AIR DATE:  March 28, 1999
Written by Jeffrey Bell
Directed by Peter Markle

	If the X-Files are going to rip themselves off they might as well
rip off the good episodes and not the bad ones by taking aspects from
"Shapes" and "Fearful Symmetry", two of the least favorite episodes from
the 1st and 2nd season.  It wasn't too difficult to figure out that when
the "dog" was killed we would end up with a dead human body instead of a
dog or that the dog was attacking people who were perceived as a threat
just as happened in "Shapes".  I'm starting to sound like a broken record,
but I'm going to say it once again, we have another lame monster in a
monster of the week episode which ends up taking down what could have been
a fairly good episode because everything else in the episode wasn't too
bad with the Scully and Mulder interaction actually being good this week. 
They were civil to each other and they talked about the case. This is
something we haven't seen in a while.  It's just too bad they couldn't get
the other part right because by borrowing the monster of the week from bad
monster of the week episodes it ends up bringing back memories of those
episodes to this episode, "Alpha". 

	There were some really nice Scully and Mulder interactions from
the first office scene where Scully is ready to head home and stops by
Mulder's office to see what he is up to and immediately becomes interested
in what he is investigating, to the last office scene where she is
supportive of Mulder when he is depressed at the outcome of the case. This
was a nice way to bookend the episode by starting off having Scully asking
Mulder if he is going home and he says he is home and the last scene where
she asks the same question and instead he says he is finishing things up
before he heads home.  At first Mulder is excited about the case because
it intrigues him how the men got trapped in the cargo box and partly he
wants to meet Karin Berquist even if he doesn't admit it to himself.  In
"Alpha" instead of getting the jealous Scully we get the caring Scully who
is suspicious of Berquist's motives for bringing this case to Mulder's
attention and she expresses her opinion on Berquist to Mulder not in a
threatening I'm not going to waste my time on this case anymore way
because of Berquist as the writers have done in the past, instead writer,
Jeffrey Bell, had her state her suspicious to Mulder, but she didn't
continue to critcize Mulder and kept investigating the case even though
she didn't really do much.  I especially liked the last scene where Mulder
is a little depressed at being manipulated by Berquist and by her death,
but Scully was very supportive of him by explaining how Berquist saw in
him a kindred spirit of how things are in the world though it is too bad
we didn't learn more about Berquist other than that she respected dogs
more than humans, she had lupus and had an "I Want to Believe" poster in
her office indicating she wanted to believe in humanity. 

	Now a few barks on "Alpha":

- I got a big chuckle when head ship guy was taking the police down to the
cargo bay and he mentions it was a secure area.  Well, I guess it wasn't
too secure when two of your men are able to go down and check out the
cargo and on top of that have keys to the cargo.  Also, if two of my men
were missing and I saw blood coming from a cargo box I think one of the
first things I'd do would be open the cargo box to see what was in it.

- The two ship workers get the first "human acting stupid so plot can move
along award" when they open the cargo box even though they know a wild
animal is in it. 

- This episode proves that not only doesn't Scully get a name plate on the
door, but her office is somewhere else in the building.  I demand right
now that I want to see where her office is and why she is not sharing the
basement with Mulder.  What?  Are the higher ups afraid there might be
something going on between them?  Not in this universe.

- The second "human acting stupid so plot can move along award" goes to
customs officer Jake Conroy who after he gets his dog inside the house
decides to scare off the dog who is on the other side of his fence and
leaves his door open.  Did this scene bring up bad memories of "Fearful
Symmetry" when the mother leaves her door open as she goes looking for her
dog leaving the creature free to get into the house?

- Scully and Mulder must have caught the red eye out to L.A. because they
are there the next morning by 7:24am.  And who says Scully doesn't care
about the X-Files anymore when she'll change her plans for the night in a
heartbeat to go off with Mulder to investigate a case. 

- We can't go through one X-Files episode without some kind of bathroom
humor as witnessed by Mulder telling Scully to watch her step outside of
Conroy's house and Agent Cahn telling Mulder that he doesn't think the dog
is still on the ship because of the lack of dog feces.

- Did anyone else wonder who Stacy Muir was and what her job was at
Berquist Kennels other than putting up fences? 

- I loved the look Scully gave Mulder when she finds the "I Want to
Believe"  poster in Karin Berquist's office because when she saw this she
knew how Mulder found out about her.  Along with Scully we find out Mulder
hangs out on the internet when he admits he found her on it and we know
that only leads to evil people, and Scully pretty much surmises why they
are out there once they meet Berquist.  Can't help feeling Scully was
wondering what they were talking about on-line.

- The third "human acting stupid so plot can move along award" goes to the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer who after discovering a hand near a
dumpster decides to chase a dog into a darkened building instead of
calling for backup or the police. 

- As a matter of fact where is the local P.D. during this whole
investigation.  Doesn't L.A. have an animal control officer of their own
or even a Humane Society?  Yes, the cargo did come from overseas, but it
appears as if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife department was heading the
investigation and not the local P.D. which I can't imagine made them
happy, especially when the F.B.I. got involved.

- I was surprised Karin Berquist found any tracks at the crime scene
considering how many people were walking around near the crime scene which
would have covered up any tracks.  Also, would the police have even let a
civilian get that close to the crime scene or is she always called in when
dogs attack? 

- I did like it when Scully points out that Berquist is willing to believe
in an outlandish reason on who or what is doing all these killings, but
can't believe the mundane reason of a person doing it or just a dog. 

- Dr. Riley must only take care of dogs even if his animal clinic sign had
a dog and cat on it because the only animals he had in the back were dogs.
I'm not even going to get into his surgery area being in the same area as
where he kennels dogs.

- The fourth "human acting stupid so plot can move along award" goes to
Scully who after hearing Dr. Riley scream pulls out her gun and announces
herself in the room even though she doesn't know if there is still someone
in the room who could easily hurt her because they would know where she
is. 

- I liked Berquist's comment to Scully that she watches but doesn't see,
meaning Scully sees all the evidence around her of what is going on, but
is unwilling believe what she sees.

- I'm glad to see amazing Mulder is in full force in this episode when
suddenly he figures out that Detweiler is responsible for everything
because he has somehow been infected by the Wanshang Dhole.  I guess the
writer and director figured out they only had 15 minutes left in the show
so they had to wrap it up quickly. 

- There is nothing like seeing an impatient and pissed off Scully when she
expresses her feelings about being pulled from watching Detweiler to
staking out Agent Cahn's hospital room.  She had every right to be pissed
since she was suspicious of Detweiler and had the feeling Mulder was
having her do a fool's errand.

-  I have to admit this is the first X-Files episode where I nodded off
for a second or two which I thought was because I was tired, but then I
realized I didn't nod off during The Simpsons, Futurama or The Practice.
I don't know what that says about X-Files this season.

	Good Scully and Mulder interaction just couldn't make up for an
overall lame monster who we just didn't care about or weren't even afraid
of. "Alpha" makes me think of all those bad sci-fi movie where they spend
all the money on special effects, but the makers of the film forgot to put
in a plot or characters the audience would care about.  There were no real
special effects in "Alpha", but they forgot to include a decent monster of
the week so we wouldn't be distracted by its lameness for overall decent
Scully and Mulder interaction.  There hasn't been on interesting monster
of the week episode this season.  Where are the Tooms or Nick Chinlund of
the X-Files universe?  It is sad for the X-Files when even the monsters of
the week aren't memorable anymore.

Claudia
E-Mail:  Claudia.Cauchon@unh.edu

3/29/99

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