In this episode, the boy is shown watching The Simpsons. I wonder did he see the episode with FBI agents Mulder and Scully investigating Homer's sighting of an "alien"?

Deja vu all over again, huh? this kind of thing
happens so frequently it's unbelievable. Like The
Visitor ep when this FBI dude says to his agents,
"If you don't catch this guy soon, I'm going to
give this case to those kooks in the basement."
;-)
(In case you don't know, S&M's unheated office is
in the basement, where the copier used to be.)

Thanks, K.N.D., I couldn't remember which series that line was on, though I thought it was "... those clowns in the basement"

Sure. Fine. Whatever. :-) The Visitor had a good
concept, but... it just didn't go anywhere. I'm
glad it ended when it did. Oh, hey, is it just me
or did Nicholas Lea play that dude who came after
the visitor? I forgot his name. 8-(

The assassination of the Russian chess player and/or the attempted assassination of Gibson, the young mind reading chess prodigy, occurred in Canada, not the United States. The case should have been handled by Canadian authorities. Why then did the United States have custody of the shooter and jurisdiction over the case, notwithstanding the shooter's prior involvement with the National Security Agency?

Just how could someone outside the FBI have been able to put Agent Spender in charge of the case?
And how could that someone have been the Cigarette Smoking Man? He was still hiding out in Quebec at the beginning of the episode when the shooting occurred.

I think Mulder underestimated Gibson's chess playing ability. Just because Gibson could read minds and correctly predict his opponent's next move would not by itself provide Gibson sufficient insight to figure out what his countermove should be.

Why did CSM burn down Mulder's office? X Files was in the process of being shut down at the time. Wouldn't torching Mulder's office raise enough suspicions for officials at Justice to reconsider the decision to shut down the X Files?

Unlike in the movie, Well Manicured Man preferred to ride shotgun.

I thought this was a great epsode, I had some nits, though and some questions.

Has anyone ever actually gone to a hockey arena to watch two people play chess? I guess if you can find enough chess fans it's dooable. I find chess fine to play (even though I suck at it) but watching it isn't exactly exciting.

I agree that the RCMP should have handeled this incident. I do see how the FBI would get involved, I think the guy who shot the player was american, so I can understand deportiung him after an investigation though.

Why doesent CSM bring his gun and shoot alex? Or better yet wait for him in the cabin? Certainly the other guy that got shot would expect this? Why didn't they go the whole way and have him in red with an enisgns rank (just kidding, I guess you have to have guys that are only there to get killed to show just how bad some bad guys are or how intense a battle is eh?)

Skinner says that the guy who took the kid (cancer man) also killed a federal marcial (or something like that), but how was it that no one noticed, even if he used a silenser certainly someone would have seen the body, as far as I know these guys report in every 10 minutes or so, and there is no indication he did use a silencer.

If the kid knew that Cancer guy was taking him away to likley kill him why didn't he grab (I cant rememver her name)'s gun and shoot him with it when he sences he was entering the door?

The kid was also watching King of the hill. I'm suprised about that actually is KOTH really apropraite for a kid his age?

Yes, Chris, there *are* actually chess
tournaments. Quite, a few, actually. Like, several
thousand a year. Ever heard of Bobby Fischer? Or
Big Blue? I saw your reference to the well known
'red shirt' phenomomeon; did you know that they
also now have Tri-D Chess tourne

This chess match must have been a really big deal. Token Mounties in dress uniforms were present, which certainly is not common.

Correction- the RCMP should not have handled it, the Vancouver PD should have. It *was* in the city, after all.

I still am not sure how Gibson wins the game. By reading the other player's mind? Somehow, I doubt the other player is constantly thinking about how his opponent could beat him... he's thinking about winning. Gibson must have strong chess skills to begin with.

>Ever heard of Bobby Fischer? Or
>Big Blue?

Fischer yes, but not big blue. I wonder how hard it was to silence that crowd for so long? The arena did look full

>I saw your reference to the well known
>'red shirt' phenomomeon; did you know that they
>also now have Tri-D Chess tourne

I think I've seen one, cool concept.

I agree that even if the kid knows the other guys thoughts, he still must know how to play chess to actually play it well.

I wonder who told alex where csm was?

The logical assumption is the people who tried to kill Johnson (CSM) told Krycheck (alex) Johnson's location, so Alex and his acoplace could finish the job.

Big Blue was (still is, as far as I know) the
reigning chess champion in the world. 'Course, we
can't hang any medals around Big Blue's neck,
since Big Blue has no neck. Haa!! Okay, joke's
worn out. Big Blue is a computer. And computer
who's sole purpose is to play chess... and play
it, well, *elegantly*. And it usually isn't too
hard to keep people quiet in a chess tourney.
There's a wonderful atmosphere, almost like you're
in a church.

Might you mean Deep Blue, the one who beat Kasparov? I don't know what I'm talking about, though...

Forgive me for giving you such wildly misleading
info, but I had a lobotomy yesterday, and what
remains was off studying for my Iowa Basic Test.
Problem is, I don't know what questions they're
gonna ask, so I'm just biting my nails and
listening to Mozart. I'm horrible with the *lower*
maths, but, then, so was Einstein. E=mc2

Oh, glad that was cleared up! I was wondering how a prehistoric monster in Heuvelman's Lake managed to become a good chess player. (Sorry, bad joke, I'll stop now)

I just wonder if the chesskid's (name?) backstory is a refence to the nitpicker's guides. Like the Chief, chesskid grew up in the Phillipines and is the son of missionaries. Another Chief refrence, the telemarketer from a few episodes back set up shop in Missouri, about 100 miles from Springfield. Probably just coincidence, though.

