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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

Season 5: That Is Essentially, Exactly The Way It Happened. Essentially.

JanetMacklin

By JanetMacklin
in The X-Files [V]

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ElleryAnne

ElleryAnne

I love Patient X/The Red and the Black.  I've always been a fan of Veronica Cartwright anyway, but lately on re-watch I'm also finding that I really like Jeffrey.  

Folie a Deux and The Pine Bluff Variant are my favorite standalones from the season.  I'm not a fan of too many of the other SA's of the season, and in general it felt like the season was too heavy.  Usually the show balances humor, sci-fi and drama, but there wasn't as much humor in this season to me.

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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)

This was the first season I didn't love, and even now when I do a rewatch I tend to stop after Detour and think, "Do I really want to get into the rest of this?" 

While Gillian is perfection in them, and I like Kresge - and totally invent side trips to San Diego in my mind for Scully to later get her groove on with him, such as when she goes to the field office during Arcardia - I have a hard time with Christmas Carol/Emily.  And I loathe Post-Modern Prometheus with the heat of a nova, although I do love to watch that dance just by itself.

I think Kitsunegari is a terrible follow-up to a wonderful episode, and Schizogeny is just sort of there.  But when things pick back up, hoo boy, do they pick back up, because I love Chinga, Kill Switch and, especially, Bad Blood.  (Like Gillian, I consider that my favorite episode of the series.  Unlike Gillian, I can quote the entire thing verbatim.)

But then we're back to episodes I either don't care much about or actively dislike (Travelers, I am looking at you).

So this season ranks pretty high on my list, because of how heavily weighted Bad Blood, Kill Switch, Detour and Redux II are, but if you took those out of the equation it would be a fairly low-ranked season for me.  It's when I really lost interest in the mytharc, and although I still watched faithfully every week, I stopped being so excited about it.

Edited by Bastet
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MyrtleGroggins

MyrtleGroggins

I agree with nearly every one of your points Bastet (I particularly concur about "Bad Blood" and "Chinga" - I could watch those on repeat for the rest of time)!  However, I always rather enjoyed "Post-modern Prometheus," campy comic book stuff and all.

I also have a soft spot for "All Souls," partially because it's a more Scully-centric episode, and in part, I think, because it brings up Mulder's double standard of totally believing in extra-terrestrials, but having zero latitude on faith.  The other episode like this that I adore is "Revelations," but I should discuss that one on the Season 3 thread (:

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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)

If PMP had, like Small Potatoes, simply acknowledged the rapist character was a rapist, I'd likely have an entirely different outlook.  I'd still find it rather silly, and part of the trend of Chris Carter's gimmick episodes being all hat and no horse (e.g. Triangle), but I wouldn't be profoundly offended by it.  That he instead puts forth this "they got babies out of it, so it's all wonderful" crap ... I hated it so much -- flames, flames on the side of my face.  [/Clue]

Edited by Bastet
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MyrtleGroggins

MyrtleGroggins

Breathing ... breathless ... heaving breaths...

If PMP had, like Bad Blood, simply acknowledged the rapist character was a rapist, I'd likely have an entirely different outlook.  

This is a very good point.  My brain had sort of glossed over that (admittedly rather major) facet.  There was indeed a whole bunch of handwaving of "hey, we totally wanted babies so it's all good" from the ladies involved.  And I remember finding the whole bit of the tent rolling down over the windows unnecessarily creepy.

Ah well, it's a good excuse to rewatch the season (if I'm going to go for one episode, might as well watch 'em all!)

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MyrtleGroggins

MyrtleGroggins

Okay, between the Clue pick-up and the Remington Steele username, I'm in love. :-)

Eeeheeheehee! </girlish giggle> Speaking of, is there a Remington Steele forum?  ::checks:: DEAR LORD, THERE IS.  No more free time for me!

