From: seanc130@hotmail.com
"Sean Carroll" wrote
> You should have tried watching JUST the non-mytharc episodes.
>
> Give this list a spin: 4-D, John Doe, Hellbound, Audrey Pauley, Scary
> Monsters, and maybe Sunshine Days (haven't watched it again myself yet, so
> I don't remember how good it is, but at least I seriously doubt it's
> depressing).
Oh, while I'm at it, I should give my personal favourite Monica and The Dawg
eps from S8 (though most of them, actually, are Reyesless):
Patience: As far as I'm concerned, the genuine beginning of the
Scully/Doggett partnership. As much as there's real friction between them,
there is also already a growing respect and willingness to give each other
the benefit of the doubt.
Invocation: The best part of this ep, without question, is the Doggett
character development. You can see his feelings about his own son bubbling
just under the surface, driving him to make unwise decisions based on
emotional involvement. Simultaneously he keeps absolutely refusing to even
think about or discuss the obvious paranormal aspects to the case -- all he
cares about is saving young boys from a predator. Finally, at the end, when
all is said and done, all he can do is stare into the distance and say to
himself, 'What the Hell just happened?'
Via Negativa: Pretty much the first Doggett solo ep. Scully appears only
briefly at the beginning, leaving him and Skinner to deal with things on
their own. This is definitely one of the greatest Doggett eps EVER. I'm not
even going to attempt to pick out awesome details, because EVERY detail is
awesome.
Salvage: Not all that focused on character development, but a good, solid,
old-fashioned XF, a tofu-and-potatoes Scully/Doggett partnership ep, and one
of my personal highlights from S8.
The Gift: Right up there with VN as one of the greatest Doggett eps ever.
Another solo (with help from Skinner again). Haunted by the spirit of
Mulder, who actually appears to Doggett at the very end, but I don't think
he ever even speaks -- a definite great job by DD, who manages to give an
awesome performance despite being onscreen for a grand total of about 15
nanoseconds. But it's definitely RP's ep above all. And he actually fucking
DIES!!! How awesome is that?
Medusa: Even better than 'Salvage' as an archetypal Scully/Doggett-era
stand-alone. My absolute favourite S8 episode, without question.
Empedocles: Not the first Reyes episode, but the first stand-alone. She
could (and will) do a little better, and can be a little naive and whiny at
times, but it serves wonderfully as a genuine introduction to the
Doggett/Reyes relationship and to Reyes herself as the regular character she
would become. You just have to give her the benefit of the doubt at certain
moments. Another ep where DD actually does very well -- he's actually trying
to help Monica and The Dawg, instead of whining all the time about Scully
and the baby and how much the FBI sucks and how great he is and how he was
right all along.
Vienen: THE greatest single Doggett/Mulder interaction ep ever. 'Nuff said.
And I believe the first Black Oil episode since, like, S6. One of the few
mytharcs from the last two seasons that I enjoy without reservation.
Alone: Another excellent, old-fashioned stand-alone. Doggett in the field,
taking on the bulk of the responsibility for the case, with the new young
partner who just isn't ready yet. (I *like* her, no matter what anyone else
says.) And then Mulder to the rescue (another great latter-years DD ep),
although in a way Doggett is actually the one who saves them all, by
trusting Mulder and shooting where and when he says.
--
--Sean
http://spclsd223.livejournal.com
Cuddy: You. In the lobby. Now.
House: I hurt my leg. I have a note!
--- SoupGate-DOS v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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