Lone Gunmen

A lot of television series get their start as spin offs of another popular show. Typically, the spawned series inherits more than just a break out character and a basic premise. Usually the mood of the parent series is retained. There is at least one notable exception where the spin off virtually becomes a parody of the original while preserving enough of the original flavor to pull the audience over. That series was ‘The Lone Gunman’, strange offspring of one of the most popular and discussed series in the annals of television, ‘The X Files’. In this case the original series was cloaked in mystery, full of covert government activity but played in an extremely serious vein. I actual know someone who was so into the series that he practically felt it belonged on the ‘History’ Channel. In contrast ‘The Lone Gunmen’ took conspiracy theories and most of the time presented their stories with tongue firmly planted in the cheek. There is a much more lighthearted feel to this series with far more comedy than aliens threatening the globe. This is not to say the series is a comedy; the dark humor pervades each episode but there is a strong dramatic foundation to the show. Starting in 2001 the series just managed to catch the ‘X Files’ audience as that series was undergoing major revisions leading to its final season. Another ‘X Files’ spin off, ‘Millennium’ had finished running its course so the audience was in the waning time of ‘X Files’ mania. As such the series lasted only13 episodes, a single short season, but that has been captured on o three DVD set released by Fox. It is a shame that the series just happened to get its start at the wrong time; it had potential that was never afforded an opportunity to develop. My files and I used this box set along with the ‘X Files’ and ‘Millennium’ editions for a ‘Chris Carter’ fan appreciation weekend which was a lot of fun.

Working with Chris Carter on the creation of this series was Vince Gilligan who would go on to ‘Breaking Bad’ and John Shiban who would also help develop ‘Breaking Bad’ as well as working on the more youth oriented ‘Supernatural’. This is obviously a team that mastered dark humor but like many series it was more a case of circumstances than quality or even potential. One thing that worked against the series was a realistic, calculated risk the look and feel of the series was made to go retro to the spy craze of the late sixties. The music features a twanging guitar while the screen is split into panel, a popular device of the time. The series also uses all the popular plot devices of the espionage fade from latex disguises peeling off during the grand reveal to the use of amazing gadgets. There is even a beautiful but deadly and devious femme fatale to keep things interested. This split the focus of the series between a spoof of conspiracy theories and a James Bond send up. It actually managed the balancing act rather well but what was needed was a quick grab of the audience, something the series failed to muster.

‘The Lone Gunmen’ started as an underground independent government watch dog group publishing s news letter intent on bringing the government’s dark, dirty secrets to light. The group was known to FBI agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) providing information at times. Their budget is almost nonexistent and their readership exceptionally limited but they carry on for ‘truth, justice and the American way’. Yes, the actual do quote from the beginning of the fifties’ ‘Superman’ show. The team consists of three regulars aided at times by a couple of others. John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood) is the most conservative in appearance with his neatly trimmed bread and crisp dark suit. He has been estranged from his high ranking military father for s long time. Richard Langly (Dean Haglund) never got the memo that the radical sixties ended. His long, stringy blond hair and heavy metal tee-shirts are a throwback to that long gone era. He is a geek through and through but exceptionally talented as a computer hacker. Lastly there is the diminutive former radical Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood). What he lacks in height he more than makes up for in attitude. For one reason or another he usually is the one chosen to go under cover. Helping out in the field and around the lair is Jimmy Bond (Stephen Snedden). He is big, strong as an ox and wealthy enough to keep the operation going but highly gullible with a room temperature IQ. For example he filed papers about ‘The Warren Commission’ under ‘T’ for ‘the’. Serving the dual purpose of occasional friend and persistent nemesis is Yves Adele Harlow (Zuleikha Robinson. Her long, lanky hair, perfect curves and pouty lips can distract any man; something she is quick to exploit. Her name is an anagram for Lee Harvey Oswald. She is a very proficient, high tech thief with a soft spot she prefers to keep well hidden.

The first episode which served as a pilot is extremely upsetting in many ways. It concerns the Gunmen uncovering a top secret plot by the American government to justify weapons and security expenditures by making terrorism the new scare tactic. To this end they will enact a war game scenario to fly a commercial jet liner into the World Trade Tower crashing it to the Manhattan streets below. One scene towards the end of this episode has control being returned to the pilot at the last second allowing him to pull up; the plane just feet away from the windows of the tower. That episode was aired in March, 2001 just six months before the tragedy of 9-11. That episode aside the remaining dozen deal with more sedate issues such as hunting Nazis to protecting a prototype car that can run on water. There is a reasonably well balanced interaction of slapstick comedy an action to still work now.

Posted 06/11/2010