#episode review

WATCHMEN (2019)

“This Extraordinary Being”.

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Probably one of the best superhero origin stories in a while. Lindelof and the team are doing a great job staying true to the source material while simultaneously carving out their own.

Production design, cinematography and music were phenomenal but the editing for this episode takes the cake. The transition from shifting back and forth from the present to the past, blending things perfectly to get an understanding of the flashbacks that were revealed in previous episodes.

The adaptation of Hooded Justice origin has always had a lack of information in the novel and Lindelof takes advantage of this and gave the character such depth.

Okay so I’m still disappointed with the lack of Creddie scenes this episode, but it did have some moments I genuinely enjoyed and found funny. Some LOL moments for me:

Spencer asleep with his eyes open. So random.

Freddie passing out in the wrong direction.

The Freeze Tag jokes.

“African American mail” really got me. I felt like that hit the contemporary cultural moment on the head.

I feel like Derek said smthn i laughed at but I forgot now.

Also I liked Millicent way more this episode! She felt a lot more her age and it was nice to see her doing some normal kid activities like the school project and having a crush. I don’t see a real future for her and Derek bc she’s much smarter than him and they’re 12 or something LOL but it was still a cute storyline. Predictable he wasn’t talking about her on the phone, but I’m happy to see a “cool” kid who isn’t a jerk.

Carly’s plot was kinda wild. It was nice to see her and Harper spend so much time together since they’re BFFs and have had some separate plots going on lately. I hated the prankster guy but was still surprised the moral was smthn like “sometimes violence is permissable” when i thought the ep was headed in a “find a healthy outlet for your negative emotions” thing. Ngl tho, I was happy to see him get the hell beaten out of him by the end because he was a literal stalker and pretending to be ill and/or disabled at the beginning for a prank. I know EXACTLY what kind of person he’s parodying and they’re the worst. I also feel like I always like a kind of unexpected ending rather than the anticipated moral over and over.

Still no Creddie tho; ugh they barely interacted this ep. We’re not even really seeing Freddie’s relationship with Pearl, so the romance has been a remarkable absence throughout this whole season. I feel like they’re trying way harder to focus on “hot topics” like influencer issues & political subjects from a funnier angle, but I kinda get sick of that and would really, REALLY like some romance escapism.

I am by no means any form of a writer.  The fact that I can string together comprehensible sentences is a miracle.  Let’s just say my brain seems to work faster than my hands or mouth and therefore I will squirrel all over these reviews.

If you still want to read the rantings of a self-proclaimed Phile (the biggest I personally know…ok I only know me…), then please read, review, critique, repost.

S11 Ep 2 – “This”

“This” is what we’ve been waiting for.

1, 2, 3, 4…. And we are back.  Back to a more sensible feel of The X-Files.  While last week’s “My Struggle III” did struggle, it still gave us our daring duo, albeit separated for 90% of the episode.  Bless Glen Morgan and his comprehension of Mulder and Scully.  Their complexities, their dynamics, their banter and love for each other (no matter what CC says). 

Quick Thoughts

The good:  Mulder and Scully.  Their banter. The action.  The bad guys.  The Easter eggs. 

The not so good:  Continuity. Difficulty understanding some of the conversations (mumbled words).  Plotline/Timeline.  Bye-bye Ringo.

Let’s break this down

So, what did I get from this episode?  Everything!  Everything I was missing from last week.

Let’s face it, Mulder and Scully do so much better together (handcuffed even…more on that later) but even David and Gillian; they are symbiotic. They just seem to know what the other is doing.  And for both the actors and characters, that is special.  But that is also what 25 years together brings.  And Glen sees that and knows to let it play out.  This episode brought the action, though we never really got this big into action in our previous seasons, it’s entertaining, it’s exciting, it’s badass.

Like many, I did catch the opening preview a day before, but instead of spoiling or ruining anything for me, it just made me want Wednesday to come that much faster.  I cannot say how many times I watched it on repeat, and I can only imagine iTunes would show a spike in the purchase of “California Sun” by The Ramones.  (I’m admitted playing some of their biggest hits on replay as I attempt to type this up.)

We find our daring duo sleeping on the sofa, probably after a long night of trying to find the truth in the files (as mentioned by Scully from what I guess is at least two weeks ago in MSIII), unbeknownst to them a hit crew is coming to their isolated paradise.  Muder’s phone starts glitching and it’s Langly, one of our loveable guys from the Lone Gunman (RIP…. or are they?).  He asks if he’s dead and if he is, they know that he knows?  Knows what?  No time for questions, as creaking porches and slow opening doors send Mulder and Scully into action mode.  A cool slide from Scully with perfect shots to take out one of the bad guys, and Mulder pops out from the bedroom taking down another, leaving only one to escape. It was an intense 3 minutes to which we cut to credits and another new opening tag line “Accuse Your Enemies of That Which You Are Guilty.”  That’s a mouthful, and what are we accusing or who?

