seeing really is Samantha. But the trick is used far too often in this episode, and it cheapens the power of Samuel's genuine empathy with Mulder and his genuine remorse for what appears to be the corruption of his gift. Scott Bairstow gives one of the rare good performances on this series by a teenage actor, feeling that God has finally left him for betraying his calling, and it's easy--- and rare--- that Mulder is more inclined towards Samuel than Scully is.

The episode has some pretty good set pieces--- the locusts invaded the courtroom where bail is being set, the way the faithful try to protect their savior by using the power of belief, and there's a refreshing honesty to the fact that local law enforcement is-- at least initially--- on Mulder and Scully's side. It is diminished when we learn about the local sheriff's built in prejudice towards the Hartley's, but it's rare enough in the saga for it to be admired.

We don't have a real climax involving Samuel--- he's even killed off-screen, but the revelation of who the actual murderer is pretty interesting, considering how much of a follower the healed Leonard Vance seems to be for most of the episode. One can even understand why he would want to punish and destroy the man who healed him--- it can almost be considered a fate worse than death. But the episode stumbles again, mainly because it ends just when things are getting interesting. Samuel appears before Leonard in a vision, and then appears to rise from the dead. In a normal episode, this would be the point Mulder and Scully would be invited in; instead, they choose to wrap up the investigation and leave, without even really thinking twice. Then again, considering that at this point in the case, things would rapidly start spinning out of control, maybe it's good that Gordon and Carter decide to wrap things up here.

Miracle Man is one of the harder X-Files to rank, even in the general unevenness of Season 1. It's nowhere near the level of some of the better shows, like Beyond the Sea or Ice, but compared to some of the detritus we've had to wade through, it's well-plotted, has a few decent shocker scenes, and can be viewed with either rational thought for through the paranormal  One can't help but think that had this episode aired even one season later, it might have been able to cement over the shakier bits in the foundation. It doesn't help matters that it ends where it does--- and seeing a little girl in the final minute is perhaps one too many, but it definitely shows that Gordon seems to have a better grasp of how these stories should go without Gansa. Maybe that explains why the majority of the more interesting ones he did would come when he flew solo. This one still has a few many too holes in the plot--- Samuel seems to have been the reincarnation of Anakin Skywalker--- but it's definitely better as a religious themed or rationally based story.

My score: 3.25 stars

X-Files Episode Guide: E.B.E

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by William Graham

Leave it to our good friends Glen and James to get us back on track after  three straight episodes that had us wandering in the wilderness. This episode is a refreshing back to basics, stripping the story down to Mulder & Scully and the pursuit of the truth.  There are many promising signs for the future in this episode, but there is also a pretty critical flaw, though maybe only it seems like one in retrospect.

This episode gets us a lot closer to the mission statement that Carter formalized way back in Deep Throat. Mulder and Scully spend the episode following evidence of a UFO trail, only this time it's more abstract than what we've gotten before, holding mainly on hearsay. What save us from drowning in the mythos is the fact that, for once, E.B.E. seems to demonstrate that our heroes are on the right track from the start and just have to get from Point A to Point B, even if they have to go through the rest of the alphabet in order to get there.

And herein lies the fundamental problem: E.B.E can been seen pretty clearly at the fundamental flaw in the mythology told in a single episode. Mulder and Scully get proof that they are on the trail of a U.F.O. They received information from a confidential source that verifies it, then they are misdirected, then they find evidence that they are being monitored by foreign sources. They spend the remainder of the episode trying to work around the government's dragnet, and seem to get right up to their goal, only to have it snatched away at the last minute. Nothing personifies Mulder's quest more than finding the evidence of a U.F.O, only to pulled away at the last moment, by Deep Throat telling him that the extraterrestrial biological entity (and God, do we get sick of hearing that mouthful by the time the episode is over) has been killed. No wonder Mulder is less than grateful towards this benefactor near the end.

The episode also demonstrates the fundamental problem with Deep Throat, and its one that Jerry Hardin had for his entire time on the series--- he never got a clear idea what his character, and how much of what he was telling Mulder was true. He seems beneficial to Mulder,  but there's never any clear reason as to why he has decided to help Mulder and Scully. We gets hints of it in his story to Mulder near the end, where he says that the main reason is to make up for a sin in his past of being one of three living men to have killed an alien. It's a noble statement, and it's blinding in  its promise, but it's come in an episode where Deep Throat has openly been lying and trying to manipulate Mulder, and doesn't shy away from that fact when Mulder calls him on it. It's no wonder at the episode's conclusion that Mulder says one of the most hurtful things he will ever say to his source.

The question that therefore leaps to mind is why this episode, despite the shell game that our heroes seem to play during it, seems so satisfying. Part of it comes with the introduction of one of the few elements that will last the entire length of the series--- the Lone Gunmen.  In their initial appearance, it's clear that they seem to be here for a one-shot appearance--- their behavior and attitude is creepy and unsettling, rather than as the comic relief and utter loyalty that they will demonstrate to Mulder and Scully during their quest. We don't even get their names until the credits, with the exception of Langley. And we know that it's hard to trust them considering that make Mulder's theories seem positively mainstream. But it's a good effect that Morgan & Wong use by making them seem to paranoid for Mulder to take seriously---- and then showing that there's a listening device in Scully's pen.

Admittedly, we're still feeling our way around even in this episode. The mythology at this point still seems comprehensible at this point, but it's not going to really demonstrate its ability until the second season when it's given emotional weight. As it is, E.B.E probably seems more like what an outsider's view of the X-Files is than what the series actually can be about.---- Mulder and Scully chasing down some obscure element of 'the truth' for forty minutes, being led down one blind alley after the other, and arriving at their destinations moments after it has left the building. After three episodes where they have trying to personalize the series by having elements from Mulder and/or Scully's past, and basically ending up with lackluster results, this seems like a step forward. The episode is suspenseful, clever, and amusing at times--- but there are definitely troubling concerns for the future, if this is what the series will be like. Perhaps the fault is not in the stars, but in the writing. Morgan and Wong seem to understand this. Their successors will not.

My rating: 4 stars.

X-Files Episode Guide: Young At Heart

Written by Scott Kaufer & Chris Carter

Directed by Michael Lange

At this point, it's getting harder to slog through some of the episodes which, despite changing the level of the sci-fi, are starting to get a certain level of sameness. It's yet another episode where one of the agents deals with a friends from the past, as well as the old cliché of a law enforcement agent trying to deal with a threat from the past. Backed by the horror cliché of a killer coming back from the dead. Followed with the cliché of the government involvement in all this. Really, there isn't room for much original material considering all the deadweight of these formulas.

Considering that Mulder will come to face some of the most horrible villains, human and inhuman, during his time on the series, it seems rather quaint to have him so up in arms about the possibility of an armed robber and murderer coming back and threatening him. (Perhaps he's truly upset that John Barnett keeps calling him by his first name, which  even he admits he hates.)  This doesn't have much force on its own, and is weakened even further by the fact that  there is nothing original or special about this MOTW.  A man is granted the Fountain of Youth, and he uses it to reek revenge on the men who put him in prison----  that's not  a particularly original villain; it's not even a particularly original criminal, even if he does have the hand of a salamander.

I'll give some credit to Carter and Kaufer--- they at least tries to come up with a plausible explanation as to what makes Barnett younger. Using progeria--- one of the rarest and saddest diseases known to man--- adds an element of pathos that the episode would otherwise lack, and hard science that has been seriously lacking from a lot of the last episodes. Of course, it then tries to make it part of a government conspiracy, by having  mysterious men, like Deep Throat and the Cigarette-Smoking man (who isn't even smoking in this episode) trying desperately to get the science for themselves. Don't they have shadowy government cabals to run?