Meanwhile, I also forgot how much I enjoyed "Unusual Suspects."  TLG and Detective Munch?  Heaven!  I think that people fall into one of a couple of camps on the (earlier) non-M&S-centric episodes - some love 'em, and some either skip them entirely or think they're over-hyped.  For me, it entirely depends on the cast in the episode and whether they can carry the story by themselves without the principals present (because I could watch M&S playing tiddly-winks –  no, not like that {C}– or file their taxes, or get haircuts, and be entertained for 44 minutes just because I like to watch them interact).  In "Unusual Suspects," I got entirely drawn in to the story of TLG, particularly Suzanne and Byers.  In comparison, "Travelers" never really grabbed my attention, as I didn't click with young Bill Mulder's story so much.  In contrast to THAT, I loved the return of (the other) Arthur Dales in "The Unnatural," again partially because Jesse Martin stole the show as Exley, and I loved his and Dales's story together).

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Taryn74

Taryn74

Unusual Suspects has to catch me in the right mood.  As long as I'm in the mood for it, I adore it, because I love me some Lone Gunmen.  But every once in a while I'm very much not in the mood for it, and then I'm like, I wasted an hour of my life on that?  Seriously?  Heh.

I think Bad Blood is probably my most rewatched XF episode, ever.  It's just so very perfect.  "Finally, you left."  Heeeee.

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smrou

smrou

If PMP had, like Bad Blood, simply acknowledged the rapist character was a rapist, I'd likely have an entirely different outlook.

Yeah, PMP is an episode that I really like on an aesthetic level, but the story has that glaring problem that the rape is treated like it's just part of a nice little story with a happy ending. 

But Bad Blood?  Do you mean Small Potatoes?  

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Taryn74

Taryn74

(edited)

I still don't enjoy PMP, but I've decided (and I think I mentioned this after watching it the last time) that Mutato wasn't the one impregnating these women at all.  He was just there, dancing around, while the farmer impregnated them via some sort of artificial means, trying to create a human/animal hybrid baby that would be the same sort of hybrid as Mutato so he wouldn't be alone in the world.

But the whole episode is just too goofball and weird for me to enjoy, so I don't pay that much attention to it.

 

Editing to talk about Jeffrey Spender, responding to a post above by ElleryAnne -

I love Patient X/The Red and the Black.  I've always been a fan of Veronica Cartwright anyway, but lately on re-watch I'm also finding that I really like Jeffrey.

 

You know, I discovered the same thing in my most recent rewatch too.  Here's what I posted after watching PX/TRatB -

I know that Jeffrey is being a real prick in this episode, but I can't blame the guy.  He's having to deal with the fact that his mother just disappeared, after Mulder and Scully were in contact with her despite him asking them (quite nicely, I must say) to please leave her alone.  And then Mulder comes sauntering in during his briefing and makes him look like a fool, and quite frankly continues to be a condescending jerk to him throughout the rest of the episode.  It's no wonder Spender is so pissed off at Mulder by the end of it.  (Side note, it's intriguing that even before they knew of their shared parentage, Mulder and Spender have automatically assumed a kind of antagonistic older brother/wimpy younger brother role with each other.  That fascinates me.)

 

Maybe it's because I didn't see that much of Jeffrey this time, doing a mytharc-focused rewatch instead of watching all of the MotW eps that would have had him in it, but I found that I didn't mind the guy at all, and in fact kind of liked him.

Still hate Diana though.  Really don't think that's going to change, heh.

Edited by Taryn74
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ElleryAnne

ElleryAnne

Yeah, I'm with you on Diana Fowley.  I'll never like her - mainly because I couldn't believe that after five seasons we were supposed to believe Mulder had an ex-wife.   I didn't even ship M/Sc but was thrown by how pointless Fowley's existence was.  It was a rare person indeed who could accept that character on any grounds at all. "The End" was one of my least favorite episodes of the season because I couldn't warm up to her presence at all.

