AGUA MALA

Directed by Rob Bowman. Written by David Amann.

RATING: **1/2

With the X-Files now reopened, Mulder and Scully get a working vacation to Florida...in the middle of a hurricane. Arthur Dales (Darren McGavin, reprising his role from the prior season episode 'Travelers') has alerted Mulder to the strange disappearances of several locals in the sea side community. Not long after they arrive, a deputy is attacked by some kind of water-dwelling creature that seems to be slowly dissolving his body. Mulder and Scully quickly find themselves trapped inside an apartment complex with several of the buildings residents as the creature moves around in the pipes.

This episode is a real mess, but not without it's charms. The creature (a bit like the beast from Deep Rising) is an interesting, almost unseen foe, and it does generate some suspense, especially early on. The pre-credits sequence is suspenseful and doesn’t pull any punches; a mother and her son are both butchered by the creature, and that sets up a solid, serious tone that is completely deflated by the scripts insistence on playing everything for laughs. Nevertheless, the creature and it’s rather messy habit of dissolving its victims is a worthy adversary…even if its defeat is cheap and disappointing.

The whole episode is very well filmed. The storm is convincing done, and it doesn’t look like Anderson and Duchovny would have much fun shooting it. The housing complex is a nice design too…the corridors are well suited for the situation…if not the comical approach. And of course McGavin is a welcome return, though you have to wonder why he was even used for this show, considering he only alerts Mulder to the case. He doesn’t actually help out in any way. Why not use him in a conspiracy storyline instead? That would make sense. The supporting characters are just too broad and lightweight. And what the hell happens to the petty looter who hangs around? He just vanishes, and his fate is not revealed. This is an example of sloppy writing (there’s a lot more of that to come, alas).

This episode could have been terrific if played straight, but instead is merely a passable, lighthearted monster romp.

MONDAY

Directed by Kim Manners. Written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban.

RATING: ***

Poor Pam (Carrie Hamilton). She has a boyfriend, Bernard (Darren Burrows) who's borderline insane, preparing to rob a bank and ready kill anyone who gets in the way. What's worse, she has to live the same disastrous day over and over again, witnessing the deaths of people involved...including Mulder and Scully...when Bernard does attempt to rob the bank. Stuck in this unnatural time loop, Pam continually tries to expalin what's going on to Mulder, but each time she fails, and the day keeps repeating.

This is half a terrific episode, with enough good qualities to make it work, and quite effectively, too. The direction is tight throughout, stopping things from becoming dull or too repetitive…although the show does feel longer than any other X-episode I can recall. There's a perverse kind of fun watching our heroes get killed in different ways, and it's interesting to watch altered spins on the same scenes. Anderson and Duchovny give convincing performances, and manage to add a little something different each time they’re forced to relive the same scenes. But the episode clearly belongs Hamilton, who’s terrific, and rather heartbreaking, as the strung out and emotionally shattered Pam, who seems like shes carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Everyone has to relive the same day. Yet Pam has to relive and remember everything that’s already happened. It’s a fine, understated piece of acting.

That said, this show suffers because we’ve seen it before, and it lacks freshness. Groundhog Day is the most famous example of this basic premise on film, but it was also done more much seriously in the two versions (one short, one feature length) of the compelling 12:01. My favorite, however, was the excellent Star Trek: The Next Generation episode 'Cause And Effect' . I’ve been down this road too many times before to be impressed by the concept anymore. Plus the script is rather thin, especially regarding how Pam herself tries to deal with the oncoming bank disaster. She says how she’s tried stuff like keeping her boyfriend out with sleeping pills and the likes with no success, but it hasn’t occurred to her to tip the law off in advance? The character doesn’t appear to be making much of an effort to save the day.

Flaws aside, 'Monday' is a good stand alone, with a tragic and bitterly ironic wrap up that caps things off well.

ARCADIA

Directed by Michael Watkins. Directed by Daniel Arkin.

RATING: ***

Welcome to Arcadia, a gated community where life is peaceful and laid back. Well, except for the monster that has eaten a few of the citizens. Mulder and Scully go undercover as a perky married couple to move into the community to find out what's going on, and immediately notice how strict the community is on keeping the properties neat and tidy. Soon after, another of the neighbors vanishes, and Scully comes across what appears to be blood. They have the sample analyzed, and learn it consists of garbage, and the entire Arcadia community has been constructed on an old landfill. Mulder finally comes to the conclusion that the killer may be a monster made of the garbage that does someone's dirty work.

