MAG: FANGORIA: PMP & Bad Blood: the WORST episodes ever!
TellyHead
Hmmmm, not much I agree with there... different strokes 'n' all.. I'm obviously
on a different viewing wavelength than this critic..
Personally, I think X Files has only been getting better this past couple of
seasons... this is purely MHO mind you ; )
T
Pamela T. Pon
was the WORST episode ever presented on THE X-FILES." -- FANGORIA
The September 1998 issue of the UK magazine FANGORIA (#176) has an
8-page season 5 review with is at times as outrageous than DREAMWATCH's.
Unfortunately, the reviews don't include any numerical or **** ratings,
so you have to read the article to appreciate the full effect. (Many US
bookstores do carry this magazine.) There's also a 1-page negative review
of the movie (written by the same person); 1 page speculating about future
changes in season 6, with quotes from CC, DD, GA, and Rob Bowman (below);
and a DISTURBING BEHAVIOR article with much XF reflection by David Nutter.
From the review, written by Thomas Deja:
There were as many mediocre to downright awful episodes this past
season as good ones -- including two Darin Morgan imitations
("Post-Modern Prometheus" and especially "Bad Blood")
that were simply the worst installments since the legendarily bad
second-season vampire melodrama "3." They allowed an episode
to air that was so generic, it could have appeared on any one
of a dozen cop shows ("The Pine Bluff Variant"). [...]
... it was obvious that the leads were becoming bored. Even
Anderson, usually a trouper, started phoning in her performances
-- to the point of playing the cliched weeping career woman in
"Christmas Carol" -- while Duchovny acted as if he had one eye
on the door. [Did this writer ever actually *watch* "PBV"??!!]
Indeed, we saw less of Mulder, as several episodes confined
the character to merely a framing sequence or cursory cameos.
Note: NO explanation that these absences were in fact due to the movie
reshoots. The implication being, I suppose, that they were actually due
to NotoriousSlacker!DD's laziness, or his desire for extra vacation time.
"Redux"
... a depressingly disappointing opener.
"Redux II"
... fairly watchable. [...] The character interaction is what
makes this a good episode, and the cast rises to the occasion.
Even Duchovny, who spent the last season sleepwalking through his
role, seems inspired. ...
"Unusual Suspects"
... perhaps the most successful of the humerous episodes this
season (which, granted, isn't saying much). [...] a nice piece
of work that fills in the blanks and provides a few good laughs
before the worst comic episodes of all arrive.
"Detour"
Arguably the best of the first batch of new episodes ... a
streamlined story, an interesting backdrop and nicely portrayed
characters. Spotnitz keeps the cast to a minimum and makes the
most of his ideas, allowing the humor to flow organically from the
situations instead of forcing it, as in the subsequent ["PMP"]
and "Bad Blood." Particularly satisfying is the way the Florida
background players are depicted as rural, but intelligent; there's
none of the condescension Carter uses in these later episodes. ...
"Post-Modern Prometheus"
Until "Bad Blood" arrived a few months later, ["PMP"] was the
WORST episode ever presented on THE X-FILES, a terrible attempt
by Carter to imitate Darin Morgan. There is an air of sneering
condescension in the way Carter portrays the townspeople, turning
them into the broadest of stereotypes. The plot is nonsensical,
the acting slapstick and the final scene thoroughly embarassing.
[If I ever meet this author in person, he's a DEAD man.]
And the professor (named "Pollidori" -- get it?), has to be seen
to be believed -- spouting awful dialogue without any rhyme or
reason with scientific explanations that make no logical sense.
Carter may think he's being clever with his frequent nods to the
Frankenstein myth, but they come off as weirdly pretentious in
context. Worst of all is that ["PMP'] was heavily touted for
being presented in black and white, yet nowhere does Carter take
advantage of the expressionistic qualities monochromatic film
can lend; it looks as if Carter just elached the color out of a
regular show. Amazingly, Carter actually received a DGA Award
nomination for helming this misfire.
"Kitsunegari"
A truly pointless exercise ...
"Christmas Carol"
Woefully predictable from the get-go, ["CC"] is doubly insulting
because it transforms Scully, one of the most self-reliant
characters on television, into a mewling, pitiful woman yearning
for children. It is so out of character for Scully, and Anderson's
performance is maudlin and harsh, bordering on the melodramatic.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Skipper once again gives a one-sided
performance as Scully's brother, sneeringly heaping on mental
abuse -- which Scully takes! When Scully had cancer last season,
this quiet suffering seemed graceful. Now, it seems forced and
unnatural. ...
"Emily"
... the wimpiest "Mulder explodes" scene EVER ...
... mythology storytelling at its worst ...
"Schizogeny"
... highly reminiscent of the second season with its self-contained
plot, quiet storytelling and intriguing twists. Scott and
Wollaeger are very careful not to spoon-feed the audience [instead
they just take an AXE to our heads], resulting in a refreshingly
aloof scenario. It also helps that the guest cast is surprisingly
nuanced; watching these people slowly blurt out the truth is
highly effective. There are a couple of flaws [I'LL say!] -- a
mysterious figure is never quite explained, and a hazy through-line
never quite settles on WHY this force occupies those that it does.
But there is a true sense that Scully and Mulder are in danger
from something beyond their control [like BAD writing?]; at this
point in the series, that's refreshing. ["S"] is a welcome return
to basics for the series, something more of the newer episodes
should have taken their cue from. [I bet he liked "Shapes," too.]
"Chinga"
... there's quite a bit to enjoy here. King obviously has a feel
for Mulder & Scully's world (the interaction between the two is
priceless), and he creates a wonderful foil for Scully in the town
sheriff. However, King (and Carter, who rewrote his teleplay)
stuffs too much into the script [I would have said 'stretches
out too little'] and never quite decides why these things
are happening ... There are a number of tiny touches
(like Scully reading WOMEN WHO RUN WITH THE WOLVES at the hotel)
that make it distinctly King's -- as does the New England flavor,
although here it's sometimes too broadly played.
"Chinga" has enough going for it to be a worthwhile entry,
but it ultimately disappoints because it could've been better.
"Kill Switch"
Simply the best episode of the season. [snip a paragraph of
justifiably generous praise, lulling the reader into a false sense
of security before the author goes completely over the deep end ...]
"Bad Blood"
From the best, we come immediately to the worst. "Bad Blood"
originates from a few interesting ideas -- exploring what would
happen if Mulder tripped up in his monster hunting and examining
each agent's image of the other, to name two. What sinks it fast
is Gilligan's aping of the Darin Morgan style, making the whole
thing into a vaudevillian farce. "Bad Blood" is a shameless
imitation of "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" without the latter's
pacing, style, or ballsy attitude, replacing it with a smarmy,
annoying "ain't we clever" air. Scully and Mulder become
cardboard cutouts -- as does every other character -- and the
episode also follows this season's trend of trafficking in
ridiculous hick stereotypes. To add true insult to injury, the
final revelation is lifted whole from both RETURN TO SALEM'S LOT
and SUNDOWN. "Bad Blood" is arguably the worst episode since "3,"
which ironically was the last time the FILES tackled vampirism;
hopefully, Carter and company will learn their lesson after this
flop. [Pam falls about laughing hysterically. Yeah, I bet CC
was REALLY disappointed by the fan reaction to this "flop."]
"Patient X"
... may very well be the best Conspiracy story since the "731" arc
... Lea's Krychek is always welcome ... [Rachel? Are you there?]
"The Red and the Black"
... Excellent performances by Anderson (who has both a spooky
hypnosis scene and a wonderfully understated dialogue about trust
with Mulder), Lea and especially Owens ...
... what conspiracy episodes SHOULD be.
"Travelers"
... plays like an unofficial crossover with the NBC series DARK
SKIES ... an interesting attempt to fill in more of the
series' backstory, but it could have been a world better.
"Mind's Eye"
... works thanks primarily to a nuanced, decidedly unsympathetic
performance from Taylor. ... Director Manners creates a sort of
sleazy ambience -- there are segments here that recall some of the
better low-budget horror films of the '70s [keep in mind that this
IS a horror magazine] ... Duchovny's performance is also
noteworthy, being surprisingly subtle and emotional. ...
