X-Files 8.4 "Roadrunners" Worst episode ever?

I really think this is the worst episode ever. Just icky and pointless,
and they make Scully stupid.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time here--I'm tired. I drove down from
Sacramento this evening and the grapevine was a mess. It was a nice
holiday though, painless, good food. Weather was chilly, in the fifties,
which I found appropriate--it's in the seventies down in LA.

I'm not going to make any more comments about the election--this is in
deference to my Republican friends who will get to hear me bitch for the
next four years--I'll cut ya some slack here ;)

First off: This is nothing new, even by X-Files standards. We've done
freaky small towns run by a murderous mob ("our town" season...three? two?
where they eat the brains?) and "Gender bender" from the first season
which covered the quasi-Christian cult up to no good stuff. They were
maybe aliens, it turned out. So, this is all old hat.

Now, I have teased Diana about her love for Vince Gilligan, but I have, in
the past been very glad to see his name scroll across the screen. He's
usually good. What the hell happened here is anyone's guess. This was
just hack-work. Ickyness as a substitute for drama--maybe he should submit
for "ER" which has fallen into a similar rut of squirting blood and vomit.
The story is a complete zero: we never really get a hold of these people,
who they are, what they believe (Scully informs us they thought the worm
thing was Christ in the closing seconds--oh, REALLY?). They're just your
generic "cult members" complete with creepy smiles and religious dialogue.


Liked Scully on the phone with Dog, it was kinda cute, her ditching him and
then needing his help. But it was very Un Scully to actually put herself
in that position--out in the middle of nowhere with no backup. Just
stupid. Scully was kind of amusing when that guy accused her of mother ing
him and she was all "I'm A DOCTOR." Well, excuuuuse me , Scully.

This episode was tediously slow--they kept giving us little glimpses meant
to be creepy or compelling, but, like last week, there was no mystery: We
say these people kill before. We know they did it, the WHY doesn't
engender any excitement or anticipation. Was anyone out there saying, "Oh
my gosh! I know all these people killed and will kill again but--WHY???
Oh, the suspense I KILLING ME!"

The only truly cool scene was Scully, dozing but ready. That Quickdraw
thing she did was like old-school avenging Scully. It's power is
completely erased when Scully GIVES HER WEAPON AWAY TO A COMPLETE STRANGER
WHO DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHO HE IS!!!!!!!!! Even if he is a good guy
(something she couldn't really have ascertained) couldn't he be altered by
that thing in his spinal cord?? DUH!!!! This was unforgivable. I mean,
they obviously think we need Doggett to rescue her in order for us, the
dumb fans, to say "gee, Dog's all right. He saved Scully." I'm on board
with Dog you nincompoops! I'm prepared to like him, but don't belittle
Scully in the process! Don't make her dimmer just so Dog can shine!
Scully could have been overpowered if they needed her to lose the gun,
sheesh! Scully also says she's "completely unfamiliar" with a parasitic
worm that can control your mind, even though she encountered that very
thing in first season's "ICE"

If these people regarded this worm as God, and truly did seem to think it
was an honor to have it in them, why did they get strangers to host it?
Wouldn't they want it? And what was it? Oh, yeah, never mind...guess it
doesn' matter. The scene with Scully screaming for mercy for her unborn
child were undoubtedly trying to conjure up Manson family murders, as these
were Sharon Tate's last words. Any one else excited about 18 more episodes
like this? Scully as a pregnant woman either in jeopardy herself, or
jeopardizing her baby every time she wanders away without backup or tries
to save her partner? It's bad
enough Mulder's absence makes her sad, thus crippling any chance for real
wit
or humor or joy, but now she can't even be action-girl without our
cringing. And it's always bad when writers have to make their characters
stupid in order to drive story.

The religious angle was so lame and underdeveloped, I can't even muster any
offense. It's not so much a slam of Christianity, or Mormonism, as it is
just sheer laziness. Why come up with something cool and creepy when you
can have people say amen and live in Utah? Oooo creepy!

Four episodes in and Scully's been in the hospital TWICE.

So, in a word, yuck. We've got lousy x-files, and no "we're in this mess
together" camaraderie form Dog and Dana. It's the chemistry between Mulder
and Scully that made the X-files special. They aren't giving us that
charming humor and sense of mission that made even lame X-Files worthwhile.
Like my sister Jen says, "The truth is out there" doesn't mean anything
without the conspiracy. I'm going to hang in, but I wouldn't blame anyone
for calling it quits. Next week: creepy kid AND religious overtones! Oh
boy! SCRams lost to the Saints, har har. Like Green Bay, they've called
themselves a "dynasty" a BIT prematurely. Have a great week, Christine :)