Don't turn on your computer. Ooops! Too late. I guess you already have. Well, then be sure not to make any boneheaded Internet connections. Oh no! You did that too, huh? Okay, just whatever you do, do not open any file named "killswitch.exe" or you may be the target of--

TARGET SELECTED
LOCKING ON
[boom!]

I don't claim to know a whole lot about computers, but I do know "The X-Files", and I had a lot of fun with "Kill Switch". It was suspenseful, sardonic, creepy, and original - quite a feat for a show with over a hundred episodes under its belt. The plot took many interesting twists, succeeding in holding my attention throughout the episode. Sure, some parts of the story were kind of predictable (as soon as I heard that voice on the phone, my first thought was "Hal!"), but there were enough deviations and idiosyncracies to keep even the most impatient observer engaged. This episode was also touching. Even though it was a show about computers, "Kill Switch" still took the time to delve into the minds of the people who create and use these machines. Ester, David, and Donald were all real people with real feelings, something that can't hide behind a computer screen. But what I liked most about "Kill Switch" was its satirical sense of humour. I couldn't help thinking back to another twisted X-File, "Home", as I listened to "Twilight Time" (a dead ringer for "Wonderful, Wonderful") or stared at that old dilapidated chicken farm. To top all of this off, "Kill Switch" was full of advanced computer references to interest the multitudes of online 'Philes. A perfect pick for a real life Lone Gunman...or just your average Fox.

The element in "Kill Switch" that affected me the most was the characters. Everyone involved seemed more alive, more invigorated, and more interested in this case compared to earlier episodes. To get the most out of this episode, you really had to look closely at the character's facial expressions. They told the real story. One of my favourite scenes in this respect was the one in which Ester first met the Lone Gunmen. Scully had the audacity to suggest that Ester could get in touch with David by (hold back your shock now!) phoning him. [gasp!] The looks shot back at her were worse than any "death from above". But being Scully, her skeptisism remained intact.

I was quite pleased to see Scully back to her old self again. For weeks she's seemed distant and uninterested in her work, but she was back to her dubious, skeptical self in "Kill Switch." Actually, she was in rare form this week, making several clever observations that seemed to elude everyone else. Not only that, she was able to keep the "Mulder, you're crazy" look on her face throughout the entire episode. That *definitely* takes talent. Her vacation to Maine must have helped to clear her head. I haven't seen that many eye rollings and raised eyebrows since "Post-Modern Prometheus"!

"Why don't you just call him? Oh right. Death from above."

The AI might not have managed to kill Mulder, but it sure had fun playing with his mind. Mulder's cyber-reality fantasy sequence was one of the strangest, most bizarre scenes I've seen on "The X- Files." The hospital looked like something straight out of "Little Shop of Horrors" and the Barbie nurses had an uncanny resemblance to the stars of Mulder's video collection. The result was something very...odd. It's hard to explain, but these scenes troubled me. With most virtual reality nightmares, however, that is probably the desired result, so William Gibson and Tom Maddox did a great job in achieving that end. As peculiar as it was, it was nice to see Scully in this sequence. If she can penetrate to Mulder's subconscious, she must be very important to him. Gillian Anderson must have had a blast filming those "Action Scully!" scenes - as much fun as I had watching them! It was great to see Scully kick some butt for once - another example of the far- reaching effects of girl power.

It seems Scully does not share the credo of the Spice Girls. Her motto seems to be, if all else fails, shoot it! She was firing at anything and everything in this show. I understand why she shot at Ester - letting a round loose into a wall worked for her in "Unruhe" - and the light bulb too - she learned an important message in "Soft Light" - but firing at that poor little mechanical bug, now that was just a shame. Sure, he might have been doing all of the AI's dirty work, but he was just too cute to kill! Regardless, "Kill Switch" provided many good role models for young people, especially young women. I wouldn't suggest killing yourself in order to live as an artificial intelligence on the Internet, but the underlying themes in "Kill Switch" were positive ones. As Mulder was pursuing his dream to find the truth, the women he left behind were the ones who actually solved this case, and in the end, saved his life. Both women were strong, independent, and excelled in careers often dominated by men. A diminutive Scully could drag Mulder out of the trailer, yet still retain a look of concern for her friend and partner. I found this switch very refreshing. Not that I would like to join the FBI myself (violence isn't my thing), but I know I could if I wanted to. Now that I think of it, though, maybe joining the X-Files division wouldn't be all that bad...heck, if you can steal evidence and sneak into places without a warrant, it'd be easy! ;-)

For some reason, cars seemed to play a predominant role in this episode. If Scully wasn't screeching backwards to avoid an attack from the sky, or tooling around in the Lone Gunmen's car in search of the AI while cuffed to the steering wheel, she was listening to "Twilight Time" with Mulder, lights throbbing to the beat. Like the fantasy sequence, this scene was also very strange, but it fit perfectly into Mulder and Scully's lives. A weird event in their very weird lives. I couldn't help noticing that the Lone Gunmen's car looked incredibly similar to the Men in Black Cadillacs seen in "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'". Could there be a connection here...? Perhaps the Lone Gunmen are really Men [flashie-thingie] what was I saying? ;-)

Unlike the suspenseful, quick teaser that started out "Kill Switch", I'd have to say the ending bit (in the words of Ester Narin, of course). It was predictable and cliched, something "The X-Files" has always tried to avoid. I wish these writers would get it out of their heads that we need some sort of conclusion to wrap up an episode - we don't. One of the main draws of "The X-Files" is its inconclusiveness, its ability to let the viewer decide what they want. I would have been much happier if they ended it with BITE ME and left it at that. But that's just being picky. On the whole, "Kill Switch" was one of the most interesting and suspenseful episodes I've seen in a long time. "The X-Files" may be entering its twilight years, but it can still pump out some pretty heavenly episodes.

"Heavenly shades of night are falling. It's twilight time."