The X-Files 3x10: 731
Jul. 3rd, 2019 09:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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tori_reviewsThe X-Files 3x10: 731
That seemed like a much better episode than the first half was, although structurally it’s definitely got issues. And I’m not sure I followed parts of it as far as plots and motivations, I still can’t figure out what was up with NSA-guy for example, but it was a decent ride while it was going on.
This seemed less ground shaking than most mytharc episodes, didn’t move the dial that much or reveal much of the greater picture. Which if we got more than half a dozen arc episodes a season I wouldn’t mind, but when they only remember the arc exists every so often, I’d like them to have more weight than this. Of course they can’t move the dial that far since they don’t have an end point nor do they want the characters to get there, and they definitely don’t want to move Scully off her sceptic position which if they actually allowed character development and gave any answers they might have to do (until Mulder leaves and they have to suddenly changer her around).
Hmm, I think there might be some of my old bitterness around the arc on this show coming through.
In spite of that, this is perhaps one of the better versions of keeping Scully from seeing anything. They gave her an answer, one that her rational brain can handle and seems a big enough deal to have had all this cover-up around it. As much as I would rather see her allowed to progress as a character instead of glued to the status quo, at least they justify her taking this side and not changing her mindset this time.
It may not have moved very much of the big story, but it was a fine episode story, the tension was maintained and the writing fine if unambitious. I do have some problems with Scully’s behavior late in the episode, as she knows there’s little time left to get to Mulder and all her avenues aside from the video are not going to be able to move in time to do any good. For that matter I had to roll my eyes a bit at her earlier in the episode since she’s taken months to look into the chip question, and now she’s so invested that she drives off the West Virginia in the middle of the night while one would expect her focus to be on looking for a way to help Mulder who she’s been told is in grave danger.
I really wish there were going to be consequences for the various things that happen here; and maybe there will be, but when the story feels like it when it’s largely been forgotten about. Funny that this show that proposes such a massive government conspiracy that has so many parts and so much influence, could also been seen as a condemnation of the government being slow moving and failing to react to problems in a timely fashion. On one hand it needs all the coordination to pull these things off, but it lets problems run around for ages before responding because the plot only allowed to respond every so often.
It seems I don’t have much to say (although several questions to go); it was a pretty confined episode and since I felt I wasn’t understanding a lot of it I’m not going be able to break it down. It wasn’t really character driven, it was more an action plot; and it did a fine job at that, but again doesn’t give me a lot to say.
Previous status
Also, obviously never seen before
Are we saying it’s aliens?
Mulder sure thinks so or at least they’re involved, and the Syndicate rep is very clearly saying no (not that we trust him). So, we’re kind of saying it’s aliens, but that it might not be.
How crazy does Mulder sound?
You know, if NSA-guy wasn’t in on all this, suggesting to him that they were transporting an alien hybrid would sound pretty crazy.
Scully’s convenient miss of the week
Since they don’t see each other until the end of the episode, she misses everything Mulder sees and hears, and is actually fed a story that makes sense to her so probably assumes Mulder hears what he wants to hear.
The gang that’s here
I thought that might be Pendrall last episode, but he’s not really a character I remember so much as I remember that he was a character for a while (and tended to show up or at least be mentioned in fanfic); here I caught the name, we’ll see if I recognize him in the future. That one Syndicate guy shows up (I think his ‘name’ the First Elder or something, because they decided not to call him Heavyset Man). Smokey shows up for a few seconds at the end. Mr. X has things to do and doesn’t die as I expected; though continuing to not have him interact with Mulder at this stage (when Mulder is conscious) feels maybe deliberate, like they had made the decision back when they had that line about Mulder not seeing him anymore that X was going to die but they haven’t gotten around to doing it yet; or I could reading too much into it since it’s what I’ve been expecting.
Drop the catchphrase
Justifying the title card change, Scully does explain how apology is policy.
Kill counts
Scully totally gets people killed. Definitely the guy out in the woods with her and probably the rest of the lepers too; good job Scully. Also X kills NSA-guy.