"All Souls"
Many of the best FILES have dealt with religious themes, and ["AS"]
is no exception. Even though the continuation of "Dana Scully,
Whimpering Martyr" that mars the first act is grating, this
episode manages to be satisfyingly complex, with a strong sense
of wonder throughout. ... Because this script takes its time,
it is more effective in conveying Scully's fear and pain than the
bloated "Emily" arc. ["AS"] treads old ground for the series,
but does so in an effective, subdued and entertaining way.
"The Pine Bluff Variant"
There is no reason for this story to be an X-FILES episode.
While effective at times -- a sequence in a movie theater
is particularly disturbing -- the plot and characters are
interchangeable; you could replace Mulder with any of several
dozen TV heroes and the plot would be unchanged. Shiban never
creates any sort of suspense or paranoia in this by-the-book
scenario, and Bowman does the best he can; while adequately acted,
["PBV"] just runs in place. [Adequately? ADEQUATELY??? Oh, and
be careful you don't mention Duchovny's name too often. Sheesh.]
"Folie a Deux"
With this bizarre, Cronenberg-esque sstory, Gillian re-establishes
himself as one of the better writers currently working on X-FILES.
... an effective piece of work that allows Gilligan to be forgiven
his missteps this season. [!!!]
"The End"
... the thread that's supposed to be the most important one
-- dealing with the telepathic boy -- comes off as the most
disposable, as all it does is allow for plugs for Fox cartoons.
Also disposable is Rogers' part, a woman who spends the bulk of
her screen time making cow eyes at Duchovny. [The *actor*???]
... While no "Erlenmeyer Flask," "The End" is quite a bit better
than "Gethsemane" and a worthwhile effort.
Now for the quotes from people who KNOW what they're talking about
(article by Anthony C. Ferrante):
"We're starting to put together how the movie will lead into next
season," says [CC]. "Right now, we're figuring out how to reopen
the X Files. There's also the question of what to do with Mulder
and Scully and some other characters who weren't in the movie but
were introduced last year and now have to be fit into this new
dynamic. I thought of the movie as the explosion of THE X-FILES
after the series had kept imploding on itself. We'd give you a
clue or an answer and then take it back. The movie has now set
certain answers in stone, and we have to deal with that." [...]
"It's obvious that the show will change ... We'll have a new crew
and a new environment to shoot in. People have been asking us
a lot lately if we will have the same creepy lighting, if it's
anything like last year here in Los Angeles where the weather was
so bad, it will look exactly like Vancouver. We'll also use the
new environments to our advantage and make a virtue out of the
problem of now being in kind of a concrete jungle. We'll tell
stories that we might not have been able to do in Vancouver."
The main dilemma, however, is how to address the now
obvious physical attraction Mulder and Scully began expressing
in the movie. "We've talked from the beginning about how
a relationship wouldn't work in the series," says [GA].
"It will be interesting to see how people feel after seeing the
movie with that extra zing in there, and whether it should or
shouldn't influence how we are with each other next season."
While David Duchovny is pleased by the show's success,
he still finds being tied to it for 10 months a year rather
overwhelming. And while his commitment to the series (also for
another two seasons) is still there, he is disappointed to have
lost out on strong movie roles (such as Oliver Stone's latest)
due to his TV schedule. "That's my main problem with X-FILES ...
Sometimes it's reported that I don't like the show or I don't get
along with Gillian or I don't like Chris or whatever. It really
is that I don't have time to do other things. The show is really
well-written, but I think if I had Shakespeare writing for me,
I would still say, 'You know, Bill, it's been five years;
HAMLET was good, but this last one isn't so good.'
I would be tired of it." [...]
While the slate of directors is still up in the air
(many FILES veterans are still debating whether to make the move
to LA or stick around in Vancouver and work on MILLENNIUM), ...
Rob Bowman says that he has already committed for more weekly
doses of paranoia. "I agreed to come back, but I expect to be
tired because I didn't get a hiatus last year ... I also feel
a responsibility to help the transition from Vancouver to Los
Angeles. It's a different environment aesthetically and the crew
is going to be very different. In LA, they do all the big movies;
in Vancouver, X-FILES is the biggest thing they have ever done,
so there was always great sacrifice and commitment. You hope
that professionalism will win out, but when someone is personally
connected to a show, you get different results." [...]
... Carter will also have a larger role in MILLENNIUM this year,
claiming he will give the show "a franchise it previously lacked."
[...] "I have a lot of movie and TV ideas I'd love to work on,
but it's a matter of not letting these other things go on the back
burner ... It's important that THE X-FILES and MILLENNIUM maintain
their quality. Too often, producers run away, everything suffers
and the actors find themselves dealing with people they don't know,
and I don't want that to happen."
From the David Nutter article by Steve Newton:
[on how he convinced TPTB to let him shoot DB in Vancouver]:
"It's a situation where I was given this project to do, and they
said, 'This is your budget, that's how much money you have.'
So I had to say, 'Well, if you guys want me to do this picture
on that budget, then I have to go to Vancouver and work with all
my friends from X-FILES and MILLENNIUM, and then I can make this
picture.' So I kind of used that opportunity to work with my
friends again, and work in a place that I love to work in." [...]
[Of the] X-FILES he directed, he's most proud of "Beyond the Sea,"
"Ice" and "Irresistible." He was brought onto the show by... Glen
Morgan, whom he'd previously worked with on the Stephen J. Cannell
TV productions' THE COMMISH and 21 JUMP STREET. "He kept trying
to get me on the show ... and no one wanted to hire me because I
worked for Cannell. But Glen fought for me, and thank God he did,
'cause I got a chance to direct my first episode, "Ice." [...]
"I was pretty lucky on many of the X-FILES episodes ... 'cause
they were written so well that basically it was my job to just
come in and shoot 'em."
At this point in his career, Nutter isn't sure if
he'll direct any more FILES in the future, but he certainly has
enjoyed working with head honcho Chris Carter over the years.
"Chris is a friend ... and we've always had such a wonderful
relationship on the creative side. He has always been there
to guide me, he trusts me and he's someone who respects when
you're working hard. He brings the best out of me."
* please do not email * please POST replies * thank you kindly * semper FI *
laura capozzola
>
> From the review, written by Thomas Deja:
>
> There were as many mediocre to downright awful episodes this past
> season as good ones -- including two Darin Morgan imitations
> ("Post-Modern Prometheus"
Post Modern Prometheus was autobiographical. This bleedin' jughead
doesn't get it, either. In no way was PMP like a Darin Morgan script.
and especially "Bad Blood")
Oh PTOOEY. It was not. What a bleepin' bleephead.
> that were simply the worst installments since the legendarily bad
> second-season vampire melodrama "3."
Okay. I'll give him that one.
They allowed an episode
> to air that was so generic, it could have appeared on any one
> of a dozen cop shows ("The Pine Bluff Variant").
Your grandmother sucks old gym socks!!! PBV was a tight exciting
episode, Mr. "We Can't Write So We Critique" Deja.
> "Redux"
> ... a depressingly disappointing opener.
>
> "Redux II"
> ... fairly watchable.
Fairly watchable??? What a no good bleepin' bleephead this guy is.
> "Unusual Suspects"
> ... perhaps the most successful of the humerous episodes this
> season (which, granted, isn't saying much). [...] a nice piece
> of work that fills in the blanks and provides a few good laughs
> before the worst comic episodes of all arrive.
Does this magazine have an editor that's older than 13? Even when
bleepin' bleephead gives a compliment it's a left-handed one.
> "Detour"
> Arguably the best of the first batch of new episodes ... a
> streamlined story, an interesting backdrop and nicely portrayed
> characters. Spotnitz keeps the cast to a minimum and makes the
> most of his ideas, allowing the humor to flow organically from the
> situations instead of forcing it, as in the subsequent ["PMP"]
> and "Bad Blood."
Dear Bleephead - Detour is NOT a humorous episode.
Particularly satisfying is the way the Florida
> background players are depicted as rural, but intelligent; there's
> none of the condescension Carter uses in these later episodes.
Or like some smarmy blokehead (help me here, UK ATXFers, I don't know
how to insult him with your slang ) bleedin' fancy-pants condescending
critic. (Damn! I wish I paid more attention to Monty Python).
>
> "Post-Modern Prometheus"
> Until "Bad Blood" arrived a few months later, ["PMP"] was the
> WORST episode ever presented on THE X-FILES, a terrible attempt
> by Carter to imitate Darin Morgan. There is an air of sneering
> condescension in the way Carter portrays the townspeople, turning
> them into the broadest of stereotypes.
