Summary
Accused of being one of those testosterone-fueled episodes made "for the boys", this girl happened to like it. And because of my personal fascination with dinosaurs and outer space prior to becoming a TXF fan, I even knew about the significance of Tunguska before this ep. In any case, what's not to like here? There's intrigue — even foreign intrigue. There's Mulder and Scully taking part in a dramatic military-style takedown. Krycek's back in town and unwittingly serving as Mulder's punching bag. There's confirmation that Mulder did not sleep with Marita. (A silly, cute, and unnecessary detail if you ask me.) Then there's all that running around in the dirt and mud of Russia with a little bit of MulderTorture thrown in for good measure. Just a great example of the type of large-scale movie-like episodes that TXF used to do that — quite frankly — I've missed in recent years. There was true excitement here in this fast-paced episode and I must admit, I had a high hopes for some real answers in part two. (What can I say? At the time that I originally saw this, I was still somewhat naive about getting answers.)
 |
| Not exactly what you would call "state of the art" testing technology, huh? |
1) Exactly how intelligent is this black oil? It seems like awfully complex stuff for its appearance. Not only will it completely take over a host and add enormous strength and powers to him/her, it seems to know when a host may be useful and when it may not. I'm specifically speaking of how Dr. Sacks was generally just immobilized by it; not killed, not taken over in any significant way, and not used to any advantage. Why not?
2) Why is it so hard for the Syndicate to "handle" Fox Mulder and his various sources? They seem to know his every move, and yet they consistently throw a fit whenever he's onto any small thing. Which leads to question 2a: How does Alex Krycek stay alive between sweeps periods? I mean, I love seeing these big episodes with the two boys, but come on — this all-powerful consortium can't take out a simple rat that keeps leaking information all over the place?
3) Why does every baddie on TXF fear "exposure"? With all that's going on, people would just be confused if any of this stuff were to be exposed...
Picayune Peculiarities
Gotta love those inappropriately timed expository moments meant for the viewing audience. I'm referring to that initial exchange between Mulder and Scully when he explains to her that he's received receipts... yep, he has not told her about those until this very moment when they are all dressed up in riot gear waiting to make a move.
Those border guards in Honolulu are sure hard-core... don't forget your suitcase combo or they'll do a strip and cavity search on you! (They've also got slippery fingers when it comes to handling materials that have been identified to be bio-hazards.)
Best or Worst Moment
Mulder had some great lines in this one that are quite memorable. To Krycek when he originally encounters him after the takedown: "You're an invertebrate scum-sucker whose moral dipstick is about two drops short of bone-dry." Then, again to Krycek after he (Mulder) and Scully discover the contents of the diplomatic pouch: "What did you get for Halloween, Charlie Brown?"
Original Rating: * * * *
Revised Rating: * * * *
No comments:
Post a Comment