S10.E03: Mulder And Scully Meet The Were-Monster

[Tardislass]

[Prevailing Wind]

Since most of us have only seen the first 3 episodes and some of would like to remain spoiler-free, why is anyone mentioning episode 5 in #3's thread?  Please don't do that.

[festivus]

festivus!! Don't lurk - come join the insanity! Never mind your memory. Mine is absolutely terrible, to the point that yesterday is a relative blur to me. I remember I went to work, but don't ask me what I did in any sort of semi-detail. Last, week, I can't remember what I did Wed, compared to Thursday, it's that bad. However, I do remember completely useless facts, go figure.

Here's a hint. If you are not sure about sometime you want to write - google it. That's what I do. Sometimes I'm not 100% about something I remember from the show, or mix it up with something else, so I just double-check on the Internet! Come, join us Memory-less Members! *grin*

 

 

Oh I already do that, believe me. : D

 

Since this revival my obsession is back so I'm doing a rewatch of the series and I'm currently halfway through season 2. I've kind of surprised myself of how much I actually do remember.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Since most of us have only seen the first 3 episodes and some of would like to remain spoiler-free, why is anyone mentioning episode 5 in #3's thread?  Please don't do that.

 

Edited my post. But to be fair... no one really mentioned much about ep 5. Nothing spoiler based. Most of what I saw was about ep 6.

 

So to you guys, lets keep talk about future eps to the spoiler thread.

[Tardislass]

Betting that Darin Morgan is a Doctor Who fan since the lizardman looked similar to the Silurians in the show, who hibernate for a thousand years- instead of ten.

Too bad Morgan didn't write a role for himself. Small Potatoes succeeded in part due to his sad sack character.

[ChuckWagon]

And to those who were reminded of Jose Chung, yeah that too. But. I was reminded more of the meta episodes of Supernatural.

 

Yes, those too!  Kim Manners' influence/transference bound to happen.

[Sandman]

I can see why some find meta episodes self-congratulatory, but I've never had that feeling from The X-Files. Fan-service, to some degree, but not in a way that bothers me. The meta episodes of Supernatural, however? Just hearing about how Dean and Sam discover fanfic about themselves makes me glad -- almost deliriously so -- that I gave up on that show a long time ago.

 

It's a difference in degree, I suppose; but the whole approach of the Supernatural writers, their seemingly inexhaustible delight in their self-declared awesomeness, makes me want to slap them all. CC sometimes gets close to that line, for me, but not enough to make me hate the show, even now. (But I gave up expecting sense from CC in commenting on the Mulder and Scully relationship years ago.)

Edited February 4, 2016 by Sandman

[millennium]

An episode that wanted to be Chung, and failed horribly at it. Like the rest of the episodes, it seemed forced and overacted.

I will say that I couldn't care less why Scully and Mulder aren't together. I am just goddamned glad that they aren't. The worst thing that ever happened to the series was turning a cool sci-fi mystery into another excuse for soap opera and angsty love stories. I would love it if they pretended none of that ever happened. Even if I had to watch overworked episodes like this one.

 

I'm with you right up to the last sentence.   I can't think of anything the writers might do now that would induce me to waste another hour of my life like that.    I honestly sat through that episode glancing at the clock.   Couldn't wait until it was over.  I wish I was able to forget I ever saw it. 

 

The reaction to this episode seems to be love it or hate it.   I read a fawning review of this episode at indiewire.com, but the majority of reader comments following it were scathingly negative, many of the "worst episode of the series" variety.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I'm with you right up to the last sentence.   I can't think of anything the writers might do now that would induce me to waste another hour of my life like that.    I honestly sat through that episode glancing at the clock.   Couldn't wait until it was over.  I wish I was able to forget I ever saw it. 

 

The reaction to this episode seems to be love it or hate it.   I read a fawning review of this episode at indiewire.com, but the majority of reader comments following it were scathingly negative, many of the "worst episode of the series" variety.

 

Yea I noticed it too. I wondered if they ever saw any of the other humor episodes from back in the day. They were a lot like this one. So I guess XF humor episodes really are subjective.

[SparklesBitch]

To me, what they have at this point and what I can see on screen has already transcended the romantic love stage. 