There are a lot of episode in the X-Files canon that are derivative--- there are some this season that are that way--- but this one seems determined to move at such a slow pace, by being derivative. First, we see John Barnett die in the teaser. Then we see Mulder and Scully find out that John Barnett is dead. Then Scully learns from Mulder what happened when he and Barnett first met. Then we see a video tape of it happening. Then we have a flashback to a courtroom where Mulder testifies to what happened. It's as if the writers, rather than flesh out their story, have decided to engage in the most overly clichéd kind of padding imaginable. And the moment we see Mulder not take a killshot when he has to, we know that there's going to be a situation where he will do so again, and this time take the shot. There should be some significance from the fact that this is the first time we've seen Mulder kill somebody, but the way they drag out his final moments seems like just more padding. And the episodes ends with the hoariest of clichés, that we "haven't seen the last of John Barnett."

We're now nearly two-thirds of the way through the show's first season, and it seems like the series still doesn't have a clear road map.  We can get chilling monsters of the week when Morgan & Wong are in the driver's seat, but Carter still seems determined to link everything to some kind of government conspiracy or alien pathology, even when it doesn't seem necessary. And with few exceptions, when other writers have tried to take the series into different places, they have no idea what works because Carter doesn't seem to know what works. Young at Heart is a MOTW that is neither scary nor interesting, and Carter clearly doesn't have any confidence, so he starts pulling out every trick in what is currently a rather limited book. It's not like this is really a terrible episode, but it's symptomatic of the larger problems with the series that it just seems ordinary. And for a series that's supposed to be paranormal, that's the worst thing that could happen to it.

My score: 2 Stars

X-Files Episode Guide: Lazarus

Written by Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon

Directed by David Nutter

This is one of the more confusing episodes of a season that has more than a few of them. One can't help but think that Lazarus was an episode where the executives may have been asking for something closer to a traditional law and order type show. 'Cause, let's be honest, there doesn't seem to be much of an X-File here. The theory that a criminal and the FBI agent who's spent a year chasing him go into cardiac arrest in the same ER, and the killer comes back in the agents body. There isn't really much of a supernatural explanation as to how this could be possible, and Mulder drawing the theory from what appears to be a double pulse on an EKG, is one of the more ludicrous leaps he's made so far. Add this to the fact that this is yet another episode where they're trying to shore up the plot by making Willis Scully's former boyfriend, giving her  a reason to reject Mulder's theories, and you have an episode that can't decide what it wants to be about.

This is Howard Gordon's first try at a supernatural revenge story, something he will come to specialize in when he starts writing solo scripts for The X-Files. Or maybe it's a paranormal love story, which he'll try his hand at more than once. Unfortunately, neither one of them is a particularly good one. This is because of a fundamental problem with all of Gordon's scripts --- he's not very good at creating very believable character development. Warren Dupree is painted as a man so possessed with love for Lula Phillips that he literally comes back from the dead in order to be with her. He doesn't know, of course, that his wife and partner in crime has betrayed him, by setting him up at the bank robbery, then trying to kill him when he comes back in Willis' body. Which means that the would be romance among the criminals is a complete and utter fraud. But why should we be surprised about that, as neither criminals nor cops come off particularly well in this story --- even though this is one of the rare occasions in the series run that Mulder or Scully is given command of a situation, and he doesn't immediately alienate the people who working for him.

There is more significance in the fact that this is the first time that Scully is abducted--- sadly, this will become something of a theme, for a character who will eventually become one of the strongest female characters in the history of television. Considering how well Chris Carter and other writers will handle this situation, one can't help but think that this is another example of the struggling any first time idea gets on a series. But considering how many women have been and will be abducted in series that Gordon and Gansa write for, one would think they'd be able to make it seem a little more believable. Scully doesn't seem at all equipped to handle the situation--- despite everything that she sees, she can't help but stay to her rational thought. So she spends half the episode trying to persuade Willis/Dupree that he is the man she loved and then tries to save him by giving him insulin rather than trying to run a bluff. Mulder doesn't come off much better in this episode, once again calling her by her first name, and telling the agents who are trying to rescue her "this is important to me." For all his theorizing, Scully is more or less saved by blind luck rather than any skills as an FBI agent.

Lazarus isn't as bad as many of the weaker episodes in Season 1 have been. Christopher Allport gives a mostly solid performance as Willis/Dupree, even though a lot of the dialogue he's given is almost impossible to say, even when it's delivered through audio recording. (Did he really think that  Dupree and Philips love was 'operatic?)  Anderson continues to show growth as Scully, working through some of the more obvious blinders that her character will be dealing with. But the fault with the episode lies not within the stars, but rather within the script. Gordon and Gansa are far more comfortable with the procedural parts of any show rather than the supernatural gimmicks, and that is perhaps never more made clear than it is in this episode. The police procedural parts work better, and are far better than some of the paranormal work, which would be fine if it didn't mean we've got to spend another week for this series trying to find it's identity. Frankly, it's starting to seem like Gordon & Gansa don't have much of a clue.

My score: 2 stars.

X-Files Episode Guide: Genderbender

Written by Larry Barber and Paul Barber

Directed by Rob Bowman

This is another one of those episodes that has more technical significance than anything that's going on in front of the camera. It is the directorial debut of Rob Bowman, who will eventually become one of the show's most trusted helmsman. It is also has a place where Nicholas Lea, who will eventually play one of the most famous recurring roles on this series, in a small and rather bizarre cameo as a single man who almost becomes a victim of the killer. He also has probably the show's funniest line, which he delivers to Mulder and Scully: "The club scene used to be so simple."

This is an episode  that, in spite of having one of the more tawdry subject matters for the series entire run, is actually one of the blander X-Files so far. One knows that the constraints of network TV were still being tested twenty years ago, but actually being able to see some of the sex might have at least given Genderbender some spark. Then again, it probably wouldn't. What we have is another solo shot by writers who would never write for the show again, which therefore leads to still another episode which can't quite agree on the series identity.

It starts out promisingly enough, with one of the better teasers that we've had so far, and it puts up a rather intriguing mystery--- a killer is rampaging through the club scene, secreting human pheromones (which in 1994 were still nowhere near being scientifically synthesized) and killing victims of both genders, and then apparently changing sex after a rather amazing 'roll in the hay.'  It then takes an interesting turn, by having the killer possibly being a member of a religion known as the Kindred.

And this is where the show starts to stumble. The X-Files will deal with shows that deal with either organized religions or cults several times during it's nine-year run, and they will never quite be able to get a handle on how to do it right. Sometimes, they'll succeed when it comes to dealing with actual religion, instead of the bizarre kinds we come across rather frequently in the first couple of seasons. The Kindred are clearly meant to be a version of the Amish, in both dress and general behavior, but the more bizarre behavior gets, the further away the writers get from solid footing. The dinner sequence with them ignoring a man who seems in the middle of what appear to be death throes is hard enough to fathom, but it gets increasingly surreal when Mulder and Scully come back, and encounter another one of those bizarre healing rituals, that  is so badly filmed we can't honestly tell what's happening. When Mulder tells us that Brother Wilson has somehow changed genders, it's as much as a shock to the audience as it is to Scully--- it seemed just as likely that they were burying him up to his neck in sand.

Then the episode starts spiraling out of control--- not that it was that stable to begin with. We see Scully fall under the most bizarre discussions she's had so far, and we're not sure whether she's being seduced by Brother Andrew or lulled to sleep by him. Then there's the scene where a woman tries to seduce Nicholas Lea, fails to finish the job, but turns into a man anyway. The story has no time for this either, because eventually the Kindred catch up with the killer, and seem to disappear and reappear like ghosts. And then, rather than try and give any kind of explanation, the story pulls out a literal deus ex machina, and have the Kindred be revealed to be aliens all along.

Part of the problem with the episode is that the Barbers, unlike the writers for Eve clearly have no picture as to how the series works. Far too many episodes of Season One seem labored over, but this is one that you feel could've been done better if they'd bothered to write a second draft of the teleplay. As it you have one story dealing with a gender-shifting serial killer, and another with a religion that turns out to be extraterrestrial with no legitimate attempt to even try to link them up at any point .Brother Martin's whole reason for leaving his band are never explained well, even by him, nor his reasons for why or how he is killing.

