The X-Files
We are entering in to the home stretch of season three and we get one of the best episodes of the show ever written. Let's get right to it.
"Hell Money"
Dana Scully: "Do you know how much the human body is worth, Mulder?"
Fox Mulder: "Depends on the body. I don't know, a few bucks?"
Notable Guest Star(s): B.D. Wong as Detective Glen Chau; Lucy Liu as Kim Hsin & James Hong as the Hard Faced Man
Mythology or Monster of the Week: MotW
X-File of the Week: Special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully arrive in Chinatown to investigate the murder of Johnny Lo, a recent Chinese immigrant who's found burned to death in a crematorium. He is the most recent in a string of similar deaths occurring in Chinatown. The victims are all Chinese immigrants between the ages of 20 and 40. Scully suspects gang activity or a cult while Mulder is convinced this has something to do with ghosts particularly when the agents discover the Chinese symbol for ghost written in the creamtorium.
This episode is jam packed with guest stars and I wanted to highlight James Hong. If you've watched television or movies, you've seen Hong. In fact, you probably saw him last year in "Everything Everywhere All At Once." He's 94 years old and gave a memorable acceptance speech at February's Screen Actor's Guild Awards. He's been in "Chinatown," "Big Trouble in Little China" and one of my all-time favorite movies, "Blade Runner." Hong is great in this episode. He plays the surgeon who is carving out the organs of the immigrants that are gambling them away. I think it's pretty cool that his character doesn't even have a name. He's just known as the Hard Faced Man. That feels like an honor since most of the characters known that way are long term villains in the Syndicate. He's not in the episode a ton, but he makes an impact, particularly his scene with Mr. Hsin. He's menacing and persuasive. He's empathetic. He's a really great villain and I kind of wish we'd seen more of him.
I am a huge fan of BD Wong and he is great here as Detective Glen Chau. Chau is living in two worlds. It's interesting watching him attempt to navigate them both. One thing I like about this episode is that it sort of shows off the ignorance of Mulder and Scully. A lot of times when the show explores other cultures, it can be a little cringey and tone deaf and there are some moments like that here, but for the most part I think it's pretty successful and a lot of that has to do with the Chau storyline. He's compelling. He pushes back against the agents when their bias and privilege rear their ugly heads. It's pretty telegraphed that he's going to be corrupt, but he tries to redeem himself and Wong is very likable, so when he ends up in the crematorium in the end you feel for him.
And I have to mention Lucy Liu. I'm a huge Lucy Liu fan and I loved seeing her in the episode when I first watched it and I love seeing her in it on each re-watch. She doesn't get a ton to do. She's a generic sick girl. Lots of coughing. Weakly speaking. You never would have guessed she'd become the superstar she is today and I love that.
My main criticism of this episode is the plot. The victims are having their organs sold through a rigged lottery. They think they are losing body parts to eventually become rich but instead they are putting their lives on the line for nothing. The issue I have with is it is that it is very generic. It feels like an episode of "Law & Order" and that's not what I want to be thinking about when I'm watching "The X-Files." Aside from some thrown in theories about ghosts, some hallucinations and the frog popping out of Johnny Lo's body, there is nothing about this that says this is an episode of "The X-Files." The best episodes of the show have a balance of that procedural element along with the spooky and this one is all procedural. That's not what we are coming to this show to see.
Grade: C+
"Jose Chung's "From Outer Space"
Detective Manners: [in Scully's flashback] "Well, thanks a lot! You really bleeped up this case!"
Dana Scully: [retelling story] "Well, of course, he didn't say "bleeped." He said...
Jose Chung: "I'm familiar with Detective Manners' colorful phraseology."
Notable Guest Star(s): Charles Nelson Reilly as Jose Chung, Alex Trebek & Jesse Ventura as Men in Black
Mythology or Monster of the Week: MotW
X-File of the Week: Famous author, Jose Chung, interviews Special agent Dana Scully for his new book. It's about a strange alien abduction case that happened in Klass County, Washington. During these interviews, Chung tries to make sense of the conflicting stories and impressions the agents, particularly Fox Mulder, made on everyone, especially since Mulder refuses to speak to him.
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| Jose Chung |
If you asked me to pick out the best episode of "The X-Files," I would say, without hesitation, "Jose Chung's "From Outer Space." I have a little bit of a history with this episode. When I was in college, one of my communications professors, Marty Feeney (RIP), would have us watch episodes of television that he thought related to whatever we were studying and we'd write essays about them. We watched this episode and I wrote a very well received essay. I don't remember the contents because who remembers stuff like that? I do remember that I got an "A." Marty used to give out "trophies" for the best title. The "trophies" were medium sized mason jars. And I won one of them for the essay that was written about this episode. I appreciate you all indulging me telling this story.
This episode is the last episode that prolific "X-Files" writer, Darin Morgan, contributed to the show before returning for the revival. I'm not counting the re-write that he did for the episode "Quagmire." I really have to say that he saved the best for last. This is classic Morgan. The episode is funny. It has twists and turns. It is filled with quirky quotable characters. It's absurd. This episode really revels in the absurdity of the show. We, as viewers, kind of just accept the things that happens in most "X-Files" episodes as maybe not normal, but just how it goes. And this episode really zooms in on how ludicrous it all really is. From the multiple hypnosis sessions to alien abductions to the men in black to the how others perceive Mulder and Scully. It's fantastic.
Much like Peter Boyle in "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose," the success of this episode really rests on the shoulders of veteran comedian and character actor, Charles Nelson Reilly. Reilly was one of the first gay men I remember seeing on TV. He knocks this role out of the park. He's endearing and funny and snarky. The show has really found this formula for a great episode. Just pair Gillian Anderson with an older male actor, sit back and watch the magic happen. It's fun to see Scully kind of star struck in this episode. And I love listening to the inflections in Anderson's voice and the expressions on her face as she listens to herself tell this story to Chung realizing how ridiculous it sounds.
This episode is filled with colorful characters. There are the abductees, Chrissy and Harold. There is the electrician Roky Crikenson. There is Blaine Faulkner, the UFO nut who wants to be abducted. They all add to the rich tapestry of the episode. Were Chrissy and Harold really abducted and probed or is this just an elaborate cover story because they don't want to admit that they had sex. What about Roky's recitaiton of events in the form of a screenplay that features orgies and a trip to the center of the Earth with a third alien, Lord Kinbote. Blaine recounts his interactions with Mulder and Scully where he claims they threatened to kill him. They all provide legitimate laugh out loud moments throughout the episode.
Two of my favorite things in this episode are Detective Manners and the Men in Black. Detective Manners is a parody of the local cop that Mulder and Scully find themselves interacting with on a regular basis. The gag of his constant swearing and the show having him say bleeping instead of the associated curse word is a bit that really never gets old. The Men in Black being played by Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebek is pitch perfect. I love how they hold off on the Trebek reveal to the very end. The payoff is worth all the set up.
I don't really want to wax poetic about this episode too long. I really want to just encourage everyone to watch it. And maybe watch it again. It's so clever and fun and funny. I can almost guarantee that you'll want to watch it again after the credits roll.
Grade: A+
Next up, the agents get involved when Director Skinner is accused of murder and deaths on a small town lake are linked to a mythical sea serpent.
What do you all think? Is "Jose Chung" one of the best "X-Files" episodes of all time? Did you find "Hell Money" more engaging than I did? Let me know in the comments.
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