Patience
Scully and Doggett
investigate a series of killings which appear to be related to the capture of a
bat-like creature 44 years earlier.
Patience had a tough job. Not only did it face the annual problem of
re-establishing the show's "normal" pace and rhythm after the season
openers, but, as the first monster of the week episode since Mulder's
disappearance, it also had to introduce Doggett and Scully's new working relationship
and present Scully in a believable way.
Scully took on Mulder's role right from the beginning, delivering his
trademark slide show whilst explaining the case to Doggett. This scene was
reminiscent of Scully's introduction to her first X File back in the Pilot,
although she was less hostile, less confrontational, than Mulder was then - for
example, her "any thoughts, any questions?" although doubtless meant
to expose Doggett's lack of experience of the paranormal, was much less
aggressive than Mulder's comments to her in their first meeting. Still, it was
fitting for Scully to reach for a Mulder-esque paranormal explanation, acknowledging
that he was usually right and, perhaps, that she had always been able to stick
with her science because there was somebody else there who could find the right
explanation without her having to "betray" her rationality. Only now
there isn't, and she has to balance her own rationality with the outlandish
theories she knows Mulder would advance. And I was glad that she realised what
she was doing: "Maybe I'm just trying too hard."
So Scully was not simply written as Mulder - and Doggett was certainly
not written as the Scully of seven years ago. She was young and inexperienced,
whereas Doggett has "seen some violent crimes, I mean some seriously screwed-up
stuff." He's been around and knows what he's doing better than Scully did
all that time ago, and presumably has more confidence in his abilities than she
did. Also, Doggett didn't have the assignment dropped on him in quite the same
way that Scully did - he had time to read through all the old case files (in
his spare time - he may not want this job but he's going to do it properly) and
familiarise himself with the methods used.
I disliked the Sheriff intensely. After his first scene, when he
ignored first Scully and then Doggett, and then played dumb with Scully's (not
particularly complex) comment about the footprint possibly being human, I hoped
he'd be the next victim. So I was glad when the unconvincing rubber monster
finally got him. His colleagues' "mutinous" speech seemed a little
pointless, but maybe it made more sense before editing.
While the monster itself wasn't one of The X Files' best
creations, its method of "choosing" victims was interesting,
certainly moreso than random attacks by a weird mutant. And the episode had a
reasonably tense ending. I particularly liked the thumping on the roof, which
was effective if not very original. Those severed fingers looked a bit waxy,
but then I've never seen fingers which have been bitten off, swallowed and then
regurgitated by a half man, half bat. So maybe they'd look exactly like that.
As promised, Patience was very much like the early episodes of
the show - aiming to be dark (in all senses of the word), scary, and yet
believable. It succeeded for the most part and, although not a classic, was a
good introduction to the new X Files era, which, I think, shows a lot of
promise. I could have lived without Scully symbolically putting away Mulder's
nameplate though.
Best Lines
Doggett: I have to admit, Agent Scully - I'm at a loss.
Scully: Well, that's a good place to start.
Sheriff: You just jump at whatever explanation is the wildest and most
far-fetched, don't you?
Doggett: About all I know about the paranormal is men are from Mars,
women are from Venus.
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