The Pilgrim's Podcast

The first X-Files movie is much maligned for refusing to give a definitive answer to the TV show's alien arc, but leaving that aside, this is still a tremendously fun action adventure pastiche film. Mulder and Scully chase aliens around and talk to mysterious government men in dark alleys and exploit that incredible chemistry of theirs, all with an enormous budget. Pure popcorn entertainment, and the end, for better or worse, of the good part of the mytharc.

Mission: Impossible introduced me to Simon Pegg, and I proceed to movie-stalk him throughout the rest of his hilarious career. While I enjoyed Hot Fuzz and The World's End, Shaun of the Dead has to be my favorite of the Blood and Ice Cream trilogy. Shaun is a lazy slacker, shackled to his layabout mate, Ed. Essentially, they are zombies - a fact the film makes much of in a series of visual puns. When the real zombies appear, Shaun has to get his life together to save - well, not the world, but at least the nearest pub.

Far From the Madding Crowd is not a perfect movie, but it's gloriously shot, beautifully scored, paced reasonably well and has an excellent cast. Its sense of honor and loyalty manages to undercut the more saccharine aspects of the plot, and overall I found it a satisfying, old-fashioned romance.

TV:
I'd heard about Firefly for ages. It gained legendary status following its martyrdom to the coffers of evil Fox executives, merely halfway through its first series. But let's be fair: it really is good. It combines the two great American genres - space operas and westerns - with a bit of Joss Whedon flair, in a thoroughly original universe. And this is serious world-building here, of a quality rare in scifi or fantasy these days. On top of that, it's headed up by the hilarious Nathan Fillion. While the rest of the cast is a little uneven (British casts have me spoiled), in classic Whedonesque style, they are all quickly established and form an interesting, varied, unpredictable team. Watch the first four episodes free on Hulu.

I mean to write more about it in the future, but And Then There Were None was one of the most powerful pieces of television I saw in 2015. It's one of Agatha Christie's most famous novels, and for good reason. This is a superb adaptation with a terrific cast and haunting cinematography.

Agent Carter is the invasion of the British miniseries to American TV: Hayley Atwell commands a small cast in this period drama cum superhero flick. The show varied in quality throughout its 8-week run, but was overall a very solid addition to my weekly line-up and mostly lived up to my initial observations, though it was too bad that the show thought it had to weaken its heroes to make way for a heroine. Is it worth another season, even so? Definitely. I'm looking forward to it.

Vera follows in the tradition of the deceptively-simple-old-lady-detective genre. Unlike Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher, Vera Stanhope is an actual police officer, and not even an underdog maverick like many of her male equivalents (Morse, Frost, Foyle, to some extent Gently), but a hard-drinking, short-tempered D.C.I. with no apparent boss. She provides a sympathetic ear to witnesses (unless she suspects them of lying, in which case it's war), but her colleagues must deal with her acerbic perfectionism. Thankfully, her incredibly cute sidekick, Joe Ashworth, is the world's most patient sergeant. They're easily one of my new favorite duos. Watch here.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was simply one of the best things on TV in ages. After the disillusionment of watching The Hobbit, Gracepoint, and Broadchurch 2.0 one after another, I had nearly lost faith in anything remaining true to the source material. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell resurrected my faith, and also quite a few people, in the course of its seven-week run. Magic, zombies, Jane Austen etiquette, scholarly debates, wigs, The Duke of Wellington, Faerie. It wasn't perfect, but it was extraordinary. My reviews.

Twin Peaks may be too in love with its own weirdness sometimes, but I'm willing to forgive it, because there's so much genius in there as well. The story is simple: teenager Laura Palmer's body is discovered on the beach of small town Twin Peaks. The death - a murder, as it turns out - sends ripples throughout the community, which consists of a passel of eccentric individuals. There's the deputy who cries at every crime scene. The verbose, grandiloquent father who can't connect with his rebellious son. The two crooked businessmen named Ben and Jerry. The illogically optimistic F.B.I. agent - Dale Cooper - who comes in to investigate. The Log Lady. Throw all of this into a blender with intent to parody soap operas and you get Twin Peaks. My review.


