AIR DATE:  February 8, 1998
Written by Stephen King and Chris Carter
Directed by Kim Manners

	Ah, yup, "Chinga" was a fine X-Files episode.  It wouldn't have
hurt if there was a little bit more Mulder since it usually doesn't work
out when we don't get the chemistry between them during an episode, but in
"Chinga" it worked out fine.  Even though "Chinga" had one of my least
favorite premises of having someone or something having the ability to
control other people's actions it didn't bother me so much because of what
the episode gave us.  "Chinga" showed Scully that even when she trys to
get away from the X-Files she is still drawn to X-Files type cases that
normally Mulder would feel at home with.  There was an almost gleefulness
in Scully when she started to investigate the case.  She was getting into
the case in ways she never thought she would without Mulder to guide and
direct the case.  Scully tells the Sheriff to open himself up to "extreme
possibilities".  A statement Mulder has said to her plenty of times, and
the Sheriff says back to her "Okay, but I thought you were on vacation."
Meaning weren't you suppose to be getting away from this stuff, but here
you are in the midst of one of those X-Files type cases.  Now there is no
turning back for Scully, she's stuck with the X-Files, hook, line and
sinker.  She didn't even question whether it was the doll or not as she
would have done in the past. 

	What little Scully and Mulder interaction we had was mostly played
for humor and it worked quite well.  Basically, it just showed once again
what a sad life Mulder has where he is in his office on a Saturday calling
up Scully on some pretense of an X-Files case, pretends there is
construction going on outside his apartment to make it appear to Scully
that he's busy and we find out that he likes to throw pencils into the
ceiling when he's bored.  Scully is trying to get some kind of life even
though she can't stop herself from taking Mulder's calls even though she
keeps hanging up on him.  "Chinga" demonstrates how much Mulder depends on
Scully especially when he changes his tune and tries to pass off some kind
of scientific explanation as to why those people started to attack
themselves as a way to talk to her.  Unfortunately, Mulder couldn't stop
himself from making jokes about the case only making Scully mad at him.
Scully in the end gets the ultimate pleasure when she comes back to work
to find Mulder bored and throwing pencils into the ceiling because while
he was bored back in D.C. she was up in Maine investigating a case and
solving it.

	The things that didn't work in "Chinga" was the mother being such
a weak character since all it seemed she did throughout the episode was
cry and look frightful of her child's doll.  Not that there wasn't any
reason to be afraid of the doll, but it just seems she should have been
stronger.  Of course, if she was then she would have taken care of the
doll like Scully did and there wouldn't be a story.  Why the doll would
suddenly want to kill Jane Froelich is never fully explained other than
she had a run-in with Melissa Turner a year ago?  Was the doll psychic
that it knew she had talked to Scully and the Sheriff?  Why did Melissa
Turner only nail shut her daughter's bedroom window and not the rest of
house until the end.  If the point was to keep the doll in the house then
this wasn't going to work since it could leave through the front door.  Oh
well, what X-Files episode or any tv show doesn't have its plot
inconsistency?  Whether or not you enjoy an episode can depend on whether
you are willing to overlook these things.  Sometimes I can, other times I
can't.  This time I was able to overlook certain things.  The thing that
really lessened the impact of the episode was not ending the episode in
Mulder's office.  Instead they had to show another fisherman finding the
now burned up doll.  Are we to believe Scully wouldn't have done a better
job at getting rid of the doll than throwing it back into the ocean?  We
could say the Sheriff did it, but I don't believe Scully would have
allowed it.  It was unnecessary to the story other than doing the cliche
X-Files ending of not having everything die off, and it ruined the comedic
moment of the pencils falling on Mulder. 

	Now some general comments on "Chinga": 

- The Park Ranger tells Melissa Turner that winter was in full force up by
the lake yet Scully is driving around in a convertible in a t-shirt. 
Since winter was in full force we can gather this episode takes place in
January or February and you would not be driving around a Maine seaport
like that. 

- Glad to see Scully does the full tourist bit by having us see she
brought a Maine tourist t-shirt.

- I especially liked the gas pumps that pumped out litres instead of
gallons.  I guess up in Maine they converted all their gas pumps to litres
for the French-Canadians who come down every summer. 

- Was it me or did the weather look a little overcast and like it had been
raining when Scully described the weather to Mulder as being clear. 

- I liked how the second Scully sees the people leaving the grocery store
with bloody eyes she automatically goes into Scully mode by putting one of
her business jackets on. 

- We get a somewhat "Mulder gets into pornography" by making it appear
Mulder is watching a porn video when Scully calls him.  I still think he
was watching some kinky bee swarm porn video.  It was quite amusing when
Scully called him on it by asking what he is watching. 

- We get to see the scary part of having a child.  The child who will
listen to the same record or video over and over again.  There has to be
some kind of scientific study on how children have this ability. 

- Gee, Sheriff, you think maybe the sheets are still wet because maybe
they were just put out.

- Boy, Melissa Tucker sure attracted the men of the town since it seemed
every one of them wanted her even with a kid. 

- Maybe next time that waitress won't be so bitchy when a little girl asks
for more cherries.  Watch out for those demon children or your head will
be stuck into an ice cream machine. 

- The person who was really calling Scully in her motel room wasn't Mulder
but the person staying next door wanting to ask her to turn down the
music. Also, it is still amazing Mulder hasn't been kicked out his
apartment because here he was bouncing a basketball on the floor.  I'm
sure his downstairs neighbor appreciated it. 

- I almost thought I was seeing my brother when he was still single when
we see Mulder attempts to drink the only thing left in his refrigerator. I
guess he's been too busy to shop what with blowing a person's head off,
going off on conferences and almost being sucked into the ground.

- Of course, they are in Maine so what else would they eat other than
lobster.  So why haven't we seen them eating crabs in Maryland? 

- This whole episode seemed liked an X-Files reunion since the Sheriff was
the blanky bleeping Detective in "Jose Chung" and the husband's fishing
mate was the retired Detective in "Squeeze" and "Tooms".  I'm pretty sure
the person who played Buddy has been in a past episode.

- Next time Melissa Turner should try microwave popcorn and not Jiffy Pop
if she is in a rush.

- Mulder must watch too much David Lettermen since Lettermen is the only
person I've seen throw his pencils into the ceiling. 


	"Chinga" was a good episode written by Stephen King though it was
rewritten by Chris Carter.  We'll never know what King's original idea
was, but what we had was a fine look into Scully's desire to get away from
the X-Files, but never really able to get away or wanting to get away from
them.  They define her just as much as they do Mulder. 


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

2/10/98