'2Shy' was a pretty mediocre episode, and while it's definitely creepy, I think that apart from the unusual physical condition of the perpetrator of these horrible crimes, this kind of story was better told in 'Squeeze' and 'Tooms' and 'Irresistible'.
Plus, there are some really uncomfortable implications in this episode. Not one of the show's finer moments.
I always have to laugh at shows depicting the internet in the mid-1990s, but at least this was made in the mid-1990s. It doesn't stop the technology from looking old-fashioned and corny, but it's not as if they were trying for a particular look. That's just what computers and the internet looked like in 1995. How far we've come.
Speaking of old-fashioned, Detective Cross can just fuck right off. Scully is an extremely capable medical doctor and investigator, and you will NOT disrespect her or pretend she doesn't exist. I don't even know why Cross's character was written this way, since his misogyny doesn't really seem to relate that closely to the story otherwise being told. Did they just throw that in because they want to keep reminding us of how awful some people are? There was that guard in the last episode, too...
Well, OK. So this is kind of a gross episode, what with the idea of people's fatty tissue being consumed and then their bodies dissolving overnight. And I'm not sure I can even get on board with any sympathy for the murderer. Yes, he had some kind of medical condition, but I mean, why not get actual help for it? Murder (is it weird that I only just noticed that 'Mulder' and 'Murder' are one letter different?) is not really an appropriate problem solving technique. Nor is cannibalism, for that matter. (Oh hey, we're back to that, are we? Wasn't 'Our Town' not that long ago?)
But it's also a gross episode for the way these women are treated simply for wanting to date, and what Incanto says at the end, about giving them what they wanted. No, I'm pretty sure they wanted to find people who really cared for them, not who wanted to consume them. But then, I suppose sociopaths aren't exactly known for their people skills.
Oh, and wait, hold on, it gets worse, because he also murders a sex worker, very grossly and crassly described by Cross as a '$20 hooker', and also described, again by the awful Detective Cross, as "[not] most johns' first pick, if you know what I mean." Yes, we know what you mean, you're a fat-shaming, misogynstic douchenozzle. OK, glad we cleared that up.
Honestly, I think I'm wasting a lot of time in this episode on this awful secondary character, but you know what? This episode isn't really that compelling. It's mostly just gross. So it's a little hard for me to come up with anything else meaningful to say about it.
I guess I did like that Jesse's enhanced olfactory ability ended up being the break in the case, and wow, she was one of the better one-off actors on this show. I thought she effectively conveyed her fear and disgust and later her utter devastation at the loss of her mother in such a horrific way. Also, the actress is not really blind, but based on her portrayal, I wouldn't have necessarily guessed that.
And the other real problem in this episode is that Incanto's condition is never really explained? There's no science here, no medical examination, just a guy with an unfortunate condition who even more unfortunately preys on lonely, overweight women to treat that condition. Remember how pervasively creepy 'Irresistible' was despite being about a regular sociopathic human being, and not anything supernatural? Yeah, that was a good episode. This wasn't.
I suppose they can't all be 'Clyde Bruckman'.
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