Hi, everyone! Shock of shocks, but I lost track of time last Sunday and missed some of the X-Files episode. I will wait until I see it all to write about it, and in the meantime, will send you a few more letters to keep you company.

Rough transcript of what I wrote in my notebook:

Sorry, everyone, that this is so late, but I was quite a few states away from my computer- in Florida- when this ep aired. And now I am writing this in my notebook in southern Virginia because our car has quite broken down and we're staying in ANOTHER motel.

This wasn't a BAD episode. Mulder and Scully each had a role. There was suspense, mystery, some intuition by Mulder, and a guest star unlike any of the others ever before. And though it was not part of the mythology, it added to the overall X-Files continuom. I do believe, however, that something was lacking. I could be wrong but I do not think that this ep will make anyone's top 10. It was unique, but not extraordinary, and one major thing was lacking: the usual dynamic Mulder-Scully relationship. I did see the last scene of last weeks episode- THAT was a scen that furthered and deepened the M-S relationship. In this episode, however:

Mulder: "We're just professionals."
Scully: "Actually, she's madly in love with you."
Mulder: "Ah."

It really could have been done better.

The plot did bring out some interesting points. Mulder (Who hasn't gone on a date in HOW long?) AGAIN had a woman after him. There was hardly any buffer between this and the explosive crush another woman had on him in The Rain King. I would really like to get a copy of the episode and watch it again- But Scully brought to Mulder's attention the fact that deception may be occuring, that it may be more than a meeting between two professionals. And then we get back into the trend that The X-Files has been slipping into of late- the re-doing of new themes.

In this ep, the fact that the theme was being re-taken was made more obvious than before because THE POSTER CAME BACK!!!! "I want to believe" had meaning in the episode. And I almost hear Scully saying "The truth is out there, Mulder, but so are lies," though in a more personal, non-mythological sense than the first time she said it. And though we're not getting TOO much that's new, we're getting back into good stuff, at a deeper level, a higher level of the X-Files spiraling notion.

And it felt great, seeing hte poster put back up. I know that, in my mind at least, that hole on the wall had to be filled. :~)

The guest star was unique- quiet, withdrawn. A change from Marty Glenn in Minds Eye, and the man in Drive, certianly. Her personality didn't help the episode, but her demeanor gave contrast to that of the raging wolf with the red eyes.

Another unsatisfactory point- the explanation of the phenomenon. This season, the X-Files has had stronger scientific explanations (Drive) and weaker ones (Agua Mala), but this episode had a truly weak explanation. Yeah, there were touches on cryptozoologists, and I'm sure that the extinc species of dog and the mythology behind it was real. But dogs that posess people? And turn them into something like werewolves? It was too unreal..

And back onto good things- this ep had some good Mulderisms and Scullyisms.

"Better than human?"
"She's not a real people person."

I especially want to know what Eirelav thought of this ep! She is fond of wolves herself.

And now that the poster is basck onto the wall, the X-Files team appears to be ready to let us slip back into reruns and not-so great episodes which have nothing to do with the mythology. I do LOVE Drive, but new eps are so much better!

I suggest that we go all go the X-Files section on Belief- it seems appropriate. I KNOW some of you have lost the XFAF addy: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Lair/9303/index.html

X-Files Always and FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!

Aniad :~)
XFAF Webmistress

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