Knock 'Em Out Of The Park VR-5 Begins With "Volume 3" – “Love And Death” And “5D!”

The Good: Good stories, Interesting character works, Compelling acting, Decent effects
The Bad: Still a few growing pains and moments of character/plot that don't quite work.
The Basics: When cracks in The Committee begin to form, Sydney is assigned to rehabilitate a professional assassin, not knowing who his next mark might be!


This review is for the proper VR-5 - Vol. 3 - Love And Death / 5D that was released. Given how difficult it is to find these videos anyway, one suspects it will not be as much of an issue, but it is important to note that in this case, many sources go off old information and the manufacturer confirmed that the error was fixed prior to production and mass market release.

That said, there is a delightful moment for fans of VR-5 where the show leaps out of its initial expositional rut and becomes something that is fascinating, dangerous and far less clunky than it originally was. With the two episodes on "Volume 3," VR-5 releases its potential and leaps up as a science fiction masterpiece that explodes with character and a streak of intrigue that will captivate new viewers as well as reinvigorate those hanging on from the beginning.

With "Love And Death," the Committee gives Sydney a new assignment, one that puts her in a disturbed mind of an employee of the Committee who has gone a.w.o.l. Making contact with Jackson Boothe, Sydney discovers he has stopped work because he carries profound guilt over an accident wherein his attempt to kill a mark resulted in the death of his lover. Shocked, but assigned to get Boothe back to work, Sydney soon realizes that Boothe's rehabilitation means his next assignment is likely a hit and when Dr. Morgan goes out on a limb to help Sydney complete her mission, she begins to worry about who that new mark might be.

In "5D," Oliver Sampson takes over as Sydney's liaison with the Committee. Distrustful of Oliver, Sydney begins to believe he may be on her side when he works doggedly to reveal who killed another member of the Committee. Sydney's discovery puts her in danger and she finds her way to a secret room that begins to open more potential doors for her than anywhere she has been so far.

First off, "Love and Death" and "5D" are slick, stylish and just plain cool. The concept behind VR-5 is pretty simple: Sydney Bloom uses her computer and its super-advanced virtual reality system to enter the subconscious minds of those she calls on her telephone and solve puzzles. As she works for the Committee, she begins to unravel her past and the fate of her long-dead father and sister and Dr. Bloom's relationship with the shadowy Committee. In these two episodes, the Committee begins to look more nefarious with its use of assassins and its members being killed for reasons unknown.

"Love And Death" gives a great chance for Sydney and Dr. Morgan to explore their relationship and reveal what kind of trust exists between the sardonic doctor and his ward for the Committee. Sydney rises to the occasion and begins to truly open up with Morgan and the results make for interesting character twists and wonderful television. And because the show is serialized and Sydney has been relatively unexposed to the world at large prior to the beginning of her work for the Committee, "5D" makes a great deal of sense, especially her immediate distrust of Oliver Sampson.

Sampson has a stiff, British formality and loyalty to him that makes him an excellent contrast to Dr. Morgan. Sampson has a menace to him that seems to embody the new twist on the Committee revealed by its employing Jackson Boothe. This instantly raises the stakes of the series and makes for much more interesting character dynamics than Sydney, Duncan and Dr. Morgan had as a triangle.

There is also a wonderful sense of plot structure that carries over these two episodes and it works wonderfully to finally create a more unified narrative than the show had in its first three episodes (on volumes 1 & 2). In fact the only truly disappointing plot conceit comes in the final moment of "5D" and it simply undermines the menace of the casualties in the series . . . except that it also has a much more sinister undertone to it, so it works on one level.

VR-5 is a show that is initially very easy to write off because it is pretty hard science fiction. With "Love And Death," it embodies the best of what science fiction can be when it tackles a compelling human drama and makes a complex character bleed. Jackson Boothe is a man who is an assassin who is plagued by his love and the trauma caused when his work interferes with his personal life. What that means for him becomes the struggle of much of the episode and he becomes an instantly memorable character on VR-5 that fans hope they will see again.

Similarly, "Volume 3" overcomes some of the initial problems the show had with its acting by ratcheting up the character elements and giving the performers more to work with. Dr. Frank Morgan suddenly becomes tormented, but Will Patton pulls it off. Unlike his simple doctor character in Robert A. Heinlein's “The Puppet Masters”, (reviewed here!), Patton here makes a realistic transformation that is actually tortured on some level. We watch as Patton struggles between his obvious loyalty to the Committee and his growing affection for Sydney and his almost parental desire to see her in less pain and to learn the truths that the Committee possesses. But it is Patton's performance that takes what could be an almost devastating reconfiguration of the sardonic character and sells it as a development.

Anthony Stewart Head joins VR-5 as Oliver Sampson and this makes it easy to see how he went from this project to Buffy The Vampire Slayer (reviewed here!). He has the ability to portray mysterious, in charge and efficient in a way that few actors working on television can. He also has a dark and subtly violent quality to him that makes it completely believable that he might not be working for the same faction of the Committee as Dr. Morgan was and that allows Head to use the edginess he has to create his character quite well.

Michael Easton continues his supporting role of Duncan in the episodes on this volume, but it is Lori Singer who finally comes into her own as the star of VR-5. Singer's early work in the series was shaky and it was very difficult to tell if she was portraying with complete realism how a normal person would react to being thrust into such extreme circumstances as discovering the VR system would affect a person. However, with "Love And Death," Singer is able to portray Sydney with a straightforward humanism that is wrenching and real and wonderful to watch. Her loss that she plays in "5D" is similarly compelling and she's rounded off much of the stiffness and awkwardness that could be associated with her acting up until this point.

Anyone who likes good action adventure/science fiction drama will enjoy this volume of VR-5. Despite the difficulties of entering a series late, this pretty much represents the final volume one might pick up and start watching without feeling a bit lost by the serialized nature of the series. There is just enough exposition to not feel like exposition, but to catch newbies up on the show in these episodes.

[Sadly, even with VHS being essentially a dead medium, the VR.5 DVD set is out of print and hard to come by. Still, for those interested in it, please check out my overview of the entire series available by clicking here!
Thanks!]

“Love And Death” – 7/10
“5D” – 7/10
VHS – 6.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page on the subject!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Elektra: No Curls, Less Outfit, Better Than Expected!

The Good: Costuming, Acting, Villains, Character development
The Bad: Moments of photography, Pacing
The Basics: When Elektra returns from the dead, she becomes a ruthless assassin until she questions an assignment that puts her on the run from some real villains.


Elektra is a movie that I knew almost nothing about before going to see. Indeed, I believe that I had an almost ideal viewing of the movie because I have never read an Elektra comic book, I've never seen any shows with the character Elektra (outside the film Daredevil), and I had not read much about the movie before seeing it. My review will attempt to persuade the reader to see the movie without corrupting the experience I (and hopefully, the reader) had.

Elektra tells the story of Elektra Natchios following the events of Daredevil (reviewed here!). Essentially killed in Daredevil, Elektra's body was taken to a mystic who was able to resurrect her. Under the tutelage of Stick, a blind martial arts master, Elektra trained and became an even more formidable warrior. However, Elektra and Stick part ways on unfriendly terms and Elektra begins her life anew as a deadly and infamous assassin. This is where the film begins.

