Reviews

The two "Pusher" episodes are very good and among my favorites because of Modell's antagonism with Mulder but let's face it...if the FBI had simply gone to the drug store and invested in a bunch of earplugs, arresting Modell would have been pretty easy and all of the needless bloodshed could have been avoided. Sheesh.

An episode reminiscent of the earlier episode, Ghost in the Machine, both of which explore the idea of artificial intelligence. Intriguing as this episode is, Ghost in the Machine seems superior because the AI system manipulates systems already within its control, much as HAL did in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Manipulating systems to kill people is one thing, but explain to me how an AI floating around through cyberspace had the ability to buy a camper and set up all of those systems. Even assuming that it is ordering everything online and instructing various workers to set things up...ummmm...yeah...that's stretching it.

This was a great episode that hooked my interest in spite its lack of usual X Files cast members. Unusual Suspects features the origin of the Lone Gunman and Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man feature the origins of CSM...but we are already interested in those characters. Face it, we are following the story of Arthur Dales, a guy we don't know and yet the episode is still completely enthralling. The cheeky reference to why X Files are not stored in the "U" files for "unsolved" was a nice touch, but certainly not the highlight. Both actors portraying Dales do a great job and all of the supporting actors fill out this episode quite well with that 50's pastiche. The crab/spider thing was pretty creepy and I was fascinated by Dales' slow spiral into the X Files and how young Bill Mulder played a part in keeping Skur alive...literally that "the truth is out there" to be discovered, ironically by his son. Fans of the aforementioned episodes will not be disappointed.

Ah yes, the Syndicate. Who are these guys? Do they wake up in the morning, shut off their alarm clocks, eat their breakfast of dry toast, and put on their best suit before going to work in their dark smoke-filled room sitting in leather chairs and sipping coffee while deciding the fate of mankind? I want a job like that. Do they ride the subway or drive cars? Which of those guys makes the coffee? And does he get paid less money than the others? Who pays the rent for that room? Do they have office parties at Christmas, and if so, which one is most likely to wear the lampshade on his head first? What kind of money do they make and who signs their paychecks? How does a person apply for that job? Who are you crazy mysterious guys?

Sometimes I imagine Chris Carter and the X Files writers sitting around a table sorting story ideas into three stacks: Conspiracy stories, Monster of the Week stories, and Crap. Because even in the world of X Files monsters, maybe a vampire story is a bit of a stretch. Maybe not, but maybe. I just think this episode would have bombed if they had played it straight. However, X Files is brilliant at making that Crap pile shine by turning into comedy. This is my all time favorite X Files comedy episode and it never fails to make me laugh out loud, particularly when Mulder objects "I...did...NOT!" to Scully's cheeky telling of the whole Shaft thing. I love the device of telling the story from their own unique perspectives. Mulder sees Scully as a whiny stick-in-the-mud and Scully sees Mulder as something like an annoying human chihuahua. On the occasions when I get to introduce X Files to someone, this is one of my go-to episodes. Absolute brilliance!

Sometimes I think that part of the brilliance of the X Files is that it knows how to salvage a flimsy plot idea. When you think about episodes like Syzygy, War of the Caprophages, and especially Bad Blood, Carter seems to know when an episode might tank if a half baked plot were taken too seriously. Instead of plunging headlong into a weak idea and forcing the drama to work, Carter side steps the weaknesses with comedy. If you look at Syzygy (or the other episodes mentioned) the plot has holes in it, and you might not enjoy it if you scrutinize it too closely. But that's the beauty of Syzygy. We are too busy laughing at Mulder and Scully nitpicking each other to death to care about details. Typically Mulder and Scully speculate on all sorts of science and pseudo-science, but in this episode it is enjoyable that they seem blissfully unaware that they are acting like immature teens. They seem too preoccupied swapping wonderful jabs at each other to swap scientific theories. The comedy episodes are some of my favorites and this one ranks up there as well crafted.