Season Eight

161    WITHIN     8-1

WRITER: CARTER

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

    A.D. Kirsh is back as Skinner's new boss and has assigned John Doggett to a special task force to find the missing Mulder.  It seems Mulder (or more likely an alien shapeshifter) has been popping up to steal evidence about Gibson Praise.  Skinner and Scully race to find Gibson only to discover Doggett is also on the trail he finds Mulder(?) attempting to kidnap Gibson.Historic Moment: A new open, which includes Robert Patrick  Critique: Yay! A new season! Yay! Kirsh is back. Yay! Doggett is a great addition. Yay! There is some Mulder. Unfortunately there is just something missing, most likely it's "Mulder and Scully" together.  B+

162    WITHOUT    8-2

WRITER: CARTER

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

    The shape shifting alien bounty hunter wreaks havoc when he takes the form of Skinner, Scully, and Mulder all in one episode.   Even Doggett becomes confused on who's who and who can be trusted in the search and rescue of Gibson Praise.  Historic Moment: Doggett is assigned to the X-files. Scully actually admits there are aliens.  Critique: The who's who works well and this episode evolves better than last week. B

163      PATIENCE      8-4

WRITER:CARTER

DIRECTOR: CARTER

    A giant man/bat creature searches for the man who hunted him down, and attacks all who have been in contact with him, including Doggett. Historic Moment: The first episode completely missing Mulder, unless you count his brief appearance in another new open that doesn't include his badge and name.  Critique: This one turned out better than it sounds.  Carter's touch helped keep it from becoming the silly creature of the season.  Genuinely creepy and scary. Scully and Doggett haven't quite gelled as a duo yet. B-

164     ROADRUNNERS     8-5

WRITER:GILLIGAN

DIRECTOR: HARDY

    A big slug looking parasite is the return of the savior to a group of cult members in a remote Utah outpost.  They insert the creature into the back of potential hosts in search of a body that can withstand it, if it can't they kill the host and remove the slug.  They trap Scully in town to make her the next host.  Critique: Nasty. Hard to believe Gilligan wrote this weak, boring episode filled with holes. Gross does not equal scary. C-   

WRITER: AMANN

DIRECTOR: COMPTON

        A boy returns seven years after disappearing, only he hasn't aged a day.  Scully and Doggett both try to find answers for the mysterious happenings that occur after his return.  Historic Moment: It's hinted that Doggett may have lost a loved one too, a  young boy.   Critique: A nice story that plays out well but Doggett and Scully just aren't Mulder and Scully.   B+

166    REDRUM    8-3

WRITER: STEVEN MAEDA/ DANIEL ARKIN

DIRECTOR: PETER MARKLE

    The wife of a prosecutor friend of Doggett's is murdered. Doggett and Scully try to help him but are confused by his insistence that time is running in reverse and that he can remember only the next day and not the day before. Critique: Reminiscent of "Hungry" it's told from the accused person's point of view, a welcome change from the traditional.  A compelling story even though this format leaves little screen time for Doggett and Scully. B+

167    VIA NEGATIVA     8-7

WRITER:SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR:TONY WHARMBY

    A cult leader who uses drugs to access his "third eye" kills people through their dreams.  Doggett and Skinner team up to track him down leading Doggett to nearly become a victim himself. Critique: Robert Patrick carries this episode well and the writing is good but it just doesn't seem like the X-Files without Mulder or Scully. B-

168    SURE KILL    8-9

WRITER: WALKER

DIRECTOR:TERANCE O'HARA

    An exterminator business is the cover for twin brothers who kill drug dealers to steal their money and drugs. The twist? One of the brothers has x-ray vision.  A relatively easy case for Scully and Doggett who use routine investigation to discover the receptionist/book keeper is the key.  Critique: Well written, well directed, well acted. The problem? This could have been an episode of any cop show, even the x-ray vision wasn't that prominent.  There is no real chemistry or relationship between Scully and Doggett besides work, they don't have to "hook up" to have a more interesting relationship.  C+

169    SALVAGE    8-10

WRITER:BELL

DIRECTOR: HARDY

    A company's experiments with living metal are improperly discarded in a salvage yard where a worker is exposed.  As the man turns slowly into metal he takes revenge on the people responsible.  Critique: Sucked!  Holes! Boring! Stupid!    D-

170    BADLAA    8-12

WRITER:SHIBAN

DIRECTOR:WHARMBY

    A mystic from India in the form of a legless dwarf on a rolling cart stows away inside humans possibly to seek revenge for a chemical spill that killed his son.  He can also visually disguise himself as anyone, two boys may be the only ones who can see through his mystic powers. Critique: Chuck makes a welcome return and we finally see actual emotions from Scully for the first time since Roadrunners. This season the show is more horror than sci-fi and it's not working.     D

171     THE GIFT     8-11

WRITER: SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

    A disease eating creature inhabits the backwoods of a small Pennsylvania town and the residents are very attached to it.   Doggett investigates when he follows a trail of Mulder's old phone records to discover if Mulder had been there to kill it or meet it. Critique: No Scully and only tiny Mulder flashbacks is a tuff barrier but an original story idea, rare for this late in the game, helps make this one watchable.  C+

172     MEDUSA     8-13

WRITER:SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR:RICHARD COMPTON

    Scully and Doggett pursue a killer in the Boston subway. Is it a man, animal or contagion? Doggett must inspect the tunnel while Scully commands from topside with problems of her own with city officials. Critique: Predictable mix of "Darkness Falls" and "Agua Mala" episodes done better in both originals. C