The deep connection they have oozes out of every meaningful scene they share and, fortunately, I can't detect any hint of a tease or will they/won't they in their interactions. It's settled, they love each other.

 

Conversations between them why they didn't make it as a (romantic) couple and/or if they should get back together again feel completely out of place for these two people. So I hope, they will stick to looks and gestures for the rest of the episodes since any verbal declarations of love might come off totally cheesy, cringeworthy and generally inappropriate.

I most certainly don't want to sit through another "Dearest Dana" and "Forever yours" incident ever again.

 

I agree 100%! To borrow from Grey's Anatomy, they're each others' person. They've been to hell and back together through things that most "normal" people aren't going to be able to even begin to understand. They love one another deeply, and that's been made clear time and again throughout the series. It's like Grace tells Will on Will & Grace: "My love for you is like this scar. Ugly, but permanent." For Mulder and Scully, I think it's that simple. I don't need to see a lot of romance between them to cement their bond in my head any more than it already is. Their connection is more than the sort of romance that most shows allow their characters to have.

 

I've been a die-hard shipper pretty much forever, but right now, I'm actually perfectly content with where they are now in their relationship. Don't get me wrong, I'd love another "I can feel you thinking" and "scratchy beard!" scene of them being super cute next to each other in bed for a minute or two like we got in IWTB, but I'm okay if it doesn't come. I also think a love scene would be incredibly weird for these two onscreen because it my head, it's too intimate for anyone else to see because their relationship is such an intensely deep, private thing.

 

Everyone else already said it more eloquently than I can, but simply because of how their relationship has grown and changed over time, and because of who they are, I think this separation rings true to them as people. A Mulder devoid of purpose has got to be incredibly trying, and I think Scully has guilt over William and she's still at internal odds with the "get out of the damn car" part of herself that rears it's head every so often. I think there's probably a small part of her that resents him for how her life turned out even though she could have, if she really wanted to, picked a day, just stopped and said "enough!" and moved on. Then again, if she's honest with herself, she has to know that a normal life would have been boring.

 

Having all of that going on is a lot even without being alone together constantly in Mulder's Cabin of Bearded Seclusion. I can see why Scully would have needed to move out to catch her breath for a bit. She certainly doesn't care about him any less because she did it.

 

What I would like is for them, in the end, to be a realistic version of whatever kind of content or happy that CC would allow.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Very well said. Guess we all have our different views on it. I'm not a huge fan of things being so ambiguous myself. It's just a bit too up in the air. I hope it moves forward some more if there's a s11.

 

That said, I'm grateful for what Darin gave us in that regard in this ep. It made things a bit less so. :)

[millennium]

Yea I noticed it too. I wondered if they ever saw any of the other humor episodes from back in the day. They were a lot like this one. So I guess XF humor episodes really are subjective.

 

I was never fond of the humorous episodes, although they were interesting -- in large part because although they were meant to be tongue-in-cheek, they still felt like they might be X-Files cases.   Somebody said it better upthread, that while there may be some wackiness going on, the possibility of a plausible explanation always existed.

 

X-Files established itself as a serious show.   It treated speculative topics --UFOs, genetic mutations, sentient computer networks, serial killers, etc. -- in a serious manner.   It also challenged its characters with serious personal conflicts: loss of family members, terminal illnesses, reproductive issues, and more.

 

To give viewers a break from the heavy stuff, the show occasionally strayed from the original recipe and took a more lighthearted approach.   But it never completely divorced itself from reality.   Until now.    This one felt like a comedy routine without a straight man.   It was like a Police Squad version of the X-Files, but nowhere near as funny as Police Squad.

 

I don't mind lighthearted, but "Were-Monster" looked cheaply produced and felt annoyingly self-aware, like "Mommy, look how clever I am!"   It doesn't hold a candle to Jose Chung, or Small Potatoes or the Clyde Bruckman episode, all of which managed to be funny yet poignant at the same time.   

 

IMHO, the jokes were played too broadly.   Guy Mann's pronouncements about the human condition seemed like observational humor from amateur night at a comedy club.   Mulder was doing slapstick.  Just ugh.

