NOTHING IMPORTANT HAPPENED TODAY * NOTHING IMPORTANT HAPPENED TODAY II
DÆMONICUS * 4-D * LORD OF THE FLIES
Season nine found itself starting off the way the eighth had done: carrying on without David Duchovny, and keeping audiences numbers from dropping. However, ratings were down greatly, and it didn't seem like there was much Chris Carter could do about it. So, it was finally announced that The X-Files would cease production at the end of the season. This probably a smart decision on Carter's part, ending the show as he wanted, as opposed to having the Fox network drop the ax with no prior notice.
The ninth season expanded it's cast of regular and recurring characters, including veteran movie star Cary Elwes appearing as Reyes ex-flame/bureau deputy director Brad Follmer. James Pickens Jr reprised is on again/off again role as thorn-in-the-side boss Kersh, this time portraying a darker side, while I (and hopefully others) was pleased to Mitch Pileggi receive opening credit whenever Skinner appeared in an episode. The Lone Gunmen returned, but after the failure of their own series, they seemed like shells of their former selves and added little to the proceedings. With Doggett and Reyes acting as the two leads, Gillian Anderson received far less screen time than ever before, often having only a couple of scenes per show, despite retaining top billing. She spent way too much time in her apartment, watching over her baby William, who was misused and underdeveloped from day one. William was killing the interest of the series, and wasting the lead character.
Even with an expanded cast of characters and a revived conspiracy saga, the thrill was gone. There was hardly anything that could actually been considered exciting or groundbreaking. 'Trust No 1' offered an interesting new figure with Terry O'Quinn as a shady stranger, yet he didn't go anywhere, and the episode itself was a dud. Adam Baldwin's menacing Knowle Rohrer was seen too infrequently, and Brian Thompson's Bounty Hunter was sorely missed. Thankfully, Chris (Bradley) Owens made a big return as foe-turned-comrade Jeffrey Spender to spice up the end of the season. Also damning was that the stand alone shows were also strictly average. We saw underplotted shows dealing with resurrected killers and time/space bending experiences for our heroes.
As the season wore on, however, some quality shows did emerge; 'Jump The Shark' and 'Release' offered effective resolutions to ongoing scenarios and characters, and 'Scary Monsters' struck me as the best episode in the two years. Duchovny's return (not counting his behind the scenes stint on the key 'William') in the finale 'The Truth' was something of an event to keep the fans buzzed, yet it was ultimately didn't live up to expectations. Although it's to Carter and co's credit that they managed to maintain a certain level of quality and imagination for eight years, the final season dropped the ball more often than not, and went out with more of a whimper than a bang.
Directed by Kim Manners. Written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz.
RATING: (1 to 4 stars) *1/2
It's a few days after the birth of Scully's child William, and the showdown with seemingly indestructible foes Billy Miles and Knowle Rohrer. Doggett is intend on investigating the actions of Deputy Director Kersh, who he believes was in league with Rohrer. However, Doggett's quest for the truth isn't supported by Skinner, or most surprisingly, Scully. He also learns that Mulder has vanished. His apartment is empty and even Scully doesn't know where he has gone, though she tells Doggett it may be for the best. Doggett becomes frustrated by the secrets and lies going on around him, especially when his investigation of Kersh is seemingly sunk for video tape that fails to support his stories.
Meanwhile, Monica meets with a former flame...a bureau Assistant Director by the name of Brad Follmer. At first it appears as he wants to simply rekindle a friendship, but soon becomes suspicious of his true intentions. Indeed, Kersh sends Follmer to keep tabs on Doggett, and a potential case that has fallen into his lap; two separate deaths of water treatment workers, both drowned. Doggett and Reyes manage to lure Scully out of her leave to examine one of the bodies, which disappears from the morgue moments later.
The season premiere has a hell of a lot going on, covering plenty of threads and dealing with the many characters. And that's pretty much what's wrong with it. It's simply too cluttered. I like the fact that there are are more key characters than ever before involved in the current mythology, but, alas, it works against this show. In the old days, X-Files tended to kick off a new batch of shows with a thrilling piece that resolves a previous cliffhanger scenario and harshly deal with a few guest or recurring characters. Here, nothing really happens. It's just too talky, and a big comedown from the suspense and drive of 'Essence' and 'Existence'.
