,.Elliott's
Season
Six Reviews
go
to seasons 1-5
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6.01The
Beginning (part 2 of 2)
The reappearance of the boy who can read
people's minds leads the agents the an alien hybrid creature at a power
plant, and Diana Fowley has officially taken over Mulder's job of investigating
the x-files. Packed with just about every element of the series over the
last two season except for the black oil (must have gotten cut because
of time), this episode roars for awhile but ends up as a whimper. While
it does answer a few of the questions, it feels rushed and hollow. It's
almost like the creators were trying to dig themselves out of the hole
they got themselves into during the movie and the 5th season. Definitely
pales in comparison to Redux. The ending was a plus though!
My rating: 7 out of 10
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6.02 Drive
A woman dies in the back seat of a car
when her head spontaneously explodes. Now Mulder is being held hostage
in a car with a man afflicted with the same thing as the woman. The Los
Angeles setting is becoming more apparent, and in my opinion disappointing.
Because I live in the northwest live that whole dark, cold,
and rainy thing. This episode is unlike any episode before it in that almost
the entire thing takes place in a car. While the episode is interesting
and semi fast moving, in the end it leaves you thinking "Why did I spend
time watching this episode?"
My rating: 5 out of 10
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6.03 Triangle
Mulder is pulled out of the water by the
crew of a WW2 ship and sees people that he knew in 1998 as Nazis and British
people. Spectacular! Filmed on one reel (it was more like 10) on a ship,
and in the FBI headquarters, this episode is possibly one of the most outstanding
hours of television aired for a few years. Directed by Chris Carter, this
episode moves like a bulldozer with a turbocharger through continuous camera
shots. The most amazing sequence is near the end, where Scully is in the
same part of the ship as her 1939 counterpart. Both in style and substance,
this episode is a breath of fresh air from the rest of the series. The
episode's only detractors are that it is too dark and has some stupid ending
dialogue. By the way, Mulder kisses the fake Scully, and says "I
love you" to the real one.
My rating: 10 out of 10
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6.04 Dreamland
(part 1 of 2)
After Mulder and Scully witness a UFO
in the area around area 51, Mulder's mind gets put into someone's else's
body, and the other person's personality gets put into Mulder's body. (Trust
me it is very hard to explain!) This whole thing is because of some time
warp that can make two different objects exist on the same plane in time
at the same time in space. (Again, very complicated.) Now the real Mulder
is in trouble with the military at area 51 and he must find a way to convince
them of who he really is. Good start to this two partner, has weird comedy
and moments involving Mulder at area 51 and Scully with the fake Mulder.
Kind of wacky, but the X-Files is in its sixth year and kind of running
out of ideas. The production value is seemingly higher than most episodes,
with great special effects used for the time warp, the opening picture
of area 51, and the big explosion at the gas station. The only downside
is that this episode may just be too offbeat. What will happen next week?
We can only guess.
My rating: 8 out of 10
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6.05 Dreamland
II (part 2 of 2)
After being captured for treason, Mulder
is put into custody by the Area 51 police. Back in Washington, the fake
Mulder is trying to put the moves on Scully, but Scully realizes what is
happening. By some convincing speech, Mulder convinces the Area 51 people
that he is not guilty, and he meets up with Scully to try to find a way
to get things back to normal. This episode is one of the few that is actually
better than the first half of the two-parter. Unlike the last episode,
this ep feels like it flows more smoothly and that it is trying for something
other than pure quirkiness. While there is still some funny humor in this
episode, it is not like the previous one in that respect. The main focus
seems to be the relationship between Mulder and Scully, and this episode
achieves some very dramatic moments in its last five minutes.
My rating: 8 out of 10
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6.06How
the Ghosts Stole Christmas
Mulder summons Scully to an old abandoned
mansion on Christmas eve. The mansion is the site where 3 pairs of star
crossed lovers became eternal soul mates on different Christmas eves. Investigating
the mansion, leads the agents to a maze of reappearing walls and mazes
and to 2 people who claim to live in the house. Can Mulder and Scully get
out of the house before their fates end up like those of the star crossed
lovers? Wow! A good old fashioned ghost story and unlike any other episode,
this one tells the tale of a haunted house ad the occupants who live in
it. Played by Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner, they make the perfect ghost in
the never boring episode. The best scenes in this episode are probably
the reappearing room and the ending (I won't give it away). Is this season
the best yet? Five out of six isn't bad!
