Summary
I would have rated this one higher had I not found it sort of predictable. There are elements that are certainly original in the X-File sense — and in general, I applaud the first efforts of this writing team — but in the end there were no real surprises and nothing to make it stand out.
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| A simple enough request, don't you think? |
Anyway. I planned a re-watch of this episode based solely on the fact that my original review spanned two sentences. (I figured, there must be something interesting to add to that miniscule encapsulation.) And yet, when the credits rolled, I probably felt pretty much the same as when I saw it back in 1999... unmoved. I was impressed by how Rawls' abilities were explained in a scientific sense (because let's face it, we often get these MotWs that go totally unexplained), but the story wrapped around it was weak. June wasn't exactly a redeeming character, taking proceeds from a crime and giving up her child for some unknown reason.
I also had a problem with the ending. Mulder apparently loses track of the naked guy, leaving Rawls plenty of time to chase after and threaten Scully and the boy. And then what? Does he experience some sort of epiphany before he steps out in front of June's vehicle and is cut in half? (Hope it wasn't because he thought that "God" had been directing him...)
And Mulder seemed oddly sad that perhaps this guy deserved a second chance. I don't think so.
Best or Worst Moment
An obvious pick for best moment in this ep was at the beginning where Scully seems to take on the role of "believer", but the fan fixation on that sequence and corresponding dialogue has all but ruined it for me, so I thought I'd pick something else... but nothing else comes to mind! Oh well, I guess that reaction look on Mulder's face — when Scully throws that "Shut up, Mulder" line at him — is precious enough to go with that one.
Original Rating: * *
Revised Rating: * *
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