X-files 8.9 "Salvage" Is this the episode with Sarah Connor?

For those who are no longer watching. Congratulations.

basic story. A guy who supposedly died has actually been turning into
metal, due to accidental exposure of some bizarre engineered "living" alloy
thing. He's pretty hacked off at being mutant-zed, so he goes around
killing everyone he feels was responsible, even though it was really
nobody's fault. He is about to kill his last victim but the man's little
boy cries out for his dad and metalman's last fragment of humanity
apparently stops him from killing the guy. He goes down to the salvage
yard, where he used to work and where he was exposed and has himself turned
into a dead metal cube. [insert loud distracting "emotional" musical score
here]

What you missed regarding Dana Scully, her (dead?) baby, her relationship
with Mulder or Doggett, Doggett's past, Scully's past, Scully's insight,
personality, human nature? NOTHING. ZIP.

The whole episode exists so that Dog, played by Robert Patrick the "liquid
metal shapeshifter bounty hunter" from "Terminator 2" can say, when Scully
suggests a man may be turning into a metal guy can say "that kind of stuff
only happens in the movies!" Ho ho ho. yuk yuk. Somebody make it STOP!

This weak, meaningless outing, while not icky and dreadful, was still bad
and I wonder if I'll ever have something truly good to say about the show
ever again. X-files has become what we always feared it would, Jim. A
show that you watch and say "Remember when this was great?"

Writer is Jeffrey Bell. Bell has penned four other shows: The OK "rain
King" where Mulder and Scully play cupid while investigating a guy who can
apparently control the weather. I seem to recall liking that one--it was
sweet, and Scully was surly. He also wrote the lame "lots and lots of
snakes" one and the HORRIBLE "alpha" with the super smart killer dogs.
BUT, he also wrote "The goldberg Variations" which was that great episode
about luck where the guy builds all those contraptions? He has great good
luck but for it to pay out, something really bad happens to someone else?
Excellent episode, so Jeff's moving in the wrong direction with this mess.

Some notes.

How many times have we seen "gulf war syndrome" as a red herring for an
X-File? TOO MANY TIMES.

The initial effect of the guy standing in front of the car and splitting in
half was cool, the head on shot, but the side view looked fake and lame to
me.

Scully sucks at being coy, and her whole "I don't know, is it?" stuff is
wearing thin. So's Doggett's "I hope your now suggesting..." Outrage at
Scully's IMPLYING and X-file, unlike Mulder's ASSERTIONS She's so
half-assed about it, and if that's their way of maintaining her scientific
integrity, it ain't working. "I don't know...am I?" UGH! Shut up Scully!

The promos we see all week are giving us to much info, especially as the
current writers are only capable of one theory. All week we hear " a man
is turning into metal." We tune in...."Yup. A man is turning into metal."

The poor nosy halfway house worker who gets killed in the end is played by
Y&R and GH actress Tamara Clatterbuck.

Why did metal man kill his buddy and his boss? Did they really do
anything wrong? As usual this season, we spend way to much time expected
to sympathize with the killer mutant, and very little with Dana and
Dog--who at least were working the case together but...no real
conversations about each other. Dog's still a nobody. Scully is
regressing into a stranger.

because Dog remains nobody to us, who cares? Who cares about his struggle
to figure it out and accept and "think outside the box" and whatever? Does
anyone care if Dog can't believe?

Like last week, Scully gives Dog an out by saying "eh, who cares how he's
killing., let's focus on the why. Screw the X-file, let's catch him."
Then Dog seemingly accepts it with no fanfare--let's get the metal guy.

Scully's "skeptic" is Scully impersonating Mulder. Nothing she says has
any truth to it. She's not speaking from her heart. These aren't her
convictions. IT'S NOT WORKING.

Dog's terrible fake NY accent is worse then evuh. It's no long-uh
toleruhbuhl. He's at Cham-buh technologies. Dolluhs to donuts, dey make
dehm smaht meduls heh. SHUT UP DOG.

Liked how, when they try to trap metal man, and they want the army guys to
open the vault, Dog yells "open it up!" The guy looks all nervous and
hesitant until Scully yells with authority, "GET IT OPEN!" They listen to
Scully. Damn straight.

Watching X-files is becoming like a film school screening, you know? that
overwrought bit at the end with the kid yelling for his dad and the
mutant...remembering who he was and stopping? And then the horrible Dana
DOg coda with them wondering what stopped him/ perhaps he really DID have
some humanity in him, like Darth Vader at the end of Jedi. Everything has
that film school feel of the makers thinking it's a lot more
clever/important/funny/good than it really actually is.

Tune in next week....or...let me do it for you. I'll actually probably
watch the Golden Globes and watch X-Files on Monday. Like you'll even
care.

Ten years ago: A new movie's about to come out about a serial killer named
Hannibal Lecter. We have a President Bush. In Football, in the AFC
Conference game, the Raiders only manage to score 3 points, while the
underdog New York Giants defeat an offensive powerhouse expected to go all
the way (sniff). Weird. Can another Gulf War be far away?

Wow, I couldn't have been more wrong about the games, could I? What's with
those Vikes, eh? Yes they need a defense but at the very least I expected
a shoot out. They can't seem to win the big ones--wonder if ol Red is
regretting that extension he just gave Dennis Green. I was bummed, but the
Giants were impressive.

Ten years ago I sat in a cold dark kitchen in London, Engalnd at 11:30 at
night watching my beloved Niners fumble away the title game and a chance at
an unprecedented third straight Superbowl crown. Rooting for New York will
be tough but I hope they beat Baltimore. I was really pulling for the
Raiders to win, but, if anyone should see what it feels like to be bullied
by a bunch of thugs it should be the Oakland Raiders. On the bright-side
for all those attending superbowl events on the east coast, with Ray Lewis
actually playing in the game this year, he won't have a chance to murder
anyone at your party. I'm picking the Giants, but obviously, don't take my
word on it. Christine :)