Tuesday, February 12, 2008

When writers get it right

Many X-Files fans have favorite characters, but it's the truely dedicated who have favorite writers. This week saw an episode from the most celebrated X-Files writer of them all -- Darin Morgan. Darin is the brother of Glen Morgan (one part of the Morgan & Wong double act who wrote dozens of X-Files episodes). He wrote only four episodes (and appeared as an actor in two others), but all of them are among the very best standalone episodes the series has to offer. This week's walk saw his first episode: Humbug. This was something of a turning point for the series, as its the first episode to be as much a comedy as a horror. I've seen every Darin Morgan episode at least a half dozen times, but every new viewing is a pleasure. The story is so well written and so beautifully connected that I always spot something new and clever on each viewing. His other episodes are War of the Coprophages, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, and Jose Chung's From Outer Space. Check them out. Some of my other favorite writers made their first appearance this week too: Vince Gilligan and Frank Spotnitz. An exciting time for fans of the writers :-)

This week also saw another pound dropped in weight. I was beginning to wonder if I'd lose anything at all in Season Two...

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

100 miles walked; morphing

Last weekend saw me walk my first hundred miles -- all of them in my little home gym glued to the television set.

This week also saw witness to a reminder of the special effect of the 90's -- morphing! You remember morphing, where one person's head morphs into another. A twist of the nose, an adjustment of the eyes, and there you have it, a new face. Morphing was perfect for The X-Files and they certainly made the most of it. Today I watched Mulder throw Scully against a wall, then morph into an alien bounty hunter. What's not to love?!