What's more, Scully and Skinner, who made such huge efforts to bring down the bad guys in the eighth season, appear to have totally given up their fight. Sure, Scully has a baby to protect now, which makes sense, but the heroes of early seasons wouldn't have caved in this easily. Mulder's vanishing is another thing that just doesn't sit right...not with Scully looking after young William. This is the one time he really should be around. Maybe it would have been better for the series if Mulder had been killed off once and for all. Not that I'd want that actually happen, but it would have been a real resolution to the character. How many times can the fans take him disappearing? Plus Scully now seems declawed, and I'm worried she'll become essentially a background character while Monica becomes the true heroine. Even an appearance of The Lone Gunman doesn't really make much of an impact here.
The arrival of Cary Elwes starts well but before long sends him down the road of thorn-in-the-side fellow operative, but without the fascinating depth of Jeffrey Spender back in the fifth and sixth season. Elwes is a good, underrated actor (don't yet his bland character in Twister fool you), and it will be interesting to see if he can spin Follmer into a worthy part in upcoming shows.
Of course, this show features no less than Lucy Lawless (like me, a New Zealander), playing the mysterious chick who is responsible for the deaths of two poor suckers. The character isn't really explained here...although Doggett's investigation yields some clues and bits of information...and Lawless doesn't actually get to much in the way of acting. Plus the character's superhuman ability...able to breath underwater...doesn't exactly rank her in the X- Villains hall of fame with Robert Modell, Eugene Tooms and Alex Krycek. Still, she does provide the show with it's best moment: plus it's the final sequence that sets up the next episode. It's pretty damn good, and I look forward to seeing how it's wrapped up.
Though not a dreadful show as such, the first of the final season is just too dull and muddled. 'Nothing Important Happened Today' sadly lives up to it's title.
Directed by Tony Wharmby. Written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz.
RATING: **1/2
Doggett escapes capture by Follmer with an unexpected assist from the mysterious Shannon McMahon (Lawless), who claims to be responsible for the deaths of the water workers in the previous episode. McMahon tells Doggett that she was one of the first of a government-bred super soldiers, each of whom are gifted with superhuman strength and the ability to breath under water. Knowle Rohrer was another of such warriors. Doggett continues to pursue his conspiracy theories and his investigation of Kersh, but finds support from even Reyes and Scully waning. Neither believe McMahon's claims that the water has been infected by a drug that is a part of the super soldier creation process. However, the trio become aware of a ship that has recently docked in a Baltimore port, and may contain the truth that Dogget seeks. It also leads Doggett into conflict with Rohrer, alive and well...
'Nothing Happened Today' was perhaps the most dull season premiere in the history of The X-Files, and luckily, '...II' is a big step up. That's not to say that's it's a great episode in itself, because it isn't. But this time there's at least a sense of urgency and some real drive to the scenario. This one is much less talky than the first chapter (thank God), and there's suspense scattered throughout the show. The cliffhanger from the previous show was a tad predictable, but served it's purpose to further the story. Still, it's still a disappointingly easy wrap up to a tense situation. Then again, Alias does the same damn thing every week.
The highlight of the show is a double-jarring moment in which Doggett runs into Rohrer at the wharf. It's great to see Baldwin reprising his menacing villain from the eighth season, and it looks like it could spell lights out for Doggett, until McMahon appears. Both super characters provide a real "whoa!" moment each. Good stuff. Another of the show's best moments comes from the climatic verbal standoff between Doggett and Kersh, who has never been so CSM-ish. Smug and laidback, he's the perfect excuse for Doggett to lose his cool. This scene reminds me of the awesome sparring between Harrison Ford and Donald Moffat in Clear And Present Danger; not as cool, of course, but pretty damn solid. It also explains the title of this two part story. Kersh is becoming a truly interesting character, and it will be good to see how he's used.
Unfortunately, there's a big problem with the whole super soldier storyline: I really don't care. How many times in sci-fi have we seen government attempts to create a race of invincible troopers? This idea is just not fresh, and the writers have done nothing to inject any real life into the concept. I hope something more interesting develops into the recurring plot down the track. The way Scully is used bothers me too, as I talked about in the above review. I'm not finding anything to enjoy or be intrigued about in regards to her or her baby. Sorry, but it's already dull.
