"Rain King" Review
Sue Brody


Rock the boat, don't rock the boat, baby, rock the boat, don't tip the boat
over....

Is that supposed to represent M&S's relationship?!

And boy, 1013 is really into the weather, ships, and Judy Garland this
season!!! And yes, we *know* we're in LA and it's sunny there, stop hitting
us over the head with it, CC!

Alrighty, then....

I initially wondered *why* M&S were allowed to investigate this case and
where the hell Kersh was in all of this.  Now that I realize the ep wasn't
date stamped, I get it, but that doesn't necessarily appease me.

Someone said to me on the XFR:

>Who said this happened after Kersh? My guess, August 97 or 98.

Well, yes, that now appears to be the case, but...

Sometimes it would be nice if eps actually appeared in the order in which
they aired. I mean, how were WE the viewer to know this was pre: Kersh?
Guess at it?! And M's haircut was post-Kersh, of course...Since they
changed it for Travelers and Unusual Suspects, they *could* have changed it
here, too. Is that nit-picky. Why, yes it is. On the other hand, this
season has been so all over the place--and it really *is* important to know
whether or not M&S are working on The X-Files or not (and apparently still
were in this ep, but I guarantee you that was an oversight by a new
writer), since a number of eps have focused on it--plus the fact that
neither the kiss interruptus/"You make me a whole person" profession from
FTF nor the "I would kiss you if you weren't so ugly" comment from
Dreamland II is referred to in this ep (so it must *not* have happened
yet), not to mention Mulder's profession of love in Triangle. Well, I'm
sorry, but it's hard to follow a show that can't keep *any* sense of time.
And it's more important in a lighthearted ep, because if it is *about* the
relationship (and folks, it wasn't really about the plot, now was it?! This
was no mytharc.), then it's especially important to know *when* it's taking
place. Yeesh.

So, maybe this is a minor criticism...but why should viewers continually
have to forgive 1013 for such things? Date stamps are *really* helpful for
such things!!! I think I might have enjoyed the ep a bit more had I KNOWN
its supposed time of occurrence (although, granted they tell us at the end
that it is a year later when Sheila has the baby...).

Continuity, thy name is *not* 1013.

Yes, I enjoyed the ep, I suppose, but it was another XF-Lite episode, and I
continue to long (pine, pray) for the old days. Not the days of angst,
necessarily (I agree w/ someone on the XFR who said we don't need another
XMas/Carol fiasco, or more Dying!Scully), but the days of brooding,
thought-provoking eps, where *plot* counted and where the relationship
really evolved through M&S's interactions (I keep harkening back to "Ice,"
because it's a perfect example).

And while I thought David Duchovny was *marvelous* in this ep (The cow!
Hysterical!), I also feel strongly that M&S's role should *not* be to play
Trevor and Claire in the ABC series "Cupid" and match people up...unless it
is themselves. And I have to say that perhaps...perhaps...if you look at
this ep as a precursor to season six, it works a lot better, although in no
way do I feel Scully has come to terms w/ her relationship w/ Mulder. In
fact, I would have expected that kind of speech to Sheila from Mulder
rather than from Scully, because to me she seems as repressed as ever w/
regard to Mulder. And Mulder, IMHO, could not have seemed any less in love
w/ her in this one (yes, I *know* he repeated that he did not GAZE at
Scully after the fact, but I thought he
was generally puzzled by the accusation).

To conclude: I want some linear movement, folks! Is that so much to ask?!

As for the ep itself: I really like Holman. I liked his relationship with
Sheila. I thought Daryl was interesting. I thought DD had some great looks,
some great lines, *looked* fine (as did GA), and there was some nice Mulder
and Scully banter. The cow was *hysterical.* Even though I had read the
spoilers, I had forgotten that Daryl didn't cause the weather, Holman did.

I was getting major" DPO" flashbacks, and after a few watchings, I have really
begun to like that ep.

Another comment: for some reason, TXF seems to be parodying itself this
season (the ending...yeesh. What's up w/ this "Somewhere over the Rainbow"
theme, anyway?). And I was waiting for M&S to dance, just like they had at
the end of PMP. Guess that couldn't happen, could it, though, because this ep
*really* happened, and that ep didn't!!! That disco ball...major
"Post-Modern Prometheus" deja vu. The fact that M&S were swaying (for about
five seconds) on the dance floor didn't *really* count. They looked pretty
uncomfortable and out of place there.

What was most disappointing? The way M&S reacted to the idea of them being
a couple. The fact that Scully noted that the idea of Mulder helping Holman
with romance was like "the blind leading the blind." And the fact that Mulder
only referred to Scully as a friend and seemed very earnest about it.
(Wasn't he lucid when he said he lloved her in "Triangle"? Is he *not*
allowed to admit his love for her? Does he forget every so often?)

Now, of course, if you look at this ep as having taken place *before* the
movie, then it *does* make more sense, but...it sort of flies in the face
of everything that Shippers have been saying for the past 5 1/2 years,
i.e., that the UST was there, that it *wasn't* just a platonic
relationship. And while I would have expected this more from Scully, I
never thought Mulder wavered in his love for Scully, either internally or
externally. Now I'm not so sure.

What was most promising? The comment Scully made in the bathroom about the
fact that one day the lightbulb comes on and you realize that your best
friend is more than that (see above, however, as to my hesistance w/ that
speech). In any case, could that be...er...foreshadowing?! Maybe it
was a bit obvious, but it's out there. Could be two or three movies from
now, but it's out there. And when Holman told M&S, "You two should try it,"
we *all* know what was being intimated...whether you agree w/ these
interpretations, non-Shippers, is an entirely different story.

So, I did like a lot of things about this ep. HOWEVER, I think you have to look
at it as yet another X-Files Lite ep, but that's *not* why I got into the
show and it's not what makes me want to watch it. That's why I watch
"Cupid"!

On a happier note, I got so nostalgic hearing The Hues Corporation and
10CC's "The Things We do For Love"! I feel sad every time I hear the
Carpenters, however.

To conclude: I want some linear movement, folks! Is that so much to ask?!
And I want some plot-based eps, which I guess are on the way...and I
am about ready to find out just *how* M&S feel about each other in the
context of a nice, juicy ep...

I did smile many times through this ep, I just can't help feeling that this
season just isn't the same...because it isn't...