Well, what should have been a much longer running thread barring the early cancellation of the series in the mystery of Luke Doggett's murderer was resolved, I feel, pretty satisfactorily. Yes, it was rushed, but then again everything after episode 11 of this season feels that way thanks to the axe dropping at Fox.
Despite the flaws in pacing, I felt that the inclusion of A. D. Follmer in the intrigue around Luke's death was a nice touch, bringing his and Monica's time together at the New York field office back around for added flavor.
Jared Poe did a damn fine job in his role as cadet "Hayes" and I was sad to see his acting credits run so short, with nothing in the last 10 years. He seems like he has a knack for bringing that off-putting energy in a believable way without terribly overacting.
Kim Manners' directing on this one was absolutely stellar, honestly what took this from an 8 to a 9 for me. The opening shot with the pan down from the street lamp gave the best classic noir vibes, and he managed to keep those vibes through the episode without turning it into a straight noir fest. The shots in "Hayes'" apartment, the one of John looking at the box of Luke's ashes, the final confrontation in the bar between Doggett and Regali...all just solidified how great of a filmmaker Manners truly is.
And Robert Patrick had a tour de force in this one. Can't get over the emotions he displayed when he was telling "Hayes" about Luke's case, when he was confronted with Regali's truth, and then when he scattered Luke's ashes at the end. I had always just known him as the T-1000 since I was a kid, but seeing his chops on full display in this last season has given me a real appreciation for him as an actor.
Only things keeping it from being a 10/10 are the lack of explanation from Follmer on why he shot Regali since he obviously couldn't have heard the conversation in the bar, and then the weird line between Barbara and Scully when she pushes the Doggett-Reyes relationship angle, seemingly as nothing more than fan service since the show was ending. They could have used the minute or so from the latter scene to give the former some much needed context.
Still, definitely a high point for this season.
Despite the flaws in pacing, I felt that the inclusion of A. D. Follmer in the intrigue around Luke's death was a nice touch, bringing his and Monica's time together at the New York field office back around for added flavor.
Jared Poe did a damn fine job in his role as cadet "Hayes" and I was sad to see his acting credits run so short, with nothing in the last 10 years. He seems like he has a knack for bringing that off-putting energy in a believable way without terribly overacting.
Kim Manners' directing on this one was absolutely stellar, honestly what took this from an 8 to a 9 for me. The opening shot with the pan down from the street lamp gave the best classic noir vibes, and he managed to keep those vibes through the episode without turning it into a straight noir fest. The shots in "Hayes'" apartment, the one of John looking at the box of Luke's ashes, the final confrontation in the bar between Doggett and Regali...all just solidified how great of a filmmaker Manners truly is.
And Robert Patrick had a tour de force in this one. Can't get over the emotions he displayed when he was telling "Hayes" about Luke's case, when he was confronted with Regali's truth, and then when he scattered Luke's ashes at the end. I had always just known him as the T-1000 since I was a kid, but seeing his chops on full display in this last season has given me a real appreciation for him as an actor.
Only things keeping it from being a 10/10 are the lack of explanation from Follmer on why he shot Regali since he obviously couldn't have heard the conversation in the bar, and then the weird line between Barbara and Scully when she pushes the Doggett-Reyes relationship angle, seemingly as nothing more than fan service since the show was ending. They could have used the minute or so from the latter scene to give the former some much needed context.
Still, definitely a high point for this season.