I was hesitant to watch Poldark, since most of the internet considered its main interest to be Aidan Turner's incredible six-pack abs. But while, admittedly, there's a certain appeal to Aidan Turner's abs, the show is a lot more than that. Turner plays Ross Poldark, a young veteran returned from the war of Independence only to find his family estate in ruin. A go-getter, he decides to reopen his father's mines, employ the locals, and generally be a gallant hero. As is the way of things, a love triangle soon develops between Ross, his old lover, and a new third party, but it's treated with more nuance and unpredictability than usual, and by the finale, the story has gathered some real poignancy. More odd: the show is about moral, old-fashioned people trying to make the right decisions. That's compelling.

I'm not normally a huge scifi fan, but The X-Files is more a mishmash of spy thriller, cop drama, and paranormal investigation, a more intriguing mix. I managed to miss it the first time around, because I was busy with Kindergarten, but what with the upcoming reunion series, I figured I needed to do my research. What's the verdict? Well, the truth is, it's out there. It's fun and sometimes melodramatic, sometimes a little moving, and the premise - two FBI agents investigating government alien cover-ups or whatever weird stuff the writers throw at them - is broad enough to allow half a dozen different genres episodes to spice up the the more serious stuff. And yeah, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have a lovely, gentle chemistry which amounts to one of the best TV romantic friendships. My review.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had a bumpy start back in 2013, but its second season made a dramatic turnaround to become one of the best shows on TV. Now, after its third mid-season finale, it's eliminated almost all of its original problems. Chloe Bennett completely came into her own as Daisy Johnson, a.k.a. Quake. The FitzSimmons cutie-pie team has been given some real stakes, and Simmons carried the best episode of the show thus far on her own: 4722. Ward was definitely more dynamic as a villain, and even Lincoln became a bit more complicated. From Lash to the ATCU to Gideon Malick, there are a variety of new threats that keep the main characters hopping. And what a finale! The show is very gutsy and committed to serious plot development. 

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries has been hovering around on the edge of my detective viewing for some time. It's Australian, but very much in the same mold as the Golden Age soft-boiled mystery. That's not to say it isn't without its modern sensibilities - the Honorable Phryne Fisher is happily promiscuous and uninhibited by any of the vestiges of Victorianism hanging around the rest of the cast. She's glamorous, impeccably dressed, and incredibly fun to watch. 

Her co-stars are sufficiently old-fashioned to ground her in noir-ish 1920s Melbourne, particularly the marvelously dour Nathan Page as Inspector Jack Robinson, Phryne's companion-cum-love-interest. Read more.


Hannah Long

I think most people came out of The Force Awakens feeling a mixture of joy and sadness. For me, it was mostly the latter, but for all the wrong reasons. Here's the thing: The Force Awakens is not a terrible movie, but in a way, that makes it all the worse. It's just not a Star Wars movie.

Sure, the trappings are there. A sandy, barren planet (Jakku, rather than Tatooine). A droid bearing a secret map. Gritty practical effects and quirky aliens and vast empty reaches of space. The entire galaxy hinging on the domestic troubles of one family. Harrison Ford. Carrie Fisher. Mark Hamill. But all of these details are in new hands, in a new universe, with a new style. Ross Douthat nailed it when he predicted the movie to be a massive work of calculated fan-service, much like the Marvel franchise.

[Mild SPOILERS regarding basic plot]

In brief, the story is this: After the Empire fell in Return of the Jedi, a new Republic was established. When Luke Skywalker disappears, Empire sympathizers organize as a new enemy: The First Order (neo-Nazis, basically). In addition to these two groups is the Resistance (Why is this different from the Republic? That isn't explained, as this movie is as vague on politics as the prequel trilogy was mind-numbingly specific).

The story begins with Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a Resistance pilot, secreting a map on new droid BB-8, instructing him to bear it safety. The map will supposedly reveal the location of Luke Skywalker. Fleeing into the night, BB-8 is befriended by Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger, and our protagonist. Poe, meanwhile, escapes the First Order with the help of a gawky stormtrooper, FN-2187 "Finn" (John Boyega), pursued by a Vader-esque villain, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Rey and Finn team together to deliver the map to the Resistance.

