MILAGRO    *    THE UNNATURAL   *    THREE OF A KIND   *    FIELD TRIP    *   BIOGENESIS

MILAGRO

Directed by Kim Manners. Written by Chris Carter, from a story by John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz.

RATING: *

Mulder and Scully are investigating a case in which the victim has had his heart removed from his body without evidence of the killer's identity. Mulder suggests this was done through psychic surgery, and naturally Scully disagrees. Soon after, another corpse is found in a similar situation, and Scully is sent a form of lucky charm, which she thinks may have come from the killer. However, she learns it's from Mulder's weird neighbor, an isolated writer named Phillip Padgett (John Hawkes), who claims he's become fascinated with her, and wishes to use her as a muse for his latest work. Padgett himself becomes the key suspect when the agents learn he's written about the crimes in exact detail. But things aren't quite that simple, and Padgett may be unnaturally connected to the true killer.

This episode is possibly the most boring in the history of The X-Files. It seems to drag on forever, and is hopelessly pretentious to boot. The usually-reliable Manners and the trio of big-gun writers have put together a story with no drive, suspense or intrigue. I'm all for change-of-pace, low key tales on the series, but only if they're interesting. Fans who are interested in a Mulder-Scully romance might find something of merit in it, but others will simply find it dull. There could have been a decent episode in here somewhere if the makers had added real character insight and a bearable pace, but they didn't. Admittedly, the climatic assault on Scully and ultimate fate of Padgett and the killer isn't half bad, but it's the only time the show springs to life.

As dreary as any X-Files episode would hope not to be, 'Milagro' is almost a total washout.

THE UNNATURAL

Directed and written by David Duchovny.

RATING: ***1/2

Mulder meets Arthur Dales' brother (M. Emmet Walsh), who bizarrely is also named Arthur Dales, and the old man tells him about his experiences as a policeman during the 40s. He became close friends with a baseball player (Law & Order and Ally McBeal's Jesse L. Martin) on the team of Roswell Greys, who was an alien shapeshifter. The peaceful visitor just wants to stay on Earth and play the game he's come to love, but the otherworldly Bounty Hunter (Brian Thompson) won't let that happen.

Duchovny's directing debut is a real odd, and totally endearing, piece of work. The entire episode has a gentle charm about it, and the acting of Walsh, Martin and Frederic Lane (as the younger Dales) is wonderful. Martin and Walsh establish an excellent connection onscreen. There's plenty of comedic moments, but it the episode has a real profound quality as well, making us care about what we're seeing. Thompson makes one of his most effective appearances ever as the Hunter, allowing us to see his true face and find out about his own beliefs. The framing sequences of Mulder and Scully...in his office and on a baseball field...are absolutely wonderful, with Anderson and Duchovny giving their most engaging and warm performances of the season...perhaps ever! From Duchovny's script to Bill Roe's striking, Emmy nominated cinematography, this is one of the season's highlights.

David Duchovny on 'The Unnatural': "I was very pleased with how that came out. The whole thing worked. I was amazed. The story worked. It had a depth of feeling to it, an intelligence and a kind of allegorical murkiness to it that I really liked. It meant something, but wasn't heavy-handed. I felt that it was moving."

THREE OF A KIND

Directed by Bryan Spicer. Written by Vince Gilligan.

RATING: ***

It's Def-Con '99...a Las Vegas convention for the leading US government defense contractors, and The Lone Gunmen are there too, snooping around to see what dirt they can dig up. However, they stumble across Suzanne Modeski (Signy Coleman), the woman who was a key figure in the formation of The Gunmen years ago. The trio believed her dead, but discover her alive and well...and married to one of the men they're investigating (Charles Rocket). They find it hard that Suzanne would be involved with black ops-types, much less marry one, and suspect maybe she's been brainwashed. While they become reacquainted with her, they uncover an assassination plot that ultimately involves one of their own. Hoping for a bit of outside support, they trick Scully into coming to Vegas by pretending Mulder has summoned her.

This is an entertaining sequel to last season's 'Unusual Suspects', with a good balance of comedy and drama. There's plenty of humorous and comical conspiracy geek caricatures that score laughs, but the more serious storyline is strong and arresting. There's an autopsy scene where we don't see the gory stuff head on, but we get glimpses of the organs reflected in Scully and Langly's glasses. This one scene also sets up a series of very funny moments in which Scully is drugged and acts like she's had a few drinks too many, flirting with convention-goers, including a wonderful, out of the blue cameo by Michael McKean reprising his smarmy Morris Fletcher role from the 'Dreamland' 2-parter. Anderson gets to show her gift for broad comedy like Duchovny has in the past, and it's a gem. Bruce Harwood, Dean Haglund and Tom Braidwood are great as their second starring episode. Particularly good is Harwood, as Byers takes center stage, and shows sympathetic dimensions to his character. He has an opening, narrated dream sequence that's very effective.

