(cont'd)

"The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati" (David Duchovny and Chris Carter, writers; Michael Watkins, director): While Mulder has forced dreams about a blissful life away from the X-Files, Scully learns that some people believe that Mulder is the only person who can stop a coming mass extinction of the human race. The Cigarette Smoking Man is trying to get Mulder's genetic material transplanted into his body. Alex Krycek, Diana Fowley, Albert Hosteen (the Navajo elder from "Biogenesis"), and even Deep Throat, Mulder's secret source of conspiracy information who was killed in the series' first season, all make their appearances here as Mulder chooses between the dream world in which he's living happily with Fowley or reality. Rating: 8

"Hungry" (Vince Gilligan, writer; Kim Manners, director): Here's the story pitch: Young man working in fast food restaurant eats people's brains. Bob Roberts is working at Lucky Boy Burgers, using appetite suppressants and motivational tapes to battle his brain-hunger. He even attends Overeaters Anonymous. "I really am trying to do right," he tells his psychiatrist, Dr. Mindy Rinehart. But Mulder and Scully are closing in on him. At the end of the episode, Rinehart talks to him about his role in the murders, and he takes off his human guise to show her his real self. The two FBI agents burst in, and Bob throws himself at them, knowing they'll shoot him, which they do. He tells Rinehart with his dying breath that he couldn't be something he's not. It's a fairly by-the-numbers episode, but the analogy (imagine a gay youth trying to pass for straight, unable to fight off his innermost drives) gives it some resonance. Rating: 7

"Millennium" (Vince Gilligan and Frank Spotnitz, writers; Thomas J. Wright, director): Lance Henriksen, who portrayed Frank Black in producer Chris Carter's other Fox series, "Millennium," revives the character for this episode that ties together both series. Mulder and Scully find Black in a psychiatric hospital, where he's basically hiding himself to protect his daughter. They get his help on a case involving the deaths of members of the Millennium Group, a secretive organization that has split, with a breakaway group that thinks their deaths will herald the new millennium. This episode not only brings us Henriksen, who's always a pleasure to watch, but also the much-talked about (and much feared) kiss between Scully and Mulder, after which both friends agree that it didn't cause the end of the world. Rating: 9

"Rush" (David Amann, writer; Robert Lieberman, director): Remember that episode of the original "Star Trek" in which the Enterprise is taken over by a race of aliens who move so fast that the characters moving at regular speed only hear a high-pitched buzzing when the aliens are near? Well, I'm sure that played no part in the production of this episode, in which teenagers are able to move very fast and cause all of the troubles and crimes many teenagers would try to do if they had that ability. Here, it's caused by a cave that creates the speeded-up effect on the teens. Rating: 6

"The Goldberg Variation" (Jeffrey Bell, writer; Thomas J. Wright, director): Henry Weems gambles with gangsters, buys a Lotto ticket, and survives mob hits, all thanks to an extreme good luck. But he doesn't think to use this ability to help himself; he's trying to make enough money to help his neighbor kid, who's in need of a liver transplant. Rating: 7

"Orison" (Chip Johannessen, writer; Rob Bowman, director): Donnie Pfaster (from the "Irresistible" episode) is in an Illinois prison hoping to get out and get one of his victims who escaped: Dana Scully. But a prison chaplain, Rev. Orison, has his own nefarious plans. It's another "X-Files" meditation--okay, with guns firing, and such--on the nature of evil and Scully's quasi-spiritual side. Rating: 6

"The Amazing Maleeni" (Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz, writers; Thomas J. Wright, director): Maleeni, a magician, turns up dead, but Mulder becomes convinced the crime isn't what it seems. His investigation leads to a bank heist that would have worked, if it weren't for those meddling FBI agents. Rating: 6

"Signs & Wonders" (Jeffrey Bell, writer; Kim Manners, director): Snakes, why did it have to be snakes? The Blessing Community Church and the Church of Signs and Wonders are involved in a bit of un-ecumenical sniping, with Blessing's Rev. Mackey trying to cover his past villainy with his snake powers. Rating: 5

"Sein Und Zeit" (Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, writers; Michael Watkins, director): A girl is missing, and amid the media circus Mulder tries to find the truth. After unsuccessfully trying to track down her son, Mulder's own mother commits suicide. With the help of a woman jailed for the murder of her son, to which she had confessed, Mulder learns about children being taken from their families. He and Scully track the case to Santa's North Pole Village (a farm), where they find a lotta unmarked graves. Rating: 8

"Closure" (Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, writers; Kim Manners, director): The graves at Santa's North Pole Village are filled with children's bodies, but not that of Samantha, Mulder's long-missing sister whom he was hoping to find. Supernatural "walk-ins" apparently take children just before horrible deaths, and Mulder wants to know if Samantha was taken by them or if she's still alive somewhere. Rating: 7

