10 -The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 18, 1998
'E. R.' doesn't 'X-Files' leaves fans anticipatin film .

By Gabe Smith
Daily Arts Writer
After five seasons of the
award-winning show "The X-
Files," fans have come to expect
a lot out of each episode. And
week after week, they haven't
been disappoiunted. The stories
keep flowing and keep begging
the question, "what if?"
This is in large part due to the
writing and
producing
of creator
C h r i s ^~ ^^
Carter. TheX-Files
Carter has season finale
continued
to imagine
intruiging MayF17 9p
story after
intruiging
story. And a
fans and
critics alike
h a v e
responded,
sending "The X-Files" to the top
of viewer ratings and earning
the show a slew of Golden Globe
and Emmy awards. .
The fifth season finale intro-
duces fans to a famous child-
prodigy chess player named
Gibson. After an attempt on the
young boy's life goes awry,
Mulder (played wonderfully by
David Duchovny) and Scully
(played with great intensity by
Gillian Anderson) are called in
to investigate. They discover that
Gibson has been blessed with
incredible powers of clairvoy-
ance. But who is this boy?

What Chris Carter reveals
through this well-crafted tale is
highly intruiging. Gibson's pow-
ers lie at the heart of the X-Files
and its creation. Gibson is a test
case. A product of genetic engi-
neering by the government, the
boy's DNA is a combination of
both human and alien splicing.
Gibson is proof of Mulder's
claims that the government is
behind the X-Files, the inex-
plainable FBI files that usually
contain strong elements of the
paranormal and supernatural.
Another interesting element is
the relationship between Mulder
and Scully, which is hinted upon
and continues to tease viewers.
The mystery of their relation-
shipt surfaces when Carter intro-
duces a new FBI agent, Diana
(Mimi Rogers from "Lost in
Space" and "Austin Powers").
As the finale unfolds, viewers
come to learn that Diana is
another female agent with a
degree in parapsychology from
Mulder's past.
Scully displays a twinge of
jealousy as a result of Diana's
presence. The viewer is left to
consider the possiblity that
Mulder and Scully might eventu-
ally have a romantic relation-
ship.
The finale ends with Gibson
abducted by a government syndi-
cate and Mulder's office in
flames. The X-Files case studies
are casualties of the fire.
The famous badge-flashing
duo is also in danger of being
separated and reassigned due to

0

Agents Mulder and Scully investigate the attempted assasination of a
young boy in the season finale of "X-Files."

the possibility of revealing the
child to the Justice Department.
This fifth season finale special
is a success not only because it is
well-written but also because its
a bridge.
Despite the finale's title, "The
End," the series has by no means
come to an end.
The upcoming film, "X-Files:
Fight the Future," will pick up
where the season finale left off.

Hopefully, the show's questions
will be answered there.
Fans revel in both frustration
and anticipation for June 19, the
release date of the X-Files' first
feature film.
Perhaps frustration will be
alleviated, questions answered
and the truth found. Whatever
the case, agents MUlder and
Scully sill continue their search
for the truth

Yada Yada Arts

I

Bad acting causes 'Creek' to sink

Ago "i
Drink specials
all night.

NIGHT
$1.50 longnecks 1
& pitchers all night.
No cover w/student ID 21+

FRIDAY & SATURDAY

By Amit Pandya
For the Daily
It's not everyday that within a group of
four friends one loses a grandfather and
finds God, one forms a bond with an
imprisoned father, and one has an ado-
lescent dream come to life.
And it's not in
every town that
each citizen is
capable of com- Dawsn' S
fortably using a Creek
bill ion-word
vocabulary season finale
Welcome to
Capeside, where The WB
overenunciation Tuesday, 9 p.m
and melodrama
reast merely X
forms of expres-
sion; they are a
way of life.
Mediocre act-
ing and out-of-control plot elements
form the basis of the "Dawson's Creek"
season finale. These young actors try to
represent confused and troubled teens,
but the audience only receives a two-
dimensional picture of one-dimensional
characters.
Jen (Michelle Williams) is the city
mouse who has taken a break and moved
into the suburbs. Ier character is no

more than a whiny, little girl who needs
a man. Joey (Katie Holmes) is filled
with bitter cynicism that can shatter any-
one's dreams, but she is merely por-
trayed as the girl-next-door who never
has anything positive to say.
Pacey (Joshua Jackson) strives to be
the all-together guy who holds secrets of
a troubled family life, but his sarcasm
doesn't make him seem any more gen-
uine.
Finally, the v-neck garbed 1Dawson
(James Van Der Beek), a twisted hybrid
of Jason Priestley and Charlie Brnown,
attempts to portray the innocent teen
who yearns to learn the ways of the
world. His naivete, however, is more
annoying than refreshing.
Atouah also nt rreshing," his par-
ticular finale is slightly diflerent than
others. Throughout the show, almost
every problem, conflict or hormonal
imbalance is solved in some way.
Joey is able to initiate a resolution of
sorts between herself and her inmate
father. Jen, after her grandfather's death,
decides to give her grandamother's reli-
gion a chance. Finally, Dawson and Joey
act on the excruciatingly annoying sexu-
al tension between them since the birth
of "Dawson's Creek" In fact, the only
plot element that has not been resolved is
the tension between Pacey and his fani-

Childhood pals Joey (Holmes) and
Dawson (Van der Beek) fall in love on
"Dawson's Creek"
ly.
These resolutions may seem great for
the viewer s-no clilhangers, no time
spent wondering, "What will happen
next?"
But the downside is that now the show
has nowhere to go.
Thhe viewer has no reason to spend the 0
summer in anticipation of next season.
But maybe the plot will take a sharp turn
in the show's season premiere. At the
very least, hopefully the actors and
actresses will gain a little more talent.