If I were a dog, I'd be quite upset. "Alpha," the obligatory story about a killer pooch, did not give my canine buddies a good reputation. It portrayed them as greedy, vicious, blood-thirsty animals...in other words, humans. Only the dark side of human nature could perform such violent, unnecessary acts, as folklore has been quick to point out through tales of werewolves. In the new folklore television provides us with, this message survives in the Dr. Hydes and Dr. Detweilers, trapped by both their bodies and their own high ambitions.

"You're not going to tell me that a dog did this."
"A bad dog."

When the episode opened with strains from the pentatonic scale, I feared the Chinese characters were on the wall - we were in for another "Hell Money." But instead, we got another "Shapes." Sort of. Though both were about werewolves, these two episodes proved to be remarkably different. "Shapes" stood out most because it was creepy and suspenseful - an original monster of the week. I didn't get that same feeling from "Alpha." Six years have passed and there has been a change in filming location, so the combination of lighting, mood, and actors used in this episode failed to send a shiver down my spine. I found the wolf-woman most uninspired, and got nothing from her performance - no feelings of sympathy, nor even an evocation of hatred or loathing. However, as the episode progressed, many of the flaws in its plot or look could be overlooked, especially when considering the Mulder and Scully interaction. Jeffrey might not be a great monster writer, but he is very good with the little relationship innuendos, the shoulder pats and friendly gibes. Very few writers have been able to master that art. If we're lucky and he sticks around, we may have another Vince on our hands...

"You get a biscuit, Scully."

Killer dog or no killer dog, I still enjoyed "Alpha." As with many episodes, the mere presence of Mulder and Scully made up amply for any other imperfections. If the plot bored me, I simply looked at the way the episode exposed the dispositions of our two favourite agents. And like Jeffrey's first effort, "Rain King," "Alpha" excelled at this. We saw Scully in her classic role of the martyr, patient with Mulder's lame humour and late working hours, but still curious about him and their work, and getting better at her comebacks to his constant banter. These digs back and forth abounded in "Alpha," but instead of causing a rift between them as it has in previous episodes (*cough* Syzygy *cough*), it showed how comfortable they are with each other. A true friend knows when you're just fooling around, and then insults don't stick. When Scully had to wait for Mulder at the hospital on yet another boring assignment, her reprimands didn't seem as serious as they use to be, more like chastising a pupil than true annoyance or anger. But then again, she's never been able to be truly mad at Mulder. And he did wait with her for a little while. Good thing too - with Scully's record of falling asleep on a stakeout, they might have missed something vital! ;)

"Yeah, he doesn't listen and he chews on the furniture."

What impressed me most about "Alpha," though, was that the reappearance of the Skeptic and the Believer. There was no more wishy washy, "Well it happened to me..." or "The government orchestrated this whole global conspiracy, killing millions of innocent people and covering up files by the train-load just to trick me" stuff this time. No, this time Scully didn't believed Mulder's wild tales, and looked for evidence to support her theories. She was "fairly certain" there was a logical explanation to this thing, and even if she didn't find one, at least she was certain about it. This time Mulder, bless his soul, found all the outrageous explanations he could muster, his belief in this creature certain and his knowledge of it exhaustive. He really could "...go on forever." After all the doubt and uncertainty of last season, I was glad to see these two make a comeback.

"Better Than Human?"
"She's not a real people person."

One aspect of this episode left me wary - Karin Berquist. Much of the episode was devoted to this side story, but instead of creating tension, her presence just ended up making me confused. Whatever the cause - questionable character motivations, minimal background information, or a lack of connection between her and Mulder - the result was the same. After episodes like "Oubliette" and "Mind's Eye," I've probably begun to expect more of a bond between stars and guest stars. This time, that didn't happen. One might have expected Scully to be jealous too, but she only seemed dubious of Mulder's online escapades and amused by Karin's competition. I guess she simply didn't feel threatened. She knows the friendship she and Mulder share, and does not feel intimidated by a woman who wishes she had four legs and tail. Perhaps her experiences with Diana have moderated her own animalistic tendencies. But it wasn't all bad. Even though Mulder wasn't taken in by this women, his paradoxical innate trust of others and wonderfully adept ability to communicate were exposed by their interaction. He may trust no one, but he wants to trust just as much as he wants to believe. He is an idealist stuck in a less than ideal world - a kindred spirit. This is the Mulder I cherish, the inner Mulder that only surfaces rarely. I think Scully saw this in him, and that's why she didn't get upset with him for his blind belief. Karin may have figured him out to a "T", but so did she.

"I think that I believed her very quickly. I think maybe that was my fault."

As a monster tale, "Alpha" fell flat. It wasn't that it was bad, it was just dull, predictable, and full of two- dimensional characters. It tried to be intelligent, integrating themes of evil and territoriality, but often these ideas were not fleshed out well enough, and went unnoticed, leaving only the shell of a formula monster episode behind. But sometimes they worked, sometimes the similarities between the beast and the animals within the characters came out, and sometimes we were treated to an interesting look at the nature of moose and squirrel. And you've got to admit, killer dogs aren't nearly as bad as killer kitties.

"Dog gone. Dog-gone. Doggone."
"Yeah, I got it."