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PLOT: A genie is unleashed into the world and ends up leaving tracks that Mulder and Scully investigate.
Before I even heard anything about this episode, two things already made "Je Souhaite" worth watching before it even aired: it was a Vince Gilligan-scripted episode as well as his directorial debut, and (this is very important) it wasn't "Fight Club." As I mentioned in my last review, Gilligan has a rare gift in exploring the human condition and making a commentary in a highly satirical yet humorous fashion. Though I would not necessarily consider this episode in the same league as "Bad Blood" or "X-Cops," but it was definitely charming in its own right.
There were lots of good things in this episode that was definitely missing from Carter's effort last week. Mainly that the plot made sense, and (heaven forbid) it was funny! Not laugh-out loud funny, but still humorous enough to promote a few chuckles from me. I've said before that Gilligan knows how to use Mulder and Scully in ways that other writers seem to miss, even Carter. Also, David and Gillian always seem to enjoy themselves more than usual as if they both agree that Gilligan's scripts are fun to do. Mulder and Scully were never more loveable together than in this one.
The plot of a genie granting three wishes for rescuing them is not exactly original, but Gilligan somehow makes it fresher by having Jenn wrapped up in a rug until her next idiot master comes along to unroll it. I had heard through one of the newsgroups that Gilligan had written the character with comic Janeane Garafalo (one of my personal favorites) in mind to play Jenn. I'm wondering if her biting sarcastic brand of humor would have worked for the right effect rather than the low-key approach by Paula Sorge. The casting of Kevin Weisman and Will Sasso as the idiot brothers Anson and Leslie Stokes was inspired. I wasn't sure to laugh at their stupidity or to Jenn's reaction to their lack of brain activity. Either case, their characters were fun to watch.
It was a joy to see Mulder and Scully do double takes
throughout the episode. Though, they have definitely seen it all in 7 years working together, their reaction to seeing this huge
yacht parked in the middle of a trailer park was absolutely *priceless*! The only other scene that could compete was when Scully
"discovered" the first invisible man in medical history by applying yellow powder on a very dead Anson Stokes. How often do you see
Scully almost giddy with pleasure over a corpse? She was so enthralled with the idea that she would be immortalized in medical journals
that she almost doesn't go with Mulder and whispers "bye" to Anson before she leaves. I don't remember any other X-Files writer put
that kind of personal touch with the main characters. Gilligan was definitely on with this episode.
As usual, we see how Mulder's mind is more perceptive than a spiritual medium. From all the vague clues that were left behind and the obvious lying that Leslie Stokes displayed (as if he could ever pull off a lie to begin with), Mulder comes up with the rather vague impression that this mystery woman is a genie? I must admit that I found it rather difficult to believe. For all the crazy cases that Mulder and Scully investigate, they usually don't come up with outlandish explanations without some more clues. Isn't it funny that both Mulder and Scully witness Anson's invisiblity, but neither of them can come up with a scientific explanation? So with Invisible Man and some obscure archival footage, Mulder's analysis is that the woman is a genie? I would just love to see how he wrote up the report to Skinner on this one. If anything, it was definitely enjoyable to see Mulder's face light up when he realizes that he has been granted three wishes.
Okay, let's analyze what Jenn has been observing about human behavior for over 500 years. The idea of wielding that kind of power is incredible in itself. Yet, she is literally a slave to whomever discovers her. Human nature dictates that any three wishes will *most likely* be for personal gain. Leslie Stokes broke that trend when he wished for his brother to be alive. In that respect, he is a caring person to a point. On a side note, I liked the little detail of having Anson screaming throughout this scene. It was hilarious! Unfortunately, Leslie was not able to complete his final wish, which was the right one to begin with. Even Jenn had to admit it was a hell of a wish. Anson literally blew it for him. Another side note, only Gilligan would find the humor in bringing back someone from the dead only to have himself blown up! I had to laugh at that one. Then, it's Mulder's turn.
As clever as Mulder believes he is, he is still very human, and Jenn was not impressed in the least. For some odd reason, after he made the noble wish for world peace, I found his running around empty city streets being the only human in the entire world reminiscent of some of the classic episodes of "The Twilight Zone," where many characters find themselves alone over some idiotic action they took. Though Mulder is not the least bit idiotic, his wish was selfish as Jenn made sure to point out to him. However, I would not have changed a thing! The implications brought about by having Skinner and other eyewitnesses watch Mulder screaming at an empty chair was just too funny! Of course, Mulder does not let it end there. Since he used up his second wish to reverse his first one, he is trying to ensure that he is as specific as possible on his last and final wish. Just peeking at his computer screen, Mulder would have made a great lawyer! Yet, just like Sam in the classic "Quantum Leap" series, Mulder took baby steps and did correct what once was wrong and made the most unselfish wish of them all.
The last scene with Mulder and Scully spending time together for no other reason than just to spend time together was a nice touch. Other than David and Gillian in their respective episodes, Gilligan is the only writer to even imply that the two socialize beyond their F.B.I. duties. They obviously like being together, so it's certainly not breaking anyone's view of them if they have beer and popcorn over a silly movie on the VCR. After all, it is the whole idea of their romance that makes many hard-core fans wonder what they do after hours. If sex is involved, I certainly don't need to witness it.
I certainly cannot end this review without commenting about Gilligan's direction. I liked how he made sure to do face reactions so we would not guess what the characters were thinking. I also like the little production details, particularly during the invisible man scenes. Imagine how difficult it is to come up with an effect of splashing water that an invisible man is supposedly running through? Also, I liked that little stunt with Anson's dead body causing that biker to have an accident, because he didn't see an obstruction in his way. Though I hope the biker wasn't hurt, I still laughed!
The only real problem I had with this episode was its timing. This was not the second to last episode of the season that I would have expected. Though a Season 8 has been confirmed, why show another light episode before the end of the season? I found that rather odd, since everyone was on pins and needles for weeks before May 18th. It would have been immensely bad planning if the series was not renewed, and *everything* had to be resolved in the very last episode. That is why I am so glad that a Season 8 was confirmed, so that the series can have a true finale and focus on how the series should end rather than more fluff. Does that make sense?
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