Genderbender isn't really a terrible episode, so much as it is one that doesn't know The X-Files mission statement yet. There are some interesting bits--- the teaser's seduction, Martin interrupted rendezvous in the car--- and one can't help that think, that even a year later, the writers might have had a better grasp of the subject. As it is, it's another one of those episodes that just seem like the series doesn't know whether it's mythology or Monster-of-the-Week, so--- like the killer--- it tries to have it both ways. Unfortunately, it doesn't do a really good job with either, and it just seems kind of tired. Not awful, just not good enough to remember, or even care about the laziness.

My score: 2 STARS.

X-Files Episode Guide: Beyond the Sea

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by David Nutter

And now, the high point of the first season.  About the only thing about this episode that's wrong is that, given the slipshod nature of the series so far, we're not expecting something so emotionally daring or brilliantly executed. This is, after all, the show that gave us Fire one week ago.  Considering that this is, like so many of the first season, another story that tries to make a case more pertinent because it links to one of the agents past, it shows just how pedestrian and plebian they were. This may not be the first truly great X-Files episode, but it is the first one that shows the series emotional power and depth. And it also demonstrates just how brilliant an actress Gillian Anderson is, which is not a small thing, considering all the pressure that has been put on her coming into this series.

Scully comes into this episode on an emotional peak. Her father, who we can tell in the teaser, she had an awkward relation with recently, has passed away. And for the first time in the series, she seems more inclined to consider extreme possibilities, because she's trying to think with her heart instead of her brain. The series will occasionally reverse Mulder and Scully's roles, but they will all seem weaker, because none of the episode's are this personal.  What's more shocking, is how easily Mulder is willing to dismiss Boggs as a fraud, and how willing--- no matter how reluctantly--- Scully is willing to consider the possibility that's his self-professed psychic powers are real. We know that Boggs is lying about what he knows--- we're just not sure how much.

It's also a significant episode because, for the first time, the X-Files seems far less important than the personal drama. Which is really saying something because Boggs would be interesting to watch in his own right. Brad Dourif gives the first truly magnificent performance by a guest star on this series. At this stage in Dourif's long career, he was still considered mainly for villainous genre roles. Luther Lee Boggs is self-described by Mulder as the most monstrous of killers, a man so manipulative he is willing to sacrifice the lives of two teenagers to save his own. And then, Morgan and Wong's script does something incredible--- it humanizes him. With each successive appearance, he seems less monstrous, and more a scared little man, until by the time he's about to be executed, walking past the faces of all his victims, we actually feel sympathy for him. By the time Scully reveals that Boggs is not orchestrating events, it almost doesn't matter--- even if he had, we'd still feel genuine empathy with a man whose murdered (by the looks of that final walk to the gas chamber) dozens of people.

So it really says something that the kidnapping and possible deaths of two teenagers actually play second fiddle to Scully's emotional  drama. When she walks into her office, trying to act as if everything is normal (and it's wonderful watching Mulder trying to find a way to comfort her with his awkward use of 'Dana'), she actually seems willing to do something that the last few months haven't managed to do--- believe in the paranormal.  Even after his death, she is still trying to somehow win her father's approval, and it's wonderful how her mother tries to comfort her. The episode should also be noticed for the first use of Sheila Larken as Maggie, Scully's mother. She is one of the few people in the entire series run who wears her heart on her sleeve, and who possesses the command and devotion that so many other characters lack. (Which is good, because every time her character shows up, it's  a good sign we're about to go through the wringer.)

Gillian Anderson is simply extraordinary in this episode. From her disbelief when she sees her father's image in the teaser, to her barely controllable rage when she storms into Boggs' cell when Mulder is shot, saying that she will throw the switch herself if anything happens to her partner, to the way she frantically tries to regain her skepticism at Mulder's hospital bed, it is a performance which hits every possible note, and hits them right. After seeing everything she's seen in the course of the episode, we can see she's still desperate for something. The fact that, in the last analysis, she decides to stay by her partner's hospital bed rather than give in to some emotional need, is one of the critical junctures in the series --- it's when the series elects to chose people over the belief in the supernatural. The way she tells Mulder with a confidence that is unshakable that she knows that her father loved her. No message from the afterlife is necessary to convince her of that.

In this episode, Morgan and Wong continue to demonstrates that they, by far, have the most critical understanding of what The X-Files needs. In Squeeze, they gave the show a purpose other than chasing down aliens every episode; in Ice, they demonstrated how vital it was to have our heroes at the center of the case rather than merely observing. Now, they demonstrate that faith--- not proof, but faith--- is far more important to the characters central beliefs. Scully may not yet be willing to accept she believes in the paranormal, but she does have belief in more important things. That will, even when Morgan and Wong exit the series, become critical to our characters.

X-Files may not have a true identity yet--- we've still got a lot of chaff to go through before we reach the good stuff--- but episodes like Beyond The Sea demonstrate that the series can, and in good time, will find one. Episodes like this will be the reason we watch TV in the first place.

My Score: 5 Stars.

X-Files Episode Guide: Fire

Written by Chris Carter

Directed by Larry Shaw

There is a tendency of fans of any show to automatically hate any extraneous characters who has been romantically attached to a protagonist in the past, and The X-Files is no exception. People hate Fire because of the odious nature of Phoebe Green, an ex-girlfriend of Mulder's when he was in college, who has risen to the ranks of Scotland Yard Inspector. (This has not stopped a frankly rather alarming amount of fanfiction being written about Mulder and Phoebe) This strikes me as a rather stupid reason to automatically hate this episode, when there are so many legitimate reasons to dislike it.

First of all, there's the fact that the villain is one of most ludicrous ones in the entire series, and this is the show that brought us a killer computer just a few weeks ago. There is no explanation as to any of his actions, and no consistency. First. he's meticulously spending weeks trying to get close to the Marsden family; the next, he's burning a bar to the ground to--- what? impress a patron? taunt the police? Give the f/x department a manageable monster? There's no discernible motive as to why he's attacking the Marsden family. There are hints that he might have fancied the wife, but if that's the case, why go to such lengths to get in her household, and then spend his entire stay ignoring her? And even if that is the case, why the hell did he bother attacking the other members of Parliament that we hear about? Was he in love with her ,too? Mark Sheppard, who plays L'Ively would go on to become one of the most engaging and utilized character actors in TV. However, in this episode, he comes across as someone who can't decide whether he's charismatic, sinister, or funny. So he tries to do much, and is none. This is probably not his fault, Carter gives him next to nothing to work with.

To add to the fact that pyrokinesis is a rather limited one for the show to be exploring, there's also the rather unhappy fact that Carter still has no idea what to do with his characters. Duchovny spends the entire episode looking like he's swallowed a lemon, because frankly Mulder is being painted so terribly here. First of all, there's his fear of fire, which will never be explored again, despite the many, many time in this series run things explode. Instead, there are two absolutely ghastly scenes where he tries to be heroic, and instead looks useless, whether it's trying to save two children, where he collapses, and has to be carried out by two hulking firemen, or when he rather pathetically tries to put out flaming picture with a bed sheet.. But even this would be preferable to the way, he has to behave alongside Phoebe. He has to be appalled enough by her head games and manipulations of him, but attracted enough, so he can end up sharing a dance with her and stealing a kiss. There are very few actors who could pull this off, and most of the time, Mulder comes off looking terrible. But that's not hard to understand, considering that every other character comes off looking as either creepy or a fool. From the arson expert who comes away sounding more obsessed with fires than L'Ively is, to the bar patron who seems more upset that she was caught stepping out on her boyfriend then suffering second degree burns, none of these characters seems to have any depth or realty to them, which, considering how well done the last few episodes have been, is rather dismaying.

Which brings us to Amanda Pays, that poor woman. Pays is one of the better actresses around, but she's been maligned a little unfairly, because all of the problems with Phoebe land squarely on the shoulders of Carter. Perhaps knowing he's come up with a rather crappy villain, he tries a Season one trick of having a character's from Mulder's past become involved, and instead creates one of the worst character in this show's history. We hate her before we ever see her, with what seems to be the most horrible joke a person can play on a human being, we understand immediately why Mulder loathes her. She then spends the rest of the episode proving she is absolutely the worst kind of police there is, making procedural mistake one after the other, all because she seems to be having an affair with Marsden. All the while, she's simultaneously taunting and passive-aggressively torturing Mulder. There's probably nothing that could've  make Phoebe likable, but Carter could've at least tried to make her competent. Simultaneously, he spends so much of the episode on Mulder and Phoebe, that they basically give Scully nothing to do--- and she still solves the case before they do.

