John Doe is another excellent episode written by Vince Gilligan. It's different and different is good. Episodes like this cause me to write few notes, because I'm so entranced by the story.
Of course, in this episode, it's the cinematography that jumps right out at you. The overexposure is used to show the bright, hot, Mexican sun beating down on Doggett. The Mexican music is used judiciously throughout the episode, not too heavy, but it's there from time to tome.
On day 8, Doggett should have a much longer beard. I'm a slow grower, and my stubble is longer than his after days, and I doubt they allow him to shave in that jail hole. Also, his future boss, Domingo, if he had all these "connections", why did he have to sit in the jail for eight days as well? The makeup on Doggett is great, making him look all haggard and beat up.
I love seeing Scully sticking it to Kersh by directly disobeying him....again.
The guest actors do a good job, beginning with Domingo, Doggett's "boss".
Despite how cool the episode is, there are some nagging questions that aren't answered. Why is Doggett investigating the disappearance of that man? It is not an x-file. How does Reyes find Doggett in that garage? That seems like a pretty big jump. And how does Doggett manage to find the Skull guy in the end so easily? I would've liked a little more background to the Skull guy and what he was. He did the fingernail thingy on Dogget's boss, for no good reason, and then we don't see him again.
I think John Doe could've worked easily as a two-parter. I felt there was more story there, but Gilligan had to wrap thinks up quickly to get it under 44 minutes. It's too bad. I love the originality of John Doe and the camera work was top-notch. It's one of the best episodes of season nine.