We come back to our duo who are now in “What the hell was this?” mode.  Better call it in, so Scully gets on the landline and reports that there was an attack at Agent Mulder’s house, but they are fine (damn right they are).  Mulder tossing pencils at Scully is couple goals. He hides his phone first in the oven mitt, but we need that to pick up our evidence.  Moves it to a non-conspicuous place, the oven, like we all do when we try to hide things.  Very quickly the FBI has shown up, but that was a little too quick and it’s instead some weird sounding dude in a Humvee threatening Mulder and Scully to come out.  Best to just call dad, I mean Skinner, and ask what’s going on.

Skinman of course knows and just tells them to turn themselves over quietly.  Whose side are you on?  Our duo is taken down and handcuffed while they search for Mulder’s phone.  If the Russian accents don’t give them away, his gold chain will later.  They took out two of their best.  Really? Those guys were their best?  I mean, Mulder and Scully should technically be retired FBI agents who never had that much combat training.  Mulder and Scully get handcuffed together for some reason and are babysat by some incompetent soldiers it would seem because some quick fight skills and they are off and running and diving (cuffed together) through the creepy X-Files woods.  When they run into dad…I mean Skinner.  I wondered if him wearing his hat that read FBI was just a little on the nose and not very good for being covert, but then I was thinking, maybe they had a big group meeting, so he was identifying himself, hence knowing all these details.  Dad rescues them and gives them their weekly allowance, so they can get to Arlington Cemetery where they buried our Lone Gunman.

Once at the Cemetery they locate the graves, very quickly, they start noticing their birthdates and Langly’s is wrong.  Apparently, he and Mulder share a birthday, October 13.  Google Scully kicks in and recognizes that all the dates are related to President’s dates of death.  Mulder is probably both turned on and…. just turned on.  They locate the breadcrumbs and it somehow leads them to Deep Throat’s gravestone.  And 24 years later, Mulder just KNOWS this is his, because???  Ok, that just one little inconsistency I will ignore.  We learn Deep Throat’s name was Ronald Pakula (which I believe we also heard in Musing’s of a Cigarette Smoking Man).  A late night grave digger notices Mulder and Scully, but wait, he’s the creepy hair dude who reminds me of CSM, one of their best.  He starts shooting at our duo, but somehow in all his skills, he still gets outnumbered and they easily take him down, with a little help from Deep Throat.

Thanks to dad, Mulder and Scully are now going to be opening X-Files on alien butt muffins, and I’m all for it.  She’s picking food off his plate!!!  Friends…. I’d cut my friends if they touch my plate.  This memory medallion leads them to the Titanpointe building.  Something thanks to Edward Snowden’s leaks.  But how will they get access to the files on this building in their office. Better go back to dad, have him help us. Scully tells Skinner they need his help, they can’t go back to “OUR” home, and I died.  They are still not trusting of him, and part of me understands. He’s always stood on the line, either to help himself or help his agents, but I believe he’s always done what he’s done to help them (and I believe we will get more of this explanation in the Skinner centric episode).  Turns out after Mulder and Scully went on the run, instead of keeping the X-Files closed, they got them scanned digitally so the information can be shared with all who have clearance (and maybe hackers like Snowden) so Mulder’s theories wouldn’t just be “spooky” but everyone could see the bigger picture.  While dad takes a call, the kids start looking at the database. No records of Titanpointe or Langly anywhere, he has been completely wiped from the system, but Frohike and Byers are still there.  Frohike’ s larger file folder points them to a Spank Bank v3 of Scully, oh Frohike you horn dog you.  Where they thankfully only come across a photo of Dr. Khara Hamby who they must find. Another breadcrumb left by Langly. One must ask, what are on v1 & v2 of the Frohike Spank Bank folder and does Mulder know of them?

So, this if Langly’s girlfriend I guess, though we never heard of them having any relationships (except Byers and Suzanne), the good Dr. and Richard wanted to be together forever, even in the digital world.  This throw back to “Kill Switch” is awesome. Maybe Langly got the idea from Esther when she hacked back into their computer after her own final upload?  You can clearly see when she speaks of being together forever, Mulder and Scully have a quick glance and they feel her pain. Me too, me too!  Why Langly chooses Mulder, well clearly like the rest of us, he dreams of him in his sleep.  Creepy long hair CSM shows up and kills Khara but Scully’s expert shooting skills take him out.  Her shooting game is on point, and this leads me to think Mulder has been giving her some private lessons like he did with baseball…ok my brain is imaging this and let me have it.