This is just an episode that plain and simple doesn't work, and what makes it more alarming is the fact that we're halfway through the first season, and Carter still doesn't seem to have a grip on the characters he created or what he wants to do with them. At this early stage, it's not a huge drawback---  the other writers are helping carry the show. But the fact that the man who created the series doesn't know how to utilize them properly has alarming precedents for the show's future--- which given episodes like Fire, lead one to think it still might not have much of one.

Rating:1 Star.

X-Files Episode Guide: Eve

Written by Kenneth Biller & Chris Brancato

Directed by Frank Gerber

Even if it weren't important for outside reasons---- the first X-Files one shot----, Eve is one of the more significant standalones of the first season. Mainly because, like the unexpected villains of the piece, there are major alterations in the patterns that have been established, even this early in the series run.

Part of it is in layout. Mulder comes up with a theory, Scully dismisses it, they investigate and Mulder is proven correct. This time, that doesn't happen. In fact, when Mulder comes up with his second theory as to what has happened at both murder site, he is completely wrong, and Scully, though she never takes credit for it, is a lot closer to the truth of what happens--- it is two killers, acting in unison, even if the link between them is in their DNA and not any organized plan. And when they do come close to the suspect, they dismiss the idea, perhaps because the truth of the answer is, well, pretty horrible to contemplate.

The fundamental story is unsettling enough --- the idea of a child being responsible for such bloody mayhem isn't a pleasant one, and this is only the first time the X-Files will explore the idea, rarely as effectively as they do here. It's frightening enough to think of these sweet eight year-old girls as being guilty of murder; the fact that that this is being done by genetic breeding is even more unnerving.  The twins may not be the greatest actors under the sun, but because this is a creepy subject, we let ourselves be led away from the truth until it's forced upon us. Mulder and Scully allow themselves to be fooled, but, fortunately, not before it's too late.

The idea of the Litchfield project and genetic engineering to create a superior soldier is an idea that the show will eventually explore in the final seasons, but nowhere near as effectively--- or subtly--- as it's done here. Maybe it's because rather than enhancing their strength, the government has focused on enhance their brains  --- then again, if the Eves were the end result, one can see why they would've gone back to the drawing board.

Harriet Sansom Harris is an actress who is known for her comic abilities, which will best be fully explored on Frasier and Desperate Housewives. Here, however, she demonstrate just how great her acting range is playing the adult version of the Eves. It's very unsettling when we see Eve 6, chained and strait-jacketed, babbling in near stream of consciousness, and casually mentioning biting into a guards eyeball. But her Eve 7 is just as unnerving, mainly because her motivations are the opposite of what we expect--- she hasn't come to kill the girls, she wants to save them--- even if that means drugging them out on anti-psychotics. One shudders to think what kind of person Sally Kendrick was when she carried out her work--- and the final scene of the episode, a family reunion, so to speak --- may be the most frightening part of the episode.

Eve certainly isn't perfect. While these first time writers for the X-Files to a superb job when it comes to the basic storyline, as will become the case with so many one-shot writers of the show, they don't have Mulder and Scully down as well. Mulder seems more boorish and insensitive to Cindy Reardon, and seems particularly hasty to abandon his job. Scully doesn't come off much better, seemly ignorant of such basic medical information as the function  of the heart and how in vitro fertilization works----  she may have majored in forensics, but she is a doctor, damn it. However, because at this point, the staff writers are still trying to figure out what our heroes are, I'm inclined to be a little more forgiving. This is also probably the best non-mythology use of Deep Throat as well.

Biller and Brancato do such a good job in their only script for the series that one wonders why neither would ever be asked back. (Both would have fairly successful careers in TV; Biller would eventually become a staff writer for Smallville, Brancato would end up on the remake of The Outer Limits and Boomtown.). This is certainly better stuff almost all the others one shots for the first season, and a bit better than a lot of the writing than Gordon would do this season. In many ways, it's a lot closer to the quintessential X-Files than many of the other writers would get to--- there are some surprises and shocks along the way, but what fills the air for much of the hour is a sense of suspenseful dread. Essentially, when Mulder and Scully get into their car with Cindy and Teena (no doubt fulfilling many a shippers fantasy), only the audience seems to know they've gotten in a car with a bomb that's already gone off, and is more than willing to explode again. And when it's done, our heroes almost may the price. The writers seems to know how the series can work, even if they never get another chance.

My score:4.25 stars

X-Files Episode Guide: Fallen Angel

Written by Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon

Directed by Larry Shaw

In trying to entangle what would eventually become the morass that was the mythology, one has the hardest amount of trying to figure out what episodes in the first season meet this criteria. The majority of the websites seem to consider it as much, but so much of what happens in this episode runs counterintuitive to what we will consider the show's baseline (a line that moves almost at the will of the writers) that it doesn't fit easily into  either a standalone or mythos. It doesn't help matters that Gordon, in his four year tenure with the show, wrote very few mythology episodes. Given how well this episode works, that may have been a major failing on the writers part.

Because say what you will about this episode--- at least it doesn't screw around. It takes the ambiguity that has been slowly building up ever since Deep Throat, and shines a searchlight on it. There are aliens out there--- we may never get a clear shot at them, but that doesn't change the fact that there is a UFO, the pilot gets out  and starts killing people (extremely painfully, by the looks of it), and the government is absolute determined to cover it up, no matter how flimsy their excuses are. One of my favorite moments in the first season occurs when a female radar observer, having been dismissed twice by her superiors suggesting that the blips on her screen are meteors has the great pleasure of telling her boss that "the 'meteor' appears to be hovering over a small town in Wisconsin." What makes it all the better is the smug smile she gets as her superior has no choice but to just walk away. There are hearts and minds that are being won --- we see a couple of them in this episodes, for starters---- and it makes you realize that Mulder's quest for the truth, however quixotic it may seem to the outside world does have a purpose.

Mulder could be a little less defiant about it. He follows a tip from Deep Throat to try and chase down a lead on an alien craft (more on this later), he sneaks on to a top secret military base, he gets caught and thrown in lockup, and when Scully tells him that the X-Files are in danger of being closed down (not an idle threat, btw), he spends the majority of the episode chasing down more evidence. In time, Scully will come to accept this outright giving the finger to those higher ups, but right now we're a little like her, wondering why Mulder proceeds with so little regard for his career or wellbeing.

Admittedly, like all the mythology episodes, there doesn't seem to be much going on that we can rely on. The alien seems more of a reject from Predator then anything that we will see on the show, and the military response bears little involvement of any of the figures we will come to associate with the shows conspirators. But for once that doesn't seem like a drawback, because the episode has another, more interesting story than the alien running rampant in Townsend.  It's Max Fenig, the first of what would appear to be Mulder's groupies, and in some ways  a precursor for the Internet followers that will be created by this show. Gordon and Gansa have a much clearer idea of what Max is, and it's pretty clear he is what Mulder might well become if he didn't have the FBI. And it becomes clear that Max has been drawn to the same field as Mulder for not completely unrelated reasons.  Scott Bellis has a very endearing presence that makes Max one of the more beloved characters in the X-Files pantheon, and it actually creates a character beside Mulder that we're worried about when the climax comes along. Mulder may not care much for his welfare, but he damn well cares about the wellbeing of others, and this episode is the first to demonstrate that this has a more general affect on him.

For the first time, we see Mulder publicly raked over the coals by the FBI, and for the first time,  Duchovny seems to tapping into the righteous indignation. We're right there with him; a dozen people have died, and the FBI seems more concerned with matters of protocol than human lives. How would you feel to find out to see what Mulder must have seen in the climax at the waterfront, and then be told that Max was just another victim. (This is, in fact, one of the first lies that the show will disprove--- though not until the fourth season.)

