X-Files 8.6 or so it claims... "redrum"

You are a prisoner not only of time but of your own character...in a prison
of your own design...on a cellblock called...THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

And, I don't mean that in a good way. If I wanted to watch sci-fi
anthology shows that were intriguing until the third act I'd watch the new
Outer limits on SCI Fi or whatever. How was this an X-File? It wasn't!
Scully and Dog were just guest stars--so much so that the guest star even
got the coda! That's INSANE. Chris Carter is INSANE. I'll bet this WAS an
old Outer Limits that they tweaked into an X-Files--these were two new
writers, I believe.

I'm not even going to waste my time on this one kids, it's been a tough
weekend. I lost my checkbook and had to cancel my account and start a new
one (thank goodness for Wells Fargo and their open-on-Sunday branches).
So, until I get my new checks, I'll be worried and fretful and mildly
irritated (I can hear my co-workers on this list all saying, "GREEEAAT").
Niners lost (but hurt the SCRams in the process, that's good). Dallas beat
the Redskins in the battle of the scumbags, and, in keeping with the theme
of this week's X-Files, Troy Aikman got knocked into last week. Like the
X-Files, Troy should have hung up his spurs several years ago.

This just wasn't an X-File--we never get any kind of explanation of HOW
this could happen--why the universe would reverse itself so that this one
guy would go to prison? I mean, his wife is saved, but the guy still hung
himself, right? If it were some sort of curse instigated by the killer or
something...I guess we'll never know. Scully and Dog won't file a report,
why would they?

I thought Joe Morton was great at first, but didn't it seem like, when he
was interviewing the guy that KILLED HIS WIFE he was a little too "just
interested in why this is happening" to you? He didn't seem remotely angry
or devastated or anything.

Dog really suffers in this one. We know the guy's innocent so Dog's
yelling at him just made me mad at him. We get some insight into Dog, via
his home, but it was all confusing. I mean, why does he live in a big old
house? By himself? We see that he rides a bike and he reads a lot and he
sleeps in his Marine shirt. woopty doo. Have Scully and Dog had a real
human non-work related discussion yet? No--unless it falls into the very
large area of "Important things Chris Carter doesn't think we need to
know." We need to see them bond a little. Dog's military background and
Scully's military upbringing being the most obvious way to go, but what do
I know? I mean, isn't Dog a lot like her brother? How do they expect us
NOT to view him as an interloper when they won't let us get to know him?
WHy should I give a rat's ass about what he thinks or feels or says? Who
the hell is this guy???

This episode establishes that it is December 8th and Scully still ain't
showing...um...OK. I know, I'm being silly asking them to pay attention to
such things. I don't know when the finale was supposed to take place but
something ain't right. My sister jokingly suggested "Maybe Scully and the
baby are moving backwards through time?" Good one, Jen.

Does anyone believe they're really going to go through with this? having
her very pregnant? Having her go into labor and be a mom? I doubt it.
Don't you think less of her now that she's decided to endanger her unborn
child by placing herself in constant danger? And what was up with her line
to Martin "Maybe you already have the answer within you." Since when did
our belovedly analytical Dana Scully become a frickin' fortune cookie?

Oh, and I hate Dog's couch. That cozy cool leather thing? It's so NOT
Doggett. Can you picture him at Ikea shelling out $1000 for that thing? I
picture him with an old hand me down 70's couch myself.

Then the whole "you killed my brother" clichй, and Dog, after giving his
buddy the "I'm Joe-by-the-book" speech, enters the crime scene, possible
suspect in tow to poke around for evidence. That'd go over real well in
court, their viewing the tape ( and perhaps altering it) without witnesses.
Dog's figuring out that Martin came in the door in the morning due to the
sunlight on the mirror? SO Encyclopedia Brown.

Then it gets REALLY BAD--the whole bit when his wife comes home? And we
have scary music and doorknob jangle--but it's his wife. Then it happens
again--Dear GOD! It's the killer!! Not only was that just silly BUT, wait
a minute, there was no passage of time! Martin gets home, his apartment
complex is swimming in cops, there are like, three units with sirens
flashing, cops everywhere. They leave, he calls his father in law, she
shows up, the killer shows up. It's all in real time--maybe five
minutes??? The killer didn't see all the cops outside? Wouldn't he be
scared off? Wouldn't some of the cops still be out there? Lame.

So, not a bad story...for an anthology show. Not the X-Files. Is the
X-Files dead? Could be. My feelings about this can best be expressed in
the lyrics of U2 : "We're cut adrift...but still floating. I'm only
hanging on to watch you go down...my love."

Oh X-Files, you're so cruel. Have a great week, Christine :)