My rating: 9 out of 10
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6.07 Terms
of Endearment
After having a dream
in which the devil stole her baby, a pregnant woman wakes up with blood
on her hands and her baby missing. Now Mulder is on the case and his list
of suspects includes the wife, the husband, and the devil. One problem,
the husband may just be the devil. Good episode, flows along smoothly with
no stops, but somehow feels hollow. Scully is noticeably lacking from this
episode and only gets about one fourth the screen time as her male counterpart.
Not really bad, but not really that good, this episode could have benefited
from a really good ending. However, it feels rushed and downright dumb.
The best sequence is when Mulder challenges the husband to a drag race.
My rating: 7
out of 10
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6.08 Rain
King
While his girlfriend cries at home, a
man is subjected to ice pellets the shape of hearts. Years later this man
has a business that makes rain happen when people need it. Now that his
home town is suffering a drought, Mulder and Scully are called in to see
if this man may be making it happen. I liked this episode. I don't mean
I a top ten rating, but it was a very pleasant and watchable episode. No
shocking moments or blood and gore, just a mystery that has to be solved.
The teaser is creepy and mood setting and works very well with this style
of episode. One thing that I noticed occurring in this episode and the
rest of the season for that matter, was that a Mulder and Scully relationship
was being hinted at. Who knows what the future will bring...
My rating: 8 out of 10
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6.09 S.R.
819
Laying in a hospital bed dying, Assistant
Director Skinner now may only have a short while to live. This started
one day before, when he received a call saying that he only had 24 hours
to live. With the help of Agents Mulder and Scully, the clues must be pieced
together about a new bill in congress, mysterious foreign diplomats,
and the ever worsening condition of Skinner. Usually episodes of this type
come in two installments, and it is apparent that the ending of this episode
is noticeably abrupt and unexplained. Well this is the X-Files after all,
and this type of thing isn't unknown to happen. Still, this episode is
entertaining and engrossing, as the viewer tries to piece together what
could have happened to Skinner. The two gunfight scenes in the underground
parking garage pays homage to the other episode where some is dying, "One
Breath," and manages to keep the suspense to the very end.
My rating: 9 out of 10
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6.10 Tithonus
In an office building, a suspicious man
follows a woman around. After getting on an elevator with her and some
other people, he gets off and runs to the basement, just in time to catch
the fall the the elevator on his camera. While working as a crime scene
photographer, a minor slip-up by him puts the FBI on his case. Along with
an ambitious new partner, Agent Scully tries to find out what is happening
and if this man is really responsible for all the crimes he has shot on
camera. What I like to call a "slow burner," this episode really takes
its time in getting deep into the story. Maybe I've been spoiled by the
increasing flashiness of season six, but this episode really doesn't do
it for me action wise. While making this episode, the director realized
this and tried to make the story more drama oriented. While not a tearjerker,
it still succeeds in the cold, and dark conversations between agent Scully
and the crime scene photographer. Worth a second look.
My
rating: 8 out of 10
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6.11 Two
Fathers (part 1 of 2)
In a boxcar, Cassandra Spender is being
worked on by some doctors, when the faceless men arrive and kill everyone
but Cassandra Spender. In the aftermath, she decides to bypass her son
(Agent Spender) and tell her story only to Agent Mulder. Throughout the
episode, narration by the CSM helps explain the plot and conspiracy, and
all lead up to a stand off that will be resolved in the next episode. In
my opinion, this episode is a very good mythology episode for the series.
It explains enough to be satisfying, while still saving enough for the
sequel and the next season or so. The pace is not hurried, but rather it
moves as steady as possible, never once seeming to drag. The only hindrance
to this episode is that while Skinner appears in quite a few scenes, he
never manages to have much focus or relevance put on him. One note: Mulder
displays his basketball skills in a few scenes here, resulting in an odd
feeling that he never misses a shot.
My rating: 9 out of 10
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6.12 One
Son (part 2 of 2)
Picking up where last week's episode left
off, Mulder, Scully, and Cassandra are taken to a disease control facility
by... Diana Fowley! Yeah, you remember her from the season opener! Now
it's hard to explain the rest of the episode without giving anything away
so I'll just say a few words: syndicate; hanger; faceless men; and CSM!
Don't worry, If I tried to actually explain it, you would have to email
me about all my errors in the story line because it was pretty complicated.
