The X Files-6ABX11:Two Fathers

Written by Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz

Directed by Kim Manners

In a deleted scene from a Halloween episode of The Simpsons, there occurred a small subplot whereby Lionel Hutz Attorney At Law promised the famous yellow family that if he lost their court case against Devil Ned Flanders, he would refund them with a pizza. It turned out the pizza box was empty. In some ways The X Files:Fight the Future was the pizza. Oh, sure, it was a great movie (did you check out my review, it was full of superlatives), but in some respects it was like Lionel Hutz's promise of a pizza. We were promised answers and we didn't get any, but hey, it was all great fun and delivered a massive dose of emotional, blockbuster, thrilling entertainment. Eleven episodes into season six, The X Files finally delivers the pizza. Two Fathers and the second part, One Son, are about to deliver something very special. High end cheese, the best tomato sauce, gorgeous pepperoni, tasty onions and nicely thin slice ham. Or, in other words, answers. Lots and lots of answers.

The first thing to do is to applaud the chef, or chefs in this case and so one should give a big round of applause to Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz who are juggling a lot of ingredients here (okay, I'll stop with the pizza preparation metaphors). The mythology has become very packed over the last two seasons and moved beyond being simply Mulder and Scully's story, with characters like The CSM being given his own complicated family history and the conspiracy itself moving beyond being simply an "us versus them" plot line taking in sixty years of American history and intergalactic plot to take over the world. It's all very far fetched. It's also damn fine television. 

Everyone, and I do mean everyone, gets their moment to shine here. With the series not focusing as much on the mythology as in previous years and the show's tone becoming more whimsical and quirky, it's become apparent that Carter and Spotnitz are putting the eggs into one basket here, and throwing all the mythology elements they have planned for the season into these two episodes. Cassandra is back, Spender gets his biggest role in the show to date, the CSM shows layers we've never seen before and before things get too muddled, Carter and Spotnitz, bravely, write Mulder and Scully aside, have them suspended from the FBI and proceed to focus on Jeffrey and his father, the Smoking Man, now given the moniker CGB Spender. 

This has all the potential to be a mess and instead it's one of the crowning achievements of  season six, best of all it's an example of The X Files wonderful ability to never be the one type of show. In a season full of light and humour, this could stick out like a sore thumb and yet in some ways I think the show has blindsided us brilliantly in season six, having fun for the most part and then having us bite our nails in suspense as Mulder and Scully are unceremoniously dumped from the FBI at the hands of Spender, The Syndicate is infiltrated by the Alien Rebels and Spenders Jr and Sr have a Godfather moment as Spender Jr is asked by daddy dearest to kill an Alien Rebel whilst all of this is narrated by the Smoking Man himself to an off screen confessor who is only revealed in the episode's final moments.

It is superb stuff and the ace in the hole is William B Davis and Chris Owens. Mulder and Scully are sidelined, as I've said, but truthfully, when they aren't on screen, I don't think you miss David and Gillian. As Spender, Chris Owens has been a little bit of a weasel all season, but here he displays wonderful facets to Spender such as the joy on his face when he sees his mother return to him, his shock at being slapped in the face by his father and then told that he pales to the man he just had fired from the FBI (strangely satisfying moment it has to be said) and then fear as he is forced to kill an Alien Rebel and then discover not only the extent of the conspiracy he is involved in, but that his father himself is responsible for his mother's situation. His performance is a joy and his best all season and hints at even better things to come in One Son, but then there's William B Davis...

Like Owens, it'll be One Son where the true slice of genius will lie, but until then, there's greatness to be had here. Just look at the pain on the CSM's face as he realises he has to kill his friend Dr Oppenshaw in his hospital bed, the emotional fury at his son when he's called  and old man and the quiet pride he displays when he asks Jeffrey to kill the Alien Rebel mascarading as one of the Syndicate's Elders. It's undoubtedly one of Davis' best performances on the show and in an a non genre show probably would have earned him an Emmy nomination, as such this is The X Files, it's sci-fi and he didn't, but this is not just a villain working within the fabric of his universe, for the first time since Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man, and only previously hinted at in the dying moments of Redux II, we're presented with a complex individual who is not just some 'big bad' for our heroes to defeat, but a genuine, character with layers and emotions.

