Ever get that funny feeling that things aren't as they should be? Are your canines just a tad too long? Are you eyes green, but just a little *too* green? Have you ever woken up to find yourself dressed in a sheriff's coat, your shoelaces untied? If so, you might want to consider a move to Chaney, Texas. The people are friendly there, and you can get some excellent pizza...just don't ask for garlic on it.

From the beginning, this episode had me firmly in its fangs. Even after the teaser, the shortest scene in the entire episode, I was filled with a multitude of questions. My main query probably passed through the minds of most viewers - why would Mulder kill a seemingly harmless kid? But I wasn't too worried - I figured the rest of the episode would explain. And explain it did, in the most convoluted, complex, and complicated fashion possible. This is "The X-Files", though, and they seem to have a knack for such stories. They can complicate a story while still making it logical. This unpredictability is what drew me to the show in the first place. I love to be surprised, fooled, drawn into a lie only to be delightfully pleased when I finally find out the truth...and if it isn't the truth after all, I don't mind. It was the way I got there that I enjoy the most.

For all the reasons I loved "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'", I also loved "Bad Blood." Vince Gilligan must have taken some notes from Darin Morgan, because this episode was a classic spoof. Darin perfected the parody, but Vince added a human touch to make it his own. It was quick, funny, and a bona fide takeoff. When a show can make fun of itself and still work, you know it's on top of its game. And "The X-Files" certainly came through with this episode, bringing back the comedy to what's become an otherwise sombre drama. I'm not saying every episode should induce as many laughs as "Bad Blood" did, but at this point in the season, I found it a welcome and refreshing change.

There were many positive aspects to this show, but the element I found worked best was the chemistry between the characters. The chemistry between Mulder and Scully wasn't the best it's ever been, but I believe this had a purpose. It was as if they were attempting to create a kinder, gentler "Syzygy"-type instalment with this show. But unlike the former episode, the comedy in "Bad Blood" worked. The relationship Scully had with the sheriff was an interesting twist. It was nice to see her smile for a change (or drool, if you believe Mulder's story), and I immediately liked the sheriff for being able to put a grin on her face. Unfortunately, the fact that I fancied the sheriff so much clouded my judgement. I didn't see the inevitable coming until his eyes turned green and the teeth came out. Sure, there were signs along the way that might have clued me into the fact that the whole town was a bunch of vampires (the sheriff's unusual overbite and the large number of coffins for such a small town), but his big, bucked-teeth grin and Texan drawl blinded me to these facts. Too bad. He was such a nice guy. *sigh* ;-)

With all the bickering going on, some may think this wasn't such a good episode for those 'Philes interested in seeing a relationship develop between Mulder and Scully. I couldn't disagree more. Mulder and Scully have never acted more like a married couple than in "Bad Blood". In each one of their stories, they portrayed the other as nag, and squabbled over trivial matters just like a stereotypical married couple. Besides, you don't need a ring to act like spouses. Working together closely for six years will probably achieve the same end, which was more than obvious throughout the show.

One of the cutest scenes in the whole episode occurred when Mulder and Scully were waiting to give their report to Skinner outside his office. Sitting there on the couch, they looked exactly like two naughty kids waiting to see the principal. Fulfilling her role as the fussy wife, Scully attempted to fix Mulder's tie before going in. Irritated, he swatted her hands away, annoyed at her troubles. But only moments later, he dutifully recited what she had told him to say - "I was drugged!" - which seemed to be their excuse for everything in this show.

"Mulder, it's not just me. No one in their right mind would believe that story."

A X-Filean version of "He said, she said", this episode played on the extremes of Mulder and Scully's characters, and showed us what's really lurking behind their sober manner and trench coats. It revealed the truth, not of alien abductions or killer bees, but of what Mulder and Scully truly think of each other, and themselves. Both played up the other's stereotype in their account of the events, but neither claimed to be what they are. It was interesting to see what *they* see themselves as being, though. In Scully's version, a normally excitable Mulder was now positively hyper, talking a mile a minute just like a little kid. Scully was, of course, the picture of rationality. In Mulder's account, a ordinarily skeptical Scully was "characteristically unexuberant", completely against anything Mulder claimed. Yet Mulder remained rational and sensible, even going so far as to claim he was always eager to hear what Scully thought. Stereotypes were also obvious in other parts of the show as well. To Mulder, the sheriff was a goofy moron (the opposite of himself, who remained smart and suave) with whom Scully was smitten. Scully saw him more as a friendly Texan guy. They only truly returned to their normal selves in the present time. But for those few minutes where Mulder or Scully recited their tale of events, we saw straight into their minds. We saw how they honestly perceive each other and themselves...and that's more interesting than any vampire yarn.

"If there's a point to this Mulder, feel free to come to it."

If there is a point to this episode review, I should probably get on with it now. But I don't really have one. I thought "Bad Blood" was funny. It made me laugh. I liked it. A lot could probably be read into this episode, and I could spend hours discussing those things, but I won't. This is television, and I still believe its main goal is to entertain. On that end, "Bad Blood" most certainly worked. And that's enough for me.

"I was drugged!"