Going into the movie, I was optimistic. I'd just rewatched the original trilogy, finishing Return of the Jedi that very morning, and had slipped easily back into the galaxy far, far away. It's a simply story, really. The mythology stands stark and clear, unambiguous. Shots of Luke Skywalker gazing across a barren desert to the glorious sky, coupled with John Williams' soundtrack, are moving in their wordless power.

Not so The Force Awakens. It begins with an action sequence which wouldn't seem out of place in one of the Abrams Star Trek films: kinetic and flashy, it may be lacking in lens flare, but nothing else has changed. Here is none of the elegant, airless action choreography of the previous films. The violence is grittier, leaving behind angry wounds instead of relatively bloodless black burns.

Things seem to settle down when we find Rey on Jakku, and the ten minutes spent introducing her spare existence are some of the best in the film, but they are over far too quickly, throwing us back into the chaotic violent pacing of the rest of the film. Not that this approach doesn't have its moments. There are terrific sequences, like Finn and Poe's escape from a Star Destroyer, or the first appearance of the Millennium Falcon, or when monsters chase our heroes through the cramped halls of a spaceship.

The rest of the story is chalked in with recycled plot points from the original trilogy. It's easy to see what J.J. Abrams wanted to do. The flaws of the prequel trilogy have been discussed ad nauseum, so he elected to religiously avoid Lucas's flaws by religiously adhering to Lucas's strengths. This meant copying what had worked before: A New Hope. It's lazy, worshipful, and certain to make money. What do you do when an auteur's franchise goes wrong? Turn it over to a corporation which will turn out mass-produced, paint-by-the-numbers, efficient copies.

And so, despite everything, The Force Awakens is a bad movie (not terrible, just bad). Daisy Ridley is great. John Boyega is great. Oscar Isaac is great (and under-used). They're great. Of course they are. With this amount of money and pressure, there was never a chance they wouldn't be. Hollywood knows how to find good young actors (step one: look to Britain). Harrison Ford appears and does all the nostalgic things. Carrie Fisher appears and does all the nostalgic things. Mark Hamill appears, all Alec Guinness-y. But all these things are calculated and controlled to please the fans - there is no free creativity here.

It's exceedingly meta. Rey and Finn, the audience stand-ins, are in awe of the Big Three. The new cast geek out about being on the Millennium Falcon and speak in such meme-ready lines as "Droid, please." As someone who has never been very nostalgic about Star Wars, I was less sympathetic to than distracted by their fanboyish glee. Because of its self-awareness, I found it impossible to accept The Force Awakens as canon.

Yes, I enjoyed the movie. There were lots of nice moments, and while, as a fan film, it's only my second favorite, I appreciated all the nods to the original. Daisy Ridley is blessedly free of pretension as Star Wars' first female protagonist. Her relationship with John Boyega's Finn is neither condescending nor romantic - they're essentially equals, but the film isn't shoving that fact in your face (too strongly, anyway: "I know how to run without you holding my hand!") Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron is charming and charismatic, but has far too little screen time - the dynamic between Isaac and Boyega could definitely have been exploited more. Harrison Ford obviously has a grand time walking down memory lane (but, shoot me first, I actually preferred Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on the Harrison Ford Nostalgia side). The idea of a lightsaber as a relic connecting Rey to the Force was a great idea. BB-8 is brilliant. I enjoyed spotting Harriet Walter of Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries fame, hanging with Chewbacca.

But all the same, Star Wars is dead. Star Wars, as we know it, is gone for good, replaced by a franchise. Inevitable? Yes. But it still leaves me sad.

I saw The Force Awakens with a friend who had never seen a single Star Wars movie before. She told me this about thirty seconds before the film began, and asked for a diagnosis of genre. "It's...a space opera," I said, and off her blank expression, added, "A fantasy. A myth. A fairytale. Knights, swordfights, princesses. In space." I turned back to the screen, reminded by my own description of what made Star Wars what it was.

The Force Awakens was none of those things, and my friend must have been puzzled both by the film and by my broody silence after it ended. Around me, fans cheered. I wondered if I was the only one, and then turned to my sister. “That didn’t seem like Star Wars,” she said.

Hannah Long

We talk about A Christmas Story, guns in movies, Star Wars (no spoilers!), movie families, commercialism, God in Home Alone, childhood, and Christmas.

