Album of the Week - Vol.1

Mule Variations TOM WAITS (1999)
Week: Sat 8th Apr to Fri 14th Apr
Format: iPod (MP3s)
Producer: Kathleen Brennan and Tom Waits
Track listing:

1. Big in Japan *
2. Lowside of the Road
3. Hold On *
4. Get Behind the Mule
5. House Where Nobody Lives
6. Cold Water
7. Pony
8. What's He Building? *
9. Black Market Baby
10. Eyeball Kid
11. Picture in a Frame *
12. Chocolate Jesus
13. Georgia Lee
14. Filipino Box Spring Hog
15. Take it With Me
16. Come on Up to the House *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 70:33

I got into Tom Waits quite late in life. It wasn't until I turned forty that I listened to a whole album of his. A couple of friends had suggested to me that leaping down this particular rabbit hole would be an interesting one, and not one I'd regret. How right they were. After being exposed to a couple of choice tracks via Spotify's Discover Weekly playlists, I sought help from a big fan. Let's call her Ang, because that's her name. 

Ang likes music just as much as me, I reckon. She had made a Spotify playlist of her favourite Tom Waits tunes a while back, and I asked her for the link. Upon wading through a good whack of the list, I made a decision to start listening to albums in their entirety. After being particularly struck by Hold On from Ang's playlist, I turned to Mule Variations. So it was, one day in March last year I listened to a Tom Waits record for the first time.

While I didn't get through more than about eight or nine of his long players, I have become quite the Tom Waits fan. His delivery runs the gamut from melancholic mumbling to raucous rambling, but there's always heart there. Or a little grit, if nothing else. He certainly is an acquired taste, but I doubt it's one you would lose once you got it. I'll be digging through more of his work in the future, I have no doubt. 

Now, Hold On was the bait on the hook, but I really enjoyed my first listen of Mule Variations. I've now come to see it as an astonishing set of songs that truly showcases Waits and what he does best. I've been listening to it quite a bit lately, and that's why it's my inaugural entry for this semi-regular Album of the Week blog thing. 

One of my favourite ways to listen to music is while driving, and in particular on the way to a gig; or heading home from one. It's usually nighttime, the traffic is lighter and I'm thoroughly ensconced in what I'm hearing. During the packdown of a Wesley gig at The Saint recently, I spontaneously started spouting lyrics from Big In Japan, the opening track of Mule Variations. It's a fun song, and I decided right then that I would listen to the album on the drive home. As the record's running time was longer than my journey, the second half of the album served as my soundtrack on the way to a wedding gig up in Gnangara. Bizarrely, the reception was being put on in the big, beautiful backyard of the groom's parents' house, and the final track from Mule Variations, Come on Up to the House was nearing completion as I parked. I've listened to the album several more times during the week. It's just brilliant.

A good album will change its attack and bounce between moods as it unfolds. This one does exactly that. You get wailin', found-object romps and tender, poignant ballads. The rollickin' Filipino Box Spring Hog sits right next to the lovely Take it With Me; and after being lulled by Pony, you're hit with the eerie, spoken-word prose of What's He Building?. The only element missing from this album is his jazz leanings. So, didn't expect anything like Step Right Up from Small Change or Blue Valentine's wonderful $29.00. 

As I continue this blog idea, I will mark my favourite songs in the track listing at the start with an asterisk. Not sure when (and if - let's face it) I'll do another album. Hey, anything can happen. But, let me strongly recommend Mule Variations to you. Even if you're not a Tom Waits fan, I'm sure you'll take something away from it. 

Dylan IV - The Quest for Peace

Wow, it's been way too long in between drinks here. I got the Dylan CD box set for my birthday last year, and I still haven't listened to all the albums. I got distracted by things like The X-Files and the passing of David Bowie. Seeing as the man himself turned 75 recently, I thought it was a good time to jump back in. Rolling Stone published an online article offering up the 100 Greatest Dylan Songs to coincide with his birthday too, so I've been dipping my toe into some of those tracks as well. Anyway, let's start with one I prepared earlier and look at the soundtrack side of Dylan first...

12. PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID (1973) 4/2/16
Dylan's foray into the soundtrack world is interesting, but not essential listening. The movie itself is notable for also casting Dylan in the role of Alias. Even though the album is not vital, it is very easy to listen to. Fairly perfect for being in the background of a small social gathering perhaps, except for the semi-raucous banjo frenzy of Turkey Chase. Amongst the instrumental tracks lies the true jewel in this offering: Knockin' On Heaven's Door; a song that has nearly been covered to death, ironically enough. This remains my favourite version, as it's stripped-back and pithy. There's a real sense of melancholy that is missing from other renditions, except for maybe Warren Zevon's cover. The various takes of Billy throughout the album are also highlights.

[Side note: in November 1971, between the releases of New Morning and Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, Columbia issued the double album compilation Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II. The excellent set contains five songs not on any other release at that point; I'm sure they'll turn up on the double CD Side Tracks which makes up the 46th and 47th CD of the Dylan box set.] 

13. DYLAN (1973) 26/5/16

Apparently this album was released without any input from Dylan. Columbia simply grabbed two outtakes from Self Portrait and seven from New Morning and issued a new Dylan record! All nine songs are covers too, so there is no new original material here either. Further probing led me to discover that this album was never released on CD in the US market, at Dylan's request. Its inclusion in this box set is one of the only ways to obtain the album on CD. While an album of covers might not be what we turn to Dylan for, this is still an enjoyable offering. There's nothing earth-shattering here, but his versions of Mr Bojangles, Big Yellow Taxi and Can't Help Falling In Love are pretty good. I also liked the opening track, Lily Of The West (and old traditional folk tune) and Spanish Is The Loving Tongue. The latter was previously issued as the B-side to the 1971 single Watching The River Flow, albeit a different version, which I'd heard before on the Masterpieces compilation. I think the Dylan take is nicer. 

14. PLANET WAVES (with The Band) (1974) 27/5/16
This was the first album in a while that felt like a real Dylan record. Aptly backed up by The Band, this is probably the most enjoyable listening experience since New Morning. It's certainly the first album since Blonde On Blonde where you could apply the term 'rollicking'. Right from the opening track, On A Night Like This, you are assured that this is Dylan back in form. Although they don't lend any harmonies to the songs, The Band do serve up plenty of grooves and gentle funk. Sometimes you get lost in the instrumentation and think that you're listening to an album of The Band's, until you hear Dylan sing again. Aside from the slightly overlong Dirge, this album is all killer. My favourite tracks would be the aforementioned On A Night Like This, Wedding Song, Going Going Gone and the truly stellar Forever Young. I'm not sure why they included an alternate version of the latter straight after the version we're all familiar with, but whatever. It was the seventies, I guess, and perhaps a bit of a precursor into how Dylan's back pages of tunes would shape-shift as his career moved forward. Forever Young holds a special place in my heart for a few reasons. I first heard it played by Perth muso Rick Steele in a pub in Kalgoorlie during the mid-90's. When Rhones and I got married, a very good friend of her family wrote the entire first verse in our 'congratulations' book. Dylan ended the first two live shows I saw him perform with Forever Young as well. It's such a great song, and I absolutely love the last lines of the third verse: 

"May your heart always be joyful

May your song always be sung

And may you stay forever young"

15. BEFORE THE FLOOD (with The Band) (1974) 4/6/2016
The first official live release from Dylan sees him paired up with The Band again. Documenting their joint US tour, this double album offers four sides of those shows. Side 1 is Dylan and The Band rolling through some classics (of Zimmy's), while Side 2 is The Band sans Dylan. The first half of Side 3 is Dylan solo, with the second half featuring The Band on their own. Side 4 is Dylan back with The Band again. Phew! Got it? For the most part, it's an enjoyable affair, albeit a little unhinged in places. The arrangements of Dylan's songs are certainly different, with Knockin' On Heaven's Door managing to sound upbeat. The Band bring a swagger that sets fire to classics like All Along The Watchtower, Ballad of a Thin Man, Highway 61 Revisited and Lay, Lady, Lay. Opening track Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine) is almost unrecognisable until the chorus, but it's still great. The Band's Dylan-less performances are excellent with the standout tracks for me being The Night They Drove All Dixie Down, The Shape I'm In and When You Awake.