Hellllooooo!!! You exaggerate perceived characteristics in order to
make the joke in a story like this, you bleedin' bleephead...or should
CC just turn in all of the award nominations because some hack critic
got a brain wedgie?
The plot is nonsensical,
> the acting slapstick and the final scene thoroughly embarassing.
> [If I ever meet this author in person, he's a DEAD man.]
> And the professor (named "Pollidori" -- get it?), has to be seen
> to be believed -- spouting awful dialogue without any rhyme or
> reason with scientific explanations that make no logical sense.
> Carter may think he's being clever with his frequent nods to the
> Frankenstein myth, but they come off as weirdly pretentious in
> context. Worst of all is that ["PMP'] was heavily touted for
> being presented in black and white, yet nowhere does Carter take
> advantage of the expressionistic qualities monochromatic film
> can lend; it looks as if Carter just elached the color out of a
> regular show. Amazingly, Carter actually received a DGA Award
> nomination for helming this misfire.
Dear Mr. Deja. I'm send you the Evil-Eye trans-Atlantic. The Italian
one. You know, the really bad one. I'm good at this. You can start
sweating now. Begging won't help...but I'll be here if you want to
whimper publically.
Laura
#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#
"The truth, the truth.....there is no truth.
These men just make it up as they go along."
- Alex Krycek (Tunguska) -
#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#***#
Extex1013
extex
GF2020
Actually, I just wrote an email to Fangoria about the same thing.
Let Deja know that isn't as right as he thinks he is:
posta...@starloggroup.com
Here is my email that I wrote about PMP:
Your review of Post Modern Prometheus was terrible and ignorant. The
reviewer,Thomas Deja, was amazed that Chris Carter got an DGA nomination for
the episode. Well, I'll bet he had a heart attack when PMP got 7 individual
emmy nominations for Single-Camera Picture Editing , Cinematography, Art
Direction, Dramatic Score ,Makeup, Directing and Writing. When simply
dismissing it as a Darin Morgan clone, Tom took on the same air of sneering
condescension that he criticized Chris Carter for. He even went so far to call
it the worst episode ever presented on the X-Files at that point. I am to
assume that he didn't see early season "classics" such as The Jersey Devil,
Space, Gender Bender, 3, and Teso Dos Bichos ? Finally, the Thomas called the
last scene embarrassing. Well it might interest you to know, that what he found
embarrassing was sited as a favorite moment by many devoted X-Philes. It seems
that you missed the whole point of the episode. It was supposed to be
whimsical, the dialogue was supposed to be corny, and it was supposed to be a
fun homage to Frankenstein----and it was.
deering
: Pamela T. Pon wrote:
: >
: > From the review, written by Thomas Deja:
: >
: > There were as many mediocre to downright awful episodes this past
: > season as good ones -- including two Darin Morgan imitations
: > ("Post-Modern Prometheus"
: Post Modern Prometheus was autobiographical. This bleedin' jughead
: doesn't get it, either. In no way was PMP like a Darin Morgan script.
Yeah, worse luck...g!
: and especially "Bad Blood")
: Oh PTOOEY. It was not. What a bleepin' bleephead.
He's definitely off the mark here. . .g!
: > that were simply the worst installments since the legendarily bad
: > second-season vampire melodrama "3."
: Okay. I'll give him that one.
Huh? How soon we forget TESO DE BICHOS and EL MUNDO GIRA...g!
: They allowed an episode
: > to air that was so generic, it could have appeared on any one
: > of a dozen cop shows ("The Pine Bluff Variant").
: Your grandmother sucks old gym socks!!! PBV was a tight exciting
: episode, Mr. "We Can't Write So We Critique" Deja.
Agreed. . .
:
: > "Redux"
: > ... a depressingly disappointing opener.
: >
: > "Redux II"
: > ... fairly watchable.
: Fairly watchable??? What a no good bleepin' bleephead this guy is.
He's right here...g!
: > "Detour"
: > Arguably the best of the first batch of new episodes ... a
: > streamlined story, an interesting backdrop and nicely portrayed
: > characters. Spotnitz keeps the cast to a minimum and makes the
: > most of his ideas, allowing the humor to flow organically from the
: > situations instead of forcing it, as in the subsequent ["PMP"]
: > and "Bad Blood."
: Dear Bleephead - Detour is NOT a humorous episode.
And it damm sure ain't the best. Of _any_ batch...g!
: >
: > "Post-Modern Prometheus"
: > Until "Bad Blood" arrived a few months later, ["PMP"] was the
: > WORST episode ever presented on THE X-FILES, a terrible attempt
: > by Carter to imitate Darin Morgan. There is an air of sneering
: > condescension in the way Carter portrays the townspeople, turning
: > them into the broadest of stereotypes.
: Hellllooooo!!! You exaggerate perceived characteristics in order to
: make the joke in a story like this, you bleedin' bleephead...or should
: CC just turn in all of the award nominations because some hack critic
: got a brain wedgie?
Please. He's _right_ on the money, here. There are ways to exaggerate
characteristics and still show affection/respect for the characters (see
any Preston Sturges movie. Or any Darin Morgan ep.--g!). PMP made almost
every single townsperson into an idiot or ignorant clod (except for Izzy's
mom, and that was due more to the actress than the writing), and that kind
of generalizing is the _worst_ kind of "rural areas are
Joe Lunchbox/flyover/hick turf" condescension. :PPPPPPP
: > Carter may think he's being clever with his frequent nods to the
: > Frankenstein myth, but they come off as weirdly pretentious in
: > context.
And he did nothing much with 'em them, to boot--he didn't put an
original spin on them, and he didn't use them to make much of an affecting
or interesting comment on myths and their makers (or whatever.)
Worst of all is that ["PMP'] was heavily touted for
: > being presented in black and white, yet nowhere does Carter take
: > advantage of the expressionistic qualities monochromatic film
: > can lend; it looks as if Carter just elached the color out of a
: > regular show.
Damm _straight_. I dunno who shot this ep., but he/she should have been
locked in a room and been forced 24-7 to watch movies (CITIZEN KANE. SWEET
SMELL OF SUCCESS. The original FRANKENSTEIN--g) that put b&w to truly
expressive, dramatic use.
Amazingly, Carter actually received a DGA Award
: > nomination for helming this misfire.
No comment--g!
: Dear Mr. Deja. I'm send you the Evil-Eye trans-Atlantic. The Italian
: one. You know, the really bad one. I'm good at this. You can start
: sweating now. Begging won't help...but I'll be here if you want to
: whimper publically.
Well, the fact he liked DETOUR is reason enough to put the whammy on him.
But the fact that he called the severely overrated PMP for what it was,
well . . .g!
C.
**
laura capozzola
>
> laura capozzola (laur...@erols.com) wrote:
> : >
> : > "Post-Modern Prometheus"
> : > Until "Bad Blood" arrived a few months later, ["PMP"] was the
> : > WORST episode ever presented on THE X-FILES, a terrible attempt
> : > by Carter to imitate Darin Morgan. There is an air of sneering
> : > condescension in the way Carter portrays the townspeople, turning
> : > them into the broadest of stereotypes.
>
> : Hellllooooo!!! You exaggerate perceived characteristics in order to
> : make the joke in a story like this, you bleedin' bleephead...or should
> : CC just turn in all of the award nominations because some hack critic
> : got a brain wedgie?
>
> Please. He's _right_ on the money, here. There are ways to exaggerate
> characteristics and still show affection/respect for the characters (see
> any Preston Sturges movie. Or any Darin Morgan ep.--g!). PMP made almost
> every single townsperson into an idiot or ignorant clod (except for Izzy's
> mom, and that was due more to the actress than the writing), and that kind
> of generalizing is the _worst_ kind of "rural areas are
> Joe Lunchbox/flyover/hick turf" condescension. :PPPPPPP
But when you write satire/parody you exaggerate stereotypes of
institutions/people/actions because your humor is based on what people
"think" of those institutions/people/actions...and besides (and you're
going to like this less) I say that the whole PMP episode was a monster
homage on the surface but underneath was a story about CC and The
X-Files and Millennium (you know, the XF universe) and those
townfolk...they were "the fans." In the first diner scene when the
agents were paying attention to the monster (remember the newspaper
headlines) the townfolk loved the agents and treated them well but as
soon as the agents turned their back on the monster (remember the
newspaper headlines in the second diner scene), the townfolk were
nasty to the agents. Well, The X-Files is the monster and we're (the
fans) are the townfolk.