Anthony Valentine, who died two weeks ago, was one of my first TV crushes. Suave, reptilian, and utterly charming, his charisma swept my teenage self off my feet. Of course, it helped that he was British. I've always had a weakness for our Anglo-Saxon brethren. And even better, he was incredibly funny.

I was first introduced to Valentine through his portrayal of the dashing gentleman thief, A.J. Raffles, on DVD. The show was from 1977, and these days looks rather clunky and dated, but Valentine's performance remains a masterpiece, sparkling with wit and charm. The part was perfectly suited to his talents (Nigel Havers and Ronald Colman don't hold a candle): Raffles is Sherlock Holmes's evil twin - a genius cat burglar in Victorian England, his adventures chronicled by a bumbling, fawning sidekick - Harry "Bunny" Manders (Christopher Strauli). The two men swan about through high society, robbing the arrogant rich to give to the deserving poor (in this case, themselves), dogged by an intrepid, friendly, but stupid police inspector (in this case, Mackenzie), in stories written by a member of the Conan Doyle family (in this case, Sir Arthur's brother-in-law, E.W. Hornung).

Christopher Strauli and Anthony Valentine in Raffles

I must have first seen Raffles in 2011, and sent my very first piece of fan-mail to Christopher Strauli, because I couldn't track Valentine down. Strauli's reply remains, years later, treasured, gathering dust in my email inbox.

Valentine wasn't my last or even my most prominent TV crush, but I still remember the shock of running across him later in a 2005 Poirot episode. It was both sobering and a bit embarrassing. Elderly and rotund, it was difficult to imagine that this plump, grandfatherly man was the same person as the lithe amateur cracksman of the 1970s. But sure enough, despite the girth, despite the thick Italian accent (voices were always a talent of his), there it was: the genuine, devilish Valentine grin.

I'm not really sure there's a point to all this rambling, beyond, perhaps, an observation of how an actor, through the medium of a great character, can become such an important part of a person's life. Reading obituaries, I'm now learning basic facts I never knew: the name of his wife, incidents in his career, how he was nearly killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. But I felt sadness at his death, even knowing so little about who he really was. Maybe that's what art does: tell a common story which connects two people across the boundaries of space and time.

This is also a melodramatic way of telling you to watch Raffles. It's splendid fun, well-written, and Anthony Valentine is a hilariously avaricious anti-hero. Watch him here play a cat-and-mouse game of wits, ethics, and custom with a fellow thief, Lord Ernest (a very good Robert Hardy). Raffles is a show based on pulp fiction, but it's also more than a little bit of a satire on the class system. In Raffles's world, good breeding is all that matters. His defense of his way of life: "We can't all be moralists, and the distribution of wealth is all wrong anyway."
Hannah Long

We talk about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Nazis, aging action stars, MacGuffins, great villains, and what the movie should actually be called. Featuring the Matriarch, Dennis (a.k.a. Tacitus a.k.a. Samuel Long), Dodgson (a.k.a. Forest Newberry), and (briefly) Sarah Long.

Our special guests

Movies:


Cinema Paradiso is a movie in love with movies. The screen is bathed in rich colors and takes place in an atmospheric Italian cultural milieu, much like Coppola's Godfather Duology or Leone's Dollars Trilogy. The first third of the story is utterly enchanting, as young Toto is introduced to movie magic. The subsequent romance plot is, to me, less interesting, but it's hard not to get swept up in the nostalgia of the film.

Back to the Future is everything great about the 80's: it's Ferris Bueller and time travel and skateboards and nostalgia and bad special effects and Huey Lewis and the News. In the film, the reason the story is so self-consciously about life in the 80's is because Marty McFly's an ambassador to the past, showcasing the 80's as the Future. Now, it feels like Back to the Future preserved the period in a time capsule, rather than a time machine. In addition, it's blessedly free of the angst of modern teenager films and instead of using the common Disney Parents As Villains trope, it attempts to see life from their point of view. Marty's mom and dad are almost more important than he is to the story.