16. BLOOD ON THE TRACKS (1975) 13/6/2016
This is the only album out of these five that I'd listened to in its entirety before writing this blog post. I reviewed it during my time with the afyccim blog, and wasn't as impressed with it as I assumed I would be. It's touted by many as Dylan's finest work from the 70's, and some even cite it as his best album. I like it much more than I did when I first listened to it, but I don't fall into the latter category; but I'm getting closer to being in the former. Give me a few more years and I might just adore it as much as the album's strongest admirers. I still struggle with the overlong Idiot Wind and the fairly pedestrian Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts, but I pretty much like the rest of the album now. My strongest loyalties lie with the more acoustic numbers, with my favourites being Buckets Of Rain, Shelter From The Storm and the gorgeous Simple Twist of Fate. There's no denying the awesomeness of opening track Tangled Up In Blue though (hands off, Hootie!). I remember seeing a live and solo version of it on RAGE late one night when I was a teenager, with Dylan wearing mascara, faded white face makeup and a hat. Unfamiliar with the song, I was drawn into its narrative and just loved the title! I heard Dylan perform it in a totally different arrangement at the old Burswood Dome in 2007. It took a while for the crowd to cotton on to what they were hearing, but come on! If you don't know those opening lyrics, what kind of Dylan fan are you? He played it again at the Fremantle Blues n Roots Festival in 2011 as well, and the arrangement had changed again! Hehehe...Dylan doesn't look back very often. But getting to back to the album at hand, Blood On The Tracks remains a hugely influential and important record. As with many artists, emotional upheaval can ignite bursts of creativity and as Dylan's marriage to Sara was disintegrating, he wears his heart on the album sleeve. 

Okay, well, that will do it for now. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going and get through a few more albums sooner rather than later. 

The Magic of Miyazaki (pt 1)

Who doesn't love a good box set? It's just nice to have cool stuff sometimes. Recently I managed to get my hands on the Blu-ray box of Hayao Miyazaki's films. It's everything a great movie box set should be. There are a couple of my favourites, some I've been meaning to rewatch and a few that I hadn't even seen. A treasure trove waiting to be discovered and re-discovered.

Getting the box set itself took a bit of effort though. Rather than just plump out for the $300 retail price, I hatched a plan to acquire the set with minimal financial outlay. I got a couple of vouchers for my birthday, which I promptly converted into JB Hi-Fi gift cards. I also do surveys online for a few groups, and I'm able to get rewards in the form of vouchers or cash. So, I made a Miyazaki fund, er, that is, envelope, and put all these things in it as I earned them. After a few months of surveys, I managed to get $220 together in cash and vouchers. 

The master stroke leading to the actual acquisition came in the form of an email that advertised 20% off Blu-rays & DVDs at JB's. I rang up my nearest store and asked if they had The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki on Blu-ray in stock and, if so, what the cost was. Upon being informed of a $300+ sticker price, I casually asked if today's 20% off offer extended to box sets. It did. So, with my envelope and a $20 note I was able to procure the hallowed collection!


As much as I'm a fan of some these movies, I was really hoping that the family would also enjoy watching them. Rather than working through the films chronologically, I tried to pick a very family-friendly title to get started; one that I hadn't seen either, so we could all experience it for the first time together. 

1. MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO (1988) G
Viewed: 7th March 
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The trick with getting our kids to watch a film sometimes, is just to pop the disc in the player. They might get interested in it, and get drawn in on their own. Suggesting a movie can be met with objections or indifference. So, I took a punt and chose My Neighbour Totoro and was instantly besotted with the mini-adventure of a family moving into a new house. Having a moved house a few times as a kid, I empathised a lot with the sisters Satsuki and Mei. Visiting their sick mother gave memories of visiting my own mother in hospital as well. It would have been nice to have had a Totoro or two in a big tree next to one of my new houses. I cannot recommend this movie enough to absolutely anyone.

