Reviewed: Sense and Antisense
Contributor: The Polaroid Stalker
Synopsis: Frank joins the pursuit of a man who may be infected with a deadly contagion. But what he uncovers suggests a radical government conspiracy to create living bioweapons by altering human DNA.
The Stalker's Review: As I said in my review of "Beware of the Dog," I had been expecting Mulder and Scully to pop up at any moment. Now, in "Sense and Antisense," I felt that Frank and company had stepped completely into "X-Files" territory!
This third episode of Season Two is scripted by Chip Johannessen, who produced first season outings such as "Blood Relatives" and "Maranatha." And when I saw this episode, I felt that Johannessen was dragging us into a conspiracy tale that belonged in the cases filed under "X."
The premise of the story: Frank is asked by the Group to help in the investigation of a John Doe (Patient Zero), who may be subject to some kind of fast-acting, extremely lethal virus. Also in the investigation is Peter Watts and his Seattle PD pal Giebelhouse, who we last saw in "Powers, Principalities, Thrones, and Dominions."
Frank soon discovers that there is a covert branch of the Department of Energy conducting experiments under the auspices of the Center for Infectious Diseases -- experiments involving the mutation of human DNA. This ties in with the Human Genome Project, whose completion had been stepped up for the millennium.
Also on hand: Roedecker! The Charlton Heston-loving, computer-hacking Group technician from "The Beginning and the End" is back. Of course, his performance was better in his first appearance, but I thought he gave the episode a comic foil that worked well in this story.
As a major fan of "The X-Files," I thought this episode would have worked on either show. The conspiracy enthusiasts who dwelled over on "X-Files" turf probably began to drift to "MillenniuM" with this episode.
When I saw Patient Zero, my father, who was watching it with me, goes like, "Hey, that's the guy on the MoD squad!" Indeed it was -- Clarence Williams III. Another standout performance was Ricky Harris as the New York cabbie, Gerome Knox. I thought he was a character who was well-written, yet I thought his death was kinda pointless.
I really think that "Sense and Antisense" may be one of the oddball episodes of Season Two, but it still deserves some praise. All in all, a really riveting conspiracy ride.
My rating: Four "trucks" out of five.
-- The Polaroid Stalker