Dr. Pollidori (CC) tried to create a bride (that would be Millennium)
for his monster (that would be The XF) but he "doesn't know how to
re-create the monster."
<sigh> There's more but the ATXFers who have heard me go on about this
when the ep first aired are probably sick of hearing me talk about it
sooooooo.....
.....I guess I'll just have to wait for the day, CC picks up his Emmy
and yells from the podium, "Laura, you were right about PMP." But
until that day when hell freezes over, I just want to go on record that
I thought it was a wonderful story - and right on target, too.
storml...@hotmail.com
I thought "PMP" was marvelous throughout.
I thought "Bad Blood" was well done, funny in places, but in the long run
detrimental to the Mulder/Scully relationship. I refuse to believe that they
actually see each other that way. "Cardboard", I think is pretty accurate
here. Not worth it.
Beyond those, I thought Season 5 was pretty darn good. I enjoyed it. For what
it's worth.
Hester
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c.morgan
I was going to respond in depth to this ill-informed article (I
especially love the Christmas Carol review implication that strong,
skeptical, self-reliant 30-something women NEVER have any interest in
having children). But really, how can you argue with someone who used
the words "intriguing" and "Schizogeny" in the same paragraph?
PMP one of the worst episode ever? Please. Hey, buddy, why don't you
watch a few old horror movies, look up the words "homage" and "parody"
and read a certain little book by a woman named Mary Shelley? Wouldn't
hurt to read a few old Laura Cap posts, either...then you might have
some idea as to what was going on.
Thanks for transcribing this, because I sure wouldn't want to have paid
to read this article...
Connie
TellyHead
>detrimental to the Mulder/Scully relationship. I refuse to believe that they
>actually see each other that way. "Cardboard", I think is pretty accurate
>here. Not worth it.
Personally, I think this was just a fun episode; all the more interesting was
the view each had of themselves, never mind each other.
I certainly don't think it was detrimental to the Mulder/Scully relationship,
'cause even if we were taking it all seriously and they were real people...
well, people have those days... where everything the partner does just drives
you bananas <G>
I think very worth it and an extremely hilarious episode... I laugh every time
I watch it. Excellent acting and writing!!!
Just mho
Telly <"You must be gumment people" > tee, hee
Pamela T. Pon
>"Until 'Bad Blood' arrived a few months later, 'Post-Modern Prometheus'
>was the WORST episode ever presented on THE X-FILES." -- FANGORIA
>
>The September 1998 issue of the UK magazine FANGORIA (#176) has an
>8-page season 5 review with is at times as outrageous than DREAMWATCH's.
Dear God!
I think I'll just crawl into a hole and die now.
please do not email * please POST replies * i've crawled into a hole to die
BelleSoCal
>> I thought "Bad Blood" was well done, funny in places, but in the long run
detrimental to the Mulder/Scully relationship. I refuse to believe that they
actually see each other that way. "Cardboard", I think is pretty accurate here.
Not worth it. <<
Oh, no, I had no trouble buying the entire concept. As much as I love and adore
my hubby, Dave, there are days when he doth vex me greatly, and no doubt the
reverse is true (he's working on a web project at the moment which has kept him
literally glued to the Good Box [i.e., the really good 'puter] at home for most
of the past 2 weeks, days and evenings and weekends. He's gonna take Saturday
off (but he doesn't know it yet) simply so I can vex *him* for a while (then
again, he enjoys that <snicker>).
At any rate, Schizogeny sucked, Chinga sucked, Bad Blood was bloody fab, PMP
kept me enthralled, and The End knocked my socks off. A 50-50 season, which is
still better'n most of 'em out there. And better than the Dodgers are playing
(which gives me even greater pleasure than vexing Dave).
Bev
SAA (Self-Absorbed Ass)
*******************************
If you're born again, do you
have two bellybuttons?
*******************************
Sculder
loved PMP AND Bad Blood!!!! This writer is definitely NOT a true fan of the
X-Files...
Sculder
MFLuder848
> Woefully predictable from the get-go, ["CC"] is doubly insulting
> because it transforms Scully, one of the most self-reliant
> characters on television, into a mewling, pitiful woman yearning
> for children. >>
I stopped reading at this point. I knew that someone who could deem the
wonderful and *human* characterization we got from CCarol as showing Scully as
a "pitiful" woman, wasn't worth my time to read the rest of his critiques. So,
now that she's shown the need to have children I guess we can't call her
self-reliant? Please.
--Scott
JesusCumin
the
wonderful and *human* characterization we got from CCarol as showing Scully as
a "pitiful" woman, wasn't worth my time to read the rest of his critiques. So,
now that she's shown the need to have children I guess we can't call her
self-reliant? Please.<<
What a great, salient point! I couldn't agree more!!!!! Showing Lt. Sully's
"softer, feminine" side makes her a fully rounded character!!!!! I figure this
anti-family values attitude is just more liberal media bias against family
values and Evangelical Christians, since Lt. Sully's character is a born again
Christian.
In Christ,
Nancine.
xfans2
JesusCumin wrote in message
<199808212351...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
>What a great, salient point! I couldn't agree more!!!!! Showing Lt.
Sully's
>"softer, feminine" side makes her a fully rounded character!!!!!
Shit, yeah! Fully rounded she is! Have you seen "One Breath?"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::THUD!::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::
I bet she is rather soft and feminine, too!
Sister Terri, a.k.a. "lesbo-feminist-tree-hugging-dyke-bitch."
Email is really xfa...@mwonline.net.
Make the 'net a better place....kill a spammer.
In the name of the Lords of Darkness,
Rulers of the Earth, Kings of the Underworld,
I command the forces of darkness to bestow their infernal power upon me.
Sein ist die hand die verletzt (His is the hand that wounds).
Sein ist der ort gennant Hoelle (His is the place called Hell).
May the black powers of our forefathers make us strong.
Hail! Hail the Lords of Darkness!
- The X-Files "Die Hand Die Verletzt"
Obsidian
Showing Lt. Sully's
> "softer, feminine" side makes her a fully rounded character!!!!! I figure this
> anti-family values attitude is just more liberal media bias against family
> values and Evangelical Christians, since Lt. Sully's character is a born again
> Christian.
>
> In Christ,
>
> Nancine.
Christ "Nancine" when are you going to go troll somewhere else?
--
<*><*><*>obsidian<*><*><*>
Miluminati Night Watchman
" 'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes
out
Contagion to this world."
-Shakespeare, Hamlet-
><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
Sarah Stegall
I can't resist reading reviews. :) And replying to them.
In article <6rfo00$5r9$1...@shell3.ba.best.com>, p...@best.com (Pamela T. Pon)
quoted from FANGORIA:
> "Redux"
> ... a depressingly disappointing opener.
Agreed.
>
> "Redux II"
> ... fairly watchable. [...] The character interaction is what
> makes this a good episode, and the cast rises to the occasion.
> Even Duchovny, who spent the last season sleepwalking through his
> role, seems inspired. ...
This guy didn't watch the episode. Come on...TEN MINUTES of intercut
movieola montage???? Talk about your expository lumps in your narrative
oatmeal...
> "Unusual Suspects"
> ... perhaps the most successful of the humerous episodes this
> season (which, granted, isn't saying much).
Agreed. Unfortunately, he misses Signy Coleman's excellent performance as
Suzanne Modeski. And how can we NOT like a naked, moaning Mulder...
> "Detour"
> Arguably the best of the first batch of new episodes ... a
> streamlined story, an interesting backdrop and nicely portrayed
> characters. Spotnitz keeps the cast to a minimum and makes the
> most of his ideas, allowing the humor to flow organically from the
> situations instead of forcing it, as in the subsequent ["PMP"]
> and "Bad Blood." Particularly satisfying is the way the Florida
> background players are depicted as rural, but intelligent; there's
> none of the condescension Carter uses in these later episodes. ...
Dead on target. This was one of the first episodes to creep me out in a
long time, merely by the use of an iconographic image too little used in
horror---the monster under the bed. We saw a monster under a bed in
"Home", but this comes closer to the atavistic horror that keeps so many
children awake at night. That last shot, of glowing red eyes under the
bed, sent me off to bed with every light in the house left on.