And I know that Jeffrey came along a earlier in the season than she did, but I think he suffered from her unpopularity.  I remember back when I was first watching the show, everyone would be all, "Ugh, I hate Jeffrey and Fowley."   People just wanted them dead.  But when I watch his episodes I realize there was a lot of potential for that character.  I agree about the almost-brothers vibe he and Mulder had from the start.  Definite opportunity missed, there, for more of a story with them.  (If I remember correctly, CC and the cast always got along really well with Chris Owens, which is why they created the character of Jeffrey in the first place.  They'd liked working with him in PMP and when he played the younger CSM and felt he'd be good in a recurring role.)

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Hidebehind

Hidebehind

I'm very fond of season 5. It features some of my favorite episodes (Redux I and II, All Souls, Folie à Deux, and Detour), only has two episodes that I would consider clunkers (Kitsunegari and Schizogeny), and gets the privilege of being the season that leads to Fight the Future, which I absolutely adore.

I'll try and hone in on some of the individual episodes tomorrow - right now it's almost 3 AM and I don't trust myself to be coherent. :p

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mstaken

mstaken

(edited)

We've had a lot of fun doing this for S1, so why not tackle the same challenge for the remaining seasons: What are your five favorite and least favorite episodes of the season...and why?!

 

I suspect Bad Blood will be popping up on a lot of 'best of...' lists :) 

Edited by mstaken
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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)

This is where we start getting into episodes I can't properly evaluate because I haven't watched them as often -- this is the season I stopped being excited every week.  But, here we go ...

 

Favorites:

 

Bad Blood - Favorite episode of the whole series.

 

Detour - Just delightful after the emotion of the cancer arc, and a fun romp in its own right

 

Redux II - Except for the shoehorning in of the Samantha stuff, which really could have waited until another episode

 

Kill Switch - I love Invisigoth, and Scully having another woman to interact with

 

Chinga - Ridiculous, but I love Scully in this one (and dorky Mulder back home)

 

Least Favorite (from among those I remember):

 

Travelers: Fuck you for that stupid wedding ring stunt, DD.  It's not cute.

 

Post-Modern Prometheus: These women were raped, but that resulted in babies, so it's all good.  This fuck you is for CC.  (Love the dancing scene in isolation, though.)

 

Kitsunegari: Not a terrible episode, but terribly disappointing as a follow-up to one of the best episodes.

 

Mind's Eye: Total waste of Lili Taylor

 

All Souls: Great performance by Gillian, but not my cup of tea in terms of storyline

Edited by Bastet
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queequeg

queequeg

Favorites:

Redux II

Detour

The Post-Modern Prometheus

Chinga

Bad Blood

 

Least Favs:

Christmas Carol

Emily

Schizogeny

Kill Switch

 

I can't come up with a 5th least favorite episode.  Season 5, like Season 4 just had so many good episodes.

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smrou

smrou

Favorite:

 

Redux II - Basically because I'm a sucker for the 'ship.  
Detour - This is a fun episode with a lot of cute moments ("I fell down a hole!") and I think the X-File is pretty interesting.
Kill Switch - I basically love the Invisigoth chick and the involvement of the Lone Gunmen.  
Bad Blood - Needs no explanation.
The Pine Bluff Variant - This is one where I'm not sure why I like it so much, but I just really enjoy it.  I debated between that and Folie à Deux to be the fifth on there, but I think in terms of the whole episode I just find PBV more entertaining. 

 

 

Least Favorite:

Christmas Carol/Emily (It feels mean to say this about a small child, but I simply cannot stand the kid who plays Emily)
Travelers - Whatever. 

 

You know, I don't think I have any more to list.  Turns out there are a lot of episodes in this season that I just have no strong feelings about one way or the other.  Like, I know over the years I've seen a lot of criticism of Kitsunegari, and I definitely think that as a follow-up to Pusher (best episode ever) it falls way short, but taken on its own I don't really have an issue with the episode.  And then there's Post-Modern Prometheus that is very very popular I think, and I can understand why for stylistic reasons, but I take too much issue with the plot to name it as a favorite.  At the same time, though, there are enough elements of that episode that I enjoy or find interesting that I can't put it on my least favorite list either.  

