by Adam Silva
Here I was thinking "All About Yves" would be the last episode of "The Lone Gunmen" we'd ever see. I personally did not see, at the time, how there could another episode. Some fans had speculated that there was some "missing" episode, since only twelve episodes were shown and we were told there'd be thirteen (the average number for a mid-season show). I didn't understand why they wouldn't show it, and the reason is still unclear. Boy was this a pleasant surprise...
Overall, this episode was pretty good. Not as good as "All About Yves," an episode worthy of being the show's last, but it was nice to see the show again. It had a lot less goofy slapstick than in the early episodes and showed that the real John Gillnitz were finally getting it right with these last few episodes. But alas, the show's gone now.
Plotwise it was pretty decent, a more classic Gunmen story than what we saw most of the time on the series. My only problem is again the coincidence factor. Isn't it funny that Langly, a conspiracy theorist, would have a childhood hero that would later be accused of being involved in a spy ring? (Oh, and I don't think someone charged with spying would be released on bail...) Though it wasn't nearly as bad as the Byer's roomate thing in "The Lying Game." Oh well. I didn't really mind it that much, because it served the point of the story and was a great way of bringing out more character into Langly. This is the first time we see Dean Haglund get to do some emotion in his scenes. Typically, Langly has just been a goof and Tom Braidwood and definitely Bruce Harwood were getting all the character/drama stuff. Dean did a good job (props to Eric Pospisil too for his potrayal of a young Langly. Who would have thought the guy grew up on a farm?!). I've talked before about him not being able to act very well (probably because he isn't an actor!), but he did a good job here. Well done, Dean. Tom Poston goes on the list for good guest stars on the show too. They sure have had a lot of them. Though why'd Cap'n Toby think Langly was a girl? C'mon, that's not fair...
The evolving relationship between Jimmy and Yves and the double agent gal's knowledge of Yves' real identity were pluses (it was cool watching Yves and the aforementioned agent duking it out too!). I liked the agent's poison darts and martial arts. It was very Bond-esque. The credits in the porthole were nice touch too.
Mainly though, I loved the point of this story. Childhood memories of a beloved TV show really strikes a chord with me as I'm sure it does with a lot of you. The John Gillnitz guy was real good, both as a character and in-joke, even if he was a little cliched. I thought the ratings-over-quality thing was pretty ironic given "The Lone Gunmen" situation...
Finally, this is the last episode we will ever see of "The Lone Gunmen." Oh well. But maybe, just maybe, there's a kid out there who'll look back on this as their fondest memory of childhood. The way Langly did for his beloved "Cap'n Toby Show." I think we all need something like that. Don't we?
