X-Files 6.13 "Aqua Mala"

Well....that was...OK. There were parts of it I really liked, but there
were elements I really didn't like, and they're pretty much the same
OVERDUE that the two agents remined together through the bulk of the
episode, it reminded me of...THE X-FILES! The interplay between the two
of them was great as usual, and I liked that the deck wasn''t stacked
against Scully. She had legitimate reasons to doubt the monster stories
(at least at first), and then had pressing concerns, like a hurricane and
a pregnant woman to occupy her thoughts. I really liked that element, that
Mulder (and we've seen this before) will just wander off looking for
monsters and ghosts and the unknown, while scully deals with reality. I
will also confess, and some of you know this about me, that I am a SUCKER
FOR DISASTERS of any kind. I love all the Airport movies, I love it when
people get stuck in quakes, storms, etc. I love the whole construct, a
bunch of people have nothing in common blah blah, but then they have to
pull together to survive, or whatever. I love it. Call it a
contrivence, so? I mean, it's fake, people, it's make believe, so why not make up
cool stuff like that if it drives story!?

Sadly, the X-files chose, once again, to play too much of this episode
for laughs, and i can't firgure why. In case you don't remember, a lot of
people died horrible deaths in this episode, but I never felt like anyone
(besides Scully) gave a dang. You've got this bumbling sheriff (Car
54??? Are you serious???) and this bickering couple and these comic losers, but
no real sense of originality in terms of the monster (which felt like a
hodge podge of things we've seen before a dozen times) and no real
insight into the characters.The moments between Mulder and Scully
highlighted some of my favorite things about them: the "Laurel and Hardy'
"this is another fine mess you've gotten me into" thing that Scully does
with Mulder, and his barelyrestrained glee at irritating the crap out of her.
But in the past, Little light moments like that have been seemlessly worked
into some really intense creepy episodes (Die hand der verletz, for example,
the scariest episode ever, in my opinion, with Satan as substitute Biology teacher).
But this episode lacked any real creepyness, as it ripped off "the Host"
and "Tooms"--we've seen terror from the toilet already!

I loved Scully's quick emergency traceotomy and absolutley loved her "I
don't need my mettle tested," line to Mulder: she'd got nothing to prove
to him or anyone else and she knows it. Gillian was the only one acting in a
drama series in this episode and I really appreciate her touches, as she
reacted to the strain of performing emergency surgery.Loved her giving
orders to everyone, as she is prone to do, and love the fact that
everyone does what she says for the most part--but her letting some survivalist
kook point a gun at her seemed pretty far-fetched to me.

The single worst part was framing the whole thing with Darren McGavin.
For those of you who don't know, McGavin was the star of a 1970's show
called "Kolchak: the night Stalker" about a reporter who chases down
paranormal phenonoma. Chris Carter credits Mcgavin and the show with
influencing the X-Files (viewed today, it is Quite dull, if ya ask me).
Last season, he was in the worst X-Files EVER, that "dark SKies" rip off,
set a few years in the past, with a "married (whatever, David)" Mulder
talking to the guy that started the X-Files in the 50's, and then we're
treated to 40 minutes of a different conspriacy, and an INFERIOR take-off
of the Dark Skies piolt, that was ripping them off in the first place.
After that episode aired I logged on to http://www.variety.com/ to see if the WGA
had gone on strike. So anyway, it didn't work and here's take two. It's
much better, but again, carter---and I know it was written by David Amamn
or something, but Chris is the guru, and he's got to be held responsible,
ultimately, for the finished product we see on screen--ANYWAY Carter
seemed to cater the episode for McGavin and by that he, made this episode into
an episode from a 70's TV show: complete with the cringe-worthy last moment
where Mulder and Scully, emphatically and in unison, shout "NO!" when
Kolchak (Dales, Dells, whatever) offers them a glass of water. I don't
know if I've ever been more embarrased by the X-Files than at that
moment, straight outta "Chips" or what have you---there may as well have been a
freeze-frame at the end with them laughing. Just Bad.

Better luck next time, X-Files: doesn't look funny, that's a good sign.
There's a really cool episode of "Star Trek, the Next Generation" that
plays on that theme, of reliving the same moment over and over and trying
to avert a deadly fate. It's one of my all-time favorites ("cause and
Effect" wr. by Brannon Braga, dir. by Jonatahn Frakes 5th season, if
you're interested in renting it --or you can borrow it from me:) ) so X-Files
had better be up to the challenge. On the positive side, Next week's show
has"Northern Exposure's" Ed as a bad guy and "Fame's" Carrie Hamilton (Carol
Burnett's daughter) so I'm stoked about that.

Have a great week folks!!
:D