[Jac]

Does anyone else think they are hinting at a drinking problem for Mulder? With the refusal of the alcohol in the limo in ep 1, and then the fall off the wagon comment in this one...

That plus the comment about being off his meds points to him really being screwed up for a bit. I mean, more than normal.

I sincerely hope not. A drinking problem for Mulder or Scully seems very OOC to me but at the same time I don't trust Chris Carter as far as I could throw him, which as a 5'2" woman with degenerative disc disease and rheumatoid arthritis is not at all so I think it is possible that is the path CCis going down with him.

[jhlipton]

I can't decide if it was awful or brilliant..

 

It was awfully brilliant?

 

These Ford placements are getting ridiculous.

 

Shows have to pay their expenses somehow, now that more people are skipping ads than not. Product placement, for good or ill, is the price we pay for DVRs.

 

I didn't think the trans jokes were horrible either.

 

The only quibble i had was the explanation for "hits like a man" (although it was needed for the lead-up to explaining "trans"). The whole "does [x] like a girl" is so tired and weak. She runs like a girl, like Flo Jo. She throws like a girl, like Mo'Ne Davis. She hits like a girl, like Titania Ali.

 

 

Apparently in Morgan's original script for Kolchak, it was Perri Reed(Gabrielle Union) and Kolchak saying "That. Did not happen."

We missed out on a sex fantasy involving Gabrielle Union???? Damn... I'll be in my bunk!

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, indeed (I've never thought GA was all that sexy... HERESY!)

[SmithW6079]

I will say that I couldn't care less why Scully and Mulder aren't together. I am just goddamned glad that they aren't. The worst thing that ever happened to the series was turning a cool sci-fi mystery into another excuse for soap opera and angsty love stories. I would love it if they pretended none of that ever happened.

Preach it! If I can pretend Mulder and Scully never got together and that William is an unexplained X-File, not their child, so can the powers that be.

[ahisma]

Loved when Mulder said to the motel manager that it was natural to expect a peeping tom at that sort of place. And the motel owner saying that he built the tunnels behind the rooms after 9-11.

This was, actually, the only thing I didn't like about this episode—Mulder saying he wasn't going to report him. Sorry, but I've never, ever expected there to be an active sex offender running even the cheapest motel I've stayed at. Nobody should. And that shouldn't be something let go. It's just a short step away to clandestine movies of guests showing up on the Internet, which Mulder, as a profiler, should know. Uuuuugh.

Other than that one line from Mulder, I loved the episode! The lizard creature horrified because he's become a werehuman (okay, I know the translation of that doesn't work) was classic Darrin Morgan, and beautifully played and described!

[Sandman]

Another point of overlap with "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose," I've just remembered, is that Alex Diakun, who played the motel manager here, also appeared in that episode (as the Tarot Dealer). Actually, Diakun might be some sort of  X-F MVP, since he also appeared in "Humbug" and "José Chung," as well as I Want To Believe.

[ganesh]

I enjoyed this episode and I'm quite enjoying the revival of the series. One thing I've noticed in tv watching in general and I speculate that it might apply here. For one, there's a ton of expectations on the show. For all of us, we have a "that's *my* X Files." Especially for shows like these, viewers do have an ownership stake. 

For the other, I've been completely unspoiled about the show since it was announced, except for DD and GA returning. I didn't even know they were keeping the credits. I have noticed that my and other unspoiled people tend to have a different, for me more freeing, viewing experience than people who might have some spoilers or read a plot summary for the episode ahead of time, etc. Then the show is suddenly different. 

I took the revival as more of a 'Let's see what Mulder and Scully have been up to', more than anything. I thought this was a fun episode. I don't buy into "This is what the X Files was so this is how it should be now". It's been a long time. DD and GA are clearly having fun with M&S again. The show doesn't need to be groundbreaking or this or that. They've done that. They don't have anything to prove to me. I certainly don't think they're just going through the motions. DD and GA don't need the show and they clearly are enjoying themselves. 

 

My favorite GA line ever was from The Fall, "Are you mad because I fucked him?"

 

Now, it's, "I want to make you say cheese."

[ganesh]

I also like that Scully is wanting Mulder to be that. She knows it's better for him to have that hope of belief than nothing at all, even if that hope is a little bit weird.