Might I add, that within a week or so of watching this film, the kids gave it two more viewings, one in Japanese with the English subtitles. I found this movie to immensely enjoyable in its simplicity and the hearts of the characters. Apparently Miyazaki wanted Totoro to appear in the film right from the beginning, but producer Toshio Suzuki suggested following the formula from E.T.; wherein the title character doesn't appear until nearly halfway through. The three Totoros are wonderful little creatures, and the Catbus is a magical creation. Both kids got very excited about seeing it again on their repeat viewings. They were very disappointed when we went into the Perth CBD and caught a CAT Bus. He he he...just wasn't the same.

[I purchased the soundtrack to MNT shortly after I started writing this blog - both kids now listen to it as they go to sleep.]

2. PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997) M
Viewed: 8th March
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

For a little nighttime viewing, Rhones and I chose a movie that wasn't really appropriate for our kids. No use letting a perfectly good family flick go to waste while they're in bed. I do find this one a little hard to watch. Firstly, the violence in some of the fight scenes is quite gruesome, and for a Miyazaki film, fairly shocking. It's a long movie too, which at 133 minutes, is the third longest animated film of all time, behind Final Yamato (165min) and The Tale of Princess Kaguya (138min). I also find it a little hard to follow, and struggle to understand the motivations of some of the characters. Having said all this, it still is a wonderful film, and well worth watching. The little kodama beings that show up in the forests are a big highlight for me, as is Billy Bob Thornton's vocal performance as Jiko-bō, the cunning monk. There is a lot of beautiful scenery, as usual, and the relationship between the movie's main protagonist Ashitaka and his elk Yakul is wonderful. One of Miyazaki's recurring themes of the human race's effect on its environment, and it's a major part of this movie. While not one of my favourites, it's still essential viewing.

3. KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989) G

Viewed: 11th March 

Rating: 4/5 stars

The second film we watched as a family was another successful viewing, with both kids becoming particularly enamoured by Kiki's cat Jiji (who was voiced by the late Phil Hartman in the English dub). A wonderful coming-of-age tale involving the young witch Kiki who embarks on her year of living away from home. Every witch leaves home when they turn thirteen in this universe, and it's a rite of passage that Kiki is very keen to go through. This is a very pleasant watch with much humour and wonder. As with many of Miyazaki's films, there is a big emphasis on flight as Kiki struggles to master flying on her broomstick. Her would-be boyfriend Tombo also has aspirations involving aviation. 

4. PONYO (2008) G

Viewed: 12th March

Rating: 3/5 stars

While it certainly has some memorable moments, plenty of heart and great characters, this is probably my least favourite Miyazaki movie. It feels a bit like his version of a Hollywood film, while being a riff on The Little Mermaid. It is visually striking though, with the underwater sequences taking on an almost- hypnotic feel. There is a wonderful sense of magic throughout too, with the wizard Fujimoto providing humour as well as intrigue. The relationship between the eponymous fish Ponyo and the boy Sōsuke is the main focus of the movie and it's certainly the most endearing part. The kids loved it!

5. LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY (1986) G

Viewed: 19th March

Rating: 4/5 stars

I managed to tape this off SBS years ago, and was looking forward to watching it again, sans adverts. It didn't disappoint. There are many iconic scenes, but the early image of Sheeta falling slowly through the air into Pazu's waiting arms is my pick. I also love the sequence involving the reactivated robot at the fortress. For a piece of clunking machinery that doesn't speak, you really start to get invested in it. Even as his violent outbursts escalate. Actually, I forgot just how menacing some of the violence and language was for a G-rated film. For instance, the main villain Muska (wonderfully voiced by Mark Hamill in the US version) shoots off Sheeta's pigtails, and then tells her that her ears are next. Excuse me? Having said that, there are only a handful of questionable scenes that probably should have earned this a PG rating. The magic of the mystical floating city and the allure of aetherium crystals are entrancing. Seeing as the main theme of this film is aviation, the scenes involving flight are quite majestic. The slapstick comedy of the grandma-like Captain Dola and her pirate sons are another highlight. Our kids weren't as enamoured with this as the others, but still cast an eye to the television every now and then.

