Review of Agua Mala, a.k.a. Episidio Malo, by Sue Brody I don't need my mettle tested... Well, um...deja vu? Been there, done that? Okay, it's a bit hard to review this after one showing, primarily b/c I had non-Philes in the apt w/ me while I watched it, and who kept sneering everytime Scully acted in a decisive matter, which pissed me off no end, but... WHY THE HELL DID WE SEE A COMBINATION OF ICE, THE HOST, FIREWALKER, AND TRAVELERS IN THIS EP??? I have to ask you guys...has 1013 completely run out of ideas?! Okay, yes, I was *thrilled* to see an ep featuring M&S, although it was more about the sea creature than them, really. Yep, there was some quippy dialogue, no question about it, and I appreciated it (though if I had to hear the comment about the nuts rolling down to Florida one more time, I was going to throw things at the TV!). And yes, it was nice seeing Arthur Dales defending Scully for "saving Mulder's life" (at which he finally smiled and she looked satisfied--gotta rewatch that scene a few more times!) at the end and also mentioning that had he (Dales) had a partner like Scully, he might have stayed on the Files. Nice touch. Wonder if it will end up advancing their relationship? Hohoho. Not too likely. *sigh* But *why* didn't Scully remember ICE (or F. Emasculata or a bunch of other eps) and think that maybe, JUST MAYBE, this might be infectious and she could put some protective gear on? Why was Scully so damn skeptical in this ep? "There is no such thing as sea monsters, Mulder." Man, if I have to hear her dispute something like this ONE MORE TIME (I mean, come on, she has been privy to very, VERY similar things...), I am gonna scream!!! Let it go, CC. Let it go. I honest to God thought 1013 would insert one teeny, tiny line in the ep about the fact that M&S were back on The X-Files again. But no. What was Arthur Dales *doing* in this ep, anyway? I just can't figure it out. I like him, sure, but WHY WAS HE THERE? And do we want to see the founder of The X-Files portrayed as an alcoholic, really? Is this the destiny of Fox Mulder, or will it not be *because* Scully is there for him? Were we supposed to take that as a hint? Am I reading too much into this? And Scully keeping Mulder out in the hallway...WHY? Because she had the gun pointed at her? Hasn't stopped her before. I much preferred the way she acted in Ice. Didn't she think Mulder might die? Is it b/c she knows DD is still under contract? She chose to deliver the baby over saving Mulder, and there was something that made me feel very queasy about this...I mean, did she try to get him AFTERWARDS? Good thing Scully decided to shoot out the ceiling, and stop the creature, but still, Mulder had already been infected *and* was choking...how did she know he would live w/out assistance? And why didn't we get to see the scene when she goes out to get him??? Okay, it rained. That made me happy. It was dark. That made me happy. The Spanish woman was amusing and tough (loved her comment about the guys around her being useless)...that was funny. But God, this just seemed so damn DONE ALREADY. I really, really do not want The X-Files to become The Recycled Files. To conclude, I didn't have really high hopes for this ep, and you know what? I wasn't disappointed because of that. It was as mediocre as I had anticipated.