 

I forgot to mention that I liked how Scully said she was having fun. She's certainly been put through the wringer, but after all this time it's still fun. I don't know if that was a meta comment on the actors too. 

 

 

As a side note, I don't read Chris Carter interviews as a general rule, so don't take much of what he says into consideration, I just go by the text that I see on screen.

 

Since there was discussion about Doctor Who, I'll paraphrase: TPTBs for tv shows *lie*. It only counts if it's shown on the screen. (Or if there's tie in media that's been declared official canon, but you know what I mean.) Otherwise, whether you made the show or watched each episode 1000 times, you're just speculating.

 

I like random stuff like, GA's daughter drew the picture, or it was really cold out during that scene, or so and so adlibbed that line. 

I keep calling the talk show conspiracy guy Tad Cooper because of Galavant. 

[festivus]

I'm like you ganesh in that I didn't read much of anything about the show before it came back except for Mulder and Scully wouldn't be together which did not surprise me, I expected it. I'm really enjoying watching even if some things are not the greatest just because I'm happy to have more X-Files. I'm glad to see that DD and GA seem to be enjoying themselves. I remember how pissed off I was when watching season nine (which I got fed up with and still haven't seen it all to this day). Now I'm just chill about it all but we'll see what happens in the last episode.

[supposebly]

At this point, I'm of two minds about this episode and the return of the show overall. I loved all the callbacks, it felt like a love letter to the fans and I appreciate it very much.

On the other hand, Darin Morgan's humor didn't always sit quite right with me. I liked Humbug and War of the Coprophages, I absolutely adore Clyde Bruckman but I find nothing funny about Jose Chung. This episode was more Jose Chung than Clyde Bruckman with a bit of Small Potatoes thrown in. I don't mind the latter, I think it's a good episode but I find the tone incredibly jarring with the topic of the episode.

With this one, I thought the pacing was clumsy. The conversation at the cemetery took way too long, at one point I was ready to fast forward, and the Were-Monster kept harping on and on and I thought, yes, I get it already! Can we move on now!

Which brings me to what I'm debating with myself. The episodes are fine but there is nothing new. You could more or less take them and put them in an early episode of the original run and except for the cell phone jokes which are now different, it's pretty much the same. I get that it should feel familiar but the only development it seems is with the characters. Which is the part I really like. Mulder and Scully feel like they've had a life since then, not necessarily a good one, but they are at a different point. The cases, however, don't seem to have changed.

That's why I'm just not sure it's a good idea to continue the show as it was. Don't get me wrong, I love that they are doing this. I even give Duchovny some acting credits this time. He's obviously learned a thing or two. I'm just not sure the show can go on like this. They ran out of ideas after 9 years (I would actually say after five or six) and it doesn't feel like they've come up with anything significantly different or a new way of exploring the old things.

Edited February 8, 2016 by supposebly

[AntiBeeSpray]

Very well said! 

 

I didn't mind the pacing all that much in it, by comparison to ep 2. It wasn't perfect, but at least it felt XF like to me.

 

Word on that last paragraph. There's only so much that can be done.

[spaulding]

I loved everything about this fluffy episode. 

 

I'll just add to what everybody else liked:

 

The metaness of Mulder watching a sleeping Scully through a fox mask. 

The twisting of tropes: the creeper manager peeping on Mulder--not Scully.

The green bottle of beer!  Mulder and Guy kept pulling one out. 

The villain didn't get to monologue. 

 

I loved how Guy talked about the curse of being human. 

 

I wish that Guy didn't hibernated fro 10,000 years.  He and Mulder would be great drinking buddies.

 

Guy's lie about having sex with Scully.  That's probably as close to blatant sex on this show.  Poor Mulder.  He never got to see Scully in her leopard bra.  And she was friggin' hot. 

[ganesh]

The episodes are fine but there is nothing new.

 

I wasn't expecting anything new. What would be new? I don't think the show was revived so we could see the next Pusher or Tooms. The show was revived because we want to see what Mulder and Scully are doing now. This episode underscored that. 