Elektra is hired, using an agent named McCabe, to commit various assassinations. While on a short vacation from the killing business, Elektra receives a new job paying an obscene amount of money. However, circumstances cause her to defy the orders and she finds herself protecting the individuals (a father and daughter) she had been sent to execute. She takes the pair on the run from the Hand, a committee of assassins who employ supernatural warriors. Within the Hand, there is a schism, and the son of the leader of the Hand, a young warrior named Kirigi, seeks to ascend to the leadership of the assassins guild. With his small gang, Kirigi sets out to capture Mark and Abby Miller and kill Elektra.

One of the aspects of Elektra I enjoyed the most was not knowing anything about the villains. Thus, the entrance of such adversaries as Stone and Tattoo were interesting and genuinely surprising. In fact, the entrance of Stone is one of the best villain entrances I can recall in movies. His exit, however, is somewhat baffling considering his strengths. Elektra is populated by intriguing villains in Kirigi, Typhoid, Stone and Tattoo. The only awkward aspect of not knowing anything about the characters is the lack of understanding how the other three villains survive being in close quarters with Typhoid (she is incredibly lethal).

As for the heroine? Elektra is interesting and not as dark as I had anticipated. While I figured she would possess some of the brooding of a Batman-type character, there was almost none of that. It is somewhat unfortunate, as her character is interesting, yet somewhat nonsensical. One moment, she is a heartless assassin, the next she is rethinking her life. The movie covers that, though, and it is explained away adequately. Indeed, there is little left in terms of character development for a second film; Elektra's emotional journey in this one is so significant.

Somewhat disturbing as well is the "winner take all" attitude of the film. This may seem odd coming from someone who does not enjoy when a movie belabors setting up a sequel, but the strength of Elektra's emotional journey and the resolution to the battles between herself and Kirigi's band tell a very complete tale with almost no room for a follow-up.

Elektra's costume is fabulous and it is easy to watch the movie with Jennifer Garner as Elektra. One of my few reservations going into Elektra was with the costume and hairstyle. Unlike much of Daredevil, Elektra is not endowed with long curls and a tight black outfit. Instead, her hair is straight, her outfit is red and revealing. In short, my reservations with Garner as Elektra in Elektra was that I believed that her appearance and mannerisms might be too distractingly similar to those of Sydney Bristow, Garner's character on Alias. I am pleased to say that Garner never once slips in her facade to reveal either herself or any other character she has played. She is distinctively Elektra here, through and through.

I am also not a big fan of special effects, but the computer generated effects in Elektra are pretty spectacular. The work with Tattoo, especially, works quite well.

So, why not go see this movie? Well, photographically, much of the movie is surprisingly poor. Lighting in the scenes is excellent, especially a scene featuring a gazebo a night that uses a lot of camera angles but only one light source; the lighting direction remains wonderfully constant. But there are several points in the movie, both during battles and at the very end of the film, where the edges are somewhat hazy and dark. Because it changed obviously throughout various portions of the movie, I am left to conclude that this was a choice by director Rob Bowman. It is a choice that does not work terribly well.

The only other detraction from Elektra is its pacing. Elektra starts quite slow. While it is providing varying amounts of characterization, it feels slow, it feels like a setup. Once Elektra defies the Hand and sets the movie in motion, the story and pacing become much more regular, less uneven and anything but slow. Indeed, once Elektra and her group leave McCabe's residence, the movie seems of very even pace and is quite engrossing. Unfortunately, I believe that's about halfway through the movie.

The only other note is that this is a PG-13 movie. Parents who are squeamish about sending their children to movies with a lot of graphic deaths need not fear Elektra. If anything, Elektra is somewhat disappointing in the tone as it fails to establish a sufficient air of menace by revealing fully how bad the villains are. On at least two occasions, people that are killed by the villains are cut away from before their actual deaths. This no doubt helped Elektra achieve PG-13, as opposed to "R," but it also leaves some ambiguity about at least one of those deaths and in some ways weakens the quality of evil in the villains.

Is Elektra entertaining? Yes. Am I glad I saw it? Yes. Have I spent a lot of time thinking about it since I saw it? Not really. Will I likely buy it on DVD? No. If it appeared as a gift would I return it? No. It's a good film and better than many super hero flicks I've seen. I enjoyed it, for example, a LOT more than Spiderman.

For other movies based upon the Marvel comic books, please check out my reviews of:
X-Men: First Class
Thor
Iron Man 2
Blade: Trinity

6/10

For other movie reviews, please be sure to check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2005 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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An Elaborate Arc To The Big Screen, The X-Files: Fight The Future Holds Up Better For Fans!

The Good: Good acting, Nice character development, Interesting story
The Bad: Often convoluted, Somewhat problematic in the overall mythos
The Basics: When The X-Files moves to the big screen, Mulder and Scully take on a change in the nature of one of the show's biggest villains.


I've long said, to any who would listen, that the main problem with The X-Files was that creator Chris Carter did not know from the beginning where the show was going. That is to say in his mythology episodes for the series, he did not know on day one what the backstory was, who the key players were and where the show was going to go with them all. The X-Files movie, preview titled Fight The Future, though it does not appear as such on screen, is the film debut of The X-Files and it wisely tells an X-File Mythology story.

When a Federal Building in Texas is blown up, Agents Mulder and Scully - late of the X-Files at the FBI - happen to be part of the team sent to prevent the explosion. In trying to determine why that building was blown up, they encounter the enigmatic Dr. Kurtzweil, who claims to have information about the mysterious group that seems to control the world in The X-Files. Mulder soon comes to believe that the extraterrestrial Black Oil is intended for use as a weapon to be distributed by bees and when Scully falls prey to it, Mulder is in a race against time to save her.

Okay, here's where The X-Files starts to seriously lose cohesion. In the television version of The X-Files, the Black Oil is an extraterrestrial life form. That's cool, we can understand that. They have their own spaceships which are custom designed for them and the Black Oil can inhabit humans and take control of them. We get all that. In this movie, the Black Oil is something far more sinister, it's essentially a spore that will mutate the victim into a husk for a bigger, nastier alien life form.

And this is what, the movie shows us, the conspiracy is all about. This begs two important questions: 1. Why would the most powerful people in the world want to create an army of angry aliens they cannot control out of the human population and 2. Don't any of the members of the conspiracy watch The X-Files and know that this is a pointless goal? The second question is asked because the villainous Krychek discovers first hand (pun intended) how to defeat the Black Oil on the show. The Black Oil won't stay in anyone who has a big enough physical defect, like the loss of a limb. So, while Mulder struggles with vaccines and such, all that needs to be done to stop this weird alien invasion is for people to saw off a hand or a foot. Not ideal, but becoming an incubator for the creepies from this movie seems less cool.

What works here is that this is The X-Files. The dialogue is smarter than your average action-adventure film. The story remains tightly focused on two characters who are likable and smart and who the majority of the audience knows already. And despite the nit-picking, there is a pretty solid story being told here that is interesting and well-paced. Moreover, this is an action-adventure movie that is easily rewatchable.