The biggest shock is saved 'til the end, though, when Section Chief McGrath is utterly bewildered by his superiors decision not to cashier Mulder---- and the superior is revealed to be Deep Throat. We will never know for certain whether the reasons he states for keeping him in the FBI are his actual reasons for helping Mulder, or whether this is just the party line that the series will use as the main reasons for not firing/killing him off. Jerry Hardin himself doesn't seem that sure either, maybe because the writer's never gave him much of a hint as to what his character was supposed to be doing. The avuncular nature of Hardin makes it hard to tell. All we know is that no one on his side ever makes as bold a move to keep Mulder where he is.

Fallen Angel is perhaps the best script that Gordon and Gansa wrote for The X-Files (admittedly, the competition is pretty slim here.) It has an energy and confidence that most of their scripts--- or, for that matter, a fair amount of the mythology--- does not. It's this potential energy that gives us some hope that this series and this conspiracy may be going somewhere. Considering how utterly confused the conspiracy would become, one might still view this episode better as a standalone. Either way, it's worth the time.

My score: 4 stars

Hacker's Identity Crisis: 'Mr. Robot' Returns

USA has always been some of the sunny days version of cable program. It has produced many intriguing original series over the last decade, but the majority have leaned toward the lighthearted romp type, series such as Psych, Monk, Burn Notice and the recently departed Royal Pains.  Most have been enjoyable enough shows, which have occasionally been nominated for awards, but rarely have they approached the depths and brilliance of their sister stations AMC and FX.

That's why it was such a shock to the system when Mr. Robot premiered last year. A series about a dark, very withdrawn hacker named Elliot, who constantly provided narration without seeming like he was breaking the fourth wall, it dealt with his joining a group of hackers called 'fsociety' that met at a Coney Island Arcade, with a mission in mind: to bring down a monopoly known as 'EvilCorp' (subtle this show isn't) that was responsible for controlling much of the nation's debt. Led by a dark, very unhinged character only known as Mr. Robot (Christian Slater finally demonstrating he was more than a Jack Nicholson impersonator), Elliot became and more and more involved with the people, only to deal with more and more shocks. Mr. Robot actually didn't exist, he was a hallucination of his father, and an alternate personality of Eliot, and one of the hackers involved with fsociety was his sister. At that point, he blacked out for three days, and when he regained control of his body, the hack had happened.

'Mr. Robot' was nothing short of a revelation. Several critics named it the Best show of the year. It won the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for Best Drama, and last Thursday was nominated for six Emmys, including Best Drama, USA's first ever series in that category. Understandably, the stakes are even higher when Season 2 began last week.

And if anything, 'Mr. Robot' has gotten even darker. The series has opened with the nation recovering from what is now being called the 5/9 hack. Elliot (the utterly fantastic Rami Malek) is now back at home living with his mother (and we learned in numerous flashbacks just how horrible that relationship was) trying to get Mr. Robot out of his head, and disconnecting himself from computers in general. He's desperately trying to numb himself, but it seems that nothing can stop it. His problems may be getting even deeper as he has been forming a relationship with a loan shark/philosopher (Craig Robinson, a revelation himself), who has many of the same issues he does.

fsociety isn't doing much better. Darlene, Elliot's sister is trying to hold people together, but that's not particularly easy considering that members of their group are being killed, and a young FBI agent (Grace Gummer) is trying to track down the source of the hack. But its clear the operation is nowhere near done, considering the shocking act in the premiere of terrorism and assassination that is being carried on its wake.

A bare description of the plot  doesn't do Mr. Robot justice. The series has some of the most daring visuals on television since the days of Breaking Bad. And the financial rants and the anti-social media message couldn't be more relevant given the election cycle we're still going through. (One could make the argument that there's a political slant to this, but the show debuted a full year before Bernie Sanders' campaign caught fire. If anything, this series is pro-anarchy.) . Just as UnReal revealed that Lifetime was capable of doing something dark and dangerous other than cliched women-in-peril movies, Mr. Robot shows that USA is more than capable of doing something other than light, escapist fare. And given the direction of their last couple of original series, there may be even better stuff to come. As it is, Mr. Robot has already shot to the heap of one of the best series of the year. Its nice when the Emmys gets it right.

My score: 4.75 stars.

'The Night Of' Review

You wouldn't think that a network that has led the rest of the field in Emmy nominations for so long that broadcast channels constantly considered it cheating would be having a problem with the quality of its programming. But for nearly five years, HBO has been struggling far more often then not to come up with a consistent solid dramatic performer. Sure, 'Game of Thrones' has led the field in Emmy nominations for three straight seasons, but that series will be over in two years. And its efforts to come up with anything resembling a consistent dramatic hit have been failing for quite some time, either with series that build-up a fanbase but don't last too long, (The Newsroom, The Leftovers) and series that start out like gangbusters and then completely collapse (True Detective). They're in slightly better shape with their comedies, but several of them are nearing their own expiration date.

And then, every once in a while, HBO will come with a product that reminds you why they were the network that brought us The Wire and Six Feet Under.  In this case, we are fortunate to get the series at all, because it was originally scheduled to be made in 2012 with James Gandolfini as the lead. Gandolfini passed away shortly after the Pilot was made, and the series was shelved. Eventually, creators Richard Price and Steven Zailian decided to do it as a limited series, and recast Gandolfini role with the equally talented John Turturro. And so this summer, we have granted the pleasure of The Night Of.

Nas Khan (Riz Ahmed) is a Muslim-American college student whose father is a cab driver. Desperate to go to a party one night, he 'borrows' his father's cab, and heads into the city. A woman gets into his cab, and tells him she wants to go to the beach. For reasons Nas can't explain even to himself, he lets her in, ends her apartment, and has a night of drinking, drugs, and sex. He passes out, and when he comes to, the girl, whose name he never got, has been stabbed to death. Frantic, he gets back into a cab, and is picked up by a police car for an unrelated offense. A series of events so bizarre they would seem to come out of a Price novel follow, and he finds himself in police custody being charged with the girl's murder.

At the precinct, attorney John Stone (Turturro) is there to see another client. For reasons that maybe not even he can explain, he goes into see Naz and tells him not to say anything to anybody, not knowing at the time that the case will be a high-profile murder. Part of it no doubt has to do with the adversarial relationship he has with Sgt. Box (Bill Camp) the detective who caught the case, and is convinced is the killer. Part of it is his cynical nature (unlike most attorneys on TV even now, he urges Naz not to tell him what happened), and part of it is his weariness with everything. (One of the subtler symbols is the fact that he is constantly wearing sandals because of psoriasis.)

Price, in additions to having a successful career as mystery writer, also was a staff writer on The Wire, and in many cases Night of is a continuation of many of the themes. We see the failings of the police system just in getting the crime investigated. Evidence chains are easily broken, cops would rather go home than tell their stories,  and no one wants to make sure they're handling things correctly. Also explored in this series are ideas that David Simon and his ilk never fully explored - the problems with prejudice even between black people and Muslims, how badly messed up the justice system is. And the performances are so good that by the end of the first episode, you find yourself sad that this case is the only one we're going to ever see Price and Zailian followed. If it were not for the extremely high quality of the limited series this year, this would be high of my top ten list; as it is, this is evidence that this is the direction HBO should be heading towards, not series like Westworld.

My score: 4.5 stars.

They Almost Got It Right: Reaction to this Year's Emmys Part 3

And now, as a bonus, my reactions to the Best TV Limited Series/Movie awards.

BEST LIMITED SERIES

My only real problem with this category is that for some reason, they have nominated five series when the other major categories have six.. Was there some kind of panic at the idea of nominating a David Simon series for the sixth slot?

Well, I am relieved that the Academy showed the good sense to leave 'American Horror Story: Hotel" out of consideration. They could've nominated Show Me A Hero, but I'm not going to press. Fargo, The People V. O.J. Simpson, and American Crime are among the best series on TV this year, The Night Manager was a brilliant series, and while Roots was a remake, it was a good one. No complaints.