Okay, well that might do for this entry. I'll get to the rest of the movies in another blog post soon. 

Ish.

Death of a Celebrity

I've become quite fascinated with how differently people react when a celebrity dies. If there's some sort of connection to the passed person, the loss can be quite devastating. It's always a sad thing to learn of somebody's death, but is it strange to mourn for somebody you don't know? Someone you have never even met?

There are some who get on their high-horse and berate others who grieve for the famously dead. Sometimes they'll offer up victims of a massacre or natural disaster and ask if their deaths are any less significant. Death is never a happy occurrence, and ironically, it's always going to be a part of life.

When David Bowie died in January this year, it hit me really hard. I think that it was the most that I'd ever been affected by a celebrity death. I couldn't do much else but listen to album after album of his, and was moved to tears several times. Losing Prince over the weekend has stirred some of those feelings up in me again. I was a much bigger Bowie fan, but I still loved Prince, and was lucky enough to have seen him at the Perth Arena in February. To lose both of these amazing artists in the first four months of this year is nothing short of tragic. A huge loss to the music industry, as well as the human race. But what makes us take their passing so personally? I think I might have worked it out.

Artwork of Bowie and Prince by Scarlett River  

When you become a fan of someone's music, you begin to take in part of that person. They're sharing pieces of their soul, their beliefs, their emotions, their very being. If you connect with a set of lyrics that seem to describe exactly how you're feeling or what you're going through, you feel empathy from the songwriter. Sometimes you even feel relief that someone else has experienced the same thing, and you're not as alone as you once seemed to be.

For many, music is a form of therapy. How many of us spent our angsty teenage years in our bedrooms, lost in some moody tunes or cathartic melodies? If you have trouble turning to somebody when you're going through some sort of personal crisis, music is always there. Music can help you wallow in your sadness or even lift you out of your dark funk. Music carries you through the tough times and then lets you surf over the good times. Music is universal. It means many things to many people.

It's been suggested by some that the music and movies that we love as teenagers stay intrinsically linked to us as we get older In those years we are at our most impressionable, and it's easy for our developing minds to form an attachment to actors, singers, artists, performers or who-have-you. We look to those people for escapism or solace or energy. Despite never actually meeting David Bowie or Prince, millions of people felt a connection to them. Their lives aren't any more or less valuable than the poor souls who perished in that landslide, but their reach is vast. People in countries they never toured through would possibly still know their music.

The one comfort we can take when an artist we love dies, is the legacy they leave. We're very lucky to have been left so much music, art, film and literature by artists who are no longer with us. While it might sadden us to listen to a particular song or watch a certain film role, it's always worth remembering that, for the most part, this is probably what that person loved doing the most. It drove them. It was their passion. It was their love. We all can take a little piece of that love, whether they are with us or not. 

"Keep It Real, Pyke!"

A fair few Saturdays ago (Feb 20th), Rhones and I went to see Josh Pyke play at the Astor Theatre. We worked out that it was the tenth time we'd seen him live, including two Basement Birds gigs and The White Album Concert he did with Tim Rogers, Phil Jamieson and Chris Cheney. We're both big fans of his music and we know that we're always going to get a good show when we see him.

I forget exactly when I started getting into Josh Pyke, but I think it was after hearing Middle Of The Hill on the JJJ Hottest 100 Volume 13 compilation and seeing the film clip for Lines On Palms. I thought they were both great tracks, and I was particularly taken by the LRB-esque harmonies on the latter. I was unable to hold on to any lyrics of the clip, but I was taken by the vibe and the harmony sound. It had such a melodic hook too.

I was unable to catch the name of the song though, and when Volume 14 of JJJ's Hottest 100 came out I hoped that the Pyke track on the album would be the one of the video I saw. It wasn't. It was Memories & Dust, which is another excellent song, and includes some of my favourite lyrics of his:

"Comfort comes to those with faith in mysterious ways/

But for me faith don't make up for what we lost"

Armed with the knowledge that I would like at least three tracks, I took the plunge and bought the Memories & Dust album. Mercifully, the opening song was Lines On Palms and the mystery was solved. It didn't take long before I fell in love with the whole record and absolutely thrashed it. I shared a few choice cuts with Rhones, most notably Sew My Name, and she became a Pyke devotee as well. 