The principle characters, Mulder and Scully, are just as they are in the television series. In this movie, they continue doing what they've been doing. So, in the beginning of the film, they are joking around, when they are on the run they only trust each other. In that regard, Fight The Future is spot on for fans of the series. These are our characters we've watched for years and for newcomers, they are very likable here, so that works quite well.

Mulder is played by David Duchovny and in Fight The Future he is given a great deal of physical stunts to work through. Through most of the movie, Duchovny is running, jumping, ducking, it seems he is always in motion and Duchovny pulls it off without it ever seeming like he's breaking his professional facade.

As always, Gillian Anderson gives a great performance as Dana Scully. She gets through the technobabble and sells the viewer on the reality of this world. Anderson also is masterful at expressing emotions with her facial expressions and she creates a perfectly terrified mood in one of the most tense scenes of the film without uttering a word.

The big guest star in this movie is Martin Landau who plays Kurtzweil. He's up to the task, as always and it's refreshing to see such a high caliber actor associated with The X-Files. On the DVD, the bonus features, like the commentary, provide welcome information about the making of the movie.

Fight The Future can be found cheap most places these days and the truth is, it's worth picking up. It's a smart, if convoluted, easily rewatchable way to spend two hours for fans of the series or anyone who just wants a fun story.

For other films based on television shows, please check out my reviews of:
The Star Trek film collection
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon

7/10

For other film reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2006 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Eulogy To Fallen Guest Stars: "Tempus Fugit" and "Max" On The X-Files" Improves With Age!

The Good: Plot, Moments of performance, Concept
The Bad: Nothing extraordinary on the character front
The Basics: When alien abductee Max Fenig returns, he is killed along with an airplane full of people and Mulder and Scully must *yawn* investigate why.


Sometimes, I think that being a guest star on a science fiction television series is the way to go. After all, on the average science fiction show, it seems if your character is killed off, it virtually guarantees you another three appearances. Then again, on The X-Files, with the clones, abductees and the sheer number of bottle episodes, there are so many loose ends that could be picked up at any moment to give a guest star hope for more work it must have been a very exciting series for guest actors to appear on.

Take for example Scott Bellis, the actor who played Max Fenig in the first season episode "Fallen Angel" (reviewed here!). After a three year absence from the show, his character is resurrected not for one episode, but for two. Good deal! Of course, in the case of Max Fenig, he was such a popular guest character that when he reappeared on the series in the episodes "Tempus Fugit" and "Max," the writers and producers do not even bother with reminding the audience of the circumstances under which Fenig entered and left the series before. This, however, is a curtain call for the beloved character and rewatching the episode again for review, I was struck by how much more I enjoyed the episode on the last (approximately third in my lifetime) pass and how average the episode is, despite having big things happen to a number of recurring characters.

In "Tempus Fugit," a flight carrying Max Fenig crashes in Upstate New York and on Scully's birthday, Mulder and Scully are approached by a woman claiming to be Max's sister who clues them into the idea that Max may be the reason the flight went down. Joining the NTSB investigation, Mulder stands out by immediately postulating that Max is involved in the crash (instantly discounted because Fenig used an alias on the flight, this soon becomes more and more likely). The investigation takes a turn toward the paranormal when Mulder discovers a nine-minute discrepancy between the claimed time of the crash and the watches of those aboard the flight.

Soon, though, it becomes clear that Mulder and Scully are not the only ones searching for Max and other people aboard the flight - including an assassin working for people out to thwart the investigation. When the military becomes involved, Mulder and Scully become privy to new details: stress patterns on an emergency door that show that the door was removed from the outside and the presence of a second aircraft, the existence of which sends Mulder searching for a second crash site and Scully to attempt to protect a military officer from an NTSB assassin!

In "Max," the FBI agents lose an ally when an agent takes a bullet for Scully while protecting the air traffic control officer. Mulder is captured by the military after finding the second crash site at the bottom of a nearby lake. Convinced now that the original flight was brought down as the result of the government shooting down a UFO, Mulder begins searching through Max's possessions for some clue as to what the radioactive device he was carrying was.

The clue comes in the form of Max's "sister" and fellow abductee who reveals that Max did, indeed, steal a piece of alien technology and one more piece still exists. This sends Mulder to Syracuse, NY to recover the final piece in the puzzle, unaware that he is being hunted by an assassin who will stop at nothing to recover it!

I remember pretty much loathing this two-parter when it originally aired, but rewatching it now, I'm less bothered by it and more unimpressed. I'm sure with the body count in this episode the producers were not exactly aiming for indifference from their audience, but that seems to be where I'm falling more than into the camp of enthusiastic viewer. I'm deciding - as always - not to ruin the surprise of which recurring guest star bites the dust in this two-parter on top of Max, but there is a pretty significant body count in these two episodes.

What there isn't is a whole lot of sense. I live right near Syracuse, New York and I drive down to Washington, D.C. a couple of times each year. I can make it in about six hours. I mention this because the resolution to "Max" involves such a gap of sensibility on Mulder's part that he ought to have had his FBI credentials revoked for his stupidity. In fact, for a man determined to hunt the truth so that the deaths of those on the civilian plane that was downed are not wasted, Mulder essentially replicating the conditions in the last act of the second episode is so foolish as to make one wonder if the writer was high, stupid or on such a timetable that they forgot what show they were writing for! The X-Files was well-known for having fans who pay attention to all sorts of things . . . like details and what is actually going on. Trying to suddenly make Mulder an idiot or unthinking is an utter disappointment.

Moreover, for two episodes that on the surface focus on a character from the first season, there is remarkably little in the way of character development in these two episodes. Instead, this is a very plot-intensive two-parter and it is much more about piecing together the plot than any deep character work.

Moreover, what little character work there is in the episode falls drastically short of sensibility for the Scully character. Scully has been watched by a fellow agent for over a season and we are meant to believe that she never knows that he is pining for her. That's good, that works. Given that, the emotional reaction to him being shot at in this two-parter is absolutely baffling. There is care for a comrade and then there is care for a friend or someone you know is pining for you and Scully exhibits the latter when all prior episodes she was more indifferent to him.

That said, the most significant character in this two part episode is that this is where Scully (more or less) comes around. If one needs a point where Scully accepts the overwhelming evidence Mulder always seems to come up with for the existence of extraterrestrials and UFOs, "Tempus Fugit" and "Max" is the point where there is enough scientific evidence to sway Scully. In these episodes, Scully supports Mulder when he begins to elaborate on the conspiracy aspects of the flight being brought down and when Mulder and a video of Max explaining what is going on involve alien technology, Scully does not discount the existence of it.

That said, this two part episode is still a tough sell. There are decent chase scenes and the idea is not a bad one - but the episodes seem to mortgage important character elements in favor of simply explaining an elaborate plot. While those who love The X-Files will certainly want these episodes, those who have never heard of Max Fenig will easily be able to pass on the experience.

Because of the detailed crash reconstruction, this two-parter ended up with the distinction of being the most expensive episode(s) of The X-Files. Sadly, it does not make them better and next time, the producers ought to invest a little more in the script writing than the sets.

