Without: Off the Top of My Head (SPOILERS)

Caution: spoiler for next week's ep (based on the trailer) is in
the "Etc." section.

What I liked:
-  Skinner comes through again!  I loved how he "ambushed" that
other FBI agent so Scully could go after the girl.
-  GA's entire performance was, once again, spectacular.  I
particularly loved her yelling at Doggett: "How do you know
they're your men?"


What I didn't like:
-  Okay, so Scully knew that the ABH was *somewhere* in that
room where the agent had his throat nearly ripped out.  And
what, no one did anything about it?  Didn't take a headcount? 
Didn't check to see who was in the room twice?
-  "You painted me a picture, now put it in a frame for me." 
Did anyone else cringe at that line?
-  The light in the sky -- what, Scully couldn't hear the
helicopter rotors until they were right on top of her?
-  The alien ship behind the force field when the helicopter
took off again.  The whole alien thing was so much better when
it was just *hinted* at rather than shown explicitly. ::sigh::
-  Doggett telling Scully at the end that he would find Mulder. 
Yeah, dream on, Agent.  (Note to Chris Carter:  if you let
Doggett be the one to find/rescue Mulder, I am going to be
*very* *very* cross with you.)


What's got me puzzled:
-  How is the ABH able to switch clothing at the same time that
he morphs his body?  He used to have to change clothes the
old-fashioned way. <g>
-  How did Gibson get to the Secret Hiding Place (tm) with a
broken leg?!
-  Speaking of which, how did Scully find that S.H.P. again in
the dark?
-  Why on earth did Gibson tell his young lady friend about his
"specialness"?  (Aside from the fact that *someone* needed to
lead Scully to Gibson. <g>)  And why would she have believed
him?


Etc.:
-  Not sure how I feel about the Confrontation at the Car scene.
 If Scully and Skinner knew that the ABH was around, why didn't
they stay together so "I'm not sure if you're you" would be less
likely to happen?  And why did Scully get close enough to
Skinner to let him take her weapon away?
-  I'm still not sure how I feel about Doggett, either.  He had
some good lines, like his speech to Kersh at the end, but other
times he seemed -- I don't know, too stiff?  Formulaic?  I can't
put my finger on it.  I know the accent still bugs me, though.
-  So, Doggett's assigned to the X-Files now.  Blehhhhh.  So
tell me, Mr. Carter, what do you have in mind for when Mulder
returns?  Is the Accounting Department, which was ready to slash
the X-F division's budget, going to spring for a third salary? 
(Actually, I imagine that they're paying 3 salaries now -- if
Mulder disappeared in the line of duty, he's probably still
being paid.  I hope he signed up for direct deposit after
"Monday." <g>)
-  Next week's ep: I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. 
That thing looked like a flying Flukeman, didn't it?