The Gunmen make another decent appearance here, providing a few laughs while actually doing something useful. But it does seem as if Carter and co are just sticking them in these two shows just to remind the fans that they're characters still exist. Actually, you could easily forget they are after their disastrous spin off show. Follmer comes across as again as a smarmy asshole for most of the proceedings here, although there may be (or may be not) signs that he could still become more three dimensional and sympathy.
Despite a lot of flaws (including one of the most boring pre-credits sequences you'll ever see), 'Nothing Important Happened Today' is a decent show that manages to clean up some of the damage done by the previous show.
Directed and written by Frank Spotnitz.
RATING: **1/2
Reyes and Doggett are on the case in which a couple are murdered in their own house, and the word "Daemonicus" is spelt out on the scrabble board where their bodies are found. Reyes immediately feels as if they're dealing with something supernatural in nature...possibly demonic, which Doggett disbelives. The agents are startled when several snakes squirm out through holes in one of the bodies, leading them to bring in Scully, now starting a teaching position at Quantico, to examine the corpses. A break in the case leads Doggett and Reyes to a local mental institution, where they learn that one of the inmates has recently escaped...and one of the guards has gone missing. They question another resident of the hospital...professor Josef Kobold (James Remar), who murdered a number of females students years ago. Doggett suspects that Kobold has pulled the strings on the murders, but Reyes is more intrigued by Kobold's claims to have psychic links to both the killers and whatever demonic forces are at work.
'Daemonicus' is a show that sucks you in with a creepy concept and a few eerie visuals, but by the end of it, it simply falls short of expectations. Spotnitz's script is prime material for an out-and-out shocker of an episode, and it actually comes close to scoring a bullseye on several occasions, but stumbles through a mixture of cliches and contrivances. The main source of frustration comes from the central character of Kobold. I'm something of a fan of actor Remar. The guys been doing terrific work as a screen villain for years, most notably in the classic 48HRS, along with appealing good guys in Blink and in the short lived Steven Bochco series Total Security. The character of Kobold is initially interesting, thanks to his strong screen presence. It's unfortunate that the character itself quickly becomes a bastard offspring of Hannibal Lector and the demon from The Exorcist. Kobold starts delivering Lector-like monologues to Doggett, and even demands a cell that allows him to see outside. Does Spotnitz think we didn't actually see Silence Of The Lambs? The story becomes simply unbelievable before long. The wrap up also seems more than a little contrived and fake. Plus it doesn't actually give us real closure on if things were in fact the work of demonic forces or a brilliant criminal nutball. The Exorcist-styled puke is just too much. Literally.
However, when the show is on it's game, we are given some juicy shit. The pre-credits sequence is unsettling without being over the top, and sets a mood that the next scene follows up on. Spotnitz has some good visual tricks up his sleeve and uses them at the right time. There's a couple of moments in which we get glimpses of the supposed demon influencing Kobold, and they are very effective. Not as effective as the Lucy Butler demon shots on Millennium, but, hey, that's a tough ask. The only time Spotnitz really stumbles on a visual gag is when a black and white tile floor links to a outdoor scene. That just looks silly instead of whatever he was going for. Nevertheless, he does a commendable job helming the show considering he's a rookie director. This is also another episode that gives Patrick a chance to show some darker corners of Doggett. The character's attitude here is debatable, but it at least gives Patrick add some shadings to his role.
Creepy, silly, compelling and frustrating (not to mention a little too similar in tone to last season's 'Empedocles'), Daemonicus' is at least not boring.
Directed by Tony Wharmby. Written by Steven Maeda.
RATING: ***
Reyes is visited in her new home by a cheerful Doggett and the two engage in friendly banter before her phone rings. On the other end is Skinner, claiming that Doggett has just been shot in an alleyway. Reyes is startled to hear this, and moreso when Doggett has vanished from her apartment. She meets Skinner, Follmer and Scully at the hospital. They inform her that her partner's injuries are extremely serious, and even if he pulls through, he's more than likely going to be paralyzed. The news gets even worse for Reyes when the ballistic report states that the shot was fired from her gun, and a witness claims to have seen her shoot Doggett. Reyes comes up with a theory that somehow the witness (and real shooter), Erwin Lukesh (Dylan Hagerty), has the ability to shift between parallel realities, and somehow has had the same effect on Doggett.
