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PLOT: Doggett wakes up in Mexico with amnesia and Reyes, Scully and Skinner have been searching for him for over two weeks.
I hadn't read much of the spoilers prior to watching the episode other than knowing that Doggett has amnesia. The premise itself didn't really interest me mainly because I think Doggett is still a character that needs more fleshing out than what we've seen thus far. The Doggett/Reyes partnership has slowly been blossoming into something very watchable, yet, this episode comes along and decides to separate them and give Doggett center stage. If it wasn't for the fact that Vince Gilligan wrote the episode, the story would seem uninspired, and the plot holes would have been much more pronounced.
Ironically, I had just watched the Brad Pitt/Julia Roberts' movie, "The Mexican," the night before. After watching "John Doe", it almost feels like Brad and Julia were just down the road from where Doggett was. The "gritty" look of the scenes in Mexico were very effective in conveying the strange and unfamiliar surroundings for Doggett to the viewers. Even though he has no recollection of his own memories, he somehow instinctively knows that this quaint little Mexican town is not "home". Besides not remembering anything of his life, he also seems to not know any Spanish. That's a good clue in letting him know that he's not a native.
What I was curious about in the episode is how did Doggett find himself in this predicament? Where exactly is the X-File to investigate? Considering that Monica wasn't with him at the time he was investigating some money laundering scam, my inquisitive mind wants to know if Doggett is working other cases on the side besides paranormal ones. It winds up that some mystery man from the cartel is responsible for Doggett's memory loss as well as countless others (most likely enemies of the cartel), yet Doggett was not investigating that angle to begin with. Of course, no extrapolation is given regarding how this man takes away memories and somehow "encapsulates" them in those little skull charms that he likes to show off. And I'm still not clear on how Doggett figured that out much less why he seems to be less immune than others to actually remember some memories.
Those same memories are the key to Doggett's recovery as well as a further look into his background. We already knew from last season's "Empedocles" that Doggett lost a son, and Monica was definitely involved in the investigation. There were no further details given to us about that scenario. Though the memories that Doggett does remember is a very pleasant one, it is a clever setup for later in the episode when the reality of what those memories mean truly hit him. The audience already knows what is coming, but the way Robert Patrick conveys the emotions is truly displaying some great acting chops and very much a highlight of the episode.
Yet, the great characterization does not always make up the glaring plot holes involved. As usual, Scully seems to find ways to avoid teaching her own class when she is no longer assigned to the field. And why does she risk leaving William in D.C. to fly all the way to Texas to tell Monica something that she could have just called or faxed? How in the world does Monica know the right town that Doggett is in from just a name of a phone card company? Add to that how she knew which building that Doggett was hiding. And how many shirtless Doggett scenes are we going to see this season? I've had to mention that since almost every female reviewer I've read seems to heartily mention it. Oh, and I must have missed that Marine tattoo from Doggett's earlier shirtless episodes. Why would Deputy Director Kersh have an ongoing task force to find Mulder, a man he despised, yet close down the team trying to find Doggett after only two weeks? It seems rather ludicrous to just "steal" someone's memories only to kill them later. Though the makeup job on Doggett having the worst possible day was definitely impressive.
However, as tough as it was to see Doggett beaten up and haggard looking, it was just as nice to see him in his memories looking very happy and proud. His past (though a very brief glimpse) shows us a normalcy that most people take for granted. He had a nice house, a loving family and no dark past to haunt him. It is rather strange that the only memory that he truly recollects is the one where his son first shows him that he can ride a bicycle. But it also shows that the memory, as mundane as it is to most of us, is important to note in Doggett's psyche. Of all his experiences in three different careers, his most treasured memory is seeing his son happy, alive and well. It is such a glaring contrast to when he finally realizes that he will never have any new memories of his son.
We do get a bit more background on Monica even though she didn't have much screen time in this one, but she does get to show off some of her talents. She impressively spoke fluent Spanish, intimidated a known drug lord, easily manipulated local police in helping her find Doggett and found her partner in time to make sure he lived another day. And I thought Scully's devotion to Mulder was intense.
Yet, that nice magical scene with Doggett and Reyes when they were trapped by local police was very impressive. There was more of a hint of how intimate they really are without getting gushy, and the way Monica conveyed the truth about Luke to Doggett was a heart stopper. There definitely is a bright future for this duo if the writers only showcase them more rather than dwelling on super soldiers and other silly conspiracies.
Certainly, this was not exactly the episode I expected, but it was definitely a good one. I've noticed that the more interesting episodes of late is not necessarily the plot, but the way the writers show us the more human, personal sides of the characters. We certainly had our fill of some classics with Mulder and Scully. Now, if only the other writers followed suit and make some new classics with the new crew.
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