X-Files 3/3/02 (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

Just a reminder that the countdown to the series finale for the X-Files resumes tonight with a new episode.

And, yes, the Sunday night 9 p.m. logjam beings (Alias and 6 Feet Under being the other "must-see" TV shows shown at the same time slot).

 

[Mike St.Louis]

Didn't know X-Files was still considered 'must see' TV.

Sorry, just had to add that. I'll leave now.

 

[Jason Seaver]

And "Law & Order - Criminal Intent". Doesn't get the big press the others do, but it's a pretty solid show.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Mike, treat these last 11 X-Files episodes as if you were paying your last respects.

 

[Steven K]

WOW!!! What a great episode tonight!

 

[Paul Spurgeon]

"If you want to see your boy, you'll bring me the head of Fox Mulder"

If that's not a line that'll make you watch the next episode, I don't know what is!

 

[Jereme D]

It's nice to find some other dedicated x-files fans. Tonight's episode was awesome. Carter's not done yet! I can't wait to see what he has in store for us in these last episodes.

If anyone wants to chat (Do people still do that?) about the show, message me on AIM: jeremedavid. Add me to your list. I'll be on tomorrow after work.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

"Bring Me the Head of Fox Mulder" Indeed bring me the Head of Chris Carter, who has turned this once frightening Sppok show into a convoluted mess. Carter should have had the wisdom to wrap up this very tired show last year. Instead we get what amounts to endless chases after Scully's Mysterious child. And how many times int he X Files do we get a major character run over by a car and almost killed only to survive? Dogget"It's Only aHead wound" is only the latest example. When the plot of the story revolves around a departed character you know they'll just find ways to string you along. Andif the best you got to turn tois the Lone Gunmen, well cash it in. The real criminal here is Carter who should've at least had an outline for were this series was going. He did'nt and it shows

 

[Mike Graham]

I seriously think that I'm too biased to be able to form opinions of these new episodes. After seeing how great the series can be through the Season 3 and 4 DVD sets, I was wincing through the entire episode.

Make no mistake, I was really looking forward to a new installment of the series after the month long hiatus it went through in February. The action packed teaser really did have the look and feel of a movie, which is what Carter and Company are always aiming for.

There were several enjoyable elements to this episode, namely Cary Elwes incredibly slimy character Follmer, along with Kersh and the now conflicted Skinner. These characters could really hold the show on their own, because the series always had a way with villains. Robert Patrick's John Doggett is always well done; he's been consistent since the Season 8 premiere. And its always good to see Scully dish out an ass-whuppin or two.

Yet at the same time, Scully's character is certainly undergoing some odd changes this season. While defending her child is certainly believable, holding that guy hostage with a bullet in his stomach and screaming her head off doesn't seem right.

On another note, while I really enjoyed Annabeth Gish's character in her first two episodes, "This Is Not Happening" & "Empedocles", after that I've never been able to enjoy the character's presence. Maybe I'm just too biased, or maybe she's not fleshed out enough for my liking, but she seemed to hold back this episode like Kersh did late last season. And what about that ridiculous scene where Doggett was run over by the CRV?

Yet, I do want to say I enjoy old plot points resurfacing, like the alien artifacts, and that I'll definitely be tuning in next week.

 

[Steven K]

Dave, I agree with you 100%. However, tonight's episode was very well done, a good effort on the part of Chris Carter to start to wrap everything up. I'm sooooo glad that there was no mention of "supah sojahs" in the episode.

 

[Jay W]

As far as the episodes we've been 'treated' to this season, I thought today's was a good episode. Then again, maybe it's just because they are re-visiting an old story arc.



It's funny how they keep swaying from Scully's baby being normal to being some kind of alien to normal to now again having some supernatural powers.



It'll be interesting to see how CC wraps this all up, or whether he'll leave some of that to the upcoming movie. They should have pulled it off the rails at least a couple of season ago, recent episodes have left me quite jaded about the show (having watched it since the pilot).

 

[Dave Barth]

They should have pulled it off the rails at least a couple of season ago

As concerns the "at least" portion of your comments, who would have thought it would go from superb in season 3 to usually good in season 4 to frighteningly uneven in season 5 to completely exhausted, unrevitalized by the move to LA, and much more humor-conscious in season 6 to creatively bankrupt in season 7?
The drop-off in quality was astonishing in its size and rapidity. Even more amazing is that I've kept watching, hoping for the next Clyde Bruckman. IMHO the last "great" episode was S6's Tithonus, and the last pair of great episodes was S5's The Pine Bluff Variant and Folie a Deux. Oh, for the days this show was on Friday...
While there have still been plenty of stinkers in seasons 8 and 9, their better episodes strike me as significantly improved compared to the X-Files Lite crap peddled by Carter & Co. in seasons 6 and 7. And the attempt to develop and continue ongoing storylines is more coherent now than it was then, where plots were "wrapped up" by simply killing off conspirators and relatives of Mulder and Scully, either en masse or one at a time.
Things were probably redeemable until the minute the decision was made to put the show's focus explicitly on Mulder and Scully's relationship...S6's Arcadia, Rain King, How the Ghosts Stole Christmas, Dreamland I & II...I still shudder. Some of these episodes might be okay on their own, but when the show became dominated by them, it became crap. This was all foreshadowed much earlier in isolated episodes like S4's The Field Where I Died, S5's Bad Blood, etc.