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smrou

smrou

Kill Switch - I love Invisigoth, and Scully having another woman to interact with

Speaking of which, I was looking for a gif of Scully licking her lips after Invisigoth says the line "Are you going to take off the cuffs, or do I have to do this with my tongue?" but failed to find one.  But I swear that happened!  This screenshot was the best I could find:

Screenshot44.jpg

I know it's just a silly thing, but it just tickles me.

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AltLivia

AltLivia

Favorites:

Bad Blood - I just love the way the dual perspectives. The cream cheese rant! Luke Wilson being a fabulous guest! That redhead kid who was in everything in the 90's!

Kill Switch - I love Esther and Scully's reaction to Esther and, the idea that your entire consciousness could be in the, I guess, Cloud of the time. And you could just be there, hanging on computer cables for all of forever. Plus the weird Scully action hero sequence and Mulder's dirty sense of humor make me smile.

The Pine Bluff Variant - Start to finish, fantastic. Really visually well done, good pacing, lots of intrigue without being mytharc-y.

Folie A Deux - You know, I started watching this episode and hated it and then went, "You know what? Just go with it. There's a giant bug. Accept that as happening." And it was actually pretty great.

All Souls - I really liked it. I thought it touched on Scully's faith without bogging down the action. I felt she needed closure after Emily and this afforded her a bit of that.

 

Least Favorite

Travelers - I don't remember anything about this episode but a deep, deep sense of not caring about it.

Schizogeny - I wish you guys had been there when I watched this. Yelling "Really? Trees? You write on the most popular show of its time and your idea is TREES?"

* The End - Fowley....

 

*I do love Gibson Praise, but this was kind of where I started losing interest in mytharc.

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smrou

smrou

(edited)
Schizogeny - I wish you guys had been there when I watched this. Yelling "Really? Trees? You write on the most popular show of its time and your idea is TREES?"

It does have Mulder's line "Hey, Scully, is this demonstration of boyish agility turning you on at all?"  Other than that, there's not much to recommend it.

 

* The End - Fowley....

Grrrrr. 

Edited by smrou
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Bastet

Bastet

Like, I know over the years I've seen a lot of criticism of Kitsunegari, and I definitely think that as a follow-up to Pusher (best episode ever) it falls way short, but taken on its own I don't really have an issue with the episode.

 

I wish they'd have given Scully better ways of proving her identity to Mulder than naming off his family members.  The parking lot attendant at the Hoover building probably knows Samantha's name.

 

I've enjoyed Diana Scarwid in other things, but she doesn't work for me as Linda.  It's not entirely her fault, as I think this episode is fairly mediocre as written, but her performance doesn't help.  And I don't really like Mulder or Skinner in this episode.

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janestclair

janestclair

Favorites:

Bad Blood: Duh. Is there anyone who doesn't have this in their top favorite episodes of all time?  Another episode that I could probably recite verbatim. 

Folie a Deux - creepy good mytharc. 

The Pine Bluff Variant - I'm not sure why I love this one as much as I do. 

Detour - a breath of fresh air after the cancer arc.  Raining sleeping bags. Joy to the World. 

Redux II - because I feel like I need a mytharc episode

 

Least:

Chinga - I'm sorry. I just can't with this episode.  Even though Scully looks adorable in her Maine t-shirt and their phone conversations are great.  I do not like Stephen King.  A talking doll is not scary. 

Kill Switch - again, sorry.  I think I don't like the whole stunt writer thing in general.  First Stephen King, then William Gibson. 

Travelers - WTF was this? Seriously?  I don't even know.

Schizogeny - Killer trees?  Really.  Aside from Mulder's comment from the tree, I remember nothing.

Redux I - did anything happen in this episode?  I feel like the 3 parter could've easily been a 2 parter without losing anything of importance.

