The X-Files
We have three episodes this week so we can cover the two part mythology episode in one post. And these are pretty great episodes. Well, two out of three of them are pretty great. Here we go.
"Irresistible"
Mulder: "You okay, Scully?"
Scully: "Yeah, I've read about cases of desecrating the dead before but is the first time I've seen it."
Mulder: "Nothing can prepare you for it; it's almost unimaginable."
Scully: "Why do they do it?"
Mulder: "Well, some people collect salt and pepper shakers, fetishists collect dead things - fingernails and hair. No one quite knows why, though I've never really understood salt and pepper shakers myself."
Mythology or Monster of the Week: MotW
X-File of the Week: Mulder and Scully are called to St. Paul, Minnesota, to a desecrated grave by Agent Moe Bocks. The corpse has had its hair cut and fingernails removed. Bocks believes it is UFO related, but Mulder immediately rejects this believe it is actually the work of a death fetishist. A death fetishist who soon resorts to actual murder to feed his addiction.
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| Donnie is crazy. |
This is the rare episode of "The X-Files" that has no supernatural elements. There are no aliens, nothing paranormal or supernatural. There is a tease that perhaps aliens will be involved but Mulder quickly shuts that down. Instead, they are dealing with a fucked up person. And Scully is finally experiencing PSTD from her abduction experience with Duane Barry. I couldn't remember if they did mention it, so it was nice for that to be brought up. In fact, Scully and her PTSD is my favorite part of this episode. Scully is determined to stay on this case even if it is rocking her to her core, to the point that she is having hallucinations. It can't be easy to be a woman in the FBI, particularly in the early '90's, so it makes sense that she would keep how she was feeling from everyone, including Mulder. She is being open with her therapist, which is so great to see on a show from the early '90's. When she finally collapses into Mulder's arms at the end of the episode, it is the culmination of everything that has happened and it's a deepening of the agents relationship.
I had never heard of death fetishists so you learn something new watching this show. The actor who plays Donnie Pfaster joins a long line of perfect creeps on "The X-Files." Everyone knows someone like Donnie Pfaster. The way they talk and move is awkward and creepy. Maybe they are too close to you. Or too socially awkward. They may not be a serial killer, but they are definitely making you uncomfortable and Pfaster really embodies all of that. I'm also a fan of Agent Bocks. We rarely see agents that appreciate what Mulder does so it was nice to see Mulder have a non combative chat and relationship with an agent that isn't Scully.
Sometimes I wonder if the writers have ever been to any of the cities that they send the agents to. I had to laugh when Bocks said that people in the Twin Cities don't even lock their doors at night. That is completely untrue. It was then and it isn't now. One of the most unbelievable things that I've ever seen on "The X-Files" is when the woman on Pastor's route says that they leave their back door unlocked and he can just come on in if they aren't home. That would never happen.
I was a little disappointed that Scully ended up getting kidnapped. It's a well that the show continually goes to and it's already a little tired. I did appreciate that Scully fights back hard, pushing Pfaster into the tub, attacking him with tub cleaner and throwing them down the stairs. Scully is a badass and it is nice to see it in this episode.
Grade: B+
"Die Hand Die Verletzt"
Mulder: "So, lunch?"
Scully: "Mulder, toads just fell from the sky!"
Mulder: "I guess their parachutes didn't open. You were saying something about this place not feeling odd?"
Mythology or Monster of the Week: MotW
X-File of the Week: Mulder and Scully are called to Milford Haven, New Hampshire to investigate a potential ritualistic killing, when high school student, Jerry Stevens, is found dead with his eyes and heart removed. Despite the lack of evidence of occult killings, everyone is convinced that is what happened here and they might be right. There are a group of high school teachers that are worshipping Satan but perhaps they don't have their hearts in it and someone has come to town to teach them that there isn't any half stepping when worshipping the devil is concerned.
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| Best substitute ever. |
This episode was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong and at the time it was meant to be their farewell episode to the series. The writers were departing the series to focus on writing for their new FOX series, "Space: Above and Beyond." The duo would end up back in "The X-Files" writer's room when "Space" failed but if this ended up being their actual swan song they would have left on a very strong note.