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be The X-Files - The Complete Fourth Season, reviewed by me here!
As well, those who already love The X-Files will find The X-Files - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, here!
Thanks for reading!]

"Tempus Fugit" - 5/10
"Max" - 5/10
VHS - 5/10

For other television series or episode reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Scully's Death Sentence Begins With "Leonard Betts" And "Memento Mori!"

The Good: "Memento Mori" is an amazing Scully episode!
The Bad: Special effects in "Leonard Betts"
The Basics: Scully and Mulder encounter a man who has the capacity to regenerate due to a strange form of benevolent cancer,which leads the agents to learn something important about Scully!


While doing some research on The X-Files for one of my reviews, I came across the little factoid that "Leonard Betts," which aired after the Super Bowl in 1997 became the most-viewed episode of The X-Files ever. Go figure. I suppose it was a smart move on the part of FOX and the producers of The X-Files, to do a "monster of the week" episode, but still . . . it's "Leonard Betts!" On VHS, "Leonard Betts" and "Memento Mori" kick off the explicit character arc that is one of Scully's two big arcs for the series.

Unfortunately, on the original VHS release, there is some necessity to pairing "Leonard Betts" which ends with an insinuation that seemed obvious without the final scene, with "Memento Mori," wherein Scully is officially diagnosed. For those unfamiliar with The X-Files who might want the surprises that come with all of the various character arcs on the series, now is a good time to stop reading, because it is impossible to discuss "Memento Mori" without revealing what is going on with Scully.

In "Leonard Betts," an EMT is driving and becomes amazed at the skill of the paramedic she is driving to the hospital and gets the ambulance in an accident which results in the paramedic being decapitated. His name is Leonard Betts and his untimely death is followed rather rapidly by his body being stolen from the morgue. However, it appears his body was not stolen so much as it walked out on its own volition.

Mulder and Scully begin their investigation of Betts only to discover his cells appear to be riddled with cancer, leading Mulder to hypothesize that Betts is actually able to regenerate lost limbs, including his head. As they attempt to explain this genetic mutant, the FBI agents discover that in addition to being made entirely of cancerous cells, Betts appears to feed on discarded cancer cells of others. Drained from regenerating so frequently, Betts begins to remove cancerous tissues from victims he comes in contact with, ultimately leading him to a showdown which puts Scully's life in danger!

In "Memento Mori," Scully is hospitalized having been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in an inoperable portion of her brain. Having had the scans determining that the tumor will be lethal, she and Mulder head to Pennsylvania to meet with the M.U.F.O.N. members who Scully met the prior year. Unfortunately, all but one of the members of that group have died of cancer and Scully sidelines herself to get treatment from Dr. Scanlion, who thinks he can save her life.

While Scully is getting treatment, Mulder enlists the Lone Gunmen to infiltrate a facility that seems to have information on the abductees, including Scully. Mulder works with a young man who seems as determined as Mulder to protect the information gathered by the M.U.F.O.N. and when he breaks into the medical facility, Mulder discovers the reason for the man's determination that the information not fall into the hands of the shadow conspiracy. Inside, Mulder makes a terrifying discovery about the nature of what was done to Scully and the other women and Skinner sets down a dark road he would not allow Mulder to travel on.

"Leonard Betts" is a remarkably simple "monster of the week" style episode and it is a fair one, to be sure. The necessity of the episode only comes in the last few moments of the episode and the truth is, "Memento Mori" is just as good without sitting through the lead-up. (As well, there was an episode aired in between the two episodes and it works with or without the Scully Cancer Arc).

This is the beginning of an arc that seemed inevitable given that when the M.U.F.O.N. was encountered by Scully in "Nisei" and "731" (reviewed here!), all of the members had implants like Scully's that had been removed and they were all ill. The speed and severity of their cancer is painted as menacing and the implication is truly terrifying; that what was done to Scully would be so insidious and obviously malicious.

What makes "Leonard Betts" worthwhile outside the whole introduction of the Scully Cancer Arc is that Betts is painted as one of the more human, humane and likable "monsters of the week." Whereas prior bottle-episode characters have almost all been killers and demented beyond their physiological differences, Leonard Betts is a likable guy who has done a pretty decent job of blending. He works a job, he hurts no one by eating the biowaste cancer tumors and he illustrates a genuinely high level of morality, like when he calls the medics after operating on his mother.

It's unfortunate; because left to his own devices, Leonard Betts never needed to do anything that would have put him on the FBI radar. Of course, one has to wonder why he didn't just move to a different area and hospital after being decapitated so as not to run into problems like he did, but that's nit-picking. Less nitpicky is the idea that The X-Files never followed up with this episode with one of the more obvious sequels possible; after all, if the headless corpse can regenerate a head and the whole man can create a duplicate, wouldn't the thumb he tore off himself have the ability to regrow into another Leonard Betts?

The real winner on this video, though, is "Memento Mori," one of the best Scully episodes of the series. If only "Paper Hearts" (reviewed here!) had been put on the same tape as "Memento Mori," that would have probably been the only video from the fourth season the viewer needed! Just as "Paper Hearts" was an intense Mulder episode, "Memento Mori" gives Scully a powerful episode as she is diagnosed with cancer and deals with the emotional ramifications of that. While Mulder runs around looking for solutions and external evidence to try to save Scully, Scully begins keeping a journal where she works to accept her impending death.

Actress Gillian Anderson is absolutely amazing in "Memento Mori" as the wounded and ill Scully. While I seldom do this, the unfortunate aspect of this video is that it is missing one of the most amazing performances by Anderson. The DVD release of this episode includes a deleted scene where Scully and her brother have a quiet argument and Anderson has to seethe and play exhausted, which she does masterfully. Still, it is a great episode and Anderson's performance is impressive without the scene. It's just there is more to her performance than we get to see.

"Memento Mori" is a quiet, contemplative episode in The X-Files mythology and it continues the whole concept of the alien invasion being largely about colonization. It's a strong enough episode on its own to lead one to recommend this video.

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be The X-Files - The Complete Fourth Season, reviewed by me here!
As well, those who already love The X-Files will find The X-Files - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, here!
Thanks for reading!]

"Leonard Betts" - 7.5/10
"Memento Mori" - 9.5/10
VHS - 8/10

For other television program reviews, please visit my index page on the subject!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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In "Tunguska" And "Terma," Mulder And Scully Find A Variant Of The Black Oil Creature!

The Good: Good character work, Freaky acting, Decent special effects
The Bad: Story gets a bit convoluted here.
The Basics: When Krycek reappears, so does the Black Oil (sort of), and The X-Files's mythology gets a little skewed.


The X-Files had a slow arc to greatness and a pretty long collapse for its decent. This is a belief I held for some time, but never realized just how derailed the show became until I had the opportunity to watch the episodes closely repeatedly. As I am going through the entire series again, I think that I might have found the precise moment the show began to derail and that is in the fourth season two-parter "Tunguska" and "Terma."

