Shadows

Shadows the Limerick:

Her boss treated her like a dad.

Now he's dead and she's very sad.

Now he's a ghost.

Her new boss is toast.

He kills them all because he's mad.

Shadows is a great episode from Season 1. It seems that lately most of the season 1 episodes have kind of gained a soft spot with me as even the ones that I used to hate have become enjoyable for me. I think its the atmosphere that comes with the low budget kind of filming that they had. I like Shadows for a number of reasons. I like the corny acting, it is entertaining. Like the kids that find the bodies in the dumpster. "Hey... I know a great place to crash... up that fire escape." Haha this line is so terribly delivered. I enjoy Mark Snow's music as many of the classic tunes from the series are first used in these episodes and this one included. I like the creepy scenes like the blood in the bath tub and the hit-man floating in midair being choked. I guess its not the fact that this is anything really special but that fact that it is a classic that makes me love it. 9 out of 10.

When a girl's boss dies things start to to wrong for her, unwanted advances at work, and an attempted mugging, but someone seems to be watching out for her.

It makes a change in a TV show for someone to actually have a good relationship with their boss, it does happen on occasion.

Why though did Howard return, was it just to act as an avenging angel?

I quite enjoyed this episode despite the sometimes muddled story, it was a clever idea, and original, more back from the grave stories would follow.

Pretty good, 7/10.

With a deadly protector. Whether you are two terrorists or her boss's partner, you don't want to mess with her.

Love is stronger than death... Song of Solomon 8:6 - and jealousy is fatal as the grave.

That seems to be part of what is happening here, but it's an X-File crossed with a state department investigation.

This excellent episode gets into both subjects. Mulder has to figure out how to pursue the X-File while solving the state department matter.

Fortunately he gets help from Lauren Kite in both matters.

But her protector is "dead as a hammer", plus he's been chopped up and donated for medical purposes!

Is this how Carrie got revenge?

The question is, does Lauren Kite have an ability, or is it someone else?

James Wong and Glen Morgan's follow-up to their excellent first effort "Squeeze" is middling, disappointing nonsense. The real issue with the episode isn't even the meandering plot (which will play to current audiences as "24" meets "Ghost Whisperer", and I don't mean that as a compliment), but the one-dimensional, annoying main character, and a poorly-acted one at that.

Wong and Morgan do get some fun humor into the episode, a nice break from the rest of it, which takes itself FAR too seriously given the subject matter. "The X-Files", regardless of what some indignant old-school fans might tell you, was always quick to mock itself through its characters, and only took itself completely seriously when it had a damn good dramatic story to tell. "Shadows" takes itself too seriously in any scene not involving Mulder or Scully, AND it's completely ridiculous.

In addition, the episode is hopelessly cheesy all the way through, and particularly the acting from much of the supporting cast, not that they're given any good characterization or dialogue to work with.

Meh.

4/10

Shadows is the first of several first season episodes that deals with a deceased person assisting a living person from beyond the grave. Being that this the first episode to explore this concept, the idea is not as old. Lauren Kyte is being protected by a mysterious force that Mulder at first believes to be psychokinesis. The upside of this episode is the dialogue between Mulder and Scully. They exchange several witty one-liners that make this enjoyable to watch. In this episode Scully has another "inconvenience" which prevents her from witnessing paranormal phenomena. This becomes a recurring theme throughout the X-Files. Later, Scully will start to see the paranormal phenomena but will just explain it away. Besides the witty dialogue I thought this episode had some good special effects. Overall, Shadows is a solid, first season episode.