Humor-orientated shows had become too frequent in the sixth and seventh season, and the majority of them were average at best. But occasionally one would come along and catch you by surprise, giving you a lot more than expectations would suggest. Here’s one of those that does work big time. Duchovny and Anderson are in great form, engagingly lighthearted and loose. Their attempts to fit into the seemingly-sitcom like environment are wonderful, and the actors really look like they're having a blast, Duchovny especially. Interesting how they seem to do their best work in lighter shows this season ('The Unnatural' being the other). Duchovny has proven on a number of occasions that he has a wonderful gift for comedy, and The X-Files has showcased it better than any other project. Among the comic highpoints are Mulders obvious amusement at playing Scully‘s spouse, and his attempts to raise the ire of the neighbours by setting up a baseket ball hoop, un unstraightening his mail box, etc.

Director Watkin and writer Arkin provide us with lots of laughs and witty touches, but manage to avoid falling into silliness. The ultra-neat and tidy environment the Arcadia citizens live in is satirical, and it makes for a good target. I’m dubious about the whole concept of gated communities after a fabulous exposure of them on Michael Moore’s long gone series TVNation. The supernatural aspect is not exactly believable, but the creature itself, and it's actions, are creepy, especially in the effective pre-credits sequence. Cleverly conceived and well executed, 'Arcadia' is a highly entertaining yarn, which, unfortunately, is followed by a trio of duds.

ALPHA

Directed by Peter Markle. Written by Jeffrey Bell.

RATING: *1/2

Several crew members are found dead in a container on a boat, and the cargo...supposedly a dog...has vanished. Mulder says he thinks the dog itself was responsible, despite some flaws in logic that Scully points out. The agents soon discover the animal behavior expert who tipped Mulder off in the first place, Karen Berquist (Melinda Culea), has an alternative reason for involving him. Investigating the murders, Mulder and Scully meet Dr. Ian Detweiler (Andrew Robinson, the classic bad guy from Dirty Harry), who tells them the killer is the missing animal...a shape shifting canine from China known as a Wanshang Dhole.

Though not really boring, 'Alpha' is surprisingly stupid. Certainly you can’t complain about the lack mayhem in the episode, because there’s a pretty big body count. And at first, it works, but after a while, you think the attempts at character development is just filler until the next scare scene. But its the character drama that really sinks it, and its a shame because adding a human-orientated subplot is a nice idea. But this isn’t it. It forces Mulder and Scully to act out of character, with the latter coming across petty and bitchy almost immediately. The character of Karen is rather pathetic. Granted, that is what the show was going for, but it’s only in the climax do we actually have any kind response to her.

The script by Bell (who also wrote the equally thick skulled but slightly more entertaining 'The Rain King') is full of plot holes and flaws in logic. How exactly did the shape changing killer actually get out of the crate on the ship anyway? That’s the first head scratcher that the script just glosses over to get to the next attack scene. Like the first season episode 'Shapes', this is a werewolf story that refuses to admit that it is a werewolf story, despite the obvious trappings. And like that one, there are a few glimpses of the creature that are quite potent, and some of the camerawork works well.

Occasional sparks aside, 'Apha' is ultimately, this episode is a pointless and flat entry.

Directed by Rob Bowman. Written by Jim Guttridge and Ken Hawryliw.

RATING: *1/2

Prison convict Pinker Rawls (Miami Vice's John Diehl) is thrown into a tiny isolation cell dubbed "the box" by the superintendent, and a vicious storm hits. Following the storm, the box is opened yet there's no sign of Rawls. Immediately after, the superintendent is discovered cut in half, and none of his blood as been spilt. Soon Mulder comes up with the theory that Rawls survived the storm, and, as a result, now has the superhuman ability to move through solid objects. But Rawls ain't no Kitty Pryde...he's a cold blooded killer who's trying to tie up some loose ends in his personal life...and track down his son, Trevor.

Though not as bad as surrounding episodes 'Alpha' and 'Milagro', this one is pretty forgettable and one of the weakest shows of the season. At this point The X-Files finally started to looking like it was running on empty, and the uninspired writing on shows like this and 'Alpha' really stand out for the wrong reasons. The key problem is the bad guy himself. I don’t fault Diehl himself…I’ve admired this actor for years, from his Miami Vice days to his current stint on The Shield, but here he’s playing a bland nemesis for our heroes. Compared to folks like Eugene Tooms or Robert Modell, Rawls is vanilla. Plus the reasons for his new-found superpowers are silly, to say the least. The supporting characters are no help.

To the credit of director Bowman, he does give us a tense finale, as our heroes try to keep Trevor out of the clutches of Rawls. There are several neat gore gags too, but these elements can’t save the show from having a serious case of "yeah, whatever".