I became pretty obsessed with Memories & Dust, and saw the album as one I would have liked to have made myself. Wonderful lyrics, predominately acoustic production, lush harmonies, catchy melodies; all choices that I would have made. I started to seriously analyse it, and when I joined AllMusic as a freelance album reviewer, I wrote up a critique. 

For some reason it took us a while to step into his second album. We even got a free .mp3 download of The Lighthouse Song, thanks to a promotion by The Sunday Times, but it lay on our PC dormant for some time. We did buy Chimney's Afire eventually and begun to dig it (nearly) as much as M&D. The Lighthouse Song has now become one of our big Pyke faves, possibly thanks to the last line of the chorus:

"I'll just hold you tight and we'll not let those fuckers in"

The first time we saw him play was at the old Fly By Night in Fremantle, on the Chimney's Afire tour. We were both hugely impressed by his live performance, and that of his three piece backing band, who all took harmonies and swapped instruments throughout the night. I have a feeling that they were all at the Astor on Feb 20th too.

We won a trip to the Gold Coast in 2009, and while we over there, I found a copy of Pyke's Feeding The Wolves EP. I can still remember that first listen as we put it into the stereo of our rented car, and the opening guitar of Beg Your Pardon filled our ears. The track Goldmines from that EP has now become one of my Top 5 songs of Pyke's.

Anyway, to cut through the story a little, we're big fans of his, and each subsequent release has not diminished our fondness for the man. We've got all his albums, found EPs on iTunes, got our hands on his Lone Wolf box set and have a few cherished items signed by Pyke as well. Yeah, we're big fans, did I say? We even have lyrics from Make You Happy on our bedroom wall:

"And if you keep me on your right/

Could I keep you on my left?"

We were delighted when we saw pillowcases bearing those words for sale at the last Pyke show. Needless to say, they now adorn our bedroom too. 

Going back to that Astor show in February, one of the best moments came from a well-timed heckle. Pyke was explaining that instead of going off stage at the end of the night and waiting for that encore-inducing applause, he was just going to play through. So, he sort of announced that the encore was starting. An audience member yelled out "Keep it real, Pyke!", to which he responded with the exuberant notion of getting a tattoo of that statement, to keep him grounded. If possible, the exchange endeared the audience to Pyke even more. 

Anyway, I'm going to finish off this entry with a list of some of my favourite Josh Pyke tracks. If you're keen to start digging, I suggest these songs to start you off:

RECORDINGS 2003-2005 (2005)
Kids Don't Sell Their Hopes So Fast
Silver

FEEDING THE WOLVES EP (2005)
Goldmines
Private Education
Middle Of The Hill

MEMORIES & DUST (2006)
Fed and Watered
Monkey With a Drum
Forever Song
Sew My Name

LINES ON PALMS EP (2006)
House at Pooh Corner (Kenny Loggins cover)

CHIMNEY'S AFIRE (2008)
The Lighthouse Song
Make You Happy
Our House Breathing

THE BLACK BALLOON (2008) (soundtrack)
When We Get There

BASEMENT BIRDS (2010) (w/Basement Birds)
Not The One
Waiting For You
Cinnamon And Smoke

ONLY SPARROWS (2011)
Clovis' Sons
Coffee Cups
Love Lies
Tapping On A Secret

THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF EVERYTHING (2013)
Warm In Winter
Order Has Abandoned Us

BUT FOR ALL THESE SHRINKING HEARTS (2015)
Be Your Boy
Doing What You're Told
Songlines
Hollering Hearts

Mulder and Scully Revisited IX (AKA Scully, Skinner, Doggett, Reyes...and Mulder!)