This was a pretty good second part to the first episode, and while it did
not explain that much as most of us suspected, it was fairly satisfying
in its delivery. Several characters make reappear from earlier in the series,
making this episode quite the headache for the casting director. We all
knew that someone would be killed, but I was certainly not suspecting the
person who actually was killed. How ____ could do ____ to ____ is beyond
me. Anyway, good entertainment, slick production, and fairly good acting.
My rating: 8 out of 10
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6.13Agua
Mala
In the middle of a hurricane, two people
disappear mysteriously in the presence of something with tentacles. After
being called out to find these people, Scully and Mulder take shelter in
a apartment building inhabited by some odd tenants as well as the tentacle
things. A very atmospheric episode, with almost every scene happening under
the downpour of rains, this episode is probably the most suspenseful and
nerve-racking one of the season so far. A good story, but the episode feels
rushed at the end. In fact, I though I was only half the way from the end
of the episode when a glance at the clock revealed that there were only
5 minutes left in the show. Also, the appearance by Darren McGavin is stupid
and pointless, leading to unintentionally funny one-liners near the end.
My rating: 7 out of 10
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6.14 Monday
The day starts out with Mulder waking
up in his apartment and finding a leak in his waterbed that has flood his
entire apartment. While going to bank to deposit his paycheck he stumbles
into a robbery and is shot. Agent Scully rushes onto the scene and in a
flurry the entire building is blown up by the robber's bomb. This day happens
over and over again, with changes in everything that happens during the,
but leading to the same overall result. Will Mulder be able to find a way
through this day without being killed? A fairly good episode in the style
of the movie "Groundhog's Day" that uses the reoccurring day the great
effect. Never boring but somewhat predictable after you understand the
pattern.
My rating: 8 out of 10
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6.15 Arcadia
Inside of a suburban housing community
a man and his wife receive a gadget that moves when the wind blows. Just
to spite his neighbors he decides to put it up on his roof. Later in the
night a strange creature comes when the couple are in bed, and then they
disappear. Seven weeks later, Mulder and Scully move in to the neighborhood
posing as a married couple to try and find out what is making people disappear.
One strange thing about this area they learn is that the people there have
an unusual obsession with the rules, and this may have to do with the disappearances.
In my opinion, this is a great episode. The first half of it plays humorously
off the pretend marriage of Rob and Laura Petri (Mulder and Scully), and
the second half is just down to business concerning the disappearance.
Although I really enjoyed seeing Mulder and Scully as a couple and the
situations that were presented to them off that marriage, it may have taken
too much time off the actual story. I feel that the producers conceived
this episode as one where M and S and a couple, and then filled in the
story later. Still this episode is fast moving, tautly strung, funny, and
well worth repeated viewing.
My rating: 9 out of 10
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6.16 Alpha
A mysterious crate is being shipped back
from Asia when some workers on the boat decide to try and find out what
is in it. By the time the ship arrives in the USA, both the workers are
found horribly mangled. Along with Mulder's internet friend who likes dogs
more than humans, the agents have to figure out what exactly is killing
people... ZZZ... ZZZ... Boring! Just when I thought the episode Drive would
be the only boring one of the season, I was caught off guard by this amazingly
dull episode. Basically this episode is a rehash of the lame third season
episode Teso Dos Bichos with Asian folklore instead of American Indian,
and dogs instead of cats. :(
My rating: 3 out of 10
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6.17 Trevor
In the dessert, a few inmates are preparing
a small prison for a tornado by boarding up the windows. After a disagreement,
one of them hurts the other inmate, and is sentenced by the warden to weather
out the tornado in an outside shack. After the tornado, the warden in found
burned in half and the shack is found shredded into a million pieces. Suspicions
arise that the inmate may still be alive and he may even be able to walk
through walls! This successful episode uses smart original writing to bring
it alive. For some reason though it still embodies the spirit and character
of a typical episode from the last few seasons. Also, the explanation for
walking through walls is quite "interesting," but nevertheless original,
and this episode maintains itself as good filler for the times between
the big budget and two-part episodes. Worth a few viewings.
