WITHOUT

AIR DATE: November 12, 2000
Written by Chris Carter
Directed by Kim Manners

        At least with "Without" it was a little bit faster paced than "Within", but once again we are no further along than we were at the beginning of "Within" or last season or the season before that or the season before that. This has been one of the biggest weakness of the X-Files for the past 3 seasons, not wrapping things up and moving on to something else. The most telling line in the episode was Gibson Praise saying to Scully that she is so close. Hey, she's been close for the past 6 years. Its got to the point where I keep thinking it's another "Gilligan's Island" episode where for one reason or another they don't get off the island. This is how ridicous the alien conspiracy episodes have gotten over the years which is sad because they used to be some of my favorite episodes. I've written it before and I will write it again, the X-Files people can learn something from Joss Whedon, the main force behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", who wraps up every arc at the end of every season and starts a new one the following season. This has kept the show fresh and has allowed the characters to grow. I wish I could believe CSM is really dead and I wish John Lee Roche had kidnapped and killed Mulder's sister, but that would mean taking chances, something Carter has never dared do.

        Not that everything was bad about "Without". It did have a quicker pace and Robert Patrick has done a good job making John Doggett a likeable character, someone who we feel we can trust. Let's hope they can develop his character better than they have Scully and Mulder the past few seasons.

        A few comments on "Without":

- What would a mythology episode be without a Scully opening monologue telling us how important everything is we are watching. Stop it now. It adds nothing but groans from the audience. I found quite amusing Scully's comment on how if they know our secrets why can't we know theirs. I couldn't help thinking maybe because we are too stupid.

- Weirdest sight was all those F.B.I. agents running toward Doggett wearing the same white shirt, black tie and pants. They should get together next time so they don't all look alike.

- I was really hoping that the Mulder with Gibson Praise wasn't the Alien Bounty Hunter (ABH) but I should know they could never be that unpredictable. It's an example of how the show has been on too long because it is getting too easy to predict what is going to happen.

- The F.B.I. needs to work on how not to let people wander off when we see the Deaf Girl is able to get away on her bike while they are searching for Gibson Praise at the school.

- Okay, I can accept shape shifting aliens, liver eating mutants and a host of other things that has happened on the X-Files. What I can't accept is a pregnant Scully following the Deaf Girl into the desert for what seems to be miles without protection on her head or even any water. Now I'm a New Englander and I have never been to Arizona so maybe someone could follow someone on foot for miles without water. I do these walks called volksmarches where I walk 10km (6.2 miles) and even in cool weather I still bring a bottle of water with me because dehydration can happen even when you don't expect it. Oh, let's not even get into Scully walking back from Gibson Praise's hideout to the school at night. One last thing: Scully didn't even produce a sweat from either walks. She surely is amazing.

- I wanted to ask how did that sand get back on the underground door, but I'll accept that the wind blew it between the time the Deaf Girl went in and Scully arrived.

- I'm so glad Gibson Praise basically told Scully that she tried protecting him last time and failed. I know I wouldn't trust being protected from Scully, Mulder or Doggett. I'm sure Praise must feel safe being under government protection right now.

- The Scully and Skinner pointing their guns at each other was done way better in the first season's episode "Ice" where Scully and Mulder pointed guns at each other and questioned whether they should trust each other. The whole Scully and Skinner thing I know was a set up for later in the episode when she points her gun again at ABH's version of Skinner, but it didn't have the same effect it had in "Ice". Gee, maybe I should rewatch "Ice" so I can remember how it used to be done.

- No X-Files episode can be that bad when we see Scully and Skinner carrying the big flashlights.

- I couldn't help wondering if Skinner could find Scully again in the desert after he leaves her out in the middle of nowhere and she starts walking around looking for Mulder. But what am I thinking, it was no problem for a helicopter to find her in the middle of the desert. I guess Skinner told them she was out by that big rock.

- Exactly when did Doggett agents start following Skinner? What, were they staking out every road and the second they saw Skinner or Scully they were supposed to follow him. Seems too convenient to me.

- That alien ship we saw as Scully and Doggett took off in the helicopter looked liked an "Independence Day" reject.

- It is good to see Scully is going out to the shooting range regularly with her crack shot in the back of the neck of the ABH.

- It will seem strange to me if Scully and Doggett go off on any paranormal assignment like chasing ghosts or something while Mulder is still out there. It would seem as if they were wasting their time on trivial stuff. I will have to wait until next week's episode to see how this works.

- I guess it was supposed to be a big revelation at the end of the episode when we see about 10 other Alien Bounty Hunters hanging around Mulder's body in the alien ship. It was no surprise to me that there would be more than one and it was a bit of overkill to get the point across. At least this means Brian Thompson will be back.

        Nothing much to say about this episode since we are no further along than before except that Gibson Praise is now in government hands (where are his parents in all of this). These episodes were basically used to give Doggett to Scully as a replacement for Mulder. It is interesting to see Scully doesn't quite trust him to explain why she is staying in the hospital a little bit longer then normal, but who can Scully trust now with Mulder's gone. Maybe his character will add spark back to the show so let's hope they don't waste him as they did Mulder's character these past few seasons.

Claudia

E-Mail: Claudia.Cauchon@unh.edu

11/14/00

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