X-Files Review – “4-D”

This week’s episode had more in common with last
week’s that the lackluster season premiers. Read
more below.

Cast

Gillian
Anderson
as Dana Scully
Robert
Patrick

as John Doggett
Annabeth
Gish
as
Agent Reyes
Cary
Elwes
as
Brad Follmer
Dylan
Haggerty

as Erwin Lukesh

Crew

Written by Steven
Maeda

Directed by Tony
Wharmby

Original Airdate

4-D originally aired on
Sunday, December 9, 2001.

Synopsis

A serial killer has the ability to move between
parallel dimensions.
He kills in one universe, living out his
rage-filled fantasies. In
that universe, he killed agent Reyes. Doggett
followed him into the
normal X-Files universe, where he was shot and
received a major spinal
injury. The normal Doggett was pushed out of
this universe when he
arrived.

Since Lukesh shot Doggett with agent Reyes’ gun,
Reyes was the prime
suspect in the shooting until Doggett regained
consciousness. She
figured out what Lukesh could do, but was unable
to prove it. Lukesh
eventually hunted her down, but was killed by
Brad Follmer before he
could hurt her.

To get the original Doggett back, Reyes pulled
the plug on this
Doggett. At that time, everything but Reyes
seemed to reset to the
point at which Doggett left the regular universe.

High Point

The Morse code conversation between Vietnam vets.
That was a really
nice touch.

Doggett’s electronic conversations with Reyes
would be a close second.

Low Point

The retrieval of Doggett. There is no
story-driven reason to turn
time backwards; all it does is allow the writers
to continue writing
Doggett as a skeptic, since he now has no
recollection of being driven
into the parallel universe. Of course, it also
seems inconsistent
that Reyes would remember but Doggett wouldn’t,
but then you wouldn’t
get her tear-filled reunion with him. It would
also seem that Lukesh
would be alive and killing again. The ending
just didn’t seem very
well thought out.

The Review

This was a somewhat original use of the
parallel universe set
up that every sci-fi show seems to use at least
once. The fact that
it’s a parallel universe story does hurt it,
though. I give it 3 out
of 6.

The only visual effects this week were
the transportation
between dimensions. Those were done very well.
5 out of 6.

The story was very well done this
week, right up until
Reyes visited Doggett in the hospital for the
last time. At this
point, all the internal logic that had been so
carefully constructed
collapsed. I give it 4 out of 6, because the
rest was very good.

The acting was very good this week,
especially
considering how much of the story focussed on
Reyes and Follmer, whose
corresponding actors haven’t really impressed me
in the past. This
week, however, Gish did an excellent job, while
Elwes played a little
more human and a little less generic slimeball.
Haggerty also did an
excellent job as the “monster of the week.” I
give the acting 4
out of 6.

As for the emotional response this week,
I was drawn in
quickly. The scenes with Doggett were effective
and powerful. This
was one of the more involving episodes I’ve seen.
I give it 4 out of 6.

The production was its typical high.
Tony Wharmby is a
pretty good director. He’s fairly new to The
X-Files
, but
his IMDB page is fairly complete. I give the
production 5 out of 6.

Overall, this episode was more than
the sum of its
parts. The only real problem is the contrived
ending. I give it 5
out of 6.

In total, 4-D received 30 out of 42.

Next Week

Next week we meet the Lord of the Flies.

2 replies on “X-Files Review – “4-D””

  1. A Touching Episode In Every Way…
    This was a really great show, Gish’s acting at last on a par with the always superlative Robert Patrick. They made the right decision schedule-swapping this strong character-driven story so it came between devils and flies. If X Files is to continue to find an audience and ratings, it’s gonna be because of Doggett and Reyes, not the Monster of the Week (who was pretty good this week, too…)

    Yeah, the logic was a little shakey if you really examined it. The thing I wondered about was live Monica’s gun. It stayed in the storyline while her Doggett was pushed out. Yet her parallel-universe (dead Monica) gun made the crossing to our world just before the parallel Doggett, and killed him in OUR world, not his. So logically, the parallel world gun (having been fired) should have been the one in the story being examined, with Monica-in-the-apartment unable to find hers, which should have vanished along with hot-dog-Doggett. Of course, this would have killed the story, since the fired gun would have had bad guy fingerprints on it…

    No matter, they had my total suspension of disbelief. It’s GREAT to see a man and a woman care about each other and call each other by first names and still stay total professionals in a great story. The sheer WARMTH this adds to the X-Files is great. For years you KNEW M&S were NEVER gonna get together just like you knew where Gilligan was gonna be next week. At last, you think ANYTHING could happen (perhaps already has) between Doggett and Reyes next week…and maybe it will.

    I

    • Re: A Touching Episode In Every Way…
      I think the gun swap could have improved the show.
      After all, if Monica couldn’t find her weapon, it
      would seem even more incriminating.

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