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Taryn74

Taryn74

Favorites:

 

Bad Blood - favorite "funny" ep of the series.  Seriously, does it get any better than this?  "Ya'll must be the gubment people!"

 

Redux II - LORD HAVE MERCY.  This is the first ep I can remember it making me want to pause the show and catch my breath before I had a heart attack from the intensity.

 

Detour - so much love.

 

Christmas Carol/Emily - I understand those who don't care for this one, but I really love it

 

The Pine Bluff Variant - because I love a good conspiracy theory, and it has a for real tie-in to my home state of AR. 

 

Least:

 

Redux I - too much boring stuff from Kritschgau

 

PMP - ugh, no.  Just no.

 

Kitsunegari - as others said, as a standalone it would have been better.  As a follow-up to Pusher, huge disappointment.

 

Travelers - hate this one.

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TheRealTC

TheRealTC

(edited)

I guess I'm in the minority about Kitsunegari. I actually liked it quite a bit. I think part of it has to do with how I didn't see it coming that there might be another "pusher" other than Modell in the person of Linda Bowman. If we thought Modell was a psycho, his sis had him beat by several miles. I mean, gosh... marrying poor Nathan Bowman as just part of her end game? Making him drink the bloody gallon of paint? Yikes. 

 

Plus, I always imagined that there could have been another follow-up: this time, government experimentation with people genetically susceptible to brain tumors (NF Type II comes to mind) and possibly cultivating their own army of "pushers". (But who controls the "pusher" when the "pusher" can control you?)

Yeah, if I'd even known about fanfiction back when I was watching this show, that would have totally been my first entry into the world of XF fics. 

Edited by TheRealTC
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DaynaPhile

DaynaPhile

Ah, season 5, how do I love thee? Let me count the episodes.

No really, I love this season. As for Bad Blood...top of the heap, easily. But GA breaking character was not the only time. It's just the only time they left it in the final cut. But I swear there was another time, but I'll have to keep up my rewatching to remember when it was. It wasn't in humor though, I think she was startled and almost swore on camera. Could be taken as in character, but it just struck me as a possible near break. Whatever. I analyze this show too microscopically. But then again, that's why we're all here, isn't it?

Question about PMP. If Shaina had her tubes tied, then mutant's Dad did more than inseminate, he transferred an entire embryo, right? I know that was never really cleared up, husband and I were just chatting about it tonight when he asked "hey, that guy is basically a rapist, right?" But then I remember it was more of an artificial insemination thing. Medical rape, I guess. There was no actual sex, right? And the dancing scene? Swoon worthy. I have a list of "those moments", the ones that give you that little shipper chill up your spine in a good way? Or moments you just love for no particular reason? When Mulder first pulls Scully to her feet, there is the tiniest of split seconds before they actually start dancing. For some reasons that is on my Moments List.

Ahem, dear autocorrect. Rapist is not the same as racist.

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DaynaPhile

DaynaPhile

Speaking of which, I was looking for a gif of Scully licking her lips after Invisigoth says the line "Are you going to take off the cuffs, or do I have to do this with my tongue?" I know it's just a silly thing, but it just tickles me.

I remember posting love about this exact moment on the old boards! I love this and wonder what exactly was going through Scully's head when she licked her lips. My mind likes to imagine she was thinking "I could teach you. I showed Mulder just the other night."

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AntiBeeSpray

AntiBeeSpray

Ah, season 5, how do I love thee? Let me count the episodes.

No really, I love this season. As for Bad Blood...top of the heap, easily. But GA breaking character was not the only time. It's just the only time they left it in the final cut. But I swear there was another time, but I'll have to keep up my rewatching to remember when it was. It wasn't in humor though, I think she was startled and almost swore on camera. Could be taken as in character, but it just struck me as a possible near break. Whatever. I analyze this show too microscopically. But then again, that's why we're all here, isn't it?

 

Which scene was the one where she broke character in Bad Blood? It's been too long since I've seen it.