My rating: 7 out of 10
6.18 Milagro
Sitting in his apartment, a man is trying
to find some way to cure writer's block. Afterwards, murders commence around
Washington DC in which people have their hearts pulled out. Jumping onto
the odd case are Mulder and Scully. They meet Mulder's new neighbor who
happens to be a writer, and before they know it, he is their number one
suspect. Something is standing in the way however, Scully seems to be taken
with this man and is featured in the book that he is working on. Very different
than any other X-Files episode. Instead of blowing stuff up, the director
shows a room with a little music in the background. Even with the touch
of minimalism in this episode, it seem more complete, full and interesting
than any other before it. A masterful director's touch is exhibited throughout
the episode and supplemented by great acting and music. Also, even though
not much about Mulder and Scully's relationship is said in this episode,
more information is let on than ever before with subtle movements, gestures,
and comments. This episode is the pinnacle of the sixth season artistically,
but a little low on the paranormal scale. Either way, it represents a needed
change and gets a solid ten. Brilliant!
My rating: 10 out of 10
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6.19 The Unnatural
Playing baseball
in a field somewhere at night, the teams best slugger steps to the plate
and hits a home run. Before they can celebrate, a suspicious craft starts
to land near them. This story focuses on a small town sheriff sent to protect
the star player on a 1950's Negro League baseball team and the friendship
that ensues. One question remains, how can this player hit so many home
runs? Maybe he's not from around here... Good episode directed by David
Duchovny has a lot of charm and atmosphere. Sometimes funny, sometimes
weird, the plot and acting are top rate. If only Mulder and Scully could
be seen in this episode, then it would get a solid 8. But I'll give it
an 7.5.
My
rating: 7.5 out of 10
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6.20Three
of a kind
Lured to Las Vegas
by the Lone Gunmen, Scully finds herself in the middle of a defense contractors
convention. The Lone Gunmen are there to try to pry information out of
any unsuspecting attendees, but they instead stumble upon Byers' lost love
from the episode Unusual Suspects. The Lone Gunmen have been one
of the show's most popular convention since the first season episode E.B.E.
where they help Mulder break into a government installation, and they still
have what it takes to make the show interesting. Unfortunately, Mulder
is not seen in this episode, but that is made up for partly by the extremely
funny scenes with Scully when she is on the mind control device. Good pace,
funny script, and very watchable.
My
rating: 8 out of 10
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6.21Field
Trip
Two lovers go on
a rural hike at Brown Mountain. Once back at their hotel room, the woman
starts having a terrible headache and flashes of yellow goo. Two days later,
both of their skeletons are found completely eroded in the wilderness at
Brown Mountain. Mulder and Scully go and investigate at the renowned Brown
Mountain. Colored lights are a common paranormal occurrence at this mountain,
so Mulder has theory of what happened to the lovers and why they are covered
in yellow goo. What follows is terrific directing and manipulation of reality
of what is really happening. Skinner as well as the Lone Gunmen make guest
appearances. I would spoil it if I told you any more, so I'll just say
that this is a very good episode. Good acting, great plot, and a
terrific ending! Definitely one of the better episodes of this season.
If you have not seen this episode, SEE IT NOW! Note: after a second
viewing of this episode, I have to lower the rating of this episode to
a 9. With all the plot twists and turns, it does not really hold up to
repeated viewing. Besides those twists and turns, this is just a normal
bare bones episode with cameos by Skinner and The Lone Gunmen. It is still
good the first time, so I will give it a solid 9.
My
rating: 9 out of 10
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6.22 Biogenesis
(part
1 of 2)
A small artifact is found buried in the
sand on the coast of South Africa. Accompanied to the US by its finder,
he takes it to a friend at American University. His body is found a couple
days later in a garbage disposal and the artifact is now missing. Given
the case by Skinner, the agents first research all the people connected
to this scientist. Around the same time he receives the case, Mulder begins
to have terrible headaches that seem to be coinciding with his involvement
in the case. Along with a rubbing taken of the artifact, they are led to
Albert Hosteen, a Navajo code talker who was working on translating the
artifact. He is infected by cancer and incapable of speech. What exactly
in the artifact and why is it affecting Mulder? You'll have to wait till
next year because this was the season finale. Very well executed with many
plot ends and potential possibilities in the second part. This episode
featured the same familiar tone of mystery that seems to accompany every
good season ender, like the great episodes "The Erlenmeyer Flask" and "Anasazi."
The director of this episode pulls all the needed strings to bring back
some of our favorite characters and place them in the middle of the action
again. While it was kind of annoying that the only words coming out of
Mulder's mouth were "Ouch it hurts" and "Owwww," this episode makes the
jump in quality needed to sustain us all until next season. Great finish
for an already great season!
My rating: 9 out of 10
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