.
All reviews written
by Elliott. (C)1999-2000
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7.01 The
Sixth Extinction (part 2 of 3)
Scully is in South
Africa investigating the space ship found in the previous episode, Biogenesis.
She has collected rubbings from the craft and is piecing them together
when she sees the image of a man in the tent. She grabs a machete and investigates,
leaving the tent for a moment. Coming back seconds later, she finds thousand
upon thousands of insects swarming the rubbings and herself. Meanwhile
in a D.C. hospital, Mulder has been reduced to a vegetative state because
his brain is working too hard. Under the supervision of Skinner, Michael
Krichgauw (probably misspelled) works to bring Mulder back from his distant
state. Other strange occurrences happen in South Africa, and Scully learns
that she may have uncovered something bigger than she realizes. This episode
brings many new and interesting ideas and possible plot lines to the series.
The pacing on the episode is average, but always keeping the interest of
the viewer. Unfortunately, as with most middle episodes in a three part
series, this episode doesn't really accomplish anything. On the other hand,
it is inventive, tense, and brings new things into the series. One thing
is for certain however, and that is that I will be waiting eagerly next
Sunday to see how this story line concludes!
My
Rating: 8 out of 10
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7.02
The
Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati (part 3 of 3)
While in his unresponsive
state, Mulder is taken from the hospital by the cigarette smoking man.
Brought back to consciousness by government doctors, Mulder enters a witness
protection program for government people run by the infamous smoking man.
Mulder is given a new life, so he can enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Deep Throat, thought dead since the first season, is now his new neighbor.
This is all done to save Mulder's life; at least that is what we think.
This is where the episode reaches its critical point, and if I told you
anything beyond what's above, I would basically spoil the episode for those
who have not watched it. Rest assured that the second half of the episode
is filled with plot reversals, guest appearances, drama, apocalypse, and
violence. ( Not necessarily in that order.) Wow, what an episode! I must
say that I was genuinely fooled into thinking that this would be a relaxed
episode. Rather, it is an intriguing episode with action and major mythology
events to spare. The last fifteen minutes, gives us more juicy mythology
than the last season combined. As for the acting, it is very good, and
really draws the viewer into the story. The CSM makes an extended appearance
and uses his screen time wonderfully to deliver some great lines. With
the exception of a lack of humor and some bad make-up on a supposedly aged
character, this episode is top-notch. I cannot give it a ten however, because
so many of the mythology episodes are just as good including the Colony/End
Game, Piper Maru/Apocrypha, and Tempus Fugit/Max. Nevertheless, watching
this episode is time well spent!
My
Rating: 9 out of 10
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7.03
Hungry
Late night at a
fast food drive-in a customer is murdered and has his brain taken from
his skull. Mulder and Scully must find the employee that did this, and
they focus on a young man with an eating problem. Meanwhile, another employee's
past reveals a five year stint in prison for attempted murder, but he too
soon vanishes. From the beginning of this episode, I could tell this was
not going to be top ten quality. The teaser sequence is very corny, and
the acting even worse. Like a few other episodes, the story is told from
the view point of the main suspect. The young man playing the part generally
does a good job, and makes us sympathize with his eating disorder and other
problems, but the story lacks in punch and depth. Not really a bad episode,
but as the average X-Files episode keeps on getting better and better,
this one just falls through the cracks. Worth watching.
My
Rating: 6 out of 10
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7.04
Millennium
After a eulogy for
a dead FBI agent, a man secretly places a cell phone in the casket and
takes the dead man's clothes. After the burial, the FBI agent's grave is
found dug-up; Fingerprints on the casket and tombstone match those of the
supposedly dead agent. Soon, Skinner shows the agents files of related
cases around the United States that involve former members of a mysterious
organization called the Millennium group. Needing help with the case,
Mulder and Scully consult Frank Black, a former member of the group.
Will some tragic event occur at this, the onset of the millennium, or will
the agents and Frank Black be able to stop it in time? I was never really
a big fan of the show Millennium, but I liked the style, music, and actors
in the show. This X-Files episode adds all those aspects as well as some
distinctive X-Files ones and really ends up being a good show. Lance Henrickson
plays his part as Frank Black with skill and adds to the movie in many
ways. Tension looms all throughout this episode, and the director even
uses the cool music from the Millenium show to heighten the suspense. The
actual happening of the millenium, when this episode is supposed to take
place, never is cemented into the viewers mind, and context should be explained
about the Millennium group. Nevertheless, a very entertaining episode.
My
Rating: 9 out of 10
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7.05
Rush
Arriving in the
woods late at night, a teenager meets up with two new friends. The friends
make him promise that whatever happens in the woods will be a secret. He
agrees. The two friends then disappear, right as a police car pulls up.
After getting the young man's ID, the cop goes back to his police car.
A scream is heard, and the teenager runs up to the car to see what happened.
The cop is savagely beaten to death, and his friends are still nowhere
to be found. Mulder thinks there may be a paranormal aspect to this case,
so he and Scully take the case. After arriving at the conclusion that the
teenager may just be innocent, Mulder and Scully begin to investigate the
teen's two new friends and what power may be hidden in the woods. Over
the years, the X-Files has portrayed young people in many ways. Most of
the times, teens were portrayed ridiculously (Deep Throat), overly angst
ridden (Syzygy, DPO), and down right dumb (Quagmire), but in this episode,
the X-Files has finally gotten it right. Not completely right, but pretty
darn close, and that helps to make an enjoyable viewing experience. The
episode is well made, well acted and very tense at times. The only thing
that was lacking in this episode was the budget. Set pieces were dull,
with unexciting locations and average special effects. The agents
themselves were never really put into any danger, and this episode more
relies on the teenagers than our favorite agents. Not that the teenager
stuff was bad, as mentioned above, it was good. It is just that when I
tune into an episode every Sunday night, I expect to see our agents in
some real action. The show as a whole prospers because we have two very
likable people playing exciting federal agents, and not because any particularstory
line. In other words, show more of Skinner and the FBI! Any way, good episode.
My
Rating: 8 out of 10
7.06
The
Goldberg Variation
After winning a
large amount by playing poker with some members of organized crime, a man
is thrown off the top of a building. He gets up and walks away as if nothing
had happened. The police, who were surveying the building, notice this
and want to bring the man in for questioning. Mulder and Scully interrogate
the man, and learn that he has not committed any criminal acts. What Mulder
is really interested in is the man's good luck. Not a brilliant episode,
but still entertaining and better than just about anything else on TV.
The pace of this episode is swift, leading to a fast conclusion, but the
episode still has enough detail to stand up to repeated viewings. Good
episode.
My
Rating: 8 out of 10
7.08
The Amazing Maleeni
At a performance
of a seemingly amateur magician at a fair, the magician manages to turn
his head completely around in its socket in front of the audience. A little
while later, the magician is found dead in his truck with his head severed.
Mulder and Scully must find out how the magician turned his head completely,
and how he mysteriously died. They turn first to his twin brother, a man
who has lost both of his legs in a car accident, to find out the truth.
Soon, another suspect surfaces, a magician who was actually at the fair
where the first magician was killed. This episode is along the lines of
the movie Mission Impossible, in that it has a ridiculously complicated
story, that is explained so swiftly that the viewer still does not know
what is going on. While I'm sure a closer inspection would reveal that
the episode actually does make sense, there is no need for the episode
to be this complicated. The more complicated it gets, the more unbelievable
it gets. Anyway, the episode has a fast pace, good acting, and slick production.
Good episode, but I think it was muddled down with the complex plot.
My
Rating: 7 out of 10
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