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"It's just that what you say happened doesn't make sense. There's got to be more to it."
The thing about the X-Files is that if they make a half hearted stab at explaining how or why something happens on the show, I'm willing to suspend disbelief and cut them some slack. It's what allows us to believe in liver eating mutants and necromancer raised zombies for the sake of the show. While sophomore writer David Amman certainly has improved in his ability to craft an episode of The X-Files (then again there wasn't much direction to go but up after "Terms of Endearment" and "Agua Mala"), there is still something to be desired in the what, why and how categories. We're never quite sure just what made Max turn bad. Just why stepping in that little pool of light where the ground was a bit odd made you a rush junkie. Or just how Mulder and Scully were really able to put this one together without both of them making huge leaps. About the time Scully, who for some reason is on the bandwagon without having been given the level of evidence she usually needs, decides the power came from the woods it was obvious the characters were just saying what needed to be said to get from point A to point B in the story. In the end, the answers to all the questions this plot stirs up are brushed off with a quick "we'll never know" wrap up and a cave pumped full of concrete. It makes me think when this happens that the writer too did not know the answers.
I ended up liking "Rush" despite of all this. Perhaps because there was enough cool stuff going on most of the time that you forgot about the inconsistencies. Amann infuses the episode a time/age theme which made for some interesting banter. There are plenty of references to being "old and stupid", Scully being Betty Page pin-up caliber "back in the day", or even the theory that the Agents are "too old" to be effected by the thing in the cave (which does get a cute little pout from Scully).
Duchovny and Anderson gave Mulder and Scully a playful edge to them that we don't get to see often enough. It starts the first time we see them when she swats him as he's trying to call her and continues throughout the episode. We get Scully giving Mulder an obviously telling look in response to his turning back to Chastity ("what?") and her literally working her plea to start questioning Tony's friends "please, just for me." There is such a nice comfort to their working method this season even when disagreeing instead of the ugly edge that had occasionally appeared in the past. Also, Scully seems content to continue her soft pedal on the skeptical side as she is pretty quick to switch gears with little motivation.
I thought that Rodney Scott did good work as Tony, showing us a lot of the struggle the youth was going through. I had a harder time buying Scott Cooper as the trademark "Sheriff son gone bad" Max mostly because he was a good looking kid with a winning smile and never a real reason for his behavior despite his little dig at his dad. Ann Dowd as Tony's mom was trying to do her best to work her limited screen time, and I think went a little too far as the overworked mom trying to make a life. If I had one complaint about the guest actors it was that about half of them decided to go for accents and none of them were the same. I wish that first time X-Files director Robert Lieberman would have reigned that in when it was obvious they were all over the place with it.
Lieberman did do a nice job with the special effects, which I must give a nod to. Even the simple ones were effective with the slight blur motion given to the camera angle. The vortex jitterbug Tony does was cool to watch (and no wonder those kids were getting concussions, slam dancing has nothing on this), and the whole science teacher cafeteria gruesome death was well done. I especially thought they did an incredible job with how it looked in the end with that chair splattered into the wall. However, the ending was simply amazing with the slow motion bullet effect. Kudos to everyone involved in pulling all this off.
All in all "Rush" was one of those episodes that was saved from its weaker plot points by enough gee whiz effects and entertaining moments to let it slide into the middle of the pack.
-Time stamp: As predicted the time vortex on the X-Files has begun. While this episode was actually shot after "Millennium" the date on Max's midterm test was 11/12/99 which means the episode takes place from 11/11/99 to 11/14/99.
-Props folks? If you're going to linger the camera on something you better make sure it makes sense. We've got Mulder spouting off about how Max had truant issues the last few months and the papers he flips through are dated "8-29-96" and "2-29-96", plus his "recent" grade transcript has "97/98" at the top making it also two years old.
-Speaking of the vortex, did you wonder what the heck Mulder was talking about when in amongst his multitude of theories he mentioned the "Oregon Vortex?" Check out http:www.oregonvortex.com and try to figure out how he thought someone standing so they pointed north had anything to do with this.
-Anyone think that perhaps if that "No Trespassing" sign had been facing the other direction people might have actually noticed it? As it was it always looked like everyone was walking off the property rather than on to it.
-I did enjoy Mark Snow's score this time around. Not only did he give up sampling for the week (though at times it did sound a little like he was borrowing from those bionic man noises), but it had a nice through theme and fit the episode quite well.
-OK, I have to say having the eyeglasses coming clear out the other side of the guy's head was a pretty good indicator that whoever hit the deputy with the light had one hell of a swing. Of course Scully does her best on the Scully Rational Explanation (SRE) front with adrenaline being the cause while Mulder is postulating poltergeists.
-Speaking of, while Mulder does make all the required leaps in this episode he also tosses out every paranormal theory he can just to see what sticks, hurting his hit and miss ratio considerably this time around.
-Mulder tosses a compliment Scully's way when after Chastity has just left the interrogation room he introduces Scully by telling Tony it is his "lucky day for visitors." She certainly had her blouse unbuttoned far enough for Tony to view it as that as well.
-A minor miracle appears to have happened. Scully wore her dread white shirt and managed not to get her blood all over the thing. Perhaps it is the start of a nice new trend for her and the formerly cursed shirt.
-Frank's Fashion Spot: First off does Tony ever button his shirt? I got really tired of having to look at his Hanes V-neck T-shirt the whole episode. At least his underwear weren't hanging out above his pants as well. As for Scully, the wardrobe folks seem to have figured out that she looks damned good in those mock turtlenecks and the camel coat was a fabulous addition.
-The Mulder's amazing leaps category this week has our hero able to zero in on one frame blur that takes 1/30 of a second to pass by while perusing God knows how long a timeframe of tape at fast forward or rewind speeds. Guess he ate his Wheaties too.
-I always enjoy seeing master of the paranormal Chuck back for a little photographic insight. Thankfully he was able to supply the SCAG colors allowing Mulder his next leap.
-The Sheriff is telling Mulder and Scully his son "just needs discipline?" And whose responsibility does he think that is?
-So what is the deal with all the shoes? Is Max running so fast he's melting the bottom of them all so he dashes into the shoe store and whips out with 20 pair each time?
-While the Sheriff is being wheeled around in the hospital it looks like they accidentally left David and Gillian's marks on tape on the floor. They certainly hit them right.
-And finally, we could have done without the last clock close up. No one is scared Tony is going to turn into a bad rush boy like Max. Really. At least their little "ooo it might be still out there" tag was limited to two seconds. We can be thankful for that.
Autumn
"I'd say Tony eats his Wheaties."