The Goldberg Variation was, I think, a fairly average episode, and on The X Files "fairly average" means a reasonably engaging 45 minutes. It wasn't that there were things I disliked about it, there just weren't that many that I really loved. But it was enjoyable enough, with a few memorable scenes.

I liked the teaser, if only for the fact that it was great to see the skinny, nervous and rather-less-than-macho Weems beating the tough Mafia bosses at poker. What can I say, I love to see the underdog winning - which is probably partly why I liked the idea of all the luck in the world being bestowed on a man as quiet and unassuming as Henry Weems. I know almost exactly nothing about the Mafia, so for all I know the stereotypes could be accurate (although, in my experience, stereotypes are almost never accurate), but Jimmy Catrona and his cronies seemed to be written to the standard film/TV industry stereotype in the way they spoke and behaved. "Street pizza"? Would anyone really say that? As I said, I don't know, but it seemed like a really badly-written line to me.

One thing I did love about this episode was the fact that Scully got to the correct solution within minutes: "Maybe he just got lucky." However much I may like Scully, however much I may prefer her character and the way she is written to Mulder's, and however much the writers may claim to produce an ambiguous ending most weeks, the fact remains that she is very rarely right in her early assessment of cases. And for once she hit the proverbial nail on the head in her first scene (second if you count the shots outside the building and down the hole as separate scenes) and that was good to see. Admittedly it wasn't a grand scientific theory, but grand scientific theories aren't always necessary. I was slightly incredulous at Mulder's insistence that Scully's explanation was unlikely though, not because I disagreed (of course it was unlikely, as Mulder said "How many thousands of variables would have to convene in just the right mixture for that theory to hold water?"), but is a regenerative mutant really any more likely? OK, so mutants turn up with alarming frequency in The X Files - but then so do convenient coincidences.

As a child I used to long for a Domino Rally (remember them?J ), so that probably explains why I thought Weems' gizmos were so cool. I especially loved the idea that a crew member (or crew members) had come up with the designs. However, I did think the metaphor of the cause and effect of those gadgets for the cause and effect of Weems' situation was rammed down the viewers' collective throat a little too much. Particularly Scully's line "You're speaking as if we're trapped inside one of those contraptions Weems builds" (or something like that, I don't remember exactly). That line just seemed slightly unnatural, not the kind of thing anyone would normally say and inserted purely to make sure we understood the metaphor.

The main problem with the storyline of Weems' phenomenal good luck was that it inevitably became, in some places, predictable. For instance, it was obvious as soon as Weems put his knife into his pocket that he would get shot at and the bullet would ricochet off the knife, and anyone who didn't see that Catrona's blood type would match Richie's is either one of those people who lets go completely and just goes with the story without trying to predict anything, or they need their eyes testing. To be fair, though, even these moments weren't always completely predictable - the bullet bouncing all the way back into the hitman's chest took me slightly by surprise.

I loved the wonderfully macabre image of "Angie the Animal" hanging upside down from the ceiling fan. Mulder's deadpan "So, you get many of these?" was great, but I thought he reconstructed events a little too quickly and with too much certainty. But he is incredibly smart, so I guess he could have worked it out without too much trouble. I did like the way he explained it though, smiling and speaking faster as he reached the end, but I could have lived without the replays.

Here's the inevitable disjointed bit consisting of random comments:

I liked Mulder's reaction to Weems putting in his glass eye, and Scully's raised eyebrows and "so what?" expression. It was a sweet continuation as we already know that Mulder can get a little (just a little) squeamish during autopsies, whereas Scully (obviously) doesn't.

So, Scully likes baseball does she? I bet she does, ever since Mulder showed her his "piece of ash." ("The bat. Talking about the bat." J )

While Weems was explaining his and other people's luck as "a balance thing," I couldn't help thinking of those "pleasure, pain" adverts for Müller yoghurts. Could have just been me, of course.

Those back shots of Richie were a dead giveaway that he was going to be shockingly jaundiced. It was the same trick they used in Dod Kalm when Mulder and Scully had aged.

I know Scully's a doctor, but she seemed to diagnose Richie's liver disease a little too easily. I suppose I should give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that he looked more jaundiced to her than he did to the audience.

I thought the man getting hit by the van could have been fairly graphic, but ended up comical. Maybe that was the point, since there wasn't really very much in this episode to shock the viewer, it was a nice, gentle, almost feel-good episode.

The cityscape of Chicago with the flickering lights looked fantastic, but the hospital lights spelling out Richie's name was slightly silly.

Mulder's attempt at plumbing, and Scully's attempt not to laugh at him, were quite funny. This, and Mulder's brief visit to hospital for a minor injury, were the only misfortunes that befell the agents in this episode. It was nice to see them being given a break from getting shot, beaten up, knocked out and kidnapped. I have a feeling, though, that this run of good luck may end next week.

Scully: Was this basement thoroughly searched?

Mulder: No. Technically, falling 300 feet and surviving isn't a crime.

Scully: So basically, what if we're looking for Wily Coyote?

Scully: You OK, Mulder?

Mulder: Yeah, it's alright, my ass broke the fall.

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