> "Post-Modern Prometheus"
> Until "Bad Blood" arrived a few months later, ["PMP"] was the
> WORST episode ever presented on THE X-FILES, a terrible attempt
> by Carter to imitate Darin Morgan.
Apparently, for the rest of his career, any time Chris Carter attempts
anything other than straight drama he will be accused of trying to imitate
Darin Morgan. This is very unfair to a writer who, in his own way, is as
funny or better. After all, Carter started out writing teen comedies for
Disney; it's not like he's trying his hand at this for the first time. I
was extremely pleased to see Carter taking chances with his show again in
"Post Modern Prometheus", rather than settling back into the cliched
complacencies of the rest of this season.
> There is an air of sneering
> condescension in the way Carter portrays the townspeople, turning
> them into the broadest of stereotypes. The plot is nonsensical,
> the acting slapstick and the final scene thoroughly embarassing.
The final scene was funny, warm, and human. Of *course* the townspeople
were broad stereotypes; Mulder and Scully were self-parodies. The entire
episode was one long tongue-in-cheek poke at a series which refuses to
take its own mythical stature seriously.
> And the professor (named "Pollidori" -- get it?), has to be seen
> to be believed -- spouting awful dialogue without any rhyme or
> reason with scientific explanations that make no logical sense.
Sorta like Mulder and Scully, at times.
> Worst of all is that ["PMP'] was heavily touted for
> being presented in black and white, yet nowhere does Carter take
> advantage of the expressionistic qualities monochromatic film
> can lend; it looks as if Carter just elached the color out of a
> regular show.
Okay, he may have a point here. It's very difficult for an experienced
director (which Carter is not) to switch from color to black-and-white.
The demands of lighting, costuming, makeup and a hundred other technical
details, not to mention the effects on the audience's perception of the
story, change when all our visual and subliminal color cues disappear into
a wash of grey. Carter used some of the classic techniques
here--deepening the chiaroscuro shadows, strobing some scenes with
'lightning', etc. But black-and-white film, with its higher resolution,
gives a harder edge to images than we are used to seeing in color, so the
images seem sharper, clearer. This is not a good choice for a parody.
> Amazingly, Carter actually received a DGA Award
> nomination for helming this misfire.
Oh, nuts. This was a daring experiment, which if not 100% successful,
deserves at least a mention in any assessment of television in the past
year. Certainly it stacks up well against *any* episode of "ER".
> "Christmas Carol"
> Woefully predictable from the get-go, ["CC"] is doubly insulting
> because it transforms Scully, one of the most self-reliant
> characters on television, into a mewling, pitiful woman yearning
> for children. It is so out of character for Scully, and Anderson's
> performance is maudlin and harsh, bordering on the melodramatic.
Agreed on all points. I'd just as soon forget this and "Emily".
> "Emily"
> ... the wimpiest "Mulder explodes" scene EVER ...
I winced at that little "bitch-slap" of Mulder's. That doctor he was
slapping around could have taken him in one punch. Really embarrassingly
bad staging.
> "Schizogeny"
> ... highly reminiscent of the second season with its self-contained
> plot, quiet storytelling and intriguing twists.
Agreed. I enjoyed this episode quite a bit, despite having flashbacks to
J. R. R. Tolkien's Ents.
> "Chinga"
> "Chinga" has enough going for it to be a worthwhile entry,
> but it ultimately disappoints because it could've been better.
This was a totally out-of-character episode, with virtually nothing to
redeem it IMO. Hard to believe this came from the man who wrote "The
Mist", one of the finest horror stories ever penned.
> "Kill Switch"
> Simply the best episode of the season.
Which is not saying much. We all liked "Kill Switch", but if it had aired
in the second season we'd have kicked it over the wall. We liked it
because it was one of the few competent stories in an otherwise deeply
disappointing season. And it once again confirmed my own suspicion that
William Gibson can only write one story--Neuromancer--over and over and
over and over.
> "Bad Blood"
> "Bad Blood" is arguably the worst episode since "3,"
Since I gave "3" five out of five sunflower seeds, it's obvious I'm not
going to agree with much of what the reviewer says here. I thought Bad
Blood was pretty darn awful, an amazing slip up for Gilligan, but not the
worst episode of the season. The only thing that redeemed this one for me
was the chance to see the leads through one another's eyes. That, and
Mulder singing the theme from "Shaft".
> "Patient X"
> ... may very well be the best Conspiracy story since the "731" arc
> "The Red and the Black"
> ... Excellent performances by Anderson (who has both a spooky
> hypnosis scene and a wonderfully understated dialogue about trust
> with Mulder), Lea and especially Owens ...
> ... what conspiracy episodes SHOULD be.
Pretty much agreed here, but I am getting very tired of "conspiracy"
stories on the whole. I groan whenever one looms on my television
horizon. What new unsolvable and ultimately meaningless "revelations" are
we in for now? I'm so tired of the tease on these "mythology" arcs that I
much prefer the standalone stories now. And the "hypnosis" scene was as
embarrassing as anything I've seen on The X-Files. I don't mind watching
Scully lose control (the way she did in 'Beyond the Sea'), but this was
awful. *wince*
> "Travelers"
> ... plays like an unofficial crossover with the NBC series DARK
> SKIES ... an interesting attempt to fill in more of the
> series' backstory, but it could have been a world better.
It stunk on ice. What a total waste of Darren McGavin's presence. The
writing is so bad on this one that even Duchovny feels free to play silly
pranks on the story. He's gone on record as saying he hates
self-referencing scripts or in-jokes, but here he goes and plays one on us
out of sheer boredom and frustration. Bad sign.
> "Mind's Eye"
> ... Duchovny's performance is also
> noteworthy, being surprisingly subtle and emotional. ...
An interesting exercise in point-of-view, no pun intended, but
predictable. Strictly mediocre.
> "All Souls"
> Many of the best FILES have dealt with religious themes, and ["AS"]
> is no exception. Even though the continuation of "Dana Scully,
> Whimpering Martyr" that mars the first act is grating, this
> episode manages to be satisfyingly complex, with a strong sense
> of wonder throughout. ... Because this script takes its time,
> it is more effective in conveying Scully's fear and pain than the
> bloated "Emily" arc. ["AS"] treads old ground for the series,
> but does so in an effective, subdued and entertaining way.
Subdued, all right. As in, invisible. This was, for me, one of the three
worst episodes of the season. As soon as I realized it was about
*angels*, for godsake, I cringed. I knew it was inevitable that the
series would try to exploit the popular sentimental obsession with angels,
but this was just plain silly. My only sense of wonder was why Carter
refuses to hire fresh writing talent. Not that there's anything
particularly wrong with the writers he has, but this one was evidence of
too many scripts assigned to too few writers.
> "The Pine Bluff Variant"
> There is no reason for this story to be an X-FILES episode.
So what? "Irresistible" is also not a paranormal episode, and it's one of
the creepiest fan favorites out there.
> Shiban never
> creates any sort of suspense or paranoia in this by-the-book
> scenario, and Bowman does the best he can; while adequately acted,
> ["PBV"] just runs in place.
Give points to Shiban for not introducing any killer kitties or yellow
rain into this one. I was grateful to see the skill that marked "The
Walk", his first script for X-Files, back on screen. I thought this was a
well-written, workmanlike episode, with solid plotting, a fair level of
paranoia (has Mulder sold out? we know he hasn't, but the explanation is
not easy to guess, either), and some fine spooky moments involving the
theatre.
I should mention, however, that the lack of diversity in the talent pool
for the X-Files backfired for me here. I recognized Michael MacRae
('August Bremer') immediately as the ranger from "Jersey Devil", and the
dissonance that set up kept throwing me off throughout the show. I was
wondering if Doug Hutchinson was going to show up next as an FBI lab tech
or something.
> "Folie a Deux"
> With this bizarre, Cronenberg-esque sstory, Gilligan re-establishes
> himself as one of the better writers currently working on X-FILES.
> ... an effective piece of work that allows Gilligan to be forgiven
> his missteps this season. [!!!]
Gilligan had no need to re-establish himself as anything. This was
without question my favorite episode of season five. I have not been so
actually SCARED of what I was seeing onscreen since "Squeeze" aired. The
hair stood up on the back of my neck when Mulder stood in that doorway
while something ran across the *ceiling* behind him. Ye gods. I just
about jumped off the couch when the "bug" crawled across the hospital
ceiling to get him. I don't know if Gilligan was trying for a horror
version of Kafka's "Metamorphosis", but it certainly set up a few
resonances for me! And Brian Markinson walked away with acting honors on
this one. Every step of this episode rang true to me, even the giant
"bug", which, true to X-Files first season rules, we never saw clearly
enough to laugh at. Gilligan reminds us that the best monsters are those
we only see out of the corners of our eyes.