It's a great success, and is a must for all fans of the show who follow the intricacies and the the inns and outs of the show's mythology. As the series has went on it's become more intricate and complicated and as good as it's been, seasons four and five have lacked the fun factor of seasons two and three when the scripts being churned out by Chris and Frank had joy with playing with the larger cast and plot lines. Two Fathers marks the first time in a while that we've had a script that has revelled in the epic joy of the show, as if there is a rediscovery of finding your favourite toy and remembering what you can do with it that was wonderfully fun the first time. 

It's much better than The Beginning at the start of the season, which I think now may have been a little lacklustre due to exhaustion at coming of the back at the movie. Here everything slots in beautifully, it's stirring, engaging, gripping and suspenseful and boast a wonderful little twist that whilst of the side of predictable, once again hints at great drama to come. 

Millennium-3ABC10:Borrowed Time

Written by Chip Johanneseen

Directed by Dwight Little

If Omerta presented a warm and fuzzy tale about the hope surrounding Frank and Jordan's bond, Something Borrowed goes the other way and focuses on it in a more intensely, agonising way. Frank is now a single parent and this episode presents the character, only months after losing his wife, with the prospect of losing his daughter. Add to this a storyline involving people drowning on dry land, an angel (who may or may not be the same character from season one's Powers, Principalities, Thrones and Dominions, albeit in different form) and quite possibly one of the finest set pieces to ever appear on television, Borrowed Time is definitely something special. 

With the guiding hand of its best writer behind it, Johannessen displays yet again why he is the perfect choice to showrun Millennium. Writing since the beginning of the series, he has instinctively gotten the characters, the universe they inhabit and how to tell stories within it. Even when he moves away from whatever it is the show is attempting to do on an ongoing basis, he has been able to mastermind brilliant episodes. Borrowed Time tips it hand to The X Files yet again (it feels like a plot line that is just begging Mulder and Scully to turn up and investigate it), but in linking its story to events from the Pilot, Powers... and The Time Is Now and it feels very Millennium. 

You almost forget about it, but there is really no romance now in Millennium. The X Files for the majority of its run centred around Mulder and Scully, their partnership and developing relationship, Millennium had its own variation on that, but proceeded to sacrifice Catherine come the season two finale. The central relationship at the heart of Millennium now is that of a bond between father and daughter and it is this that is put as the the heart and soul of the episode and the series. Lance Henriksen and Brittany Tiplady have always had a believable father and daughter bond throughout the show and it has essentially become the emotional heartbeat of the show now that Megan Gallagher has been written out. Omerta presented them as trying to move on from that lost, but now lets Frank face the prospect of losing the last element of his 'yellow house'.

The scenes between them are wonderful throughout and they really give it their all. From the playful opening scenes where Jordan tells Frank she is sick, to her inevitable deterioration right down to the turmoil of the hospital scenes.  There is perhaps no scene ever broadcast on television as emotionally raw as when, in an attempt to get her temperature down, Frank Black must himself place her into a bathtub full of cold water and ice. From Frank's reluctance and anger to the hospital staff (yes, that is Stargate SG-1's Amanda Tapping as Jordan's doctor) to his acceptance it has to be done, it's powerful and disturbing to watch. Just look at Frank and his dismay at having to place his daughter in the tub himself and poor Jordan's petrified reaction. Credit where credit is due, the water was warm and the ice cubes were made of plastic, but young Brittany Tiplady sells the scene with acting ability beyond her years. The nature of the performances from Lance and Brittany are without doubt some of the best to ever feature on the show, Dwight Little's choice to film with handheld cameras and the realistic feel make it very difficult to watch. Poor Jordan's face cannot help but move you to tears.