173    PER MANUM    8-8

WRITER: CARTER/SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR:MANNERS

    Scully's pregnancy takes a twisted turn as a new conspiracy may have developed.  Women are being killed after being used to give birth to alien looking babies.  Scully dismisses the story in front of Doggett but pursues the case on her own as she worries about her own possible connection with flashbacks recalling her efforts to become pregnant.  Critique: The alien baby connection was inevitable at some point and the audience is left, as usual, with no definitive answer on anything.  Unfortunately this tactic is becoming less intriguing and more annoying as "conspiracy" episodes are so few and so far apart.    B-

174    THIS IS NOT HAPPENING     8-14

WRITER: CARTER/SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR:MANNERS

    "Nooooooo!" Scully's ending word says it all.The end of an era?  The end of Mulder? To be continued? Teresa Hosey is discovered in Montana dumped by a UFO.  Skinner, Scully and Doggett investigate the link to Mulder.  Doggett brings in Agent Reyes to help.  Scully is slowly falling apart  with visions and dreams of Mulder as the investigation continues. Jeremiah Smith returns to heal the abductees as they return but can he bring back the returned Mulder from death? Historic Moment: Scully actually sees the alien ship.  Creative Casting: Annabeth Gish stars as Reyes with a link to Doggett's past. Critique: Finally a great episode, it's been too long coming.  Anderson is top notch with anguish that rips your heart out.  And an ending that seems unfathomable.  A+

175    DEAD ALIVE         8-15

WRITER: CARTER/SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR: WHARMBY

    Mulder is dead and buried, or is he.....?   Billy Miles returns and causes Skinner to realize they have buried Mulder alive while the alien virus grows inside him slowly incubating him into an alien.  Krychek returns to stir things up by offering the cure for Mulder only requiring Skinner to make sure Scully doesn't have her baby.  As it turns out Mulder is cured by a normal course of anti viral drugs, and Doggett is stuck on the X-files for bringing him back. Critique: Every show needs a good villain and hopefully this will mean more Krychek.  This was a good episode to watch as long as you don't spend too much time thinking about if it made any sense (anti-viral drugs are all it takes to kill the aliens?). Plus we are robbed of seeing Mulder's reaction to Scully's pregnancy.  B

176    THREE WORDS     8-18

WRITER:CARTER/SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR:WHARMBY

    A man is shot on the White House lawn with a message for the president about a coming invasion of aliens.  Mulder is of course on the case now completely cured of his former terminal disease.  Turns out it's just a setup to get Mulder in trouble and further away from the X-Files.  Doggett is unwittingly to place blame when his source turns out to be one of the invaders.  Critique: Forgettable except for the one scene where Mulder and Scully work together to steal evidence, there may be hope for the rest of the season.     C

177    EMPEDOCLES  8-17 

WRITER: WALKER

DIRECTOR: BARRY K. THOMAS

    Mulder is enlisted by agent Reyes to investigate a case that may be linked to the death of Doggett's son.  Scully is convalescing in the hospital while Doggett struggles with his denial of visions of charred bodies, visions he and agent Reyes share.  Evil is passing from one person to the next upon their deaths.  Critique: The evil story is weak and is only annoying filler to the real story of Scully's baby,  and the relationships between Mulder,  Reyes and Doggett.  These character's are great but are wasted in this episode.     C+

178    VIENEN    8-16

WRITER:MAEDA

DIRECTOR:RON HARDY

    Mulder instigates an investigation of an oil rig workers death in conjunction with drilling for the black oil.  Doggett is then officially assigned to the rig to investigate and Mulder invites himself.   Scully does her autopsy thing and Skinner does his not reporting to Kirsh thing.   Historic Moment: Mulder is fired, finally, and officially concedes the files to Doggett.  Critique: While it's good to see the show return to some degree of normalcy, it just seems wasteful to have Mulder back but not working directly with Scully.    C  

179    ALONE    8-19

WRITER: SPOTNITZ

DIRECTOR: SPOTNITZ

    While Scully is on maternity leave Doggett's new partner, the green and big fan of the x-files Agent Harrison, brings him a new case.  A dead man, a missing man and some slime lead Doggett and Harrison into a creature's lair.  The half man, half snake (?) pursues them until Mulder, with a little Scully autopsy help, finally comes to the rescue.Historic Moment:Scully packs up and out of the x-files office on maternity leave, will she ever return? Critique: The homage to the past is a nice touch,  plus this one has a nice quick pace.  Getting closer.      B-

180    ESSENCE    8-20

WRITER: CARTER

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

    The paternity of Scully's baby comes to the forefront as Billy Miles returns to kill off the alien baby makers.  Mulder leads Doggett on a search for the babies origin as well as why and who is really behind the deaths.  Krychek seems to be the only one with any answers and must help Scully escape Billy.  Critique: Suspense! What was formerly an X-Files staple returns in this episode which starts slow but ends well, with Krychek how could it not? (just avoid dwelling on how they were able to construct and execute such an elaborate plan and get Reyes up from New Orleans so quickly)    B+

181    EXISTENCE     8-21   

WRITER: CARTER

DIRECTOR: MANNERS

    Reyes leads Scully to a remote location but can't escape Billy Miles and company as they all converge for the birth.   Meanwhile Skinner, Doggett, and Mulder spin their wheels tracking Doggett's alien informant who seem to be conspiring with Krychek. Historic Moments: Krychek's death at Skinner's hand and the birth of William, Mulder and Scully's baby. Critique: I guess they might as well kill Krychek since they never fully utilized this fantastic character. This could have been a shorter episode but it ends the way it should, all is right with the world.  This should have been the final episode of the series, if you haven't seen season 9 stop now.     A   (just because of the happy ending)