X-Files 7.13 "First Person Shooter"

Hey everyone. I thought it had it's moments. It was fun, but felt
derivative to me, not only of several films (War Games and Tron, for
goodness sakes) but of a couple shows they've done, like that awful first
season episode with the computer that kills. Killer machines is one of
those genuinely scary ideas that isn't usually done right--like "maximum
overdrive" that Stephen king movie? The scene where the soda machine
starts hucking cans at those kids in the park? Scary! but as a whole,
the movie sucks. One of the coolest ever was "Poltergeist." I saw it when I
was, I dunno, ten or eleven? Still scares the crap out of me. I'm a
little off topic, but this idea could have been scarier if, say, mulder
(and the writers and director) didn't play it so much for laughs. I
mean, two people ACTUALLY died, but Mulder seems to be having a grand all time
strutting around it that silly gear and cracking wise. I'm not saying he
can't make a joke to lighten the mood or whatever, but no one really
seemed to care--even the people who watched as a man they ostensibly admired
(the guru guy) got beheaded!

I'm with Scully with the game, the opening was sooooooo dull. Give me
galaxian and Pac man, and leave me out of these high tech shoot em up
games. AGAIN, we're in California, I mean, c'mon. I guess it sort of
fit, but I don't see why they can't just pretend to be elsewhere when they're
outside--so what if people who live in LA can recognize it as LA even if
they say its Pittsburgh or Montana or Alabama? This is the show that
went to "Iowa" in the first season--the Iowa with mountains and pine trees? I
mean, don't worry about it x-files, just go somewhere else.

This time, Mulder's professional and it's Scully whose leather clad and
cool--I wonder if she did that just to get Frohike all hot and bothered.
Scully's such a geek, but when she's with mulder and his pals, she's
supercool--you can tell she digs the contrast. Love Scully when she's
this irritated and superior. Mulder shows just how much of a tech geek he
really is, with all his programming suggestions, even the lone gunmen
seemed surprised. I thought Phoebe, the girl programmer was WAY too
obvious as the source of all the trouble, it was like 'Close up on
Phoebe, looking jittery and guilty" C'mon. I enjoyed the stripper/whatever, I
thought she was a kick. Mulder was suitably aflutter, but I liked how
Scully thought she could push this bimbo around and she really couldn't.

Mulder going into the game makes no sense, and I can accept that when
you're talking about ghosts or spirits or aliens, but HOW DOES A HUMAN
BODY GET INTO A COMPUTER CHIP? It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
And what was up with Mulder and Scully being in that little cubby at the
end--weren't we told that there were no places like that when they were
looking for Mulder? Huh?

Loved scully's attitude after mulder's in the game, when she's asking how
mulder could be in the game (answer, not possible) loved her yelling at
the lone gunmen with this attitude of "I am sooooooooo sick of you
a$$*&#%'s!!!!!!!" The element of Phoebe's creating this character as her
"goddess" or whatever never explains why this character was so
bloodthirsty and powerful and able to literally kill people: we never see any rage
etc. in Phoebe that would cause that kind of violence to be manifested. The
concept of scully as she relates to an all-male environment (raised in
the military, working in law enforcement) is interesting and worth more than
one line. It'd be nice to see her interact with her brother(s?) in a
story like that. I've wanted her to be investigating UFO stuff in the Navy
alongside or against one of her brothers since second season, but as the
season and series most likely draws to an end, my hopes of seeing the
Scully family again dwindles :(

Mulder's codpiece, LOL. Did Joel Schumacher direct this?

If anyone can tell me where I've seen Phoebe before, let me know. A
commercial? she's really familiar. She must be SHORT as Scully was
looking down at her (literally, not figuratively). Liked Scully scaring
that other computer guy and loved Scully's 'game face" as she blasted the
computer villains, but this episode: mulder gets sucked into a virtual
environment and Scully has to come in and kick butt and save him is VERY
similar to 5th season's (superior) "Kill Switch" which was written by the
same writing team that did this one. Liked how cool Mulder thought he
was, and that the computer realized it need to evolve into an Uberbabe like
Dana in order to survive, but, like that bad first season episode "Ghost in
the Machine" it's able to "outsmart" it's creator and rise from the dead. I
mean, that guy's smiling like, eureka, it's back! But...won't it keep
killing? Why did it kill, how did it kill? They don't know. So, it had
it's moments like I said, but the sum of it's parts was pretty weak. I
would have entered "shift alt bloodbath" on the ol' Scriptware and
started over.

No episode next week, which is a shame because there usually IS an
episode the week of MY BIRTHDAY and I'm able to REMIND EVERYONE in a more subtle
and timely manner. March 8th, mark it on the calendar and send me an
e-mail. No gifts necessary, I just need a little attention ;) I will be
29. Seems growing up that was always this horrible birthday for people.
I do not feel particularly traumatized nor is my biological clock in an
uproar. It pays not to ever really grow up, I'm telling you. People
always joke about turning 29 "again" ho ho ho, well, i've been turning 11
for 18 years.

Also, Californians, be sure to vote March 7th ( I already HAVE as the
state has forced me to become an absentee voter because my neighborhood has
such lousy turnout they aren't going to bother with a polling place--don't get
me started, I love voting and I feel ripped off having to do it by mail).

Doesn't matter who for, just vote because you can. And, in terms of
President, I'm not sure if it really matters, LOL. What a boring cast of
characters--first one to demonstrate any personality loses? Is that the
deal?

Anyway, have a great couple of weeks! Christine :D