Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster

Since the new "X-Files" is an extremely limited series order of episodes, this throwback comedy (title recalls Universal's lame "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" programmers of the '50s) is a waste of limited resources and airtime. Obviously many die-hard fans seem amused, but they deserve better - like trying to hit a homer week in and week out.

So we get to see décolletage in a fantasy scene of Gillian Anderson getting down; and we see both stars' comic timing. Hey, their many other acting hires for the BBC or movies or Showtime give them a chance to stretch - there's no point in cutesy stuff like this as a lull or breather in the forward thrust of this series. If they were cranking out 40 or more yearly episodes like a '50s half-hour series I could understand placing a one-off time-killer on the schedule, but with 6 total episodes, seriously?

If fans were more critical they would file "Were-Monster" close to the jump-the-shark bin. It reminded me of that one-off "Lost" episode where two guest stars mixed up the regular cast with a new premise and were duly killed off (and literally buried) by the end of the hour. Perhaps binge watchers of the future will appreciate this respite from hard-hitting, tense action if they are sitting through dozens of hours of "X-Files" at a sitting, but tuning in I was only mildly amused by the easy targets for satire (most of which undermined Carter's premise for the series almost as an "I don't take this stuff seriously" reminder) and overall felt my time was wasted.

OK, first review of a show I have written, and only because this episode cemented the reasons this show needs a new, full run. Absolutely the funniest episode ever. I rate it above Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose in which Peter Boyle gave a hilarious performance. This should go down as the best X-Files episode ever. Congrats to the writer, the director, and the producer. I hope that following episodes meet the standard that has been set. I knew David could be funny, but Gillian? She really pulled a were-rabbit out of her hat on this one. She showed a comedic timing that I found spot-on and left me wanting to see more. The fox mask in the Motel looking into Scully's room from the hidden passage was magically on the nose.

Can't say I'm a big fan of the humorous x-files episodes, but this one works. It starts out like any x-files motw episode, but you get the idea from little details that it's not gonna be a serious episode. It's surprisingly goofy, but the script, acting and direction are spot on. Mulder and Scully are like they need to be, despite the goofiness.

I had to look up Rhys Darby from IMDb to see what he had done before, because he looked so familiar and he is the band manager (?) from Flight of the Conchords. In a way this episode is a bit similar in style. Comedic, but smart.

After the lackluster episode one of s10 I'm glad to see the rest of the episodes have been really good so far. Looking forward to the last three.

A couple enjoying getting high in the woods, spot what they think is a werewolf attack on two guys, due to their state they're both unsure if what they've seen is real. A description of the monster is given, Mulder far from sceptical wonders if they're grey wolves. Investigations lead Mulder to a small Hotel, where the dubious Landlord spots a shape shifting monster.

The more serious tone of the opening two episodes is switched for this week's offering, a story which could have come out of a 1965 comic book, with some truly funny scenes and great dialogue. This episode is difficult to catalogue, to put into a genre as it spans so many.

The scene with Mulder, Scully and the trans-gender hooker was absolutely priceless, so funny. The man on the toilet too, just slick humour. The peeping Tom Hotel landlord perving on Mulder, too funny!

I utterly loved this episode, it had everything, scares, laughs, it felt like a show I would have stayed up extra late as a kid to watch for the scares, who doesn't enjoy a monster story.

I have to say Mr Duchovny is defying his 55 years, fair play to him, he's ageing very well. His X Files ring tone made me change my phone. Had to be done.

Well Impressed!!! Take it for what it is, as mad as a box of frogs. Just great fun to watch, truly fun.

9/10

This episode was packed full of jokes, a lot of them commenting on the formula of the show. A lot were hit, a lot were miss. Some of the misses were painfully awkward, but a lot of the hits are painfully funny. The jokes fly at you so fast with such multitude that the net result is positive. The episode pulls this off with the help of a great bunch of guest comedians.

The thing that really elevates this episode for me is that the self-aware, self-parodying aspects aren't just used for a cheap laugh, they also tie in to hints of character development and a more serious theme underlying the episode. I wish they had been just a slight bit less obvious with the underlying message (man is monstrous), but I was genuinely impressed with the integration of character arc into this silly little story.

Ultimately, it's an enjoyable experience. It isn't a perfect episode, but its mistakes feel corny, a welcome change from the wooden aspects of "My Struggle".