8ABX02 - Without

Summary

This part wasn't that bad, all in all. As I watched it, it occurred to me that this "task force" seems to be a bit of a bungling bunch, definitely not the Bureau's finest, but you know what? I'm finding it hard not to like Doggett. It's refreshing to have a new character who actually appears to be a decent human being, warts and all. I think what I like most about him is that he's not afraid to be wrong. Anyway, here in part two, the search is full on, although no one seems to understand why we're suddenly searching for a little boy (who's not all that little any more — his voice is threatening to change and he's kinda lost his "cuteness"), who ends up being a ward of the state. Huh? Talk about anticlimactic. They can't come up for a better use for Gibson after all this time? The weakness of this episode shows up in the total predictability of everything, but then we — like Scully — have had enough experience with the ABH to have given him a handy acronym and know how he works. (Had to laugh at the "Duchovny as ABH" appearances, though. His lack of words made me think that when he and CC sat down to negotiate these supposed "last minute" appearances that DD said he'll do them as long as he doesn't have to use his vocal cords for anything other than "Scully!") Both Scully and Skinner seemed more recognizable to me in this episode than in Within. I appreciate the fact that they are torn up over what's happened to Mulder, but let's face it, the man has gone missing before. I liked that both Scully and Skinner exhibited more "take charge" behaviour here than in the previous episode. It's been said when Scully has been criticized later in the season for not "looking" for Mulder that she wouldn't know where to look, since the impression is that Mulder is flying around on a ship somewhere. Well, they knew where to look in these two eps, didn't they? The LGM seemed perfectly capable of providing them with UFO tracking data to find the ABH and his saucer, right? Scully herself seems to have seen it out in the middle of the desert. At the end of the day, the "aliens flying around on a ship" scenario is about as popular with me as with Kersh, but if I were to think about it, it would be my guess that the ship doesn't stray too far from earth. Experience just tells me that experimentation and testing are what these aliens are after, not actual "abduction".

Best or Worst Moment

I really enjoyed the exchange that Skinner had with Doggett when the former told him that he was being used as a sacrificial lamb by the new resident bad guy, Kersh. And when Doggett presented his final report, you couldn't help but get the feeling that he suddenly had a clear understanding of what Fox Mulder has been facing for the past ten years. As for some of the unrealistic downsides, I guess Scully didn't lose her baby when she was thrown against the wall/window because she knows exactly how to handle a move like that, having experienced it several years ago when "Mulder" slammed her around and then tossed her on top of a glass table.

Original Rating: * * *