Whilst all this is going on, we get a running storyline involving a train and the mysterious workings of Sammiel, an angel of death who is causing people to drown on dry land, is accused to stalking Jordan and is seemingly targeting his next victims who are passengers in a train compartment. The drowning scenes are startling, in particularly an atmospheric set piece when Sammiel places his hand on one victim and, in slow motion accompanied by little sound except Sammiel's voice counting numbers, we see water slowly gurgle out of their mouth.  It's a great scene in itself, but then you get to the episode's ending...

The train crash may not be the best CGI you'll ever see, but the moment when the little girl (Jenny Lynn Hutcheson from The X Files' season five episode Chinga) watches from inside the locked compartment as the train corridor fills with water and Sammiel drowns is a mini feature film in itself. As this is going on the episode cuts back to the attempts to save Jordan's life as she drowns in her hospital bed whilst Frank's pleadingly prays to God. It's all very impressive. Gripping, visually stunning and leaves your stomach in emotional knots.

This is definitely the third season's best episode to date. With this and Omerta there is a pleasing sense that the series has once again found it's feet and is not not only running, but sprinting now that it knows where it wants to go again. It's fantasy for sure, but it's taking what could be X Files concepts and doing their own thing with it and that's what makes this all even better. It helps that the episodes are being rooted through Millennium's own characters. This is as much a tale about Frank and Jordan as it is about the high concept of drowning on dry land and even though the concept is wonderfully presented, it's the story of a father and daughter fighting to hold on to each other that makes it all the more powerful and brilliant.

The final scene is beautifully played too and hints at a return appearance to come...

"She said to tell you she chose. She made the right choice."

"I Made This" on Facebook

Quick public service announcement. If you're on Facebook, just to let you know the blog has its own page now. It's a work in progress but you'll find links to reviews on the blog as well as photo albums devoted to The X Files, Millennium and, when I get round to them, Harsh Realm and The Lone Gunmen. There's also links to great videos discovered on You Tube and various other little tidbits.  So please feel free to head over and click the 'like' button.

Thanks. 


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The X Files-6ABX09:Tithonus

Written by Vince Gilligan

Directed by Michael Watkins

It's amazing when your favourite television show surprises you. It's a sign that you can never really second guess your beloved piece of television and that when it does something you least expect, it's a joy just to be amazed. I guess you could say I have been haunted by the question of what my favourite episode of The X Files is. I guess a lot of us have been and whilst I have been more than happy to turn around and say that I have a list of absolute favourites and I could never ever really pick just one, I think the time has come for me to do so. I think I can now turn around and say that Tithonus is my favourite X File. 

No doubt a lot of you will tell  me I'm mad and that your own favourite is probably better. You're right, it probably is, but for the life of me, there is something about Vince Gilligan's mortality tale that just holds me, grabs me and never lets go. In a season that has been about The X Files finding a new humorous voice, amazingly it's been Gilligan with his solo scripted tales that has kept to the shadows that The X Files once clung to so very tightly. Drive was a conspiratorial tale and Tithonus is a dark, foreboding character study that is as grim about death and the afterlife as How The Ghosts Stole Christmas was light and funny.

It probably says a lot about me that I would pick this one, but dammit I can't help myself. Gilligan's script, Michael Watkins' direction and the performances from one Gillian Anderson and guest star Geoffrey Lewis turn around and create a sublime work of art that really should have been showered with Emmys and all sorts of television awards. I seriously think this is the best ever episode of The X Files. 

In a twist to what he done with Drive, Gilligan separates our two leads, but manages to make both Mulder and Scully important parts of the story. Whereas Drive focused as much on Mulder and his relationship with guest character Patrick Crump, Tithonus is about Scully and the connection she makes to Alfred Fellig, a sublime, underplayed turn from Lewis. There is a wonderful concept here, that a man who cheated death is now immortal and works hard in order to catch up with it, but instead of leapfrogging his script into some never ending horror thriller (Gilligan has already had a script based on speed and pace this season), Tithonus takes its time, breathes, develops and allows itself to work towards it's bloody conclusion. Interestingly it's the second episode in as many weeks to end with Scully bleeding to death from a gun shot wound. Whereas the last time it was funny and she suffered it alongside Mulder, here it is not played for laughs and The X Files allows its beloved character to slowly 'die' from it. 