Off we go to a run-down diner where in his downtime Mulder has apparently taking up learning coding and mathematical equations, while an “adorbs” Scully is curled up sleeping, until the bartender wakes her to which she quickly reaches for the Glock.  Mulder’s in love, so are we!  Gillian is saying we are at Chili’s and ordering fajitas and we are all dead. This is the X-Files we want! Mulder’s technical skills work and Langly comes through on the Dr.’s phone, he recognizes Scully’s name and we all get a little choked up.  He’s in heaven, hot dogs and donuts (yes, my childish brain went there), the Ramones are always playing, Steve Jobs and Michael Chricton are there too (though somehow, he knows they are dead because….) and the Patriots NEVER win the Superbowl.  But he wants them to shut it down, this isn’t Heaven, it was a lie and they are suffering. Our duo must kill the system, to save them all.

We’ve now taken a quick bus ride up to get into the Titanpointe building.  How will they get in looking how they do?  No worries for Scully, she’s always looking good.  Cut to Mulder being brought in by Scully to the FBI because the Titanpointe folks want to interrogate him.  Maybe this green agent can help them, and a little wink from Scully is all it takes. I’m with Mulder, gag me with a spoon. A great reference to Gillian’s time on the show “Hannibal” saying Mulder is Lecter style crazy, that little noise from Mulder was just perfect.   Awkward flirting by this agent and Scully lead to another “Well they are clearly a couple” thought, she’s “Married to the bureau”, e.g. Mulder, and they have disposed of him easily.  How are they going to get up to the server if they will be waiting for them?  Why cardio, of course Scully.  Clearly Mulder forgets she does this in 3” heels.

25 floors later (not even winded??  I’m dead after climbing 2 floors) and our fearless duo are surrounded by three agents.  No fear, Scully has been taking parkour and easily jumps the railing and escapes while Mulder distracts them to allow her to escape.  Oh, hey it’s Sergei with his gold chain and incomprehensible accent. Mulder is brought before Erica Price, our mysterious syndicate woman from MSIII.  Clearly this is a diversion tactic on Mulder’s part, but is she that oblivious that he would stall her to allow Scully to find the server, or is she not worried because the projects always continue?  Mulder asks if he agrees to kill CSM (his father) can he be uploaded and Scully with him, because they can never be apart, in this life or the next. Cue the fanfics.  Mulder is Langly’s 1 in 7 billion, nice reference.

Goldy McChainy then brings a handcuffed Mulder up to see the server for his scan, and once again their symbiosis allows him to know that’s clearly Scully’s shadow waiting to spring into action.  Cuffed he kicks Chainy McDouchy’s butt.  “Why do you operate so well with your hands cuffed behind your back?” “As if you didn’t know” …and cue every NC-17 fanfic story in 3…2…1 (and I expect some good ones ya’ll!).

While Scully goes to disable the server to free Langly and all the trapped minds, Mulder winds up in a battle with more Russian Krycek.  “Bye bye Ringo”, Scully has managed to shut the entire server down, only for a knock on the door to startle her.  It’s Mulder and he got his phone back (he could never survive without it) and then ALL the touching begins.  Sadly, for our duo, Erica managed to clear out the building, but would we expect anything different.

Returning home, where clearly a clean up crew decided this is always how their home looks, Mulder and Scully start to clean, but let’s be honest, the couch is much better.  We return to our opening scene of them starting to snuggle on the couch when Mulder’s phone comes back on and it’s Langly again, and he needs them to delete the back up, but not before he appears to be taken out and creepy spaghetti hair CSM appears, does his creepy finger twirl but then gets taken out himself? Dun dun dun….

Overall

All in all, I loved this episode.  The right combination of humour, action, dialogue and touching.  Another great song included but this time NOT ruined by Glen Morgan.  This will be a repeatable watch for years to come, and right now I am curious how the next episodes will stand up to this one.

I give this 4.5 out of 5 adorbs Scully’s.

Fun facts I caught

I happened to notice several Easter eggs in this episode like many, but other things I noticed (in no order):

-          Scully has a new badge number.  XF-072161.  Do they give you a new badge number when you’ve been away for years?
Also nitpick…. when she takes Mulder to NYC building, her badge number is XF-071261 (either done by accident or intent)

-          3.  This number is symbolic in this episode and comes up so many times.

o   33 church street

o   There are 3 gunmen

o   The Lone Gunman were 3

o   The Presidents were 33, 34, 35

o   3 up and 3 across

o   Frohike’s spank bank was v3

o   Ramen Noodle hair dude fired 3 shots to kill Khara, Scully fired 3 to kill him

o   It took Scully 3 hits to break the glass

-          Where is Dagoo??  If this is there home, did Scully keep him, or did Mulder get rid of him? Or was that just a dream?

-          It only took Mulder 8 minutes (from start of show, credits etc.) to lose his gun, this might be a new record for keeping it the longest before losing it!

-          Did David have to run really slow for Gillian?

-          The nice nod to the “Home” episode from S4, as it was the X-File seen on Skinner’s computer (and Karen Konoval will be in next week’s episode)

-          And just like they did in “Home”, the word “This” was said in rapid successions (Sherriff Taylor said “home” too many times and now Erica Price said “this” too many as well).

Thanks for hearing out my take on this episode.

Nessie