Re: Mike's first post. Didn't you find it odd in The Simpsons X-Files nothing was made of the fact Principal Skinner could have been related to Assistant Director Skinner? Talk about a missed opportunity!

Hans - what's the problem with somoneoutside of the bureau preasuring to appoint a specific agent to the case? see this case:

FBI senior : "A Senator, I wantedto talk to you about that new raise that all officers above Assistant director lever are requesting... to assist recruits

Senator : "Yes... well.. you see... it really isn't for me to decide. And even if it was I couldn't have let you know like this. Changing the subject... could you please arrangefor Agent Spenderto take that assaination in Cannada ? It will sure aid some raising affairs... I mean FORIEGN affairs"

FBI senior : Ähh... you got it!"

And how would the CSM get the senator to do it? how about a PHONE CALL?

Why would the CSM burn THE X FILES? well apperently there is something there thatMulder mustn't be able to use...

My nit is that I don't understand what he will take Samantha's file for? What can possibly be there that he doesn'tknow about?

About the chess turnament... well... as much as Ilike chess, what's the point in WATCHING a contest? I mean it's not like reading about it and seeing all the moves. All you have is two people sitting! what's so exiting about that?

Anybody else thought that the scene where Crycekpicks CSm up was one of the best ever? So spooky and exiting... truely unique!

Overall an good episode with an annoyingDiana Fawly sub plot!

Check out The Kitchen Sink-Crossover Madness for a discussion on cartoon links to XF.

Krycek drives Well-Manicured Man in this episode. Good thing (or bad if you're not a Ratboy fan) that he didn't in the movie!

I have a new bit about the X-Files's fifth season in my web page. check it out -
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nova/1105/homepage-main.html

I wanna know how Krycek drove at all in this episode. It looked like he had both hands on the wheel... which is a little odd considering that he got his left arm cut off in "Terma." Did he get it reattached?

they showed in Terma he had the ability to move his hand - so he can probably still drive

Hans: Why did CSM burn down Mulder's office?
Omer: well apperently there is something there that Mulder mustn't be able to use...
CSM stated in either this ep or in The Beginning that Mulder had gathered too much evidence on the conspiracy, but if he could freely move around the FBI building why not just take what he wants and leave the rest alone?

Gibson is watching the "Best Show Ever!" That would of course be The Simpsons and is Jeff Albertson's catch phrase, aka Comic Book Guy.

I'm still not clear as to why the Syndicate wanted to kill/kidnap Gibson. Is it because he's evidence or is it primarly because of what he can do? Speaking of that, if he knew somebody was there to get him why did he wait until Fowler was in the crosshairs?

Hans: The case should have been handled by Canadian authorities. Why then did the United States have custody of the shooter and jurisdiction over the case, notwithstanding the shooter's prior involvement with the National Security Agency?
That's a good question Hans. Perhaps since both the shooter and Gibson were US citizens was why Canada allow the US to have custody over both of them; we share cases all the time after all. Also, since the RCMP were able to capture the shooter maybe they felt their job was done and just had to clear it with the Russian government.

Hans: Just how could someone outside the FBI have been able to put Agent Spender in charge of the case?
This sort of thing happened all the time in this show, and although your point is well taken it's not at all out of the ordinary.

Hans: Why did CSM burn down Mulder's office? X Files was in the process of being shut down at the time.
I've quoted this before but I wanted to add that there was the threat of reassignment, not that the X-Files were being shut down. That fire is a nit as well because not only should there be a fire-suppression system in there, as there is in most government buildings, but also the majority of Mulder's files were in filing cabinets and other storage devices! Sure, CSM opened his cabinet doors a couple inches but that really wouldn't do much because there isn't enough oxygen throughout to sustain a fire. The majority of Mulder's records et al would be fine because of this and the fire would be out before the hopeless damage that we are lead to believe was done.

Me: I'm still not clear as to why the Syndicate wanted to kill/kidnap Gibson.
Rewatching this ep made it quite clear that Gibson was sought after due to him being biological proof of alien existence. What I don't understand is why the Consortium needed to bring back CSM? His methods (usually) get results but he can't be the only person they know of with his particular skill sets.

In the teaser when the Russian chess-player was shot he dragged the chess board with him as he fell to the floor. When Spender was showing the recording of it the board just spun on the table as the man fell. Krycek realizes CSM has left his shack by blood-stained bootprints in the snow, but how would CSM's boots get so much blood on them? The first guy that he shoots through the door falls backwords, on where his exit wounds would've projected, and the prints were far enough from the body with inadequate time for the blood to soak through the snow. That guy did get a dose of reality though for thinking opening the door of a one-room shack wouldn't be heard. Gibson is only allowed to watch Fox shows; I wonder why that is

Murray: Correction- the RCMP should not have handled it, the Vancouver PD should have. It *was* in the city, after all.
Upon yet another viewing Vancouver PD handling this case does make more sense, but technically this case is already closed, so why was the FBI even concerned to begin with? A Russian citizen, somehow formerly with the NSA, was killed but the shooter was caught not far away. This is something that Mulder would stumble across from some random source, not the contrived bit about Spender being assigned a closed case from outside the agency, and the equally contrived scene with Skinner inviting Mulder for no apparent reason beyond adding drama with Spender.

Me: Rewatching this ep made it quite clear that Gibson was sought after due to him being biological proof of alien existence.
Adding to this, why did it take so long to try to either kill or capture Gibson? He's 11 and already a world-renowned chess prodigy; that sort of thing doesn't happen over night. CSM was brought back for this purpose? That doesn't seem likely at all.