"Three of a Kind"  by Caroline O'Connell

"This is Special Agent Dana Scully.  If you so much as touch her you may be
committing an offence."  Frohike.


If Three of a Kind was any "Liter" it would have floated away like a puff of
smoke in a Seigfried and Roy Show.  And it's all our fault!  We were all
clamouring for a sequel to The Unusual Suspects and The Man Vince and this
season's biggest surprise, John Shiban, don't disappoint.  But (yes, you
should know by now that there's gonna be a but!) it served as comic relief
when none was called for.  "Suspects"  succeeded  because it came on the
heels of The Reduxes (Dying!Scully, Crying!Mulder, Cancer, Conspiracies,
Alien Hybrids and would sir like chips with that?). It was a welcome break
from the whole hoopla of the conspiracy arc.  Three of a Kind comes hot on
the heels of another well crafted piece of fluff, The Unnatural.  Both are
good episodes, but they're just not The X-Files.

Maybe now that Millennium has been axed, XF will get back some of that
darkness seen in episodes like Paper Hearts, Irresistible and Grotesque.
The human monsters that creeped us out in earlier seasons and kept us tuning
in for more.  Take some of that Frank Blackness and turn it into a good old
dose of Mulderangst.  

Speaking of Mulder... Conspicuous by his absence, for once those who accuse
Duchovny of phoning in his performance can finally be right!  This time it's
Scully who ends up hanging out with the 3 stooges.  And would someone please
tell that woman you don't wear a black bra with a white blouse!  I don't
care what time of night the Gunmen called her to get to Vegas, that's not a
mistake you make.  Drugged!Scully started off well (Beeeeeeep.  Thwap!), but
raced rapidly down hill from there.  Having seen Anderson's turn in
Triangle, she - like David Duchovny - has proven her  comedic abilities, but
having her giggling and flirting because  her higher functions have been
inhibited does not a funny scene make!  If she's laughing she must be
drugged, right?  Scully doesn't have fun of her own free will - not on
screen anyway!.  As Frohike said she's an agent.  Touching her could be an
offence (I'm sure that must be gold-embossed on the front page of Chris
Carter's X-Files handbook).  With that attitude, no wonder she never gets to
have a good time.  

The inclusion of Byers, Langly and Frohike in any episode is a good thing
and 3OAK has some great moments.  The constant sniping at Langly about his
Michael Bolton hair and Byers, still in love with Suzanne Modeski after 10
years added some wonderful depth to what could have been left as just the
comedy fillers.  Had this episode come at the end of the 5th season, it
probably would have been better placed and more enjoyable as a result.
Unfortunately,  it's one trip too many into the Lite.

7/10
Stuff

Wecome Geeks, to Las Vegas.  You're so money, baby!

Wears glasses, jeans, t-shirts with obscure logos;  likes computers. Is
therefore a geek... Hang on that's me!  Should I be offended?

Rooms 1044 and 1066 used.  Was anyone else waiting to see if 1013 was going
to pop up at some point?

"Is she or isn't she?"  Suzanne Modeski looks like she's constantly
auditioning for a hairspray ad.

It seems Scully watched that episode of Quincy where he deliberately tries
to gross out the trainees.  And can I just say Eeew!

In keeping with Exclamation!Characters Three of a Kind gives us
Stealth!Hickey, Lovesick!Byers and Plaited!Cutie... Sorry Langly.  Imagine
the fun McFarlane toys would have marketing that toy range!

Being Vegas, Scully magically disappears towards the end of the programme...
Maybe that can be explained on the next  "Magic's Biggest Secrets Revealed."

Cal
My Kung Fu is the best.