"Tunguska" and "Terma" mark the return - sort of - of the Black Oil organism that was first seen in "Piper Maru" and "Apocrypha" (reviewed here!). The thing is, the properties of the entity in this particular episode are both more clear (as in its origin) and much more convoluted. Outside the special effect that defines this creepy organism, there is little that links the creature in these episodes and the prior two. And while I can respect not giving all of the answers right away, the plot of this episode ends up making no real sense with a cursory examination of the events.

In "Tunguska," a diplomat is stopped in New York City with a pouch that is opened by customs. It appears to possess the black oil and the diplomat is appalled when it attacks a custom's agent. Elsewhere in New York, Mulder and Scully make a raid on a small group of domestic terrorists that Mulder has been clued in on. One of the leaders of the raid is none other than Krycek, rescued from the missile silo by this militia. When Mulder is content to let Krycek rot, the former FBI agent lets Mulder know that the bombs they recovered in the raid are only ones that he told Mulder about.

While Scully investigates a second diplomat and his meteorite containing the black oil alien, which has left a scientist in comatose condition, Mulder turns Krycek over to Skinner, who keeps him at his apartment in protective custody. Protective custody is a relative term and Krycek ends up throwing an assailant off the balcony of Skinner's apartment and he and Mulder flee to Russia in the attempt to find the source of the meteorite fragments that are being smuggled into the U.S. and divine the purpose of their arrival in the U.S.

In "Terma," Mulder remains a captive of the Russians who have infected him with what his cell neighbor calls the Black Cancer. When a nursing home patient in Boca Raton, Florida attempts to euthanize herself, she inadvertently exposes the U.S.'s attempt to find an inoculation to the same organism, which appears to be the point to smuggling more of the organism into the U.S. As Mulder attempts to escape the facility in Russia and exact revenge upon Krycek, Scully testifies in front of a Senate subcommittee.

Held in contempt of congress, Scully formulates the connection between the diplomatic pouches, the deaths and the organism that has left a scientist comatose. As she threatens to expose this to the Subcommittee, the Cigarette-Smoking Man and the Well-Manicured Man hunt their Russian counterpart who has arrived to thwart their plans.

This is where the mythology of The X-Files begins to go astray. Things that the careful viewer can easily understand is that this organism is not the same one as the prior Black Oil creature. The Black Oil in the prior two episodes had been living under the sea in the body of a World War II American pilot. The Black Cancer comes from a meteorite. But outside that, the entity seems more or less identical. It can be divided and recombine, it absorbs into the host body and is visible in the same way when the victim blinks. This version, however, leaves its victim paralyzed instead of allowing the entity to control the body. Okay, we can live with all of these discrepancies because this incarnation appears to be an ancient version of the same organism (the exact number of thousands of years old the entity appears to be is mentioned in the episodes, while it appears the previous creature came in a spaceship to Earth in the 1940s). But why the entity reacts so differently within the hosts is not satisfactorily explained in this episode.

Far more problematic is what the episodes reveal about the conspiracy that defines the mythology of "The X-Files's" larger story. In the fourth season premiere (reviewed here!), the viewer is told that this conspiracy is about alien colonization and it is implied that the colonizing aliens will use bees and plants to spread themselves. This makes sense with an organism like the black oil or cancer. What makes less sense is the nature of the actual experiments.

In Russia, prisoners are being used to try to find a vaccine to the Black Cancer. This makes no sense considering that the Russians already have a vaccine, as illustrated in the second part. I can buy the whole idea that the Russians and the shadow conspiracy in the U.S. are using the primitive "black cancer" entity as opposed to a fragment of the "black oil" creature if for no other reason than it makes sense that if this creature has some form of hive mind, those working with it can't exactly ask for a sample to try to inoculate themselves against the thing. But why the shadow conspiracy members - specifically the Well-Manicured Man - allow their allies in the Senate (which is used, rather annoyingly, interchangeably with "Congress" in these episodes) to begin an investigation makes no sense. After all, they are trying to keep their equivalent experiments quiet. The only way the episodes make any real sense on the plot front is that Krycek has arranged to import the meteorite fragments in order to expose the shadow conspiracy. After all, the shadow conspiracy people don't need to import the rock and the organism inside; they already have it in Boca Raton.

If this sounds like a lot of nit-picking or overly complicated untwisting of the events of the episode, you're realizing my problem with it. "Tunguska" and "Terma" are terribly unclear in the broad strokes of the episode. The nature of the entity in this two-parter is not explored well enough to make it clear and the fact that none of the characters who encountered the black oil entity compare it to the black cancer entity here is utterly ridiculous. In other words, it has the feel of the writers and producers making up the storyline as they went along, which is largely what is happening. Unfortunately, these two episodes feel exactly like that; assembled on the fly without a respect for the larger storyline.

Moreover, in terms of the plot, because the two-parter begins with Scully testifying to the Subcommittee, the viewer spends much of the time simply waiting for her to get back to the beginning!

What the episode does have is character. Krycek ascends to the level of real villain and there is something wonderful about how his intense and well-conceived plan still ends up turning out badly for him personally. It also eliminates all doubt that Krycek is a badass whose initial appearance of being a green FBI agent was a clear and troublesome cover. Just as Krycek comes into his own as a lethal and advanced mind in the conspiracies of The X-Files world, the Well-Manicured Man and the Cigarette-Smoking Man both become more developed as they expose some of the deeper plans of their organization.

Skinner is given only a few brief scenes in "Tunguska" and "Terma," but here he again proves himself a strong, if torn, ally to Mulder and Scully. Rather satisfying for those who are fans of The X-Files is the moment when Skinner encounters Krycek and has the chance to deck him, whatwith Krycek nearly killing him in the prior season.

But, of course, Mulder and Scully move much of the episode and in this two-parter, the pair are separated as they often seem to be. Scully illustrates an incredible loyalty that is nothing short of loving for Mulder in these episodes, risking her career and ultimately admitting the existence of an extraterrestrial life form on Earth. Similarly, Mulder's outburst in the climax of the episode is a reciprocal act of love and protection, preventing Scully from being discredited for the scientific evidence she has uncovered to back up her assertions.

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny give decent performances, Duchovny especially as he makes the viewer believe he is being tormented, infected, and pretty well beaten up. But ultimately, this is not an outstanding two-parter, even though it is part of the essential The X-Files if for no other reason than to explain how Krycek got out of the missile silo and . . . .

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be The X-Files - The Complete Fourth Season, reviewed by me here!
As well, those who already love The X-Files will find The X-Files - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, here!
Thanks for reading!]

"Tunguska" - 7/10
"Terma" - 5.5/10
VHS - 5/10

For other television episode or DVD set reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The X-Files Plays The Millennium Card With "Unruhe" And Mulder Gets Character With "Paper Hearts!"

The Good: "Paper Hearts" is an awesome character episode, "Unruhe" is damned creepy
The Bad: Pacing in both episodes, Medium
The Basics: When Mulder is forced to reopen an old investigation because a new victim is found, it offers him a chance for closure!


The X-Files in its fourth season had some real competition from its sister series Millennium which was in its first season. However, for all of its horror, Millennium worked rather hard to stay grounded in reality. The X-Files was for the supernatural, Millennium was for the horrors humans commit upon each other (at least at its start). As a result, there is some sense to "Unruhe" being an episode of The X-Files instead of Millennium.