The masterstroke here is how Gilligan tells his tale. He builds up a wonderful mystery, separates Mulder and Scully for the majority of the episode, joins Scully up with an ass of a partner, Agent Whitter (I can't help but feel this character should have been Spender, but no matter) and then instead of proceeding like an X File of old whereby there would be an investigation followed by exposition, witty dialogue and some sort of resolution, Gilligan allows his episode to be as much character driven as plot and instead of being some sort of mystery with requisite scenes of investigation, he takes every opportunity to take Scully away from Whitter, to have her share her scenes with Fellig and discuss the nature of life and death. It could become heavy and depressing, and admittedly this is deadly serious compared to other stand alones this season, but it never becomes a weight to watch, it never feels heavy, it feels like it's bursting to seems with reasons to have these discussions, to be about the nature of death. 

The X Files is a show that is, considering it's blending of horror, sci-fi, thriller and conspiracy genres,  one with a very high death count each week. We take death at face value on this show because in truth that is the nature of this type of series, no matter how tragic such losses are. Very rarely does death ever feel like a true threat. Here Gilligan makes death the touchstone of the episode and proceeds to make it the monster of the week. It's brilliant and of course it makes total sense to have Scully isolated enough to deal with such a matter because she is the one who has stared her own mortality in the face during her battle with cancer. I don't think scenes like the ones in the episode's final moments would have been as powerful with Mulder.

For two thirds of the episode, it plays very well, but it's in the final stages that Gilligan's script becomes a genuine masterpiece and makes the episode as a whole the classic that it is. Instead of building up to some big set piece, Gilligan takes Scully and Fellig, puts them into Fellig's apartment and they...talk. That's right, it's a dialogue heavy conclusion that puts a massive sting in the tale and then links it back to Darin Morgan's classic from season three, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose. I have said it before, and I'm going to sound like a broken record saying it again but, what the hell, Gillian Anderson is BRILLIANT. I mean, I cannot tell you how good she is here, there is so much about Scully I love in this episode, from the way she slaps the face of the pimp she arrests, to effectively become Mulder to Whitter's Scully, to flying in the face of Whitter's attempts to shape the case and the evidence to get the result he wants, to  her controlled but disturbed reaction to one of Fellig's most disturbing photos. Listen to how she says "how do you know when people are about to die?", there is something I just love about the way she delivers that line.

Then there's the final moments. Television shows by necessity will frequently put their characters in some sort of mortal peril to gain drama, but you know they'll be okay. Tithonus pulls this trick but plays it in very graphic glory. Ten episodes into season six, they're not going to kill Scully, of course they're not but it's not every television show that puts a bullet into their leading lady's stomach and proceeds to show her bleeding to death from it, emphasising in close up her face as the life drains from her eyes and the blood seeping from her wounds.  It's brilliantly uncomfortable to say the least, but then turns around and gives credence to Bruckman's prophecy that Scully would never die. It provides plenty of food for thought. 

Amazingly Gilligan doesn't try to top this scene. Instead we get Scully in hospital, Mulder visiting her and then the episode ends on a note of reflection that leaves one thinking. It's wonderful stuff and another brilliant episode from the season. There really appears to be only two types of episode so far this season. Brilliant and really brilliant. Amazingly in a season bursting with genius,  Tithonus trumps them all.

I know, I know, Bad Blood, Beyond the Sea, One Breath, Jose Chung's From Outer Space, they're all brilliant and theoretically, you are more than likely right, but I just adore this one so, so much, I just love this episode to bits. I love Gillian in it, I love the structure of it, I love Mulder's one liners (yes, it seems there will always be room for humour) and I think Geoffrey Lewis is one of the best guest stars to appear on the show. Quiet, intense and a character that is so full that you simply want to watch a whole television show about his own backstory, this is another case of a great Gilligan character that has been married to the perfect choice of actor to play the role.  In a perfect world, this would have led to The X Files sweeping the Emmy's that year. Best Writing, Best Lead Actress and Best Guest Star should have been all sewn up. It didn't though, but genius is most frequently ignored in its own time. 