"X-Cops" (Vince Gilligan, writer; Michael Watkins, director): Tracking down an apparent monster, Mulder and Scully join Los Angeles police officers who are being filmed for an episode of Fox's exploitation series, "Cops." Rating: 10

"First Person Shooter" (William Gibson and Tom Maddox, writers; Chris Carter, director): Another cyberpunk episode contribution from Mr. CP himself, William Gibson. People playing a virtual-reality war game are killed, which supposedly wasn't supposed to happen. The FBI's concerned about the loss of life, the game's manufacturer is worried about negative publicity hurting the company's IPO, and "The X-Files's" producers wanted an excuse to put Mulder and Scully in comical warrior outfits. Rating: 4

"Theef" (Vince Gillian and John Shiban, writers; Kim Manners, director): A doctor is being targeted by magic, with his loved ones the targets. Mulder and Scully find the widower of a former patient of the doctor who blames the doc for his wife's death. Rating: 6

"En Ami" (William B. Davis, writer; Rob Bowman, director): Writer Davis, who portrays the evil Cigarette-Smoking Man in the series, gives us an episode featuring his character's offer to Scully of knowledge about cancer's cure if she joins him on a mission and keeps it from Mulder. Rating: 7

"Chimera" (David Amann, writer; Cliff Bole, director): Mulder is pampered while in another city seeking the cause of some deaths, while Scully is forced to continue a stakeout in a dumpy room in his absence. For two characters who are supposed to be such good friends, they are sometimes inexplicably nasty to each other. Here, Mulder abandon's Scully without explanation so he can go on his own mission, leaving her speechless. Why doesn't she throw something at him when he leaves the room? Mulder's mission turns out to be fairly by-the-book. Rating: 4

"all things" (Gillian Anderson, writer and director): Anderson's directorial debut, which was inspired by ruminations on coincidences and new-age spirituality, is a nicely put-together episode about nothing much. When a former lover is brought back into her life through a number of coincidences, Scully wonders if she made the right decisions in life. Rating: 7

"Brand X" (Steven Maeda and Greg Walker, writers; Kim Manners, director): You saw "The Insider," the motion picture about "60 Minutes's" fumbling of a whistle-blowing tobacco company employee? The "X" take on it has an insider trying to warn people about the effects of a new cigarette that has really bad effects on its users--like, with killer bugs and all--and the secret is held by one of the participants in a study that predated the launch of the cigarette. Rating: 7

"Hollywood A.D." (David Duchovny, writer and director): Duchovny gets to encore after his excellent directorial debut last year (with "The Unnatural," an ode to baseball with an alien-and-racism theme). This time, it's mostly silliness when Hollywood makes a move based on the FBI's X-Files team, with Garry Shandling portraying a horny Mulder and Tea Leoni as Scully. There's something about skeleton bones that are reanimated by pottery shards, and there's a dance by graveyard ghouls, but this is really a "Saturday Night Live" skit writ too large. Rating: 5

"Fight Club" (Chris Carter, writer; Paul Shapiro, director): Two women who are dopplegangers cause a lot of damage when they get close to each other, all to the detriment of some small town that's populated with idiots, like most small towns are in "The X-Files." Rating: 5

"Je Souhaite" (Vince Gilligan, writer and director): After being inducted into the life of genies, a woman grants very unsatisfactory versions of her clients' wishes. So when Mulder gets his three wishes, what does he wish for? Rating: 6

"Requiem" (Chris Carter, writer; Kim Manners, director): So no one knew if David Duchovny would return to the series when this episode was planned, and Carter says he intended to handle this episode the same way regardless of the actor's decision. In the season finale, Mulder and Scully return to the northeastern locale of their first joint investigation, where there are more alien abductions taking place. Mulder sends Scully home, because he fears for her safety. But it's Mulder that the aliens want, and they get him. Scully, on the other hand, gets pregnant. Instant cliffhanger. Rating: 9

In other news and views...

Reader Mail: Yvette Walker, a reader from Kansas City, writes: "Thank you so much for telling me about 'The Lathe of Heaven's' re-release. I certainly will watch for it and tape it. I remember seeing it as a teenager and loving it for several reasons: The great acting, the wonderful and strong sci-fi plot, but also for its interracial romance. You neglected to mention that 20 years ago the casting of Margaret Avery (who was wonderful in this film) was quite brave. The love scene between Avery and Davison (one of my favorite actors at the time) was very real and sensual, something you didn't see all the time on TV. Please consider mentioning that in upcoming columns. I certainly will on my Web site, New People Interracial e-Magazine." Good point. By the way, the telefilm begins airing this week, so check your local listings for when your local PBS station will air it.

This week's episodes

All times Eastern. Syndicated episodes are sometimes shown in different weeks in different locations, so your local broadcast may, naturally, differ.