 

I liked the second movie, and I think that was more what the XF was. We visit M&S every so often to see what they are up to. Mulder is always looking for something weird to check out. Scully is going to roll her eyes, but she's having fun. If people are in danger, they're going to come in and try to help. Usually. 

 

I can roll with that for 6 to 8 hours or so. 

[Sculltaclove]

Yes, I'm loving the revival for the exact same reasons. The stories can't be new, but the character development can. The characters were always the most interesting part anyway. I just want to see Mulder and Scully happy to more than ten minutes, but they have really backed themselves into a corner. Scully has been through so much that I don't think a normal life with anyone else is possible. How could anyone else understand all that? I want nothing more than to see them together, but let's face it, Mulder can be an ass and a healthy relationship between the two would be difficult to achieve. Mulder needs to have some purpose again and the first episode did a good job of exploring that issue.

Are they both broken by eveything? How do they come back from the trauma and loss of idealism and innocence they had at the beginning of the show? I'm about years younger than they are supposed to be and still have to deal "wanting to believe" in my own job, and that's teaching! That struggle is interesting to me.

[Sandman]

The immortal photographer (Geoffrey Lewis) gave her his life essence in one of the episodes "Tithonis."  

 

I took the ending of "Tithonus" a little differently: I think Fellig died the death Scully was meant to have in that episode; not that he gave her immortality, but there was an exchange (in terms that Scully's Catholicism might recognize, an exchange of grace) that meant one died in the place of another.   

[AntiBeeSpray]

I loved everything about this fluffy episode. 

 

I'll just add to what everybody else liked:

 

The metaness of Mulder watching a sleeping Scully through a fox mask. 

The twisting of tropes: the creeper manager peeping on Mulder--not Scully.

The green bottle of beer!  Mulder and Guy kept pulling one out. 

The villain didn't get to monologue. 

 

I loved how Guy talked about the curse of being human. 

 

I wish that Guy didn't hibernated fro 10,000 years.  He and Mulder would be great drinking buddies.

 

Guy's lie about having sex with Scully.  That's probably as close to blatant sex on this show.  Poor Mulder.  He never got to see Scully in her leopard bra.  And she was friggin' hot. 

 

He did. It was just off screen. As per usual.

[baileythedog]

I took the ending of "Tithonus" a little differently: I think Fellig died the death Scully was meant to have in that episode; not that he gave her immortality, but there was an exchange (in terms that Scully's Catholicism might recognize, an exchange of grace) that meant one died in the place of another.   

 

Well, true, but that's exactly what happened to Fellig originally....

[Sandman]

I'm a little fuzzy on the details of a lot of episodes, I should be ashamed to say. I might be making a distinction without a workable difference.

[jumper sage]

What fun!  Loved Rhys (I remember him from the Australia episode of Modern Family).  Loved the twist of the lizard being the victim.  All around great episode.  The beginning with the myths vs. the internet - hilarious.

 

Love when the character played by Rhys to ask what the hell is up with neckties.

Edited February 9, 2016 by jumper sage

[wayne67]

I found the episode amusing but I'm still not sure if this season/revival is going anywhere so it kind of felt like filler. Also in some ways like a british Skit for some reason with everyone going off in random directions and being snarky. 

 

*shrugs*

[SlackerInc]

I may have jumped in at the wrong spot. I never really watched the X-Files much when it was originally on, but I must've seen a couple episodes because when I watched the movie (the more recent one) the characters and basic idea were reasonably familiar to me.

So I was curious to check out the show when it came back, but I heard from many sources that the first couple episodes were not so good. This was the one, they said, where it found its footing. But this certainly wasn't anything like the movie, or like my conception of the show in general. Nor was it my cup of tea. I don't even know what to ask, except I guess for someone to explain to me why this was so goofy...? And why that's a good thing, for a series I've never heard advertised as a comedy?

[Splash]

They occasionally did funny episodes, but those aren't the norm.  I'd say that the second episode is a bit more in line with how the show was, in general.

[ae2]

This was, actually, the only thing I didn't like about this episode—Mulder saying he wasn't going to report him. Sorry, but I've never, ever expected there to be an active sex offender running even the cheapest motel I've stayed at. Nobody should. And that shouldn't be something let go. It's just a short step away to clandestine movies of guests showing up on the Internet, which Mulder, as a profiler, should know. Uuuuugh.