BEST ACTOR, TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

Can't really complain that much. I argued very forcefully for Bryan Cranston, Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, and Courtney B. Vance. Cuba Gooding, Jr. was a bit of a surprise but a pleasant one. I'm a little torn by the nomination of Benedict Cumberbatch for the 'Sherlock' performance. It was a very good performance, no question, but was it at the same level of Timothy Hutton's work in 'American Crime'? It's possible more people saw Cumberbatch's than Hutton's, but still... Well, alone among the nominees, he's the one most likely to get another chance. I'm a little surprised Patrick Wilson was ignored, but not horrified. Playing the hero is not as meaty as playing the villain.

BEST ACTRESS, TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

Kirstin Dunst, Sarah Paulson and Felicity Huffman were sure things, so good job. Kerry Washington was much better in Confirmation then she was on 'Scandal', so good job here. Bonus points for nominating Lili Taylor, I was sure she was going to get shafted. Audra McDonald was something of a surprise, but if they were going to honor a musical star, I'm much happier they chose her than Lady Gaga.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

Sterling K. Brown, no real problem. Hugh Laurie, utterly earned it. Bokeem Woodbine, grateful they remember.

In all honesty, I don't have any real problem with any of the other three nominees. I would've gone with Ted Danson over Jesse Plemons, but honesty both were good options, and Plemmons' did win a Broadcast Critic's Price. I liked John Travolta and David Schwimmer's work as Robert Shapiro and Robert Kardashian. The main reason I didn't list them as Emmy nominees was because there had been a certain amount of controversy about their performances. Frank Langella would've been a good choice as would either of the teenage performers from 'American Crime', but these were pretty good.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES.

Regina King, completely crushed, and I wouldn't object to much if she repeated. Jean Smart, equally brilliant, totally deserved her nomination. Sarah Paulson double-dipping? Well, she deserved as much as anyone. They remembered Olivia Colman? That was the one I was certain they'd pass over. Melissa Leo is a good choice, and always deserves to be recognized.

I'm on the fence when it comes to Kathy Bates for 'American Horror Story' - there were other, subtler candidates who deserved nominations, but considering that the series was basically ignored for almost everywhere else, I can live with it.

Stay tuned for future entries.

X-Files Episode Guide: Space

Written by Chris Carter

Directed by William Graham

Some TV shows have episodes that the fan base love undeservedly. And hit shows on occasion deliver episodes that are genuine clunkers.  The X-Files in that sense would be no different, but there are occasions where you wonder the reason everybody hates this episodes so much.  When I was initially reviewing this series, no matter what database I looked at, this episode was always near, if not at, the bottom of the pile. Now having seen some of the truly dreadful episodes of this series, I have always had difficulty understanding why Space was looked as better than, say, The Field Where I Died or some of the bottom feeders from season Eight.  And while there are some obvious reasons as to this, nearly two decades later, it not only seems less horrible, but almost more pertinent.

Considering that front and center of X-Files mission statement has been the existence of life in outer space, it's actually a little surprising that this is the only episode in the entire canon where it tries to meet the organization that at it's peak seemed to make this a reality. Considering that there had also been (in 1993) no real movies that tried to take a look at NASA (Apollo 13 was still a gleam in Ron Howard's eye at this point), this actually put the show for the first time, ahead of the entertainment curve. Would it have been better  that we could get more than say, shots of stock footage of the Space Shuttle program?  At the time, it would've helped. But considering that the series was still little more than a blip on the radar, that's hardly a horrible failing, and actually shows a little daring for a series that for the last few episodes hasn't been putting it's best foot forward. Complaints were also made it seem like all of NASA was located in one room in Houston. Considering that at this point in time American manned spaced exploration has been all but mothballed by our country's government, this  part actually seems more plausible now than it did two decades ago.

There's also the fact that the acting is generally better than it's been in some of the last few episodes as well. We're still not doing that great when it comes to actual character development, but for once --- and this is rare for a Carter script---- this actually seems to help the series a little. If anything, the late Ed Lauter seems to demonstrate all the qualities of astronauts--- arrogant, distant, and sworn to his duty. Of course, he's also being possessed by some unexplained space ghost, but, considering that the threat is never made in supernatural terms, it actually helps a bit. Susanna Thompson, one of the more under-praised and versatile actresses TV would produce (who could play a struggling divorcee and the Borg Queen so convincingly?), also gives better than an average support. There is a slight tendency on histrionics in both their performances, but for the first time so far in Season One, this doesn't come across as overacting, so much as it does trying to hard. This will eventually come to be a flaw in some episodes, but at this point in The X-Files run, it actually seems almost admirable.

Of course, one of the more obvious nitpicks that fans have picked up can't be denied--- the episode gives Mulder and Scully practically nothing to do for long segments of it. And it doesn't help matters that at the climax of the episodes, our heroes can do nothing but their hold breath and pray, and then applaud and sigh with relief when the mission succeeds.  But considering that the series was still working out what its heroes could do in normal episodes, that doesn't strike me as a terrible flaw either. Especially considering that this episodes shows other examples of radical experimentation when Mulder has to deal with what for him is the fall of a boyhood idol.  Mulder will become remembered from doing his best to tear sacred cows down, so seeing him for the first time, reluctant to do so--- and genuinely devastated when he learns the truth about Colonel Belt---- is actually more character development than we've had in his character almost since the Pilot. It wouldn't do if this something that happened frequently, but this blind spot for things that have happened in his past is something that will come back to bit him frequently.

Now don't get me wrong. This episode is not a classic. In addition to the above problems, it also has the more significant flaw of never being entirely clear what exactly the X-File is.  Is it some kind of alien force from Mars? Some kind of deadly space phantom? The ghost of Apollo's past? It would be easier to explain it, if we got more of a look at what Michelle actually saw when she was run off the road, as well some kind of explanation that couldn't be written off as the ravings of a madman. But then again, since the show would never give us much of a look as to what the aliens in it's mythology actually were, one can't really blame Carter for not having a clear idea of what he was doing now. (Later is a much different story.) But compared to some of the stinkers that came when the show didn't try at all, to try and fail actually seems a little brave at this point. It might have done better if it had the bravery to go a little deeper of some of the issues, but then I imagine the fans would hate it more from leaving the show's mission statement (if such a thing were possible.)

My score: 3 stars

X-Files Episode Guide: Ice

Now we have hit the mother lode. From its brilliant teaser to the eerie conclusion, this is the first balls to the wall classic X-Files would create. This episode and the last one demonstrate the enormous contrast between the X-Files writers. Ghost in the Machine was so close to 2001 and it took a fresh idea and made it seem incredibly tired. This episode almost blatantly rips off The Thing ---- and it seems like it wasn't even created for the same series. Why is the former so mediocre and this episode so inspired?

A huge part of it has to do with the characters. In the last episode--- and, if we're going to be honest, every episode so far--- the characters other than Mulder and Scully seemed flat and one-dimensional that they might as well have been lifted from any police procedural or sci-fi series. For that matter, our ostensible protagonists have been running in place for the last couple of episodes at least But for the first time, the series puts everybody in the episode at the center of the X-Files. It takes the threat from seeming innocuous to real paranoia, and it demonstrates that our leads, for all their team work so far, really don't know each other or trust each other that much. For most of the episode, Mulder and Scully are at each other's throats, not realizing--- or, for that matter, caring---  that their disagreement is not helping matters. For the first time in the series, Duchovny seems stripped away of all the quirks that made his character a little annoying at first, and amplifies to an extensive degree his latent paranoia. Anderson is somewhat more measured, but no less fascinating--- in this case, her rationality isn't trying to keep Mulder in check, it's trying to keep history from repeating itself---- and  it's clear she feels more than a little over her head.

