"Alpha" Review Rebecca Bateman rebeccaxf@bigfoot.com http://come.to/the.x-files Werewolves, and St. Bernards, and Wolf Women - oh my! I liked the episode if only for the reason that it was dark. It could have easily fit right in during season three. The plot wasn't the strongest I'd ever experienced, but it was 3/4 of the way intelligent. There were some halfway intriguing plot developments: I didn't expect that WolfLady Karin would lie to Mulder, and I didn't expect she'd let herself die. But, why was the wolf coming after her? And was she so depressed and/or reclusive that she wanted to end her life and figured that this was the most appropriate way? Or did she think she could handle it? Perhaps she was just a little messed up in the head. By far, the best storyline was the underlying Mulderangst and Scullyjealously. Scully sure picked up on WolfLady's ulterior motives *really* quickly. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit that I probably never would have. I didn't buy that she was attracted to Mulder *at all*. It seemed a little too forced and unreal for me. Though, I loved the way Scully was watching Mulder as interacted with Karin. I could just hear Scully's thoughts.... "What the hell is he doing?" But, now, Mulder's side of the attraction - He's been far denser in the past and never very blatant with his affections. I'll buy that he was just oblivious to Karin, but I'm not sure if he reciprocated at all. I don't honestly see how he would have. They spent very little time together, and didn't have a whole lot in common. Maybe they got to know each other on- line... One wonders about that..... The best moment of the episode was the scene in the office at the end. Mulder *finally* realized that he trusted some stranger WAY more than he should have, even when Scully advised him of her duplicitous motives. He realized that he was wrong, and that he should have, once again, listened to his partner. He's stopped physically ditching Scully. Now he's into emotional ditching. Good thing he seems to be getting over it. Random thoughts: Trek alumni: Dr. Detweiler is Garak from Deep Space Nine! I knew I'd heard that voice and seen those eyes before. And, I swear WolfLady was on an episode of TNG - the one where Riker falls for that androgynous "woman", Soren. Wasn't that her? If not, she was in some other ep. I'd bet money on it. Could have done without some of the early humor. Too many lame jokes for my taste. I did like the nesting thing and the image of the dog sliding across the linoleum. But don't dilute it with such. They killed the dog! You can NOT kill a dog on TV! Wasn't that writer ever an 8-year-old? Dumb, stupid boat workers. "Oh. I kicked the box. It must be dead now." DUH! Scully snores? And why did she choose to sit on the *opposite* side of the couch in the hospital? Was she that upset with him? I really disliked WolfLady. I'm kinda glad she was one of the *3 million* people to die tonight. Sheesh. And my final thought for the evening: The poster is *back*, bay-bee! ::pumps arm in air:: Woo-woo-woo-woo! Though, it looks different. Is that a newer, updated version of the poster from M street? Or was the original so badly burned in the move that CC had to buy one from a fan catalog? Though every time I see the new poster, I'm going to think of WolfLady... ::shudder:: So, in conclusion, this episode earns about a 6.5 out of 10. It clearly was not X-Files Lite, but it was not the high quality, intelligent drama of seasons past. It *was* dark and angsty and reminiscent of seasons past, and for that reason, in terms of the season as a whole, it's a keeper.