 

I was expecting him to walk away and make the call to report the guy. I just have to assume it happened off screen.

[Sandman]

What fun!  Loved Rhys (I remember him from the Australia episode of Modern Family).

 

I have seen that actor before! Thank you.

[greenbean]

This is awful. It's like an episode of Grimm, and not even a good one at that. I expect X-Files to be way better than Grimm.

 

ETA: In fairness it did pick up towards the end. I like it when the killer said he had a speech prepared. lol

 

And the actual ending wasn't bad also, it tied it altogether.

Edited February 17, 2016 by greenbean

[Prevailing Wind]

 

I expect X-Files to be way better than Grimm.

The way Grimm's been self-destructing, that's not at all hard to do.

[Jac]

I may have jumped in at the wrong spot. I never really watched the X-Files much when it was originally on, but I must've seen a couple episodes because when I watched the movie (the more recent one) the characters and basic idea were reasonably familiar to me.

So I was curious to check out the show when it came back, but I heard from many sources that the first couple episodes were not so good. This was the one, they said, where it found its footing. But this certainly wasn't anything like the movie, or like my conception of the show in general. Nor was it my cup of tea. I don't even know what to ask, except I guess for someone to explain to me why this was so goofy...? And why that's a good thing, for a series I've never heard advertised as a comedy?

Darin Morgan only wrote four episodes in the original run of the show (Humbug, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, War of the Coprophages, Jose Chung's From Outer Space) all of which have a very similar tone and most of which are beloved by a large portion of the fandom and the majority of critics.

That said by the time these episodes aired those who were watching the show on a weekly basis were used to a show that was more than willing to play with its tone so it is easy to see why coming in on Mulder and Scully Meet the Were Monster could be discombobulating.

Darin Morgan was far from the only writer who wrote comedic episodes of the X-Files, pretty much every season other than season one has one or two episodes that are comedic in tone. It is a part of the fabric of the show and often a welcome change of pace at times when the show could be very emotionally exhausting.

If you like the tone of the second movie, which was pretty much a straight serious MOTW X-File, I would suggest going back to season 1 and trying episodes like Squeeze and Tooms (both episodes feature the same MOTW), Ice, Beyond the Sea or Darkness Falls and seeing if you enjoy them.

[SlackerInc]

Darin Morgan only wrote four episodes in the original run of the show (Humbug, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, War of the Coprophages, Jose Chung's From Outer Space) all of which have a very similar tone and most of which are beloved by a large portion of the fandom and the majority of critics.

That said by the time these episodes aired those who were watching the show on a weekly basis were used to a show that was more than willing to play with its tone so it is easy to see why coming in on Mulder and Scully Meet the Were Monster could be discombobulating.

Darin Morgan was far from the only writer who wrote comedic episodes of the X-Files, pretty much every season other than season one has one or two episodes that are comedic in tone. It is a part of the fabric of the show and often a welcome change of pace at times when the show could be very emotionally exhausting.

If you like the tone of the second movie, which was pretty much a straight serious MOTW X-File, I would suggest going back to season 1 and trying episodes like Squeeze and Tooms (both episodes feature the same MOTW), Ice, Beyond the Sea or Darkness Falls and seeing if you enjoy them.

 

Thanks!

 

What about other episodes of this new revival?  Someone upthread recommended Ep 2, but I haven't seen a lot of love for it elsewhere.  Ep 4?

 

I will definitely steer clear of the Darin Morgan episodes, in any case.  I do have a sense of humor, really; but my funnybone was not tickled by any of this.

[AllyinthekeyofX]

I loved it. So many nods to previous episodes it made my head spin. I'm in the UK and watched it on Hulu so I'm making myself wait now until it airs here on Monday to watch it again. Loved it on so many levels I can't even begin :D

[Jac]

Thanks!

 

What about other episodes of this new revival?  Someone upthread recommended Ep 2, but I haven't seen a lot of love for it elsewhere.  Ep 4?

 

I will definitely steer clear of the Darin Morgan episodes, in any case.  I do have a sense of humor, really; but my funnybone was not tickled by any of this.