If it were just Mulder and Scully's  added crackle, the episode would be notable enough, what makes it work even better is that the secondary characters are actually given something to do. None of the actors on the  team in Ice ---- Xander Berkeley, Felicity Huffman, or Steve Hynter--- was well known  before the series, but all (Huffman in particular) have gone on to very successful careers in TV, and their  early work her demonstrates just how gifted they are. All of them have notable foibles or quirks that no one else has demonstrated at any point in the series, and all of them react differently when  the possibility of infection and a pretty hideous death is on the table. When they start dying, we actually give a damn because the law of Extraneous Characters doesn't seem to apply here.  The paranoia is nearly as deadly an infection as killer worms from beneath the Arctic, and we feel it with every minute. It can't have helped matters that this team was assembled with no one knowing anything about the crisis or about each other. When the killer is revealed, it comes as much as a  shock to even her.

I've given the characters involved a lot of credit, but the fact remains this is pretty much a triumph for almost every aspect of the episode. The teaser that I mentioned is the first truly brilliant one we've seen since Squeeze--- the horror of what seems to have happened at Icy Cape is fully realized even though all we see is the aftermath. Not to mention the last few seconds add a twist that would seem to be quintessential X-Files--- Richter and Campbell fight, struggle, and have guns on each other before both simultaneously decide to commit suicide. It's so powerful an image than when Mulder and Scully mirror it by the end of the episode, we forget the rules that protect the leads of the show, and think--- really believe--  that they might fire on each other. However, the episode also demonstrates the first really legitimate example of the two agents--- literally, in this case--- watching each other's back.  There will be many moments in the first two seasons of the show where our protagonists still acknowledge that neither one quite trusts the other, but this is the first one that is absolutely critical.

Every other technical aspect on the show works perfectly for the first time. Essentially, this is X-Files acting out a stage play--- later episodes will openly copy it outright---- and that chaos adds to the episode's effectiveness. (It's also the first example of the series taking advantage of not getting much of a budget; never has the idea of making more with less work so effectively) The visual effects are perfect, and they need to be, because of this worm doesn't work--- the entire episodes loses a chunk of its threat. The cinematography works very well, and Mark Snow's musical score finally seems to fit the mood of the series rather than just seeming generic.

Ice demonstrates, for the first time, what X-Files was truly capable of, which would seem to demonstrate that Morgan & Wong have the clearest picture yet on what will make this series work. Much of their work in the next two seasons would be spent trying to match it, and the fact that they succeeded, even surpassed it at times, demonstrates just how good they--- and the show would soon become.

My Score: 5 Stars.

X-Files Episode Guide: Ghost in the Machine

Written by Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon

Directed by Jerrold Freedman

Twenty years after originally airing, it's not surprising that some aspects of The X-Files seem dated. The idea of an artificial intelligence isn't one of them--- Person of Interest  is only the most current show to use a similar idea, and The Matrix probably made it mainstream. So the fact that this episode doesn't have the best reputation among fans or even the shows creator is a little surprising, considering the show might be considered ahead of curve. The biggest problem is the budget. Those series had them; The X-Files at this time didn't.

The biggest problem with the episode isn't the fact that it blatantly is stealing from 2001---- it's that it does so with so little imagination. The teaser is an interesting death, but after that, it's very little that the average viewer hasn't seen or read before. Once again, it's clear that the writers are still feeling their way around, and haven't got the idea of what their series is supposed to be doing. Even a season from now, the show would've had a style that it could borrow from, and make this idea fresher (and then make it more tired--- see both of William Gibson and Tom Maddox's scripts), but right now it doesn't have one, so it finds itself trying to hit several discordant keys at once.

First, it tries to give the story more value than it has by having it brought to an agent who was one of Mulder's former partners--- Jerry Lamana, who is never mentioned again--- a trick that police procedurals have done over and over Then it tries to add to the episode by having the partner steal Mulder's profile, and then have the agent die as a result of the investigation. Then it brings in Deep Throat, who we haven't seen since the second episode, and it's clear that the writers don't have quite the idea how to use him--- we have no idea how Mulder made contact with him, or why he's helping him with what amounts to a traditional monster of the week. Then it tries to add the conspiracy element by having shadowy government operatives trying to get a hold of Wilchek's work, complete with a 'surprise' mole.  By the time Scully's crawling through the air-conditioning system to try and shut down the COS, we know what the real problem is with the show. Individually, one or two of these items might work. Having them all in the same episode makes the series seem like the mish-mash that it, unfortunately, seems to be becoming.

Of course, the real problem is one of how the writers were working at the time. Each of the three groups had presented their introductory script, and now they were all scrounging for idea. Carter took on Bigfoot, Morgan & Wong took on Poltergeist, and now Gordon & Gansa have taken on Demon Seed.  Again, like other supernatural series that would follow, the show was still trying to find it's feet. And even though it's reputation is bad, and the use of the technology involved dates the episode far worse than it should, it's not as horrible as some of the other turkeys the series would produce. The problem is, it's just not good, either. The show is playing it like it has done everything else in the last few episodes--- so seriously, with no sense of enjoyment and precious little fun. The series can't make up its mind whether it's a police procedural or science fiction, so it does both, and as a result both suffer. Even the capper at the end is out of every horror movie that came before or since

Looking back on it , any critic or viewer who had even glimpsed at an episode of X-Files--- and at the time, that was almost nobody---- would've figured that the series, which started so promisingly, has basically gone down the crapper. There are interesting ideas being used, but that's all they are.  It's possible that many of those people who loved the show--- like me--- would've regarded it as not worth the time. There has not been a flashpoint to galvanize the series, and one wonders if there would be one. Episodes like this one probably would've demonstrated, like the COS, that the series might not have much of a future.

My Score: 2 Stars

X-Files Episode Guide: Shadows

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Michael Kattleman

Good news first; this is better than The Jersey Devil. Bad news is, not much better. Morgan and Wong would write some of the best episodes of X-Files, and even their weakest scripts--- of which this is one--- were nothing less than serviceable, and considering that this is only their second episode of the series, it's almost forgivable. I'd be more inclined to give it leeway if Squeeze hadn't been so well assembled and made such brilliant use out of what was a simple concept.

If the main problem with Carter's last script was he didn't seem to be trying hard enough, Morgan & Wong seem to be trying a little too hard. So they try to give what would be a standard monster of the week more symbolic by having Mulder and Scully essentially called in to consult for the CIA, who promptly discard them. They make up for it by giving them a pretty decent reason for them to be investigating the psychokinetic deaths of what appear to be two muggers-- and then they try to make the episode more about that then the X-File.

Perhaps the bigger problem with the episode is that our two erstwhile heroes are given far less to do than usual. Again, this can be forgiven for the fact that the show had not yet found it's footing, and was still trying to figure out how much to involve its protagonists. Having them fall victim to the attack of a poltergeist? Pretty effective. Having them trying to figure out that Howard Graves is actually dead? That seems more of a waste of time, particularly considering that the audience has figured it out by the end of the second commercial break.

We're also obviously not very clear on who gets what role in the investigation. Mulder is more inclined to go to the paranormal explanation; Scully holds to the more realistic side of it, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. It doesn't help matter that Mulder almost inevitably becomes the one who sees the supernatural, leaving Scully coming across with logical reasons why it couldn't have happened. (Eventually, this will become repeated to the point of parody.) But in these early stages, it's actually refreshing when Scully tries to convince Lauren to do the right thing because that's what Howard  would've wanted, and then calmly explain to Mulder why she lied to her.

Technically speaking, there's very little actually wrong with Shadows--- there just isn't a lot that's actually right. All of the characters are essentially one-dimensional, which in turn more or less flattens the performances. Lauren may have been close to Howard, but there's a long way to go from that to him thinking of her like a daughter. And all the script does to show that is basically have her get upset when she sees them painting over his parking space. Considering that this relationship is critical to the premise, they could've come up with a better explanation then her being the same age as his daughter. The potential terrorist connection is interesting at first, but then starts to make less when you look at it up close---  if Dorland is going to so much trouble to make sure there are no links between him and the terrorists, using them in the first attempt to kill her seems particularly clumsy. It just screams 'plot point' in a way most Morgan & Wong scripts don't. And the idea that Howard's specter would continue to watch over her, and is eventually revealed to be yet another tease--- that just seems even sillier, and more inclined to be forcing a point. And that last discussion about the Liberty Bell was just plain weird

Perhaps the biggest problem with Shadows is by comparing it to, well, every other Morgan & Wong episode for The X-Files (especially the next three), instead of comparing it to the last two episodes that have so far aired, and a fair amount of the first season. The plot points are better, the supernatural elements seems far less ludicrous than they did in the last one, and Mulder and Scully actually get to do something worthy of their talents. But in comparison with almost everything the writers did for The X-Files (for that matter, almost everything they did when working with Ten-Thirteen), it seems rather weak tea indeed. It's just another riff off an old plot staple--- Howard, the not so friendly Ghost---- and it severely lacks the sense of humor that other paranormal show would find when mining the same vein. I'm thinking of Angel in particular, when Cordelia's apartment was revealed to be haunted... and the ghost became something of a running joke for the next three seasons. That's another big problem--- the show is already taking itself far too seriously. But the writers would learn from that too --- just not that fast.

