4X04 - Teliko

Summary

Yeah, there has to be a Michael Jackson joke here. In retrospect, I think we all know what it might be. This episode had the potential to have been so much more than what it was. I look at the overall concept and I think, yeah, that's interesting. A little bit of medical voodoo, a little bit of African mysticism, a guy squeezing himself into a small space — but wait, didn't that already get done (and done better) in Season One? I think what they attempted to squeeze was a little too much story and background into one hour. I mean, what was up with involving Marita in that useless "I can't help you" scene? I guess all in all, this was one of those episodes that I can't find too much in to vehemently despise, but at the same time, holds absolutely no interest for me.

Wasn't this just the craziest thing ever??

In the teaser to this one, we’re on a flight on an airline that is just a bit lax in terms of the usual airplane rules. Even in pre-9/11 days, there is a period of about twenty minutes before landing in which everyone is supposed to be buckled up in his or her seat. Flight attendants shouldn’t be declaring that we are “landing any minute” when they search the lavatories for passengers.

Don’t know how politically correct we need to be in discussing this ep, but when Scully said, “I thought you said that Owen Sanders was black”, I found her statement odd, to be sure. Obviously, this was written to advance the story, but if by “black” we mean African(-American) — and good god, that doesn't have to be interpreted in any condescending or racist way — then obviously the man in the photo was black, judging by his facial features. Wouldn't it have been more noteworthy to say, “He was an albino?”

What happened to Mulder’s cell phone? He called Scully at the airport from a payphone and then actually said “Bye, bye” to her! Pod person! Pod person!

Mulder tails the mysterious Marita when he arrives in New York, attempting to confirm an “overture” that he thinks she made to him. (I can hear Scully saying, “Oh is that what they're calling it these days?”) Of course, Mulder’s a smart boy, he knows when a woman is interested in him. (That’s why I indicated in my fanfic that he knew Scully had it for him long before anything happened.) And Marita obviously does provide him with information.

Next, it turns out I’m not the only one being un-PC. A (black) police officer actually says, “What the hell kind of name is that?” re: Mr. Aboah, who apparently doesn’t believe in pockets and keeps his weapon of choice — a blowpipe — hidden in his throat.(Really??)

By the time we get to the halfway mark, we can guess what will happen. This MotW is just a melanin/hormone variant of the fat sucking dude from 2Shy, only this guy’s story is wrapped up in some African folklore, giving him the strange ability to squeeze into small spaces with even greater ease than Tooms. Mulder more or less figures it out, but is “piped” near the end, resulting in a near-miss for him and Scully courtesy of Mr. Ahoah.

As I said in my original assessment of this ep, we've seen this before... and the questionable presentation and representations here are not an improvement on the basic "genre".

Best or Worst Moment

I don't know about any specific moments in this one other than the lame Michael Jackson reference that even stands out. That and the Scully mouthful of "Not everyone is plotting to deceive, inveigle and obfuscate." Oh no?

Original Rating: *
Revised Rating: *