That seemed like a much better episode than the first half was, although structurally it’s definitely got issues. And I’m not sure I followed parts of it as far as plots and motivations, I still can’t figure out what was up with NSA-guy for example, but it was a decent ride while it was going on.
This seemed less ground shaking than most mytharc episodes, didn’t move the dial that much or reveal much of the greater picture. Which if we got more than half a dozen arc episodes a season I wouldn’t mind, but when they only remember the arc exists every so often, I’d like them to have more weight than this. Of course they can’t move the dial that far since they don’t have an end point nor do they want the characters to get there, and they definitely don’t want to move Scully off her sceptic position which if they actually allowed character development and gave any answers they might have to do (until Mulder leaves and they have to suddenly changer her around).
Hmm, I think there might be some of my old bitterness around the arc on this show coming through.
In spite of that, this is perhaps one of the better versions of keeping Scully from seeing anything. They gave her an answer, one that her rational brain can handle and seems a big enough deal to have had all this cover-up around it. As much as I would rather see her allowed to progress as a character instead of glued to the status quo, at least they justify her taking this side and not changing her mindset this time.
It may not have moved very much of the big story, but it was a fine episode story, the tension was maintained and the writing fine if unambitious. I do have some problems with Scully’s behavior late in the episode, as she knows there’s little time left to get to Mulder and all her avenues aside from the video are not going to be able to move in time to do any good. For that matter I had to roll my eyes a bit at her earlier in the episode since she’s taken months to look into the chip question, and now she’s so invested that she drives off the West Virginia in the middle of the night while one would expect her focus to be on looking for a way to help Mulder who she’s been told is in grave danger.
I really wish there were going to be consequences for the various things that happen here; and maybe there will be, but when the story feels like it when it’s largely been forgotten about. Funny that this show that proposes such a massive government conspiracy that has so many parts and so much influence, could also been seen as a condemnation of the government being slow moving and failing to react to problems in a timely fashion. On one hand it needs all the coordination to pull these things off, but it lets problems run around for ages before responding because the plot only allowed to respond every so often.
It seems I don’t have much to say (although several questions to go); it was a pretty confined episode and since I felt I wasn’t understanding a lot of it I’m not going be able to break it down. It wasn’t really character driven, it was more an action plot; and it did a fine job at that, but again doesn’t give me a lot to say.
Previous status
Also, obviously never seen before
Are we saying it’s aliens?
Mulder sure thinks so or at least they’re involved, and the Syndicate rep is very clearly saying no (not that we trust him). So, we’re kind of saying it’s aliens, but that it might not be.
How crazy does Mulder sound?
You know, if NSA-guy wasn’t in on all this, suggesting to him that they were transporting an alien hybrid would sound pretty crazy.
Scully’s convenient miss of the week
Since they don’t see each other until the end of the episode, she misses everything Mulder sees and hears, and is actually fed a story that makes sense to her so probably assumes Mulder hears what he wants to hear.
The gang that’s here
I thought that might be Pendrall last episode, but he’s not really a character I remember so much as I remember that he was a character for a while (and tended to show up or at least be mentioned in fanfic); here I caught the name, we’ll see if I recognize him in the future. That one Syndicate guy shows up (I think his ‘name’ the First Elder or something, because they decided not to call him Heavyset Man). Smokey shows up for a few seconds at the end. Mr. X has things to do and doesn’t die as I expected; though continuing to not have him interact with Mulder at this stage (when Mulder is conscious) feels maybe deliberate, like they had made the decision back when they had that line about Mulder not seeing him anymore that X was going to die but they haven’t gotten around to doing it yet; or I could reading too much into it since it’s what I’ve been expecting.
Drop the catchphrase
Justifying the title card change, Scully does explain how apology is policy.
Kill counts
Scully totally gets people killed. Definitely the guy out in the woods with her and probably the rest of the lepers too; good job Scully. Also X kills NSA-guy.