None of the episodes in the revival have the same tone as the second movie. Both episodes 2 and 4 incorporate elements of the mythology back story and Scully and Mulder's personal lives into the MOTW format. Depending on how mch you know about the show it may either be confusing for a complete newcomer and/or spoil you for a a major plot line that threads through seasons 8 and 9.

Of episodes 2 and 4, 2 is definitely the better episode. It is a pretty standard MOTW with some elements of personal backstory. 4 has a much heavier focus on the personal lives of the agents, particularly Scully leaving the MOTW element of the episode feeling quite rushed.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

None of the episodes in the revival have the same tone as the second movie. Both episodes 2 and 4 incorporate elements of the mythology back story and Scully and Mulder's personal lives into the MOTW format. Depending on how mch you know about the show it may either be confusing for a complete newcomer and/or spoil you for a a major plot line that threads through seasons 8 and 9.

Of episodes 2 and 4, 2 is definitely the better episode. It is a pretty standard MOTW with some elements of personal backstory. 4 has a much heavier focus on the personal lives of the agents, particularly Scully leaving the MOTW element of the episode feeling quite rushed.

 

In my opinion, episode 4 is far superior to episode 2.  I wasn't a huge fan of Founder's Mutation and found the MOTW element of it to be as rushed as the trash monster.  That being said, I didn't hate it, I just liked Home Again a lot more.

[AntiBeeSpray]

In my opinion, episode 4 is far superior to episode 2.  I wasn't a huge fan of Founder's Mutation and found the MOTW element of it to be as rushed as the trash monster.  That being said, I didn't hate it, I just liked Home Again a lot more.

 

I agree on that. But to be fair, it was James Wong's first time directing an episode. I think he nailed the tone of it, but the M & S interaction was lacking. I don't know what he was trying to go at but it just fell flat.

[SlackerInc]

Huh.

[sharinlilbit]

I agree on that. But to be fair, it was James Wong's first time directing an episode. 

 

It was his second.  He directed Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man.  

[AntiBeeSpray]

It was his second.  He directed Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man.  

 

Didn't know that. Liked that one better. To have been a fly on the wall for the more recent one.

 

But on a side note, to not confuse anyone any further, might as well take any talk of Founder's Mutation to it's own thread.

[Cubbiegirl]

Yes Darin Morgan's script is always funny and clever and full of in-jokes, but what really shines in ALL his stories is the human condition, soaked in failure, reality, sympathy, empathy, and always a glimmer of hope and optimism. That's why Darin Morgan is brilliant in his ways.

[AudienceofOne]

There are no words to describe how awesome that episode was. It was episodes like this that kept me watching the original long after the endless, pointless, convoluted plotlines should have driven me away. Just loved it.

[Ktlee]

I am six months late but finally saw season 10. I enjoyed this episode. Light-hearted and took a break from all the serious conspiracy stuff. I wished they did more than just six episodes. 

[Taryn74]

Rewatched this one in my preparing-for-S11 rewatches tonight.  I hoped I would like it more a year later than I did before.  Alas, it was not to be.  I'll just quote myself from last year because this is still exactly how I feel.

 

On 2/2/2016 at 11:45 PM, Taryn74 said:

Well I guess this is going to be another Jose Chung's or WotC for me..........most 'Philes loved it, I did not.

 

I did enjoy all the shoutouts to previous eps and cases.  And I enjoyed the basic idea that the "monster" really was a monster, he just happened to be a nice one who was always in the wrong place at the wrong time.  And him desiring to get a job and hate it had me LOL.

 

But I just can't get into the eps where Mulder and especially Scully are so out-of-character.  I don't mind silly eps, just don't make it so obvious that you're aware of the audience the entire time.  That's exactly what makes old eps of Moonlighting unwatchable for me now.  :/

 

On 2/3/2016 at 0:14 AM, Taryn74 said:

Forgot to mention one moment that really had me cracking up - when M/S are in their office and Mulder is ranting about being a middle-aged man, and he says "No, no, I am" like he's having to drown out her protests while Scully just sat there and didn't say a word.  Ha!  I think that's going to rank right up there with "I'm fine!" *beat* "What?" from Small Potatoes.