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Taryn74

Taryn74

(edited)

When Mulder was warning her what prison would be like and this happened.....

 

Screenshot028.jpg

 

If having to leave in a cut where she's obviously hiding her smile with her hand was the best they could do, I'd hate to see how many times they tried to redo that scene LOL.

 

But I swear there was another time, but I'll have to keep up my rewatching to remember when it was. It wasn't in humor though, I think she was startled and almost swore on camera. Could be taken as in character, but it just struck me as a possible near break.

 

 

I'm not sure if it's what you're referring to here Dayna, but I remember a scene from some bloopers where she called X a "lying sack of sh*t" and didn't realize what she had said until everyone started laughing.  It was great.

Edited by Taryn74
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DaynaPhile

DaynaPhile

(edited)

When Mulder was warning her what prison would be like and this happened.....

Screenshot028.jpg

If having to leave in a cut where she's obviously hiding her smile with her hand was the best they could do, I'd hate to see how many times they tried to redo that scene LOL.

I'm not sure if it's what you're referring to here Dayna, but I remember a scene from some bloopers where she called X a "lying sack of sh*t" and didn't realize what she had said until everyone started laughing. It was great.

It was actually the one where the bounty hunter shows up and practically jumps on the hood of her car. It almost looks like to honestly startled GA so bad that she nearly swore on camera. If you watch closely it looks like she's about to blurt out "SH..."

Got it! Herrenvolk! http://xfphotos.fredfarm.com/season4/herrenvolk/cap053a.jpg

Egads, I don't know how to get pics to show up instead of just the link on this new fangled forum...

Edited by DaynaPhile
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Jac

Jac

Just finished season 5 in my rewatch. I liked this season waaaay more than I remembered. Actually I loved it. While there are some really bad elements, FOWLEY and Scully's hair, which I hate in this season, for example, overall it is a very strong season. I feel the mytharc is on shaky ground by this point but most of it is still enjoyable and there are some classic MotWs.

 

Favorites

 

Detour - Complaints about the wearing of overcoats in Florida aside, this is a super fun episode that bring much needed levity after the cancer arc. Joy to the World makes me squee and 'I fell down a hole' never fails to make me laugh, Gillian nails the delivery of that line.

Post-Modern Prometheus - I understand why people have an issue with this episode but I love the tone of it and the I think it is extremely strongly played. It is a fun watch for me and I love, love, love the dance.

Chinga - Scully-centric, which is always nice, especially at this point in the series. I like Stephen King or at least early-mid period SK, SK is probably the first horror author I read, mainly because my mum was a fan of his early-mid period work. I found it quite scary.

Bad Blood  - Is there anyone who doesn't love this episode. It is so much fun. Gillian was great as a totally over it Scully, I loved seeing things from Scully's perspective, that she found Mulder to be a complete PitA too, because he was being obnoxious. 

Patient X/The Red and the Black - By far the strongest mytharc episodes of this season, a really solid pairing that advances the mythic in a sensible way. I would have been perfectly happy if after The Red and the Black there was a final mytharc episode to tie everything together and the mytharc concluded there. It felt then and now, like a good place to conclude.

 

Lest favourites

 

Redux II - Feels like a letdown after Redux I which I really enjoyed.

Christmas Carol/Emily - I find these episodes frustrating because it feels like they were never sure what to do with Emily in the larger scheme of things, is she part of the mytharc? Was she supposed to be and the writers changed their minds. It feels like a big dead end. Gillian, though, was brilliant in both episodes.

Kitsunegari - Unlike Tooms which was an excellent follow-up to Squeeze, this was a letdown after Pusher.

Schizogeny - I saw this three days ago and I barely remember it. I think that says everything I need to say about this episode.

The End  - Effing Fowley. That is all.

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joelene

joelene

(edited)

Gotta admit I have a soft spot for Schizogeny. It's not great (or even very good) but quite rewatchabe, for some reason.

Edited by joelene
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