FIELD TRIP

Directed by Kim Manners. Written by Vince Gilligan and John Shiban, from a story by Frank Spotnitz.

RATING: ***1/2

A pair of skeletons, supposedly those of a young married couple, are discovered in a field, with no signs of murder or foul play. Mulder suspects their deaths are linked to mysterious lights in the sky above the Brown Mountains that have been seen there for hundreds of years. What is found is a slimy substance that seems to have eaten away the flesh of the victims. While examines this stomach acid-type goo, Mulder investigates the area in which the bones were found. To his surprise, he finds the young couple alive, and apparently frightened by aliens who faked their deaths. Scully goes looking for Mulder, and comes across what appears to be his skeleton. And that's just the beginning...

This is a riveting episode right from the unnerving opening sequence. The script is unpredictable and jammed with many twists and turns...not to mention icky goo. Some sequences are truly surprising and eerie, thanks to Manner's top notch direction (and certainly a step or ten up from his lame 'Milagro'). In an early scene, the script wisely allows Mulder to point out to Scully something that we viewers have known for years...he's always right, and Scully should put faith in his theories because of his track record. In fact, a lot of the reason for the successful 'Field Trip' is the way Mulder and Scully react to the strange situations they find themselves in. Their emotions, desires and weaknesses actually drive the story. Effective appearances from Skinner and The Lone Gunmen bring a lot to the proceedings. The entire episode has a real air of unreality about it, even when things outwardly seem mundane and normal. In the past, the series has warned us to trust no one. Here, it's more like trust nothing.

'Field Trip' is masterfully executed, and certainly one of the finest hours of the season.

BIOGENESIS

Directed by Rob Bowman. Written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz.

RATING: **1/2

A mysterious artifact with Navajo symbols and a electromagnetic charge is discovered on the Ivory Coast of Africa, and one of it's finders, Dr. Solomon Merkmallen (Michael Chinyamurindi), takes it to America for noted scientist/author Dr. Sandoz (Murray Rubinstein) to study. However, Merkmallen is murdered, and his body soon found in Sandoz's house. Sandoz himself has also gone missing. Skinner puts the agents on the case, and gives Mulder a piece of paper, which has an apparent carbon rubbing of the artifact on it. Mulder soon becomes ill, claiming head aches, and his behavior is also effected. Nevertheless, he proceeds in investigating the situation and attempts to convince Scully that this artifact is proof that humanity was actually started in outer space by aliens.  Sandoz is soon discovered by Scully, who she believes was framed for the murder of Merkmallen. She then learns that Mulder has placed in a hospital, and appears to be losing his mind due to exposure to the rubbing. 

'BioGenesis' is a rather average season finale which raises some interesting points and plot threads (that continue next season), but also comes across as listless and pretentious. The concept of mixing religion with science (and science fiction) is actually an intriguing one, and makes for an a good X-Files investigation. But the makers insist on presenting it in a heavy handed, highbrow way. Scully has a pair of voice over monologues during the show, with mixed results. The first one occurs in the pre-credits sequence, in which she talks about the way life has fought and evolved, despite the annoying habit of being temporarily wiped out five times. As she speaks, we see an array of arresting images of life and the planet. Also look out briefly of the two cave men running through the snow from The X-Files movie. Although this comes across as more of something Anderson would narrate for the Discovery Channel, it is well done and interesting. The second Scully-talk fest is later, when she speaks of how the human race could possibly find itself going the way of the Dinosaurs. We see her looking to the skies as her voice over plays, and it seems to go on forever. This one is X-Files at it's most preachy and pretentious. 

The whole aspect of Mulder becoming unstable has been done too often in the past. It's surprisingly the government even both to keep this (sometime) wacko on the payroll! The reappearance of CSM is a catch-22 situation. Yeah, it is kinda cool to get a look at him, but all it also suggests that we're in for a revived conspiracy saga, which is not necessarily a good thing. Carter did a terrific job of shutting all that stuff down half way through the season, so this is kind of taking some of the sting out of 'Two Fathers'/'One Son'. Also making reappearances are, of course, Nic Lea, menacing as always. Westerman doesn't exactly get much do as Albert, but nice to have his character back again. Mimi Rogers' Diane Fowley once again seems to be here just to piss off Scully. Plus, Bill Dow makes a welcome return as enthusiastic bureau sound expert Chuck Burk.   

'BioGenesis' is not a great episode, but effective enough, with enough going for it to make for a decent set up to the seventh season.