It's a tremendous, well crafted forty five minutes of television. I don't know what else to say but...Best Episode Ever. 

Millennium-3ABC08:Omerta

Written by Michael R. Perry

Directed by Paul Shapiro

This is a miracle worthy of Christmas in itself because in all honesty, Omerta should not work. Millennium, that most darkest of television shows, complete with bloody violence and intense story telling, turns around for it's Yuletide greeting, circa 1998, and delivers forty five minutes of television that is quirky, charming, light, wonderful, funny and beautiful. Sure, it did a Christmas episode the previous season, but that was almost typically melancholy with a small burst of joy. Omerta is nearly forty five minutes of pure joy, complete with humour, charm and a gorgeous atmosphere. 

You gotta hand it to writer Perry. He delivered a serial killer thriller when the series was shifting dynamics to a new genre and this season, with a return to season one territory, he has delivered two episodes that go in the face of what Millennium is supposedly trying to return to and both times has delivered blinding successes. Along with Johannessen he has become my favourite writer on the show, seemingly able to look at the series with a different lens and delivering tales that suit Millennium to a tee when they really shouldn't.

If anything Omerta most closely resembles a season six episode of The X Files. Quirky, charming and funny with a happy ending to boot, even when it's dealing with murder, in this case a mob hit in the teaser, it does so with a charm that almost flies in the face of what Millennium usually aims at. The opening, with its wisecracking, sympathetic gangsters about to do a hit on one of their closest friends in a forest, most resembles something out of a Coen Brothers movie, which is no surprise since the character about to be executed, Eddie, is played by Jon Polito, a Coen Brothers regular.

He dominates the episode tremendously, his character is a bucket of charm and charisma and you lull him on to escape come the episode's conclusion. His relationship with Lhasa and Rose, the two women who bring him back to life in the forest, is, despite the fantastical subject matter, believable, the idea of this gangster who has turned a corner morally and will fight to protect them, even at the extent of his own personal freedom, is well handled. 

Of course we never really get an explanation for these two mysterious women. They could be angels, or fairies, it's never explained, but facilitating an explanation for such a mystery is not what Omerta is trying to be about. In a show that is full of darkness (and we've got a very emotionally intense episode coming up), Omerta is offering light and hope. Best of all it never forgets about the show's lead characters this hour. For the first time since the opening two episodes, Millennium deals with the loss of Catherine and its effect of Frank and Jordan. 

Henriksen and Brittany Tiplady share a real and very believable chemistry and in some respects this episode is functioning at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to their father/daughter bond in comparison to the next episode which will really put them through the emotional ringer. Here we see the two try and have their first Christmas without Catherine and it's a heart breaker, yet the episode wisely doesn't pile on the angst and gives them a moment to realise that they might be able to celebrate the holiday without her. Both of them are wonderful and it's a joy to see that despite her absence, the character of Catherine hasn't been forgotten about and that the series as well has managed to find a new emotional dynamic with which to drive its characters. 

Then there are the little touches dotted throughout the episode that bring a smile to the face. The way each act opens with an Advent Calender like depiction of a cottage on a snowy hill along with the date is beautiful and then there's the replacement of the usual bass beats at the start of each act with a chime of a bell. Then there is Mark Snow's score. Without doubt his most unusual score of any of the Ten Thirteen series, it incorporates choir, vocalists and an abundance of emotional melody that is unusual to say the least, but it works. Damn, does it work.

Like everything else, it just comes together naturally. It really shouldn't, but alas it does. This is Millennium trying quirky and charm and against all expectations succeeding beautifully. There will probably be some who don't like it and to be honest I can see why, but for one episode, I don't mind having Millennium attempt something like this, especially since it's a triumph. Sweet, charming and beautiful to a tee, this definitely ranks as one of my all time favourites.