TV:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had a bumpy start back in 2013, but its second season made a dramatic turnaround to become one of the best shows on TV. Now, well into its third season, it's eliminated almost all of its original problems. Chloe Bennett has completely come into her own as Daisy Johnson, a.k.a. Quake. The FitzSimmons cutie-pie team has been given some real stakes, and Simmons carried the best episode of the show thus far on her own: 4722. Ward is definitely more dynamic as a villain, and even Lincoln is a bit more complicated. The central threat, as of last week, has a face, and what a face it is! Lash will be a villain to watch. This is a show I won't miss. (that said, I really miss seeing Kyle MacLachlan on a weekly basis. Even so, come quickly Twin Peaks 3.)

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries has been hovering around on the edge of my detective viewing for some time. It's Australian, but very much in the same mold as the Golden Age soft-boiled mystery. That's not to say it isn't without its modern sensibilities - the Honorable Phryne Fisher is happily promiscuous and uninhibited by any of the vestiges of Victorianism hanging around the rest of the cast. She's glamorous, impeccably dressed, and incredibly fun to watch. Her co-stars are sufficiently old-fashioned to ground her in noir-ish 1920s Melbourne, particularly the marvelously dour Nathan Page as Inspector Jack Robinson, Phryne's companion-cum-love-interest. Read more.

Longish

We talk about the role of fate or chance in The Return of the King, symbols and sacraments, life and death, and the role of loss (of innocence, greatness, and inheritance) in the story.

We discuss The Two Towers, two big Pilgrim's Podcast Family revelations (one of which we reveal), the Progeny describes an identity crisis in Chinese, 1970s music, the true identity of Episode 12's Tacitus, and more in this episode of The Pilgrim's Podcast.

We come up with a name for a rock band and talk about the Patriarch's history as a Parrot Head. Also, we discuss The Two Towers, the Enlightenment, dehumanizing language, Islamic terrorism, WWI and cultural disintegration, what The Lord of the Rings has to say about foreign policy, multiculturalism, and the true nature of patriotism.

We talk about Ahmed's clock, The Fellowship of the Ring, on-screen violence, the importance of cohesive artistic vision, CGI vs. storytelling, allegory vs. myth, the dangers of urban dictionary, and (of course) whether or not the ring symbolizes Donald Trump.

We talk about how much The Lord of the Rings has meant to us over the years. Also: small towns, myth, holiness, the corrosive influence of power, and rebellion against God. What does the Ring symbolize? Is there a divine agency in the story?

We talk about Gnosticism, Thomas Aquinas, Christian Humanism, how modern society views the human body, transgenderism, Designer Babies, and the importance of the Incarnation in community.

We get a bit pretentious and talk about how society justifies the value of human life apart from the imago Dei, human exceptionalism, joy, sehnsucht, the Patriarch's rap career, and how That Hideous Strength is coming true.

Movies:


For me, July was a fairly meager month, but if I had to pick the movie that left the most impact, I'd say it was the interesting indie flick Marion Bridge. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a gentle, intelligent story, and a good way to pass the time. The story is about three sisters, the youngest of whom has just returned to their small hometown in Nova Scotia. The other two sisters have lived with the ailing mother for some years, and the impending death of the family matriarch is what it took to draw Agnes back from her wild life in the city. There's the usual confronting old demons and making new beginnings, but the writing and acting are accomplished enough to keep in interesting. Also note a cameo from a young, young Ellen Page.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation was just absurdly fun. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's The Avengers of spy movies (no, I mean, like superhero Avengers, and not the actual Avengers of spy movies), but Rogue Nation may be as perfect as the Mission: Impossible franchise will ever be. Whereas Bond and Bourne lean more towards a Nolan Batman vibe (to continue the superhero similes), this - with its face-masks and "your mission, should you choose to accept it" - is inescapably campy territory. When the franchise tried to be something different (cough, cough, M:I-3) or take its own glamour seriously (cough, cough, M:I-2), it inevitably stumbles. Happily, Rogue Nation strikes just the right balance. Written review - podcast review.