> "The End"
> ... the thread that's supposed to be the most important one
> -- dealing with the telepathic boy -- comes off as the most
> disposable, as all it does is allow for plugs for Fox cartoons.
> ... While no "Erlenmeyer Flask," "The End" is quite a bit better
> than "Gethsemane" and a worthwhile effort.
That's not saying much, since "Gethsemane" was one of the most
disappointing episodes ever. "The End" does no better at leaving us in
'suspense'. I was too taken up with the stupidity of Agent Fowley's
behavior in the face of a warning about a "man with a gun". This agent,
supposedly trained and experienced in terrorist tactics, exposes herself
as a target while acting as SOLE guardian of an important witness. Dumb,
dumb, dumb. A more obvious plot device I can't imagine. The only scene I
really liked in this movie was the last one, with Mulder and Scully facing
the ruin of five years of their work. *That* moment affected me. The
forty five minutes preceding it were, as he says here, entirely
disposable.
> (article by Anthony C. Ferrante):
>
> "We're starting to put together how the movie will lead into next
> season," says [CC]. "Right now, we're figuring out how to reopen
> the X Files.
Why didn't they know how they were going to reopen the X-Files in May of
1998, when they shut them down? And weren't the files "reopened" at the
end of "Fight the Future"? But then, they've won the Not Paying Attention
To Details award so often over at 1013 they should retire the trophy.
> The movie has now set
> certain answers in stone, and we have to deal with that." [...]
Oh, sure. Baby, NOTHING is set in stone, not in the movie, not in the
series. If we've learned nothing else in five years of watching Scully's
apartment undergo a weekly metamorphosis, Samantha's name change at
random, and solid characters disappear at the drop of a contract dispute,
it's that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. It's Carter's personal mantra, and
reviewers would do well to keep it in mind.
> "It's obvious that the show will change ... We'll have a new crew
> and a new environment to shoot in. ....We'll tell
> stories that we might not have been able to do in Vancouver."
Let's hope so. Urban mysteries strike closer to my heart than odd
happenings in deep woods. "Squeeze" terrified me; I'm as afraid of home
invasion as any other city dweller. "Ice" didn't threaten me at all.
However, the flip side of this is that Mulder and Scully are more
effective when they are *isolated* from all help. It's possible to do
this psychologically (no one believes/helps them) or even in a semi-urban
environment (as in "Home"), but it will be a real challenge to do it in
LA. At least in the LA area Carter will be able to reproduce the most
"isolating" moment of the movie---Mulder and Scully in a car on a road in
the middle of nowhere, lost in the vastness of the American desert.
That's one scene they can't shoot in Vancouver.
> The main dilemma, however, is how to address the now
> obvious physical attraction Mulder and Scully began expressing
> in the movie. "We've talked from the beginning about how
> a relationship wouldn't work in the series," says [GA].
> "It will be interesting to see how people feel after seeing the
> movie with that extra zing in there, and whether it should or
> shouldn't influence how we are with each other next season."
I didn't see any more zing in the movie than I saw in "Tooms" or "Memento
Mori". And my money's on the writers totally ignoring the events of the
movie. Period.
> While David Duchovny is pleased by the show's success,
{snip}
This whole piece only confirms what I've always thought--that Duchovny is
a man who speaks his mind, whether it is politic or not. Probably Dennis
Franz and Anthony Edwards are tired of YEARS of work on the same shows,
but since they're part of an ensemble team their workload is lighter. And
they don't go blabbing their dissatisfaction to the press.
> While the slate of directors is still up in the air
> (many FILES veterans are still debating whether to make the move
> to LA or stick around in Vancouver and work on MILLENNIUM), ...
I find this really hard to believe. The X-Files has made and is making TV
history. Millennium is on a par with "Poltergeist: The Legacy" and "Outer
Limits"--bush league horror leaning heavily to gore and degradation. No
sane director would pass up "The X-Files".
> You hope
> that professionalism will win out, but when someone is personally
> connected to a show, you get different results." [...]
I love this. So "professionalism" is the stick they're going to use to
beat the unions into line? Good luck. It will be interesting to see how
X-Files manages to deal with the fact that they are no longer the
600-pound gorilla, when they have to vie with "ER" and "Frasier" and other
top shows for top talent.
> ... Carter will also have a larger role in MILLENNIUM this year,
> claiming he will give the show "a franchise it previously lacked."
While I'm glad to see CC is committed to both his shows, it's not like
Morgan and Wong were chopped liver.
> From the David Nutter article by Steve Newton:
>
>
> [Of the] X-FILES he directed, he's most proud of "Beyond the Sea,"
> "Ice" and "Irresistible."
As well he should be. But how can he not mention his superb work on "Clyde
Bruckman's Final Repose", which got an Emmy? Or "Little Green Men", which
in my mind is the definitive X-File? And it was his sure touch (along with
JBartley's outstanding cinematography) that made "3" such a feast for the
eyes.
> "I was pretty lucky on many of the X-FILES episodes ... 'cause
> they were written so well that basically it was my job to just
> come in and shoot 'em."
He is too modest. Case in point--the close up at the conclusion of
Mulder's scene with Sen. Matheson in "Little Green Men". The script does
not call for the close-up, that's the director's call. It was Nutter,
master of the close-up, who shot that fabulous two-shot when Matheson says
"Contact" and turns away, leaving Mulder staring into wonder and awe and
fear and apprehension...
> At this point in his career, Nutter isn't sure if
> he'll direct any more FILES in the future, but he certainly has
> enjoyed working with head honcho Chris Carter over the years.
> "Chris is a friend ... and we've always had such a wonderful
> relationship on the creative side. He has always been there
> to guide me, he trusts me and he's someone who respects when
> you're working hard. He brings the best out of me."
Nutter always brings out the best in Anderson ("Irresistible") and
Duchovny ("Beyond the Sea"). God, I miss that man. I wish he would come
back to The X-Files.
Thanks for posting all this, Pamela.
--
Sarah Stegall www.munchkyn.com munc...@munchkyn.com
Often wrong, but never in doubt.
Sarah Stegall
Charnow) wrote:
> Again, I ask: If *everyone* watched Dark Skies, why was it cancelled?
Because a wise deity decreed that Eric Close deserved a better gig in
"Magnificent Seven"? :D
Sarah
MagSeven fan
Sarah Stegall
wrote:
> Pamela T. Pon wrote:
> >
> > From the review, written by Thomas Deja:
> >
> > There were as many mediocre to downright awful episodes this past
> > season as good ones -- including two Darin Morgan imitations
> > ("Post-Modern Prometheus"
>
> Post Modern Prometheus was autobiographical. This bleedin' jughead
> doesn't get it, either. In no way was PMP like a Darin Morgan script.
>
I don't understand. In what way was PMP autobiographical? You think Chris
was dissecting his own childhood here? This is new idea to me. I'd like
to hear more.
Sarah Stegall
dee...@saturn.superlink.net (deering) wrote:
> laura capozzola (laur...@erols.com) wrote:
> RE "Post-Modern Prometheus"
>
> : Hellllooooo!!! You exaggerate perceived characteristics in order to
> : make the joke in a story like this, you bleedin' bleephead...or should
> : CC just turn in all of the award nominations because some hack critic
> : got a brain wedgie?
>
>
> Please. He's _right_ on the money, here. There are ways to exaggerate
> characteristics and still show affection/respect for the characters (see
> any Preston Sturges movie. Or any Darin Morgan ep.--g!). PMP made almost
> every single townsperson into an idiot or ignorant clod (except for Izzy's
> mom, and that was due more to the actress than the writing), and that kind
> of generalizing is the _worst_ kind of "rural areas are
> Joe Lunchbox/flyover/hick turf" condescension. :PPPPPPP
>
I don't think so. The whole episode implied that many of the townspeople
were, in fact, hybrid crosses between farm animals and humans. Hence the
many cutaway shots between the townsfolk and farm animals during The Great
Mutato's speech at the end. I don't think this was meant as metaphor, it
was meant literally (this is, after all, science fiction). It's not even
a new idea; Jules Verne used it in "The Island of Dr. Moreau". It is not
condescension to be presenting these ideas in a context which questions
what, ultimately, defines us as "human". Is it outward appearance? Some
genetic characteristic unique to homo sapiens? Is it in the character or
in the outward appearance we see humanity reflected? I submit that Post
Modern Prometheus is a much more profound and multilayered episode than
people give it credit for.