My rating: 2.5 stars

X-Files Episode Guide: The Jersey Devil

Written by Chris Carter

Directed by Joe Napolitano

A lot of sci-fi series have the problem of figuring out what they are in their first season. On both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel's inaugural seasons, Joss Whedon didn't quite have a vision for what he wanted his series to be, so he spent most of the season dealing with anthology stories that focused on certain supernatural tropes. Something similar happened in the initial seasons of Smallville  and Charmed. Because X-Files predates all of them, one can understand why the writers were having the same problems, and one can certainly see how Carter would be in a similar situation--- one can imagine pitching ideas in the writer's room, and bringing up the idea of the show doing a Bigfoot episode.  So, one can understand why an episode like this would come up here and now.

Unfortunately, that excuse only gets you so much leeway. Admittedly, it would smack less of cliché then it would a decade earlier, but still, there's a lot of other problems with The Jersey Devil that not even that can excuse. The coverup level smacks of falsity from the beginning--- it's one thing when the government is trying to coverup evidence of alien abductions; it's far schlockier when Mulder is being stopped from investigate a Neanderthal woman by Atlantic City police who are afraid of the tourist trade being maligned. The far more serious problem is one that will, unfortunately, never entirely go away--- in trying to express the majesty of supernatural, Chris Carter will hand his characters--- particularly Mulder and Scully---- purple and downright unspeakable dialogue. And they will say it at ridiculous times--- few scenes in the first season are as unintentionally hilarious as Mulder's attempts to describe the primitive woman he sees rummaging through garbage in spiritual terms, or when he describes her --- after that same woman attacks him----  as 'beautiful'. I'm not going to even try to describe the exchanges Mulder and Scully have when they have their debate over whether this version of humanity is better than theirs--- it's bad enough that you actually have to here.

The bigger problem is that Carter seems to know that this a weaker script than usual, so he will fall back on a topic that will come up repeatedly in the show's first season: he will introduce some element of the central character's personal life as background. So he falls back to have Scully avoid investigating with him to go to her godson's birthday, thus treating to us to the even more clichéd atmosphere of an army of six year olds, and a friend of Scully's (never to be seen again) suggest about the possibilities of motherhood. Fans of the show can talk about foreshadowing of later seasons in  this episode; right now, it just seems like one of these things you have your female lead do in any series. It seems even more absurd when Scully goes out on a date with the dullest man imaginable, and refers to Mulder as 'a jerk'. Frankly, at this point, one can hardly blame her for her assessment, considering how ridiculous Mulder seems to be when it comes to pursuing a lead. I'd be wondering about his sanity as well.

Even the 'twists' that seem to pervade this story have no oomph to them. The fact that the Jersey Devil is actually a woman seems no different then if they were pursuing a Neanderthal man. What were given amounts to shots of a naked person rummaging through garbage, leaping through deserted building, and finally getting shot in the forest. Which would be different if we saw the male version that we see in the flashback, doing anything remotely different. And the fact that the devils seem to have died protecting their young doesn't bring us any clarity either, or even attempt to explain how any of the men or women in the forest have survived as long as they have, if every generation they head out into civilization to get killed. The discussions that Mulder and Scully try to have with anthropologists about the same subject seem to amount to little more than tosh as well--- I kept waiting for Graham Chapman to step into the room, and say: "This program has a tendency to get silly." Problem is, it's doing this, and everything else in the episode in dead earnest, when it could've used a few laughs.

That's perhaps the biggest problem with The Jersey Devil. Later episodes will have humor levied into them very delicately, which will make the shows more entertaining and watchable. But at this point in the series, Carter doesn't seem to know that--- he's playing everything in dead earnest, and it just makes things seem even more silly. (It doesn't help matters that of all the show's writers, Carter will have the least comic aptitude.). There will be more than our fair share of ridiculous monster of the week's in our future--- but few with so little imagination. And to find that we're facing this problem barely four episodes in---- no wonder nobody was paying much attention to the series at this point.

My score: 1.5 stars

Reactions To This Year's Emmys, Part 2: The Comeides

Now, the comedies.

BEST COMEDY SERIES

Really can't complain that much, considering that five of the seven series I hoped would be nominated were, and that one of the other two was actually one of the more entertaining series of the years. I'd bitch about 'Modern Family' being nominated over 'Jane the Virgin', but considering that this fits the pattern of shafting the CW, I really can't complain that much. I'd have preferred if 'Mom' or even 'Big Bang Theory' had been nominated, but I'm not that shocked.

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY

Not that bad a group. Anderson and Anzari are among the best comics working today, Tambor was as good as ever, and Thomas Middleditch was a pleasant surprise. Will Forte was only mildly more surprising, considering that he was nominated last year.

William H. Macy? Seriously? He's one of my favorite actors, but this is one of the least enjoyable things I've seen him in. Don Cheadle would've been a better choice. I realize Matt LeBlanc was out of the running, but still. Oh well.

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY

Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It's becoming overkill, but still, can't really argue that much. Amy Schumer, she's earned it again. Tracee Ellis Ross. Good. They're showing common sense at last. And Elle Kemper was inexplicably snubbed last year, so thank God for some sense. Even Laurie Metcalf wasn't an unpleasant surprise. Her work on 'Getting On' was good, though I fear that she may be near overexposure. Just kidding.

I 'm torn about Lily Tomlin getting nominated. Yes, her work on 'Grace and Frankie' is very enjoyable. But did it really have to come at the expense of Gina Rodriguez or Rachel Bloom? I realize that even for CW series they're low-rated, but the Critic's Choice managed to find them. I'd be more upset that Bloom was shut out, but she was nominated for three other Emmys in lesser categories, so it's not like she was left empty handed. Still...

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY

This is where things get a little trickier. Andre Braugher? Superb choice. Deserves to win. Tony Hale? Great physical comic, and his performance in the season finale was incredible. Titus Burgess? Always fun to watch him work. Keegan-Michael Key? Really don't know why his partner in crime was shut out, but considering he got a writing nomination, I won't bitch that much. Matt Walsh wasn't a bad choice for 'Veep', considering all the abuse his character took.

Louie Anderson for 'Baskets'. Well, it was a very raved about performance, and one can't say he wasn't going out of his comfort zone for it. And Ty Burrell is a good performer, on a show that's kind of on the downswing. I'm just a little disappointed that in a category that found room for seven nominees, they couldn't find room for T.J. Miller. But then again, according to a New York article, that is what he wanted.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY

Anna Chlumsky was as entertaining as always on 'Veep', even though she wasn't as explosively funny as last year. Allison Janney - there's really nothing more that needs to be said about her work. I'm a little disappointed, they nominated all the actress in 'Transparent' except the one I advocated for, but both Gaby Hoffman and Judith Light were so good it really didn't matter that much. Niecy Nash was far and away the most human part of 'Getting On', so I'm glad she got nominated.

I realize were in an election cycle, and that Kate McKinnon's work as Hilary Clinton has been far more relevant as well as her other performances on SNL. But couldn't they have found room for Mayim Bialik? Considering how fine her speech at the Critic's Choice was, I'd have been glad to see her triumph? I'm not that disappointed that McKinnon was nominated, but they found room for seven actors in the Supporting Actor category. Oh well...