by Adam Silva
Boy was this all over the place. This episode was like many different episodes all at once. First, we have an episode with Skinner. Then, we have one involving Byers' college roommate and uses that to give us a morality play about lies, half-truths, and how people need their privacy. Finally, we have the episode where Jimmy finally becomes an accepted member of the Lone Gunmen and showcases their friendships. I just wish I didn't have to see those all in 45 minutes. It was uneven, and I never got a feel for what I was watching. Because this was like three episodes rolled into one, none of those aformentioned episodes deliver. For a Skinner-episode, it didn't have enough Skinner and didn't showcase Skinner's relationship to the Gunmen well (the Gunmen would have found it harder to believe that Skinner was a murderer than they did). Though it was nice to see Skinner involved in a case that wasn't a X-File for once (assistant directors are in charge on more than one section you know). Also, Mitch Pileggi did get to step out of his usual serious-acting from "The X-Files" to do a dead-on impression of Jimmy, which was hilarious (as was his comment relating the Gunmen to the Three Stooges). The Byers'-college-roommate thing just came off as a big coincidence (which this show has too much of anyway. Isn't it funny that Jimmy has met Mr. Memory before?). Isn't it strange how all these people Byers knows get involves with this kind of stuff? The sex-change stuff came off as pointless as well (and that actress definitely did not look like someone who was once a man). And finally, while the scenes of Jimmy talking to the audience were neat, there needed to be more for it to come off as the great moment it should have been when the Gunmen finally accept him. Although I do like how they've addressed the money issue again. Since "Bond, Jimmy Bond" and "Eine Kleine Frohike," I've been wondering how Jimmy's life savings could possibly last that long. I'm glad they got back to that. However, a few questions still remain. How are the Gunmen contacting Yves? How are the Gunmen making these disguises which are technological impossible? Oh well...
Despite its failings, this episode did have some nice scenes. Most I already mentioned, but the scene where Frohike goes to ask why Byers was acting the way he was proved to be the best scene of the episode. Those guys have wonderful chemistry together, and they should really play with that more. They should also learn that the dramatic parts like that work too! We don't need all this "comedy." A lot of their jokes just fall flat. And what's with the potty humor? (literally, in this episode...) Why was that dog there? To give us a "funny" scene where it humps Langly's leg? It didn't make me laugh. Instead, it just left me asking this one question: Why? Finally, at least next week they'll get back to those conspiracies they used to investigate in the season finale. Too bad it looks like it'll be the series finale as well.