Sarah Stegall
wrote:
> Pamela T. Pon <p...@best.com> wrote:
> >"Until 'Bad Blood' arrived a few months later, 'Post-Modern Prometheus'
> >was the WORST episode ever presented on THE X-FILES." -- FANGORIA
> >
> >The September 1998 issue of the UK magazine FANGORIA (#176) has an
> >8-page season 5 review with is at times as outrageous than DREAMWATCH's.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Dear God!
>
> I think I'll just crawl into a hole and die now.
>
> please do not email * please POST replies * i've crawled into a hole to die
Why? My goodness, Pam, you are one of the most literate posters to the
group! Don't be embarrassed by a minor slipup like this.
Sarah Stegall
jesus...@aol.com (JesusCumin) wrote:
> MFLuder>>I stopped reading at this point. I knew that someone who could deem
> the
> wonderful and *human* characterization we got from CCarol as showing Scully as
> a "pitiful" woman, wasn't worth my time to read the rest of his
critiques. So,
> now that she's shown the need to have children I guess we can't call her
> self-reliant? Please.<<
>
> What a great, salient point! I couldn't agree more!!!!! Showing Lt. Sully's
> "softer, feminine" side makes her a fully rounded character!!!!! I
figure this
> anti-family values attitude is just more liberal media bias against family
> values and Evangelical Christians, since Lt. Sully's character is a born again
> Christian.
>
> In Christ,
>
> Nancine.
*Lieutenant Sully?* Yeah, I can tell you really read this show closely.
Whatever happened to "family values" like literacy? Use some other show
as a springboard for your not-very-subtle propaganda, pal. Like "Touched
By An Angel".
Sarah Stegall
Sean Carroll
>
> > "Redux"
> > ... a depressingly disappointing opener.
>
> Agreed.
Disagreed.
> >
> > "Redux II"
> > ... fairly watchable. [...] The character interaction is what
> > makes this a good episode, and the cast rises to the occasion.
> > Even Duchovny, who spent the last season sleepwalking through his
> > role, seems inspired. ...
>
> This guy didn't watch the episode. Come on...TEN MINUTES of intercut
> movieola montage???? Talk about your expository lumps in your narrative
> oatmeal...
"Redux 2" is one of those rare dramatic tours de force that make me well
up with tears and want to watch it again. Much more than "fairly
watchable", and the several *seconds* I saw of flashbacks to old
episodes only increased the dramatic impact and retrospective nostalgia
of the episode.
> > "Christmas Carol"
> > Woefully predictable from the get-go, ["CC"] is doubly insulting
> > because it transforms Scully, one of the most self-reliant
> > characters on television, into a mewling, pitiful woman yearning
> > for children. It is so out of character for Scully, and Anderson's
> > performance is maudlin and harsh, bordering on the melodramatic.
>
> Agreed on all points. I'd just as soon forget this and "Emily".
I disagree. Sure, there were bad points, mainly the overridiculously
torturous emotional disemboweling of Sculy, but these eps drew me in and
touched my heart, and Gillian's performance makes me completely forget
that there are legitimate negative criticisms of the eps.
> > "Schizogeny"
> > ... highly reminiscent of the second season with its self-contained
> > plot, quiet storytelling and intriguing twists.
>
> Agreed. I enjoyed this episode quite a bit, despite having flashbacks to
> J. R. R. Tolkien's Ents.
Except that it totally had nothing to do with Scully and Mulder and
played like an after-school TV movie.
> > "Chinga"
> > "Chinga" has enough going for it to be a worthwhile entry,
> > but it ultimately disappoints because it could've been better.
>
> This was a totally out-of-character episode, with virtually nothing to
> redeem it IMO. Hard to believe this came from the man who wrote "The
> Mist", one of the finest horror stories ever penned.
Whatever else was right or wrong with this ep, Scully's bathtub scene
redeems it more than enough for me.
> > "Kill Switch"
> > Simply the best episode of the season.
>
> Which is not saying much. We all liked "Kill Switch", but if it had aired
> in the second season we'd have kicked it over the wall. We liked it
> because it was one of the few competent stories in an otherwise deeply
> disappointing season.
I was not at all disappointed in Season 5. Redux 2, exempli gratia, was
my 3rd favorite episode of all time in a series that I find hard to
discover a single bad episode in.
> > "Patient X"
> > ... may very well be the best Conspiracy story since the "731" arc
> > "The Red and the Black"
> > ... Excellent performances by Anderson (who has both a spooky
> > hypnosis scene and a wonderfully understated dialogue about trust
> > with Mulder), Lea and especially Owens ...
> > ... what conspiracy episodes SHOULD be.
>
> Pretty much agreed here, but I am getting very tired of "conspiracy"
> stories on the whole. I groan whenever one looms on my television
> horizon. What new unsolvable and ultimately meaningless "revelations" are
> we in for now? I'm so tired of the tease on these "mythology" arcs that I
> much prefer the standalone stories now.
I can't wait to see what new twists, aliens, conspiracies, and
Mulder/Krycek/Marita/CSM stuff each upcoming mytharc has in store
courtesy of Chris and Frank. My top 10 episodes are virtually all
mytharc, from all 5 seasons. Very few mytharcs have ever disappointed me
-- the few that spring to mind are probably Herrenvolk, Tempus
Fugit/Max, Zero Sum, Gethsemane, *slightly* CC/Emily, Patient X (though
not TRatB), and The End.
> > "Mind's Eye"
> > ... Duchovny's performance is also
> > noteworthy, being surprisingly subtle and emotional. ...
>
> An interesting exercise in point-of-view, no pun intended, but
> predictable. Strictly mediocre.
Episode like this that prove this show is drama and not sci-fi never
fail to make it among my favorites.
> > "All Souls"
<snip>
I'm not even energetic enough to *touch* this ep right now.
--Sean
OBSSE
PAST #24
Desk #522
League of OBSSE Noromos (LOON)
Department Head for Agent Pendrell Studies, X-Files University
General Reference Representative for Episode Clarity, XFU Learning
Assistance Center
SundaeGirls Fanclub
Self-Absorbed Ass (SAA)
Sean Carroll
>
> I disagree. Sure, there were bad points, mainly the overridiculously
> torturous emotional disemboweling of Sculy,
Shoot me now before I start calling myself Sean "Carol".
Sean Carroll
>
> Rumor has it that Sean Carroll put forth the following:
>
> >Moments ago dumb old me wrote:
> >>
> >> I disagree. Sure, there were bad points, mainly the overridiculously
> >> torturous emotional disemboweling of Sculy,
> > ^^^^^
> >
> >Shoot me now before I start calling myself Sean "Carol".
>
> know), but then decided to cut the weekend warrior a break. ;-P
No, I deserve to get my ass kicked on that one. That's like misspelling
your own wife's or high-school sweetheart's name, for crying out loud!!
Thankfully, at least, it was a typo and not a mental thing ... It's
kinda like the way I very often mistype "Mulder" as "Mukder" and then
correct it ;)
Sickleweed
: Hank wrote:
: >
: > Rumor has it that Sean Carroll put forth the following:
: >
: > >Moments ago dumb old me wrote:
: > >>
: > >> I disagree. Sure, there were bad points, mainly the overridiculously
: > >> torturous emotional disemboweling of Sculy,
: > > ^^^^^
: > >
: > >Shoot me now before I start calling myself Sean "Carol".
: >
: > Well, I *was* going to say something (I loathe poor spelling, you
: > know), but then decided to cut the weekend warrior a break. ;-P
: No, I deserve to get my ass kicked on that one. That's like misspelling
: your own wife's or high-school sweetheart's name, for crying out loud!!
: Thankfully, at least, it was a typo and not a mental thing ... It's
: kinda like the way I very often mistype "Mulder" as "Mukder" and then
: correct it ;)
"Mukder" That made me guffaw for some reason. Hmm...but seriously, I don't
think I've seen anyone screw up his name that way YET.