The ninth season wasn't very highly revered by critics and fans, but I still think the show did the best they could without the character of Mulder. This season had a few episodes that focused primarily on Doggett and Reyes, and I think they worked better than the ones that didn't. Trust No 1 teased us with Mulder's possible return at a train station, only for him to be yanked away without so much as a smile. A shadowy figure running through the dark was all we got. It could have been a series highlight, but it was clumsy in its execution and we all knew that Duchovny wasn't returning until the finale anyway. Said episode, The Truth, was a tad disappointing too, acting like a bit of a summary of the series, rather than an ending. I quite liked the addition of Cary Elwes in the role of A.D. Folmer, and Lucy Lawless' appearances in the first two episodes are great. I know her pregnancy stopped her from appearing in the rest of the season, but I think she would have been a great recurring character.

The latest X-Files revival has been and gone, and for the most part, I enjoyed it. I know not every X-Phile was happy with them, but I thought it was great to see Mulder and Scully again. Anyway, back to season nine...

**Warning: spoilers ahead**

4-D (9ABx05)
The idea that parallel worlds exist is not a new one, but I like the notion that two Doggetts can't be in this dimension. In another realm, Agent Doggett tracks a serial killer and unknowingly crosses over into our world, which rips away our Agent Doggett. Confused? It makes more sense when you watch it. I like how Reyes has to convince the hospitalised and otherworldly Doggett of her theory. The hows and whys of how the killer can travel through dimensions is never really addressed, but it doesn't matter. It just happens, and it's how Reyes and Doggett II deal with it that's important.

JOHN DOE (9ABx07)
One of my favourite episodes of the Doggett era. Waking up somewhere in Mexico, Doggett has now idea where he is, how he got there or who he is. Not an original idea, but the execution is excellent. The episode was also obviously influenced by Steven Soderbergh's 2000 film Traffic, with the Mexican scenes very harshly lit. When Doggett finally remembers who he is towards the end of the episode, he has to relive his son's death all over again. It's a truly heartbreaking scene with horrible timing, as he and Reyes are in the middle of a shoot-out. Robert Patrick's performance is flawless. This is everything that was good in the ninth season, and it was written by Vince Gilligan too! It acts as a great stepping stone to the Breaking Bad series.

AUDREY PAULEY (9ABx13)
After being hit by a drunk driver, Monica Reyes is hospitalised, and soon falls into a coma. She wakes up in a phantom hospital that is suspended in space with two other patients, and they assume that they have passed away. Meanwhile, Scully tells Doggett that the comatose Reyes is braindead, which he refuses to believe. This is easily the best Reyes-centric episode of the series and an engrossing watch to boot.  It also benefits greatly from Tracey Ellis' wonderful performance as the title character (you might remember her as Lucy Householder in the third season episode Oubliette). 

WILLIAM (9ABx17)
The arrival of a mysterious man, who may or may not be Mulder (and has no qualms about laying into Skinner), sets off a chain reaction that ultimately ends with Scully deciding to give up William for adoption. While it does turn out to be Jeffrey Spender, the episode confirms for the audience that the Cigarette Smoking Man is definitely the father of both Mulder and Spender. I like the whole "is he?/isn't he?" conceit of this outing too. Although Mulder only appears briefly on screen, the episode was directed by David Duchovny himself.

RELEASE (9ABx16)
I really enjoyed Robert Patrick's role as John Doggett throughout the last two seasons. I was disappointed to learn that his character wouldn't return to the tenth, but understandably, Patrick says he's not one to look back and revisit old characters. As the season was close to wrapping up, it seemed fitting the resolve the story of Doggett's son. Jared Poe's performance as the detached, but psychic, FBI Cadet Rudolph Hayes also makes this episode a memorable one. I also like seeing Elwes' shaking A.D. Folmer after taking revenge on the man who had extorted him for so long. Patrick's acting in this outing is excellent as well, although he didn't hit as high as he did in John Doe.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Improbable, Provenance, Sunshine Days and The Truth.

STINKERS: Jump The Shark, Underneath and Trust No 1.

Mulder and Scully Revisited VIII (AKA Here Comes Doggett. And Reyes!)