'4-D' is the first episode of the final season to actually click on all the required levels. The show is in the vein of Twilight Zone-y stand alones such as 'Monday' and last season's 'Redrum', bringing in hardcore science fiction/fantasy elements that could make the story sink or soar. Luckily, writer Maeda is able to overcome the whole mindbending alternative universe premise (which is thinly explored at best) by not tipping his hand too early and keeping us guessing as to what the hell is actually going on. The opening sequence, which features Reyes throat cutting and Doggett's shooting is extremely well executed. Naturally, we don't for a second buy that those characters are being taken out, but it's a cool, violent set piece in which we get to see our heroes seemingly buy the farm, much like the "deaths" of Mulder and Scully in 'Monday'.
This is probably the best episode for Gish to date. She has a wonderful little scene with Patrick early on, in which they finally capture some of the Mulder/Scully friendship vibe (remember 'The Unnatural' and 'Hollywood AD'?), in which Doggett comes off more appealing than he ever has before. Later in the show Reyes is faced with a wrenching decision involving Doggett...or one version of him...and it brings some dramatic impact to both characters. Follmer also comes off better here than his first two shows. He doesn't show his asshole-ness here, but instead acts more like an open minded profession. He also gets a chance to show off his firearm skills. Unfortunately, Scully gets almost nothing to do, though she does have a subtle scene with Reyes in which she relates the moment way back in 'Beyond The Sea' in which she saw her father's spirit at the moment of his death.
There's nothing really revealed as to why the bad guy is intent on framing Reyes for the shooting, but that's just a small quibble. '4-D' is a good, solid piece of work.
Annabeth Gish on '4-D': "That was perhaps the greatest experience I've had on The X-Files. The piece was so well-written for my character. As an actress, it contained the entire spectrum of emotions for me to play. I spent myself entirely on that show. That's what any actor aspires to, where you really get to dig in deep. Plus, I thought the whole premise of the show, about an alternate parallel world that we can enter into and out of, was very cool."
Directed by Kim Manners. Written by Thomas Schnauz.
RATING: *1/2
A cable access show, named Dumbass, is video taping a young man doing a number of different, reckless stunts. The third stunt, which involves the wannabe daredevil jumping a ramp, and is girlfriend, in a shopping cart fails to happen when the rider crashes to the side of the road. His head has virtually caved in, although his crash helmet is undamaged. Doggett and Reyes examine the body, and are shocked when a swarm of flies burst from the eye sockets. Scully is called in to consult, and also on hand is entomologist Rocky Bronzino (Michael Wiseman). After witnessing another strange insect related situation for themselves, Doggett and Reyes suspect that the bugs odd behavior is actually being manipulated by one of the deceased's high school classmates, Dylan Lokensgard (Hank Harris).
Years ago, Manners helmed the third season show 'War Of The Coprophages', which dealt with cockroaches. It was one of the most memorable X-pisodes ever. So he was a natural to direct another insect-orientated story. Alas, it's all rather feeble and silly. What 'Lord Of The Flies' is sorely lacking is the multi-layed wit and intelligence that 'War' writer Darin Morgan provided. Instead, this is a cheap comedy piece (amazingly, the first since season seven's lousy 'Fight Club') with a basic plot that seems like a bad Smallville episode, with a obvious spoof of Jackass thrown in. Lokensgard's abilities aren't explained in any real way, and the script just seems to be making things up as it goes along. The whole fly thing doesn't fit with the way he comes across in the second half of the episode.
The story revolves unpopular Lokensgard's puppy love for the cute girl he used to be close with, but now run in different circles. He thinks she deserves better than her wild, uncaring boyfriend and pines for her in silence. Well, that's all good and fine, but this is The X-Files not Dawsons Creek. Or if Carter and company are gonna give us this kind of scenario, at least make it a fresh one. Hell, the basic ideas in the above description where already done of The X-Files back in the sixth season's pointless 'The Rain King'. What's more, the characters simply don't standout as original or realistic. The character of Bronzino is absurdly comic. He seems to fancy himself a smoothtalking hunk, and spends all his scenes trying to pick up Scully. If this the most exciting thing they can do with Gillian Anderson, maybe she should have pulled a Duchovny and disappeared for a while.
The show is not a total loss though. The moments of insect activities aren't badly done, especially the flies doing their thing early on. But that's not nearly enough to save this pointless entry in a season that hasn't started well at all.
THE TRUTH IS DOWN HERE