Angel
WB, 9 p.m. Tuesdays; David Boreanaz, Seth Green, and Charisma Carpenter
May 30: In 'Lonely Hearts," a parasite demon feeds on the lonely. (Repeat)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
WB, 8 p.m. Tuesdays; Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Kristine Sutherland, and Anthony Stewart Head; official site
May 30: In "The 'I' in Team," Buffy gains access to the Initiative, thanks to her friendship with Riley. (Repeat)

Cleopatra 2525
Syndicated; Gina Torres, Victoria Pratt, Jennifer Sky, Patrick Kake, Danielle Cormack, Joel Tobeck
Week of May 30: "Rescue"

Earth: Final Conflict
Syndicated, Lisa Howard, Leni Parker, Von Flores, David Hemblen, Robert Leeshock, Richard Chevolleau, Anita LaSelva, Jayne Heitmeyer, Peter Krantz, Barna Moricz, Lindy Booth, Sten Eirik; official site
Week of May 30: In "Thicker Than Blood," Liam is betrayed by Augur; Sandoval gets a rare blood disease. (Repeat)
Week of June 6: "Emancipation" (Repeat)
Week of June 13: "Crackdown" (Repeat)
Week of June 20: "The Vanished" (Repeat)

Farscape
Sci-Fi, 8 p.m. Fridays; Ben Browder, Lani John Tupu, and Virginia Hey; official site
June 2: In "Mind the Baby," Crais takes Moya's baby and hides out in an asteroid field. (Repeat)
June 9: Preempted
June 16: "Home on the Remains"
June 23: "Dream a Little Dream"
June 30: Preempted

First Wave
Sci-Fi, 7 p.m. Sundays; Sebastian Spence and Roger Cross; official site
June 4: Preempted
June 11: "Red Flag"
June 18: "The Heist"
June 25: "Ohio Players"

Futurama
Fox, 7:00 p.m. Sundays; Billy West, Lauren Tom, John Di Maggio, and Katey Sagal; official site
June 4: In "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" Dr. Zoidberg goes home for a mating ritual and Fry teaches him how to attract the opposite sex. (Repeat)

Lexx
Sci-Fi, 10 p.m.; Xenia Seeberg.
June 2: In "Nook," the crew of Lexx find a planet of monks who've never seen a woman. Like they care. (Repeat)
June 9: Preempted
June 16: "791"
June 23: "Norb"
June 30: Preempted

Outer Limits
Showtime, 11:30 p.m. Fridays
June 2: In "Simon Says," a father assembles a robotic replacement for his deceased son.
June 9: Preempted.
June 16: "Stasis" (Repeat)
June 23: "Down to Earth" (Repeat)

Roswell
WB, 9:00 p.m. Mondays; Jason Behr, Shiri Appleby, Brendan Fehr, and Katherine Heigl
June 5: In "The Morning After," the FBI looks into Sheriff Valenti, and a substitute teacher looks into Michael's life. (Repeat)

Seven Days
UPN, 8 p.m. Wednesdays; Jonathan LaPaglia, Don Franklin; official site
May 31: In "Two Weddings and a Funeral," Parker plans marriage with Olga, but he weds her evil twin instead. (Repeat)
June 7: "Sister's Keeper" (Repeat)
June 14: "The Collector" (Repeat)
June 21: "Love and Other Disasters" (Repeat)

Stargate SG-1
Showtime, 10 p.m. Fridays; official site
June 2: In "Maternal Instinct," the SG-1 team searches for the Harsesis child. (Repeat)
June 9: Preempted
June 16: "Crystal Skull" (Repeat)
June 23: "Nemesis" (Repeat)

Star Trek: Voyager
UPN, 9 p.m. Wednesdays; Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Jeri Ryan, and Garrett Wang. official site
May 31: In "Riddles," Tuvok's experiencing neurological problems. (Repeat)
June 7: "Dragon's Teeth" (Repeat)
June 14: "One Small Step" (Repeat)
June 21: The Voyager crew finds quaintness and quaint problems when they create a holosuite of an idyllic Irish town known as "Fair Haven." (Repeat)

Xena: Warrior Princess
Syndicated, Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, Bruce Campbell, official site
Week of May 30: "Lyre, Lyre Hearts on Fire" (Repeat)
Week of June 6: "Punch Lines" (Repeat)
Week of June 13: "God Fearing Child" (Repeat)
Week of June 20: "Eternal Bonds" (Repeat)

The X-Files
Fox, 9 p.m. Sundays; David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi; official site
May 28: In "The Sixth Extinction," Scully gets some help in her investigation into the ship in the Ivory Coast and its link to Mulder's padded-cell quarters. (Repeat)

"Sorry, we'd have to shave your head, but scalp electrodes don't like hair. And you'll have to be blindfolded so we don't pick up confusing visual inputs."
—"The Songs of Distant Earth," by Arthur C. Clarke