If I were to make a list of my top ten favorite "X-Files" episodes of all time, this episode would definitely make the list. There are so many things that make it great, starting off with the cold open. A meeting of what feels like a PTA type group, but it's actually school faculty. They don't love that the play they want to put on is "Jesus Christ Superstar." Shades of overly religious people not wanting their lord and savior shown in a bad light. Then it's time for a prayer, but it's not a prayer to God, but the devil. It's so great. The perfect note to open this episode.
What makes this episode so great is that Mulder and Scully never really know who the actual villain is. They believe that it is this PTC and it kind of is. They are definitely worshipping the devil but have been had asking it. And apparently the devil doesn't like people who aren't all in. So he sends a true believer to show them the error of their ways. Enter Phyllis Paddock one of my picks for top Mulder/Scully antagonist of all time. She might even be the best because she gets away with it. The agents actually help her and they don't even realize it until the end. It's very cheeky. And I love the idea of this nebbish middle age science teacher doing these rituals. I've always wondered if the actress who plays Paddock is actually making those guttural nosies. If so, hats off to her.
The last half of this episode is so good. It's so fast paced and you really don't know how it's going to turn out. The python coming and eating Jim Aubury is one of my favorite "X-Files" deaths and it's great that they find his whole skeleton on the ground. It is almost manic but not quite. If I had one minor complaint, it's maybe that in the shower when they are going to kill Mulder and Scully, it's not entirely clear that Paddock is forcing them to kill themselves. All in all though pretty fantastic. And knowing that this was meant to be Morgan and Wong's final episode the message on the blackboard, "Goodbye. It was nice working with you" has a great double meaning.
Grade: A
"Fresh Bones"
Scully: "Think he's telling the truth?"
Mulder: "Until I can figure out why he'd lie, yeah."
Mythology or Monster of the Week: MotW
X-File of the Week: Mulder and Scully are called in when a Marine working in a Haitian refugee camp drives his car into a tree. It's ruled a suicide but his wife isn't convinced. And neither are Mulder and Scully when they find a voodoo symbol on the tree he crashed into. This is the second Marine who has supposedly committed suicide. After doing some digging, Mulder and Scully find corruption and abuse and lots of things that aren't what they seem.
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| Pierre Beauvais. No relation to Garcelle. |
This is one of those episodes that is just OK. It's an episode where the show tries to explore other cultures and the result is kind of meh overall. The writer of the episode, Howard Gordon, was inspired to write it after reading about the suicides of two servicemen in Haiti. That's fine and admirable and all, but because so much of the focus of the episode is on these Marines, the whole thing kind of falls flat.
I understand using the Marines as an entry point into this Haitian refugee camp where all this bad shit is happening, but then, use that as a segue to get into the minds of the people who live there and are actually being negatively impacted by the abuse that they would actually try to get revenge on the people watching over them using voodoo.
Take Pierre Beauvais. He feels like a really interesting character and we are led to believe that he is the one behind all this, but he isn't. And we barely get any time with him. Mulder meets him once before he's beat to death by the obviously evil Colonel Wharton. We also have all these white people talking about voodoo. There is Wharton obsessed with it and trying to steal it, which isn't like a bad concept had it been fleshed out a little more. We have Private Dunham telling the story about his ex fiancee getting a tummy full of snakes because her dad crossed a practitioner. Is the idea to fuel this story using white panic? It's so muddled and just not great. The adorable mcguffin that is Chester Bonaparte is... fine. I really didn't love that you find out at the end that he died six weeks ago during the riot. Like, I can get behind so much in this show but the Haitian equivalent of Casper the Friendly Ghost did me in.
There is one really cool scene where Scully hallucinates a man coming out of the small cut in her hand, but I'm not sure I could recommend this episode on that alone. If you're looking for a speedy "X-Files" watch, this episode is completely skippable.
Grade: C-
Next up, aliens become colonizers and Mulder comes face to face with... his sister?
What do you all think of these episodes? Do you love "Die Hand..." as much as I do? Is "Fresh Bones" not as much of a dud as I think it is? Let me know in the comments.
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