November 14, 2001

Chris Carter Must Get a Hobby

For those who don't know, Chris Carter is the creator and creative authority behind the once-great but now-pretty-lame show "The X-Files." I don't see myself watching this show instead of "Alias" this season. For one thing, mid-November is ridiculously late for starting the new season (I'm talking to the "Simpsons" and "King of the Hill" also). However, at least the animated shows promise quality. The X-Files just promises confusion and dumbness.

For one thing, when did Scully have her personality surgically removed? She used to have no problems giving her opinion on, well, anything, and now the others are lucky if she says anything at all. When she does talk, it's cryptic nonsense. As a critic last year pointed out, enigmatic smiles and pointed looks as replies to non-rhetorical questions are not good writing, it's just stupid and messing with the viewer's head. The writers are now doing to Skinner what they did for 3 seasons with Scully, pulling him back and forth on an issue that was clearly settled a dozen times already. He's not evil, he's not working for them, he's working with our heroes for, well, whatever purpose they're working for these days (Mulder's sister? no. Fighting the aliens? apparently not. Defeating mysterious super-soldiers with no obvious agenda? perhaps). Just like they did with Scully and does-she-or-does-she-not-believe in paranormal phenomena.

There were so many plotholes in the season opener that I don't have enough space to devote a column to all of them. The most obvious one was how in the hell did Mr. Princess Bride (new FBI bad guy) and his posse think to find Doggett and Skinner at the water treatment plant? The only reason our heroes went there is because the Lone Gunmen (glad to see you back, guys) did some major league hacking on the first dead guy's computer files. Also, since when does the FBI care if Scully does an autopsy? She must have done a dozen of them over the years where the local law enforcement wasn't even glad the FBI was in town snooping around on their little cannibalistic or inbred secret. I miss those type of episodes. Back when the show was good, and didn't make sense, exactly, but you thought it would eventually make sense. Unfortunately, Chris Carter got bored of making a good show and decided to make a lousy show. I'm going to go watch Alias - it's got its own mythology going now, and it doesn't take itself nearly as seriously as the X-Files does these days.

Published: November 14, 2001
Editor: stacy