The character elements of "Paper Hearts" demand that that episode is an episode of The X-Files. It's one of the best Mulder episodes of the series and the intensity of his character's obsession is wonderful. Furthermore, the supernatural element that is thrown in keeps it as an episode of that series. Both episodes, though, deal with serial killers, which is very much like Millennium. "Paper Hearts" has an intensity that is more character-driven and tragic as Mulder is strung along, but it too has a lot of the adult intensity more commonly associated with the spin-off as opposed to The X-Files.

In "Unruhe," Mulder and Scully are called to a small town where a woman has been abducted. The only clue to her abduction appears to be a photograph, taken by an elderly drug store clerk, which is an image not of reality, as he took it, but rather of the abductor's imagining of kidnapping the woman. Mulder quickly theorizes that the abductor has the innate ability to imprint his desires on unexposed film.

Soon, the body count is rising as abductees return lobotomized with an ice pick and Mulder and Scully search for the criminal responsible. Unfortunately, in their search, they come across the right guy, but he gets away and at the next opportunity to find him, Mulder finds an image of Scully being abducted!

In "Paper Hearts," Mulder begins to have dreams that turn out to be prophetic, as his dream clues him into the location of the body of a little girl, long dead. The case is instantly recognizable to Mulder as the body he discovers from his dream's clues is wearing a nightgown with a heart-shaped section cut out of it. Mulder recognizes the pattern as that of a child molester he put away several years prior.

Scully is able to identify the body rather quickly and in the process, Mulder is shocked to learn that the identity reveals that the killer - now locked up serving thirteen consecutive life sentences - was killing much earlier than he initially thought. Mulder begins an obsessive search for the man's collection of cutout hearts, which reveals that there are two unaccounted for victims, one of which appears to be Samantha!

"Paper Hearts" relies entirely on the viewer's knowledge of the Mulder backstory and rather refreshingly does not rehash it in the episode. For those who do not know that Samantha Mulder was abducted - presumably by aliens, according to every episode before this one - the episode informs the viewer just enough, but the details of the abduction that have been mentioned and shown in prior episodes are treated as known by the viewer. In other words, those not versed in this backstory and the prior illustrations of it, are likely to be lost.

The episode mixes a straightforward monster-of-the-week (in this case of the serial killer variety) plot of The X-Files up with the whole dream nexus idea. Mulder soon theorizes that he has developed a connection of sorts with the killer and that is how he was able to find the first body and the collection of hearts. It is Scully who rather cleverly reasons that the connection is likely not a one-way connection and that makes much of the episode truly risky for the protagonists.

Annoyingly, though, the title is misleading and problematic. The hearts shown in the episode are fabric, cloth hearts cut from the outfits of each of the killer's victims. The fetishist quality of his obsession with the hearts is creepy and makes for one of the more interesting characters on The X-Files.

"Unruhe" is just plain freaky and visually, it is one of the most creepy episodes of The X-Files in psychological terms. For sure, there are other episodes that are more graphic, but this one has actual frightening images, like the photographs showing the women desperate and screaming and the simple terror of the killer picking up his ice pick near the end.

The problem with "Unruhe" comes from fans who pay attention to the details. Following "Clive Bruckman's Final Repose" (reviewed here!) some of us decided to take Bruckman seriously. It was a pretty fair bet, first he was always right in the episode and second, killing off Scully seemed like a longshot. But the thing is, when Bruckman declared that Scully never dies, it gutted much of the horror of the situations she was subsequently put in. As a result, in "Unruhe," fans could have done without Scully being abducted (though there aren't truly any other female character the viewer cares about to take her place, so we understand why the writers did it).

"Unruhe" is scary, but ultimately, it is very much an average episode of The X-Files.

On the other hand, "Paper Hearts" is a masterwork character study. The repeatability of the episode is a little lower than some might like because such things as the final dream Mulder has seem obvious in retrospect and the seeming need to create an unexplained phenomenon seems more like overkill than genuinely necessary. In other words, the intensity of the character elements with Mulder rather obsessively searching for the hearts and Samantha sit quite well on their own. The dream nexus idea is more mundane than the intensity of the character elements. Indeed, I was far more impressed that the writers remembered the detail of Mulder carrying an extra firearm on an ankle holster than the dream nexus.

Scully is once again given a chance to appear both intensely loyal and strong-willed on her own in both episodes. She takes risks for Mulder in "Paper Hearts" and she does a fair job of holding her own in "Unruhe." By this point, Scully has moments when she serves as Mulder's conscience and his balance and in this episode it works wonderfully.

But because of the intensity of the episode, "Paper Hearts" is the clear winner on this tape and that is very much a David Duchovny tour-de-force. Duchovny plays Mulder as strung out and emotionally lost in a way that is more desperate and longing than previous episodes. This is a great performance for Duchovny because he is forced to differentiate his performance from other times when his character is strung out in different ways, be it from exhaustion, being poisoned with LSD or taking a severe beating. Duchovny succeeds and this is one of his most memorable and deeply human performances of the series.

For those still stuck with VHS, this is still worth it!

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be The X-Files - The Complete Fourth Season, reviewed by me here!
As well, those who already love The X-Files will find The X-Files - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, here!
Thanks for reading!]

“Unruhe” – 5/10
“Paper Hearts” – 8/10
VHS – 5.5/10

For other television season and series reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Scully's Turn To Get Doped Up/Mulder's Turn To Have A Family Member In Peril:"Wetwired"/"Talitha Cumi!"

The Good: Scary, Clever, Moments of character, Moments of acting
The Bad: "Wetwired" is a bit predictable, "Talitha Cumi" is rather expository
The Basics: Two good episode of The X-Files are presented with "Wetwired" and "Talitha Cumi," but we could have lived with the first episode being swapped with "Quagmire!"



As The X-Files wrapped up its third season, I was in college and finally becoming a fan of the show. As a result, I distinctly remember watching the third season finale, "Talitha Cumi" and being excited about it. So when it was released on video, I also remember picking it right up and being pretty excited about that, too. Rewatching the video of "Wetwired" and "Talitha Cumi" reminds me how timeless television series' can actually endure well after the decade they helped define. The X-Files had some serious issues in its later seasons, especially in the "mythology" stories. But here at the end of the third season . . . wow.

"Wetwired" finds Mulder and Scully investigating a series of murders where a man, in a crazed state, claims he was actually attacking a Serbian war criminal. Disturbed by the correlation between what the man has been watching on television and who he thinks he was killing, Mulder and Scully begin to investigate his video collection when another murder occurs, this time a woman thinking her husband was having an affair that she sees out her window while doing dishes (in fact, the old woman blows away her neighbor, whose dog was laying on him in his hammock!).

As the investigation persists, Scully begins to hear a telephone ringing and she becomes paranoid about Mulder. Convinced he is betraying her to the Cigarette-Smoking Man, Scully fires off some shots at Mulder and goes AWOL, a series of events that convinces Mulder of what the Lone Gunmen suspect; that someone is using a sub-channel on the television monitors to agitate people into killing!

