Beware Of The Dog

[Guest F_Black]

Funny about the dog breed, they reminded me of Egyptian dogs which are total mongrels.

[Guest Charles]

This episode scared the heck out of me when I was younger (always had a bit of a phobia about dog/wild animal attacks) and I also think it's one of my favorites.

Also, I've realized that it's basically a Western at heart. We have these scared townsfolk at the mercy of forces that they don't understand, "Sheriff" Black riding into town (from the townspeople's point of view, he's probably more than a little like Preacher from Pale Rider in that he just shows up), and some other elements that escape me at the moment.

I don't think the dogs represent evil, either. They're like sortof an immune system for the unbalancing effect man has on nature; their methods are brutal to be sure, but that's nature for you. Imbalances get eaten.

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

Wow Eth, have you considered doing your Doctoral dissertation on this episode? Intense! I like it!

I see now why you are quite serious about your "Mecca" journey to Bucksnort, Tennessee!

Getting back to the first post on this thread, I, too had some of the same issues with this episode initially. For me, this one was made for repeat watchings. When I first saw the show, it was on the FX network and I think they showed some episodes out of order (or I missed a bunch), which really made this episode initially confusing for me.

But as with all candidates who go to Bucksnort to meet the Old Man, I too, have been enlightened.

[ethsnafu]

Yeah I do tend to go on a bit sometimes I guess.

I just think it's a much misunderstood episode and an essential episode that is the bedrock for the direction of the second series and the motivations of the writers and what they were attempting to do with the show.

I think people tend to focus on the dogs as the crux of the narrative when really it's Frank and The Old Man that is the pivotal part of the story. It's got some fantastic nods to Jungian Archetypes in it from The Faithful Dog, The Wise Old Man, The Hero, The Fool etc. It really is one of those episodes that has many, many layers.

I feel a need to watch it now.

Eth

[Guest WaveCrest]

My next episode to watch in the Season 2 DVD set. Only watched it once before, when Sky 1 premiered the second season in the UK. I was disappointed by the episode overall. It was a mixed bag. Some parts I liked and other parts I disliked. The teaser was well done with the use of the Carpenters' track Close to You, and there were some nicely filmed scenes in the main part of the episode (including the one towards the end where Frank and one or two other people were trapped inside the house with the growling dogs outside). But I just felt underwhelmed by the episode. One thing which stuck out for me was the absence of Frank's flash thoughts in his mind. I can see as well, having read some of the comments in this thread so far (I skimmed through them quickly). why this episode could have been a case for Mulder and Scully.

[ethsnafu]

So you didn't think much of it Richard? I have to be honest and say that as a story it is far from one of the best but it terms of establishing the second season mythology it is really rather good in my opinion. Season one doesn't have a mythology as such and I don't think the season is any less successful because of that but The Old Man, The Factions, The Family and so on all added an extra layer to the cake for me. Whenever I recall this episode I never think of it as a particularly great vehicle for Lance or an episode that excels as cinematographic master-class or one in which the story is particularly ingenious but at the time I found the new beginning really enticing. Who was The Old Man? What was his role in The Millennium Group? Why was he seemingly immune to the threat posed by the dogs? What was the nature of the balance between good and evil that he spoke of? It's a great episode for the notebook keepers, people like me who like to thinking between the lines and explore the episode imaginatively.

That said, any episode that features The Carpenters gets extra kudos just because in my view!

Eth

[Who Am I?]

I think it was the best way they could introduce The Old Man, though if you happen to miss this episode, you would have to explain why the the new Old Man at the end of Roosters grabs the walking stick and hikes off into the darkness. His inability to be affected by the dogs almost gives him a mystical persona, that he was almost more than human. Either that or he was a magic man of sorts. And I want to know all about those files he had broken down by year, like how far back that information goes, do they go back to the first Old Man (which should be impossible because I don't think the Group started out in the states).... You know, maybe we should write our own history of the Group, based on history, the series, etc. Maybe tie it in with the BTFB thread....

Sorry. Haven't had coffee yet....

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

My next episode to watch in the Season 2 DVD set. Only watched it once before, when Sky 1 premiered the second season in the UK. I was disappointed by the episode overall. It was a mixed bag. Some parts I liked and other parts I disliked. The teaser was well done with the use of the Carpenters' track Close to You, and there were some nicely filmed scenes in the main part of the episode (including the one towards the end where Frank and one or two other people were trapped inside the house with the growling dogs outside). But I just felt underwhelmed by the episode. One thing which stuck out for me was the absence of Frank's flash thoughts in his mind. I can see as well, having read some of the comments in this thread so far (I skimmed through them quickly). why this episode could have been a case for Mulder and Scully.

Hmm. Only if Mulder and Scully were being recruited for the group!

Frank had temporarily lost his gift, which put another layer into the episode, thanks to the omnimous Old Man. On a different note, I just caught the brief clip of the 2 tailed comet in the beginning of the episode.

Long as I'm singing....myyyyyy....SOOOOOOOOONG !!!

[ethsnafu]

The Frank's Gift Arc (yeah I've just invented it) is an interesting aspect of the beginning of the second season. In many ways the opening of the season teaches him that what he has long considered a curse really is a gift. If you jump to "Monster" we are presented with a case that Lara all but states neither of them would have solved had they not possessed their particular facilities. It's the moment that Frank realised that there is another facet of evil, one which cannot be caught by reasoning, deduction and good old fashioned police work. I know some felt the deviation from Frank's gift as 'seeing what the killer sees' a little bit misguided but again we are given an explanation for why his abilities seem a little more all-encompassing than they were before as Lara later concludes that their lesson at the hands of The Old Man (it is implied that all candidates meet him at some point) has somehow augmented their abilities.

Oh and Bobby Darin, don't you just love him?

Eth

[Guest WaveCrest]

Hmm. Only if Mulder and Scully were being recruited for the group!

Someone else had said that the case in this episode was more of a Mulder and Scully X Files case. I agreed with this and replied to the comments.