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Definitely a change of pace for the series, this episode is the first to exclusively deal with the internet as it affects the world. In this case, it is the "Terminator" point-of-view where an artificial intelligence becomes sentient and chooses to follow the first rule of consciousness: survival. Anything or anyone who tries to end its existence on the web is terminated.
The teaser was very effective in conveying how lethal a program the virtual entity is. As a mousy looking man, whom we find out later is internet maverick, Donald Gelman, is preoccupied with his laptop at an all-night diner, various thugs, coke dealers and U.S. Marshalls walk in, and a bloodbath ensues. Director Rob Bowman definitely knows how to display total mayhem just by showing gunshots explode out through the windows. It doesn't take a genius to realize that only Superman would survive that kind of warzone. Hence, this "program" has cleverly eliminated its creator, Gelman, the one person who can end its existence.
Writers William Gibson and Tom Maddox showcase an interesting premise of having a virtual killer who can track a person anywhere just by hearing the sound of their voice is every person's worst nightmare. Being in a very technically-advanced society, we may not directly see the kind of danger that can make this scenario into reality. Without sounding paranoid, it isn't difficult to imagine an artificial intelligence can slowly annihilate mankind at a drop of a hat. Particularly in America, most people's identities are as easily accessible as a utility bill or by paying with a credit card. If someone needs to be found, it isn't too difficult.
Setting aside all the computer jargon and technological mumbo-jumbo, this story boils down to a simple love story. There's the obvious love of Esther Nairn and David Markham, which of course, parallels the sub-textual love of Mulder and Scully. "Imagine being mingled so completely with another,...you're one." As most fans of the show have realized for a long time, Mulder and Scully are definitely two parts of a whole. Looking beyond the obvious believer vs. skeptic angle, no two people show as much trust and devotion to each other as Mulder and Scully.
The casting of Kristin Lehman as Invisigoth/
Esther Nairn, was inspired. Lehman was able to show us a hotshot computer expert with a major attitude one minute to
a vulnerable woman very much in love the next. She infused the episode with her charm. The Lone Gunmen certainly
couldn't stop drooling over her. Many late-night or Sci-Fi Channel fans may recognize Lehman as Urs in the very excellent but
under-appreciated vampire series, "Forever Knight." Her portrayal of Esther makes it very difficult not to both fall in love
with her and feel sorry for her. Esther was never someone that would have been satisfied with "...happily ever after" as an
ending. She needed to show to both herself and the rest of the world that the idea of uploading her mind into the internet
was a matter of "when" not "if." Once she found David had already done it, there was no turning back.
I found it amusing that Scully instantly found Esther both abrasive and a nuisance. Not too many people would consider Scully "dense," but Esther instantly talked down to her. It was as if Esther thought Scully was just another mindless government agent who followed orders and never had an independent thought of her own. Though Scully must have some pet peeve about unusual names (remember Bambi?), since she retaliated by mocking Esther's real name. Only when Scully saw how heart-broken Esther was in finding David's house destroyed that she softened her stance. She even tried to console her by suggesting that David may not have been home when it happened. This was the first real bond between them, since it was about the other's loved one. It wasn't too long after they left his house that Scully was worried about Mulder's whereabouts.
As for Mulder's situation, there were definitely a couple of things to notice about his predicament. Obviously, this virus is able to go into someone's subconscious and find out both their fears and their strengths. The ridiculously decrepit surgeon only mirrored the old-style hospital. Mulder is obviously one who isn't too comfortable around doctors, except a certain red-headed one. The nurses were a nice touch. They were probably a part of his erogenous fantasies and/or videos. Every male patient could only hope their nurse looked that good! And if all this wasn't enough to charm the ocular senses, Scully comes to the rescue! What was amusing about the scene was how Scully seemed more concerned on how many nurses she was able to obliterate than Mulder's whiny calling of her name to show his lack of arms. Even the program knew that Scully was the stronger one of the two. Fortunately, Mulder was not so drugged that he couldn't tell that something was wrong with Scully's priorities. He knew that she could care less about the kill switch compared to her partner's suffering. I thought it was rather odd that the program did not realize just how close Mulder and Scully really were, but again, it's main concern was survival not total accuracy.
Scully does save Mulder, and Esther did load herself into the network. That part was a curious prospect, since she looked as though she was fried after uploading. What truly happened to her mind is anybody's guess as this episode left us a bit wanting at the end.
Overall, "Kill Switch" was enjoyable in both its premise and the characters. Not too many episodes or shows for that matter deal directly with the internet, but this one was very watchable. Though I found it a bit strange that a computer program can somehow set up shop in trailers across America without a corporeal form, but that's the whole idea of suspending disbelief, right?
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