"Talitha Cumi" opens with a man freaking out in a fast food restaurant and shooting up several people there before he is shot by police. By the time Mulder and Scully arrive on the scene, though, there are no wounded and the man who went on the spree claims to have been touched by god, who healed him. The agents attempt to corroborate his story and are disturbed to discover that the man who healed him with his touch disappeared and appears to be able to take on multiple forms.

The hunt for Jeremiah Smith, the man with the miraculous healing power, continues when Mulder is informed that his mother has had a stroke while at the Rhode Island cottage the family owned. He is presented by X with information that the Cigarette-Smoking Man was present moments before Mrs. Mulder's collapse and that the Cigarette-Smoking Man had come to the house looking for something, something Mulder becomes obsessed with finding, while Scully tries to work out who and what Jeremiah Smith truly is!

"Wetwired" is a tough sell to die-hard fans of The X-Files if for no other reason than in the second season finale, Mulder's water is contaminated with LSD much the same way that the various killers' televisions are plagued by the added aggression pattern creator. We've seen the paranoia, hallucinations and strung-out quality as a result of influence by the shadowy conspiracy before and frankly it's not much different with Scully as the victim as opposed to Mulder.

Still, it is a clever and frightening idea that is well-developed by Mat Beck who worked on The X-Files as the visual effects supervisor. He gets the voice and feel of the characters and show right in his script and were it not for the almost identical elements in "Anasazi" (reviewed here!), "Wetwired" might be a knock-it-out-of-the-park episode. As it is, it is light on character - though it does reinforce well the relationship between Mulder and Scully and returns Scully to her mother's care, which works well for the character. Outside the fact that the plot is essentially recycled the only real problem is that when Mulder calls Mrs. Scully, she doesn't ream him out about losing her daughter yet again. After all, poor Scully got the crap kicked out of her numerous times in the second season and she was abducted twice in that season. Now, about a year and a half later, Mulder calls up Mrs. Scully to say "yeah, I lost your daughter" and she doesn't go ape on him (especially after her other daughter was shot and killed because of the work Mulder and Scully do) . . . come on!

"Talitha Cumi," on the other hand, is both a much tighter and much more nebulous episode. How is that possible? First, it is a mythology episode that is laying down important information for the viewer in virtually every scene. It is in this episode that we (along with Mulder) learn that Mulder's mother and the Cigarette-Smoking Man have known each other for years, which set off years of rumors that Mulder might be the Cigarette-Smoking Man's son. We learn that the Alien Bounty hunter is part of a race that is here to colonize the Earth. We also learn that the colonization plan seems to be largely what the big secret conspiracy is all about. And when the Alien Bounty Hunter reappears, it's pretty cool.

In "Talitha Cumi," the viewer also learns that the race represented by Jeremiah Smith and the Alien Bounty Hunter seems to have more powers than simply the ability to shapechange along humanoid lines. They can heal and there is the implication in the scenes between Smith and the Cigarette-Smoking Man that they might have some form of telepathy or sight that allows them to see within a person. It is the scenes between the Cigarette-Smoking Man and Jeremiah Smith, as the shapechanger takes on the appearance of Mulder's father and Deep Throat, that the episode takes on a remarkably nebulous tone. The characters talk in code, alluding to plans that are not made explicit. This adds an air of realism to the dialogue (those in the know would not need to spell it all out) but is problematic to viewers who are being run over with the sheer amount of information packed into the expository dialogue.

"Talitha Cumi" is by no means a perfect season finale, either. There is a scene wherein Mulder and X get into a pretty violent fight and while there is some believability to Skinner - a former Marine - holding his own with the shadowy operative, that X doesn't succeed in completely shutting Mulder down is unbelievable.

That said, it does set up a number of threads that take years to pay off and it holds up remarkably well over multiple viewings, making for a decent episode to return to again and again.

On video, "Wetwired" and "Talitha Cumi" include a bonus feature, an interview with Chris Carter that spells out a number of behind-the-scenes details on the making of the two episodes and it is a good way to add value to these video tapes even now.

Fans of The X-Files will love "Talitha Cumi," despite its flaws, but fans of science fiction, horror, or general thrillers, will probably get more out of "Wetwired," which has a good premise and whose real flaw is that premise has (essentially) already been explored on The X-Files before.

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be The X-Files - The Complete Third Season, reviewed by me here!
As well, those who already love The X-Files will find The X-Files - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, here!
Thanks for reading!]

"Wetwired" - 5/10
"Talitha Cumi" - 7.5/10
VHS - 6/10

For other television episode or season reviews, please click here to visit my index page!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Perfect Dark Two-Parter Starts Off The Myth Of The Black Oil With "Piper Maru"/"Apocrypha!"

The Good: Character, Acting, Plot, Video bonus features, Pacing
The Bad: None that I can find! (Medium)
The Basics: Two great episodes of The X-Files introduce a new alien villain in "Piper Maru" and "Apocrypha!"


Those who follow my reviews know that it is a rare thing for me to rate something with a 10/10 and declare it "perfect," especially a two-part television episode. I happily rate "Piper Maru" and "Apocrypha" with the perfect rating because this is when The X-Files got it right. In fact, in these two episodes, they get everything right and part of that is because this is the establishment of the conspiracy mythology that would follow through the remainder of the series. It is episodes like these two that would later be forgotten or mortgaged as the series went on and it's too bad; this is an intense two-parter that deserved the attention of anyone who likes great science fiction!

In "Piper Maru," a French salvage vessel finds a downed American plane on the bottom of the ocean, but the diver who finds it discovers something more down there. The diver returns, possessed by an entity whose only indication of its presence within him is a black oil that can appear in his eyes and that coats him when it eventually leaves his body. The French diver is the only member of the Piper Maru's crew to not suffer incredible radiation burns, which are killing most of the crew of the ship. Mulder gets word of this the same day that Scully learns from Skinner that her sister's case is being made inactive. Distressed by that fact, Scully reluctantly accompanies Mulder to San Diego where the crew of the Piper Maru is being treated.

In San Diego, Scully finds a medical mystery that defies her explanation and she goes in search of one of her father's friends, who might be able to tell her what the French were looking for on the bottom of the ocean. Mulder, for his part, begins to investigate the salvage company that sent the Piper Maru to the same location as the Talapis. His search takes him to Hong Kong where he finds himself faced with Krycek, the man who killed his father!

In "Apocrypha," Mulder returns with Krycek only to be driven off the road by shadowy operatives who the infested Krycek easily dispatches. Having learned of the mission in 1945 that cost a naval vessel most of its crew, Scully returns to Washington, D.C. to find that A.D. Skinner has been shot and she soon learns that his assailant is the same one who shot her sister. Mulder's search for the long-lost digital tape (which Krycek was using to sell secrets, like the one that sent the Piper Maru to the Talapis' salvage location) leads him to a meeting with the Well-Manicured Man, whose interests also lay in finding Krycek.

With everyone suddenly hunting for Krycek, the infested rogue seeks out the Cigarette-Smoking Man for a trade: his space ship for the digital tape. As Mulder and Scully hunt him for the answers they seek, Skinner's life is once more put in jeopardy, with only Scully to save him!