 

[Daniel Kikin]

I agree that it was good to see old plot points resurfacing. Tonight's episode was the first one I've watched in its entirety since the third one this year and it definitely was more watchable than any other episode this season. Another good thing that was that the super-soldier plot that has been ruining the mythology didn't play a major part in this episode like it did in the season opener.

I might tune in more until Mulder's return in the series finale just to see how things wind down to that point. Maybe they can go out on a high note!

 

[Patrick Sun]

At least this episode kept you wanting more, so that's a good sign for the last 10 episodes.

(They did mention the "Supa Soljers" in the recap at the beginning of the episode). I always laugh when I hear it spoken aloud by Doggett.

So what is the Elwes' character "hiding"?

Quite an ending/cliffhanger! Always good to see the Lone Gunmen.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I thought it was a pretty good episode, especially considering how bad the "Mythology" shows have been for the last 1-2 years. The only thing I didn't like was that scene between Gish and Anderson where they were almost whispering to each other in conversation and sounding all weepy. It seemed like both actresses were overplaying pretty severely.

Skinner's reason for keeping Scully in the dark made very little sense. Using the same reason for keeping Doggett and Reyes in the dark made even less sense. It also was less than plausible that they would not browse through the X-files case files for the information that they questioned Scully about w.r.t. the rubbings. They weren't concerned about the possibility of arousing suspicion when they called her in for an interrogation.

Regards,

 

[Ted Lee]

well, i put myself into the "x-files is going downhill camp"

but...

last night's episde was pretty excellent. it really had the "old" feel. i usually end up doing other stuff while watching, but this time i watched it straight through. these days, that's unusal for me.

i really wish they'd just get off the mulder thing and continue but i'm sure that'll never happen.

watching the baby float that artifact was pretty intense!

so what is the deal with the baby anyway? is it human or not? i still can't figure that one out...

 

[David Oliver]

I also stopped watching at about episode three this year, but decided to get back in for the stretch run. I thought it was a very good episdoe, and I actually thought that Scully's screaming scene with the FBI/bullet-in-the-stomach guy was quite effective, indicating how much strain she is under. However, where inthe world were the cops in that scene: Doggett calls the Paramedics, next scene they are hauling him out. And wouldn't the paramedics take the man's jacket and any other personal belonings, or the cops, who weren't there but shold have been?

Overall, I think I can enjoy these last episodes. I agree that it's heyday was back in years 3-4 and it has detyeriorated, but I was still enjoying the show up unitl last season. I think maybe now that they are forced to end the series maybe now it can actually become more focused.

 

[Chad R]

It looks like Chris Carter is making good on his promise to start wrapping up some of the loose ends. resurrecting the plot of that ship after it vanished a few episodes after it'd been found.

Aside from the pretty shaky way that the Lone Gunmen came into it (why would Scully trust them? They have no defense training and have proven themsleves to be pretty incompetent when it comes to espionage) the epsisode was pretty exciting. I'm hooked till the end.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Can't say I really enjoyed it, but that's typical for mythology episodes. The ridiculous, portentious dialogue makes me howl, and rather than being intrigued by the mysterious stuff, I always find myself wondering how much it's been thought through. I mean, why would somebody print the Bible, Koran, periodic table, etc., on the outside of their spaceship? I'm willing to buy the "alien intelligences do things for alien reasons" postulate, but I don't think Carter & co. were thinking in that direction or have any idea of what those reasons are. It's just something, like most of the mythology, that seems cool until you look at it too closely.

It's too bad Patrick and Gish will likely be remembered as interlopers and get pushed to the side when Duchovny returns for the finale, too - I'm trying to remember other examples of actors doing so well in such thankless roles.

Well, anyway, I gather it's not all going to be conspiracy stuff until the end; hopefully there are some more good sci-fi/horror stories coming up in a couple of weeks.

 

[Dave Miller]

I recorded it, but haven't watched it yet. I did notice the Fox "Widescreen Digital" banner in the opening scene. Did anybody watch this in its' true 480p signal? What did you think? Was it shown in a letterbox format or was it still 4x3, but just in 480p resolution?

Peace,

DM