The X-Files
We are creeping closer to the end of the first season of "The X-Files." I have to say, this isn't my favorite season, but it is a really strong season. I just love season 2 and I think its where the show really hit its stride so I'm ready to get there!!
"Shapes"
Mulder: "They told me that even though my deodorant was made for a woman, it's strong enough for a man."
Mythology or Monster of the Week: MotW
X-File of the Week: In Browning, MT, rancher, Jim Parker, shoots and kills Native American man, Joseph Goodensnake. The case seems pretty open and shut, especially since there was an ongoing dispute between the Trego Indian Reservation and the Parker ranch about where his land ends and theirs begins. Scully isn't sure what caused Mulder to take the case, but it becomes clearer when they find strange animal claw marks on Goodensnake's body, along with elongated canine like incisors and shed skin that looks like it has come from a human. Plus, Parker claims he was shooting at an animal. Mulder suspects this is a case of lycanthropy which just so happened to be the first ever X-File.
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| It's so dark. |
I think I mentioned this when we covered "Gender Bender," but it bears repeating (and probably will be again), but "The X-Files" really enjoyed exploring other cultures and the myths and creatures that they held. I can appreciate that. Unfortunately, these episodes were written by white men in the '90's and '00s. So, even the least problematic episodes are... problematic. And Chris Carter has a thing for Native American mythology. He re-visits it quite a lot throughout the series and I'm not sure where it comes from.
This is the first episode that I can clearly recall really utilizing a Native American theme and on the problematic scale it is relatively low. This episode came about because Fox executives encouraged producers to tackle more conventional monsters which led to Glen Morgan and James Wong to do some research. They found the Native American legend of the Manitou, which is close to a werewolf but different enough to not feel like a re-tread of every other werewolf story you've seen in sci-fi.
That being said, this doesn't really re-invent the wheel when it comes to a new spin on the classic werewolf tale. I appreciate the Manitou twist because it was something I was unfamiliar with until watching this episode. Classic lycanthropy is portrayed as more of a disease while the Manitou is a spirit that is passed from person to person through a bite or the death of its original host. Sadly, that is different enough to really differentiate this from any other werewolf tale you've read or seen. The elder telling Mulder the tale of the Manitou comments that Mulder is more open than most white men which always makes me audibly groan.
It's all pretty paint by numbers. As soon as we see the scratches on Lyle Parker's shoulder, we know that he is the new host for the Manitou. The actor who plays him has this "aw shucks" demeanor that is super grating and it feels like they are trying to do this flirtatious thing between he and Scully but they have zero chemistry so it falls extremely flat. The effects in this episode are really atrocious. I'm willing to give the show a lot of passes with the effect because this was 1994, but these are particularly egregious. The make up work is non existent as the Manitou looks like a person in a rubber Halloween mask. The jump cuts in the dark in the climax are extremely hokey and lame. "The X-Files" does a much better werewolf episode later its run, so hold out for that one. I feel like had they tried to tie this into the first X-File it would have been a little better and felt more original or more like "The X-Files" tells a werewolf story.
One bright spot is watching David Duchovny act alongside his "Twin Peaks" co-star Michael Horse who played Sheriff Tskany. I will take a pseudo "Twin Peaks/X-Files" cross over any way I can get it.
Grade: C
"Darkness Falls"
Dana Scully: "Well, you were right about one thing."
Fox Mulder: "What's that?"
Dana Scully: "It definitely wasn't Bigfoot."
Notable Guest Star: Titus Welliver as Doug Spinney
Mythology or Monster of the Week: MotW
X-File of the Week: Thirty loggers in Washington State have seemingly vanished. Eco terrorists who were in the area "making mischief" are the prime suspects. A similar situation happened in the same forest back in 1934 so Mulder's interest is piqued.
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| Scully's jacket is fashion. |
I feel like "Darkness Falls" is kind of an underrated episode of "The X-Files." You don't see it on many "best of" lists, but I really think it is up there and definitely one of the best episodes of this debut season. The show did a lot of shooting in Canada and this episode was shot in Lynn Valley, British Columbia. Sometimes it is difficult to buy that these Canadian locations are actually parts of America, but you don't have that problem here.
This episode mainly takes place in the forest so it was definitely giving me "Ice" vibes since it focuses on Mulder and Scully and basically three other people. There is the logging companies head of security, Steve Humphreys, US Forest Service Employee, Larry Moore and the remaining eco-terrorist, Doug Spinney. Spinney is played by Titus Welliver. If you are a sci-fi/fantasy fan (and if you're watching this show, my bet is you are) you may recognize him as The Man In Black from "Lost." He is the lead on the Amazon Prime show, "Bosch," as well. I had to do a double take on him when I first watched this episode.
Episodes written by Chris Carter can be hit or miss due to the heavy hand he can paint material like this. His heavy handed approach really works here. Logging is harmful and even with permits, logging companies are cutting down old, majestic trees to make their work faster and more cost effective for the companies that are tearing down these forests. Now, nature is taking her revenge.
I know I mentioned "Ice" earlier, but this episode really evokes that classic in a lot of great ways. There is a lot of tension that is ratcheted up, each time the sun goes down. The design of the mites, basically little green dots of light, could have been hokey and cheesy but the episode plays everything just right. The camera work, writing, acting, special effects all work together to convey this threat and make it feel dangerous. The image of Humphreys pressed against the window of the car in the cocoon is one of the best single shots in the shows run. There are little moments in the episode that I love like when Scully calls Mulder out for letting Spinney run off with the last of their gas without consulting anyone. Mulder can be a sanctimonious douche sometimes and it was nice to see him being called to the carpet for it.
"Darkness Falls" has a climax that usually doesn't work for me. The jeep that the agents, Moore and Spinney are trying to escape in is hobbled by the caltrops trap that Spinney had set up. Irony. And the mites get in. Usually, I'm unaffected by this. Mulder and Scully are the main characters so clearly they are going to be fine, but the episode has done such a great job up to this point in establishing this tension that for a minute I wondered, what if they aren't. The ending with Mulder talking to the Clean Suited Man is appropriately chilling and ends the episode on an unsettling note.
Grade: A-
Next up, Tooms returns and we learn that re-incarnation isn't all it's cracked up to be.
What do you X-Philes think of these episodes? Any other "Darkness Falls" fans? Let me know in the comments.
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