"Piper Maru" and "Apocrypha" do what the best two-parters do; they tell a single story, as opposed to stretching a story out for suspense over the course of two weeks. No, in this case, the story is one that is well-developed conceptually and given the freedom to develop and be properly explored. In this case, as well, the episode is one that depends rather heavily on seeing other episodes of the series. The character arc that Scully goes through in this episode only makes sense if one has seen "Paper Clip" (reviewed here!). Similarly, the importance of the digital tape is laid out in that episode, but the mission of the Talapis (which, to be fair, only occupies a passing reference in this episode, despite the vital importance of its salvage) which came up in "Nisei" (reviewed here!) helps to enrich the plot of this episode.

"Piper Maru" puts Scully in a rather defensive position from the outset, which is something she might be used to given the outrageous theories Mulder often comes up with. However, in this case, her sense of being an outsider is much more based upon actual character elements. She is deeply frustrated over the treatment of her sister's case and when it is closed, she - who has been involved in catching villains with far less evidence to go on than what was left by the killer of her sister - rails against Skinner and becomes more melancholy and withdrawn.

The treat for fans of Scully is to see how she is able to take control of the situation in "Apocrypha." In that episode, when Skinner is gunned down, she fills the power vacuum and it makes for a wonderful bit of character work where we see her in an authoritative position and she handles herself admirably. Scully's ability to take charge works and it is a shame we seldom see that side of her in the course of the series; actress Gillian Anderson seems perfectly comfortable with her character being assertive and she moves with a strength and dignity that the viewer seldom sees her with on The X-Files.

As powerful as Scully taking charge in this two-parter is the sense of something that I seldom address in my reviews of The X-Files. Part of what makes "Piper Maru" and "Apocrypha" so stark is that Mulder and Scully are running around on essentially separate missions the whole time. Mulder and Scully - largely in the "mythology" episodes - frequently seem to be working on separate things, something I've only been catching as I go through the series this time. In fact, I'm surprised by how it never registered with me before how often they are actually doing separate investigations; fans tend to think of them as partners and almost constantly together.

The serialized nature of these episodes might make it difficult for non-fans to get into them, but the truth is, anyone who loves great science fiction or even just creepy action adventure stories, will find something to like about this two-parter. It is also worth noting that the "mythology" that The X-Files created, which was populated by various alien races, never tied up all of the loose ends, which was good. However, it is seldom noted that the black oil creature in these episodes has many of the same powers (like the ability to essentially nuke people where they stand) as the unseen alien in the first season's "Fallen Angel" (reviewed here!).

Part of what lends the entire episode credibility is the quality of the acting. In addition to Gillian Anderson's powerful performance as an assertive Dana Scully, Nicholas Lea, John Neville, William B. Davis, and Mitch Pileggi all give amazing supporting performances with their recurring characters who are each given fairly juicy scenes. Davis -whose character of the Cigarette-Smoking Man - had been somewhat weakened by events early in the season, comes back with a confidence that makes his character once more seem unstoppable. Pileggi's Skinner is given a meaty part and the mature actor gives a surprisingly realistic performance while bedridden!

David Duchovny caps off "Apocrypha" with a beautiful exchange with Anderson that reminds viewers of all of the potential of the chemistry between the two characters. Duchovny and Anderson play off one another remarkably well and after an hour and a half of running around as Mulder, the more cerebral scene suits Duchovny well.

This two-parter marks the first appearance of the black oil entity and sets up a vital component of the conspiracy arc for the series.

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be The X-Files - The Complete Third Season, reviewed by me here!
As well, those who already love The X-Files will find The X-Files - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, here!
Thanks for reading!]

"Piper Maru" - 10/10
"Apocrypha" - 10/10
VHS - 8/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission

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The X-Files Reaches Perfection With "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space!'"

The Good: Funny, Intriguing, Well-Acted, Well plotted.
The Bad: None!
The Basics: "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" is a perfect episode of The X-Files suitable for anyone who enjoys great film!



Right off the bat, my review is definitely biased toward the second episode on this tape, "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space.'" "Pusher" is fine, but one of the drawbacks of writing a review of a show that has two episodes on it is that one expects the review to give equal footing to both parts. The problem is "Pusher" is good, but "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" is perfect.

"Pusher" finds Mulder and Scully tracking a guy who can impress his will upon others, forcing people to kill themselves outright or through failure to see death immediately before them. It's a tense episode that is accessible to all in that it has a great sense of pacing and everything is coherently explained.

"Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" is the perfect episode of The X-Files and it's a treat to fans of the show, fans of science fiction shows and, surprisingly, anyone who hates The X-Files, science fiction, and television in general. Why? This episode is a brilliant example of The X-Files doing what it does best - telling an interesting, character-driven story - while not taking itself seriously.

The episode is about famed author Jose Chung, who - for the bulk of the show - is interviewing Scully to try and find out what happened during an alien abduction that supposedly happened one night. Despite Scully saying she doesn't know, after enough viewings it becomes painfully clear. Interestingly enough, it doesn't diminish the episode's success.

The episode opens with two teens driving at night when aliens come to take them away. The aliens are dragging the kids from their car when another alien comes along. As events unfold it becomes clear the first set of aliens are Air Force pilots trained to create alien abductions. The other alien? Well, it could be the real thing.

The story is uniquely narrated. While most of the episode is actually between Jose and Scully, it doesn't feel that way because Scully tells a story and we see it, Chung tells her what a character she mentioned says and the episode progresses like a narrative tennis match.

All of the guest stars (which include Jesse Ventura as a Man In Black and Alex Trebeck as the same) were perfectly cast and they fit together so well and the episode, which is occasionally creepy, is ultimately hilarious. The episode turns on every science fiction cliche, with the Man In Black being abrasive and angry about scientific ignorance as opposed to quiet and sinister.

Why would a non-X-phile enjoy this episode? Mostly because it successfully pokes fun at the series and at science fiction in general. One of the characters is a twenty-something man who lives in his parent's house and goes out at night hoping to be abducted by aliens so he wouldn't have to find a job. He's the tip of the iceberg, but a perfect example.

Even in the context of a mostly humorous episode, the piece is true to the characters of Mulder and Scully. Scully still evaluates everything with dispassion, Mulder explores all avenues no matter how bizarre. The real courage here is in their acting; David Duchovny manages not to crack a smile during an absurd yelp and Gillian Anderson portrays Scully with serious devotion as if this were any other episode of the series.

There's not a single bad thing about this episode; it holds up over multiple viewings, it's funny, creepy and it's The X-Files at its best. All in all, this video gives any science fiction fan the most bang for their buck in a long time; the contrast of the edge of your seat thriller that "Pusher" provides plays off the humor and utter lack of menace of "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space.'" Worth your time, even if you've never seen the series.

[Given that VHS is a rapidly dying medium, a far better investment would be The X-Files - The Complete Third Season, reviewed by me here!
As well, those who already love The X-Files will find The X-Files - The Complete Series to be an even better buy, here!
Thanks for reading!]

"Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" - 10/10
"Pusher" - 9/10
VHS - 9/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008, 2002 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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