TV:

This show may be too in love with its own weirdness sometimes, but that's I'm willing to forgive it, because there's so much genius in there as well. Enter 90's phenomenon Twin Peaks, the latest installment in my latest quest to discover old cult classic TV shows (Firefly, check; The X-Files, check). The story is simple: teenager Laura Palmer's body is discovered on the beach of small town Twin Peaks. The death - a murder, as it turns out - sends ripples throughout the community, which consists of a passel of eccentric individuals. There's the deputy who cries at every crime scene. The verbose, grandiloquent father who can't connect with his rebellious son. The two crooked businessmen named Ben and Jerry. The illogically optimistic F.B.I. agent - Dale Cooper - who comes in to investigate. The Log Lady. Throw all of this into a blender with intent to parody soap operas and you get Twin Peaks. Watch it here.

I was hesitant to watch Poldark, since most of the internet considered its main interest to be Aidan Turner's incredible six-pack abs. But while, admittedly, there's a certain appeal to Aidan Turner's abs, the show is a lot more than that. Turner plays Ross Poldark, a young veteran returned from the war of Independence only to find his family estate in ruin. A go-getter, he decides to reopen his father's mines, employ the locals, and generally be a gallant hero. As is the way of things, a love triangle soon develops between Ross, his old lover, and a new third party, but it's treated with more nuance and unpredictability than usual, and by the finale, the story has gathered some real poignancy. More odd: the show is about moral, old-fashioned people trying to make the right decisions. That's compelling.

Hannah Long

We talk the cast of Rogue One, Possession (2002), historical mystery, the Republican debate, whether women should be in politics, how romance has changed throughout history, and the duty of journalists. Additionally: we act out a scene from our movie of the week, and C.S. Lewis chooses his favorite Republican candidate.

We talk Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, action movies, the incredible stunts, James Bond vs. Jason Bourne vs. Ethan Hunt, and the trend towards the grim in today's film world.

“Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I'd have the facts.”
~To Kill a Mockingbird

We talk about stereotypes, Civil Rights movies, the White Savior trope, the importance of the rule of law, problems with the American justice system, and Go Set a Watchman.

We're back! Nosotros somos aquí! And we've finally seen Jurassic World, which means we'll be talking dinosaurs, genetic engineering, Bryce Dallas Howards' high heels, Guatemala, Trump, Chris Pratt, and more! Additionally, C.S. Lewis's thoughts on Donald Trump. This week we're joined by the Matriarch and - briefly - the Photographer.

Movies:
It Happened One Night was a totally unexpected delight. It's one of the finest road trip romances, and the template for many a romcom thereafter. It starred Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as a pair of reluctant fellow travelers, on their way to the Big Apple. He's a failing journalist; she's an heiress on the run. When he discovers her secret, they strike a deal: he'll ensure she gets to New York if she'll let him have the story. Inevitably, once the two begin to overcome their prejudices, love finds a way. Made in 1934, the film has held up incredibly well - notably, it won five Oscars (Best...Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, Writing), and even now has a 98% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes.


12 Angry Men is one of those things that could have been deathly boring. The plot is this: a jury has just finished hearing arguments on a murder case. A young, poor hooligan is on trial for murdering his father. When the jury takes the vote, every man but Henry Fonda condemns the boy. Fonda dissents, pleading a reasonable doubt. In many ways, the rest of the film is a love letter to that legal concept - it's never important if someone else did it, merely whether there's a reasonable doubt. It's fascinating how each character's objections are slowly whittled down by a mixture of effects, and somehow, despite the large cast, everyone makes his small bit memorable.

TV:

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, which I've been reviewing here, is simply one of the best things on TV in ages. After the disillusionment of watching The Hobbit, Gracepoint and Broadchurch 2.0 one after another, I had nearly lost faith in anything remaining true to the source material. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell resurrected my faith, and also quite a few people, in the course of its seven-week run. It wasn't perfect, but it was extraordinary.



I'm not normally a huge scifi fan, but The X-Files is more a mishmash of spy thriller, cop drama, and paranormal investigation, a more intriguing mix. I managed to miss it the first time around, because I was busy with Kindergarten, but what with the upcoming reunion series, I figured I needed to do my research. What's the verdict? Well, the truth is, it's out there. It's fun and sometimes melodramatic, sometimes a little moving, and the premise - two FBI agents investigating government alien cover-ups or whatever weird stuff the writers throw at them - is broad enough to allow half a dozen different genres episodes to spice up the the more serious stuff. And yeah, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson do have chemistry - almost as much as Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.

Hannah Long