Well, the ninth season is done and dusted now, which means we've watched the entire series of The X-Files. All 201 episodes in less than that many days. We were ready and eager for Season 10 when it began airing on January 24th! It was a lot of fun watching them all in such a confined space. So, I will now take this opportunity to look back on my favourite episodes from season eight. Here we go...

**Warning: spoilers ahead**

WITHIN (8ABx01)
With Mulder's abduction (and Duchovny's semi-departure) comes the need for a new character. Enter Special Agent John Doggett, played by the excellent Robert Patrick, who is charged with leading the search for Mulder. His first scene with Scully is an excellent introduction to his character, and one of my favourite moments in the eighth season. Initially, I think you're meant to resent him, but as the series wears on, you discover he's fiercely determined and quite a good egg. His refusal to accept anything remotely supernatural almost turns Scully from the skeptic into the believer. It's quite exciting when Duchovny is on screen in this episode, although he doesn't do much. He's either being tortured by aliens in Scully's visions/dreams or being a guise of the Alien Bounty Hunter. I like the reappearance of Gibson Praise in this episode too, as the search for him becomes pivotal in possibly locating Mulder.

WITHOUT (8ABx02)
Yes, for once, the first two continuous episodes of a season are both excellent. The tension ramps up as the ABH infiltrates the FBI search party to find Gibson Praise. Watching "Scully" attack and nearly kill an agent makes for some pretty riveting TV, especially when the real Scully realises what's going on and attempts to apprehend the ABH. Ultimately, the two-part offerings end with Mulder still missing, but the hope of possibly locating him and the introduction of Doggett make for a promising start to the season.

REDRUM (8ABx03)
This is a great twist on the man-lost-in-time premise that has popped up all too often in various mediums. What sets this one apart is that the central character is living each day in reverse order. When he wakes up it's yesterday, and he has no knowledge of the day of his wife's murder. This X-Files episode is quite unique in that this man, prosecutor Martin Wells, is in the spotlight with Doggett and Scully becoming supporting players. Joe Morton's performance as Wells is exemplary as he pieces the puzzle together. The sudden ending - complete with inner monologue - is a bit of a letdown, but up until that point, this is one of the best! 

ESSENCE (8ABx20)
There are some great moments throughout the eighth season, but none of the episodes tend to really soar. For instance, the dream sequence in Via Negativa where Doggett tries to fight from chopping into Scully's head with an axe is wonderfully David Lynch-esque. Right down to the strobe effect. But it's not an easy episode to watch. Doggett and Mulder (finally) working together to solve the murders on an oil rig in Vienen is a great conceit, but it doesn't quite land. The first appearance of Special Agent Monica Reyes in This Is Not Happening (confidently portrayed by Annabeth Gish) is excellent too, as is Mulder's 'resurrection'. I could go on, but I'm supposed to be talking about the season's penultimate episode. This is basically a big chase sequence, but it's quite well done, and the tension is dialed up to 11. We get an unemployed Mulder firing up Doggett to look into what is happening with Scully's unborn baby while being pursued by the new 'Super-Soldier'd Billy Miles. Oh, and Krycek's back as his usual smarmy "do we/don't we trust him" self. One of the more exciting conclusions of a cliffhanger too. What's not to like?

EXISTENCE (8ABx21)
The season finale continues straight after the previous episode and reveals that the alien Super Soldiers cannot be killed. Billy Miles' crushed remains include a metal vertebrae which seems to regenerate a whole new Billy. Pretty cool, huh? There are also more reveals that other minor characters are also Super Soldiers, so the challenge is to find a safe place for Scully to have her baby, which may or may not be the first organic Super Soldier. The scenes with Reyes and Scully in Doggett's old hometown are quite interesting. Reyes has no trouble complimenting Scully on her beauty while she goes through these turns of events, and can transform an old abandoned building into a calm sanctuary with ease. There are two big pay-offs in this episode: the first is Skinner firing a bullet into Krycek's head. The second is Mulder and Scully sharing a tender kiss while embracing their child. As Duchovny was not going to be in the ninth season, this scene is a little bittersweet, but a fine way to see him off.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: The Gift, Invocation, Via Negativa and Vienen.

STINKERS: Salvage, Badlaa and Surekill.