Saturday 2 January 2016

Mulder and Scully Revisited VI

Into the mostly Mulder-less eight season we go! I know things get a little hairy for some viewers from here on, but I don't mind the Doggett seasons so much. Anyway, let's take a look at the sixth season...

**Warning: spoilers ahead**

DREAMLAND (6ABx04)
The Dreamland episodes polarised fans and critics alike, but I really enjoy them. I think that Michael McKean does a great job portraying Morris Fletcher and I really like seeing how Mulder and Fletcher deal with their predicaments. The scene where Duchovny and McKean mirror each other's movements while dressed in singlets and boxer shorts is hilarious! I know it's an homage to the Marx Brothers, but who cares? It's clever and took lots of rehearsal. I think there's a bit of a tip of the hat to Quantum Leap too, especially when Mulder struggles to learn the names of Fletcher's family. I think the concluding episode, Dreamland II, is a little rushed and ends everything too neatly, but the opening gambit is great and both are enjoyable. 

HOW THE GHOSTS STOLE CHRISTMAS (6ABx08)
Boosted by the stellar performances of guest stars Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner, this is one of my favourite episodes ever. I think the interactions between Mulder and Scully while they explore the 'haunted house' enhance their characters nicely. The Believer and The Skeptic are still steadfast in their roles, but they seem to start crossing over ever so slightly. I love the episode's ending when the two excitedly exchange Christmas gifts. The smallest cast ever; just the four actors!

TITHONUS (6ABx09)
Geoffrey Lewis' turn as Alfred Fellig is one of my favourite performances from the sixth season. The world-weary photographer of death is nearly 150 years old and longs to die. The final act with Scully is also great for her character development. As Fellig finally meets his death by taking hers, Clyde Bruckman's prediction of Scully never dying from the third season, seems to suddenly have weight. 

THREE OF A KIND (6ABx19)
I think this Lone Gunmen outing is far superior to the fifth season's Unusual Suspects. Not only is there lots of humour (bimbo Scully, anyone?), the Las Vegas setting and mind-control theme are very entertaining. It's nice to see Suzanne Modeski meet Byers again too. It's a shame that it's a Mulder-less episode, but it seems to work without him quite well. Particularly when TLG trick Scully into coming by using voice trickery. It's fairly lightweight, but I really enjoyed this one.

BIOGENESIS (6ABx22)
The sixth season finale includes one of my favourite X-Files moments. When biology professor Solomon Merkmallen looks at two metallic artifacts, they fuse together and new piece flies into a nearby copy of The Bible. It's a great scene, and it foreshadows the revelations that are 'revealed' later on. The idea that aliens may be responsible for all of the religions of the Earth is a great conceit, and the reveal of the giant spaceship in the beach on the Ivory Coast is one of the last great iconic X-Files visuals. It's hard watching Mulder descend into psychosis, but Scully steps up and tries her darnedest to come up with answers to help him. Throw in a little menace from Krycek and a powerless Skinner, and you've got yourself a par-tay!


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Dreamland II, Milagro, Arcadia, One Son and The Unnatural.


STINKERS: Agua Mala, Alpha and The Rain King.

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