: --Sean
: OBSSE
: PAST #24
: Desk #522
: League of OBSSE Noromos (LOON)
: Department Head for Agent Pendrell Studies, X-Files University
: General Reference Representative for Episode Clarity, XFU Learning
: Assistance Center
: SundaeGirls Fanclub
: Self-Absorbed Ass (SAA)
--
Sickleweed
**********
**********
"Mulder, you're gonna need me in here. Don't touch me again."--Krycek
"Y'know, his fly's undone." --Scully
"Are you insinuating something?" --Mulder
"If you could work the phrase -Rat's Ass- in there, you'd
have it." --Niles Crane
"Oooooh, that's gotta hurt!" --Ash
"There is no cause for alarm...but there probably will be."--Brain
"You're really enjoying this aren't you, you sick
bastard..." --Bill McNeal
"This son of a bitch is really beginning to irk me." --Lucas Buck
***********
Come and explore The Trinity Guardian at http://www.best.com/~owls, a
great and exciting website devoted to the show American Gothic!
xfans2
Sickleweed wrote:
>Sickleweed
>**********
>**********
>"Mulder, you're gonna need me in here. Don't touch me again."--Krycek
>"Y'know, his fly's undone." --Scully
>"Are you insinuating something?" --Mulder
>"If you could work the phrase -Rat's Ass- in there, you'd
> have it." --Niles Crane
>"Oooooh, that's gotta hurt!" --Ash
>"There is no cause for alarm...but there probably will be."--Brain
>"You're really enjoying this aren't you, you sick
> bastard..." --Bill McNeal
>"This son of a bitch is really beginning to irk me." --Lucas Buck
>***********
>Come and explore The Trinity Guardian at http://www.best.com/~owls, a
>great and exciting website devoted to the show American Gothic!
Dang!!! And I thought *my* sig was long!!!!
Sarah Stegall
<se...@phoenixat.com> wrote:
> > > "Christmas Carol"
> I disagree. Sure, there were bad points, mainly the overridiculously
> torturous emotional disemboweling of Sculy, but these eps drew me in and
> touched my heart, and Gillian's performance makes me completely forget
> that there are legitimate negative criticisms of the eps.
I think what most annoyed me about the Christmas Carol/Emily arc was that
it was purest soap opera. Only the week before CC debuted, I'd remarked
to a friend jokingly that the series had used every device of classic soap
opera--amnesia, coma, fatal illness miraculously cured, etc.--except for
the long-lost child and the secret former spouse. To my great
disappointment, the Christmas Carol/Emily arc took care of the first
cliche and Travelers brought in the second.
> > > "Chinga"
>
> Whatever else was right or wrong with this ep, Scully's bathtub scene
> redeems it more than enough for me.
LOL!!! Well, I'll give you "Chinga" if you'll give me "3". Deal?
Sean Carroll
>
> Sean Carroll (se...@phoenixat.com) wrote:
> : Hank wrote:
> : >
> : > Rumor has it that Sean Carroll put forth the following:
> : >
> : > >Moments ago dumb old me wrote:
> : > >>
> : > >> torturous emotional disemboweling of Sculy,
> : > >
> : > >Shoot me now before I start calling myself Sean "Carol".
> : >
> : > Well, I *was* going to say something (I loathe poor spelling, you
> : > know), but then decided to cut the weekend warrior a break. ;-P
>
> : No, I deserve to get my ass kicked on that one. That's like misspelling
> : your own wife's or high-school sweetheart's name, for crying out loud!!
> : Thankfully, at least, it was a typo and not a mental thing ... It's
> : kinda like the way I very often mistype "Mulder" as "Mukder" and then
> : correct it ;)
>
> "Mukder" That made me guffaw for some reason. Hmm...but seriously, I don't
> think I've seen anyone screw up his name that way YET.
It's only because the "l" and the "k" are right next to each other on
the QWERTY keyboard.
Sean Carroll
>
> In article <35E0C134...@phoenixat.com>, Sean Carroll
> <se...@phoenixat.com> wrote:
>
> > > > "Christmas Carol"
>
> > touched my heart, and Gillian's performance makes me completely forget
> > that there are legitimate negative criticisms of the eps.
>
> I think what most annoyed me about the Christmas Carol/Emily arc was that
> it was purest soap opera. Only the week before CC debuted, I'd remarked
> to a friend jokingly that the series had used every device of classic soap
> opera--amnesia, coma, fatal illness miraculously cured, etc.--except for
> the long-lost child and the secret former spouse. To my great
> disappointment, the Christmas Carol/Emily arc took care of the first
> cliche and Travelers brought in the second.
Like I said, legitimate criticisms of the ep -- but Gillian makes me
completely forget there's anything wrong with the plot. Hell, it could
have no plot whatsoever and Gillian's acting could still make it one of
my favorite eps.
> > > > "Chinga"
>
> >
> > Whatever else was right or wrong with this ep, Scully's bathtub scene
> > redeems it more than enough for me.
>
> LOL!!! Well, I'll give you "Chinga" if you'll give me "3". Deal?
Deal. ;)
Coleen Sullivan-Baier
munc...@munchkyn.com (Sarah Stegall) writes:
>
Only the week before CC debuted, I'd remarked
>to a friend jokingly that the series had used every device of classic
>soap opera--amnesia, coma, fatal illness miraculously cured,
>etc.--except for the long-lost child and the secret former spouse. To
>my great disappointment, the Christmas Carol/Emily arc took care of
>the first cliche and Travelers brought in the second.
No one whose body we didn't see has returned from the dead yet.
I vote Pendrell.
XXXXXXXXXXXXgizzieXXXXXXXXXXXX
Matt Hale
>
> I think what most annoyed me about the Christmas Carol/Emily arc was that
> to a friend jokingly that the series had used every device of classic soap
> opera--amnesia, coma, fatal illness miraculously cured, etc.--except for
> the long-lost child and the secret former spouse. To my great
> disappointment, the Christmas Carol/Emily arc took care of the first
> cliche and Travelers brought in the second.
>
I honestly wonder if this is deliberate. The X-Files is always playing
with sci-fi clichés and it seems quite natural, to me, that it would do
the same thing with soap operas. The X-Files takes the form of sci-fi
show and soap opera but is really neither. It ignores science too much
to be sci-fi and is far too quiet, understated and intelligent to be a
soap opera.
I loved the XMC/Emily arc but I don't really watch for the story or the
overall structure and I can forgive clichés especially when they're
presented in a context in which the fact that they are clichés is
acknowledged. I watch for character moments and the details and I think
there were a lot of wonderful moments.
I actually like Emily more than XMC (I think I'm totally alone here).
I, as did many of us, feared what was to come the week after XMC but
Emily surprised me in a very positive way by avoiding some of the
clichés that I expected and presenting a difficult subject matter in a
difficult way. There was no sympathetic judge that gave Scully custody
at the last minute, the child care worker was not presented as a bad guy
(she was genuinely concerned about Emily and questions as to whether
Scully was doing what was best were presented as totally valid and, I
think, remain valid after the show has ended) and, most important, there
was no magic, instant mother-daughter bond between Scully and Emily.
Scully wasn't sure how to feel or behave and Emily was terrified and
there was no big, sappy moment at the end where they come to terms with
each other before it's too late. Over and over, the writers reminded us
that Mrs. Sim was Emily's mother and Scully is a stranger with good
intentions but only a technical connection that Scully is trying to make
real because she feel likes she's supposed to.
I think the X-Files did to soap opera clichés just what it does to
sci-fi clichés: it took the form but brought them down to a human scale.
This is how I feel. I know I'm pretty alone here and I can understand
some of the criticisms (and agree with a few of them, no episode is
perfect, and I definitely wish the plotting had been tighter especially
where the mytharc stuff is concerned) but I think it's often more harsh
than the episode deserves.
Matt Hale
hale...@earthlink.net
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~halematt
Thierry Nguyen
"xfans2" <xfa...@deathtospammers.net> allegedly ran up to him and
started ranting and raving the following "manifesto":
>Dang!!! And I thought *my* sig was long!!!!
Tsk tsk tsk, you have not seen long sigs until you read
alt.games.final-fantasy. I'd post an example one, but I assume people
will be flaming me arse off for wasting such bandwidth...
--
Thierry Nguyen
Mere Media Minion
"This writing business, pencils and whatnot. Over-rated if you ask me." -Eeyore