“I’m not going to give up. I can’t give up. Not as long as the truth is out there.” – Fox Mulder.
THE ERLENMEYER FLASK [Mythology] Aired May 13, 1994
Episode: 1×23 / 24 Overall
Director: R.W Goodwin • Writer: Chris Carter
Deep Throat tips Mulder to a critically important case involving a missing fugitive and the cloning of extraterrestrial viruses.
Alternate tagline: ‘Trust no one’.
The final episode for season one introduces several significant plot elements that lay the ground work in establishing the series broader mythology. Though at the time Carter himself didn’t even know exactly where they were headed with some of these ideas, in retrospect the episode actually does a great job at establishing the human/alien hybrid experiments which the as yet unknown shadow government organisation is conducting. For the first time in the series, the iconic tag line “The truth is out there”, is replaced during the opening credits with the now quintessential phrase, “Trust no one,” echoing Deep Throat’s final words at the episodes conclusion. This is a device that will be used several times throughout the series, generally preceding episodes that significantly advance the mythology storyline.
The pair investigate the death of a scientist who was working on the human genome project. Scully has a substance analysed at Mulder’s request and they discover that it is alien DNA. This plot point introduces us to the concept of human/alien hybrid experimentation, a key component of the series mythology. Though it is ultimately unclear at this point why these experiments are taking place, it’s nonetheless a critical plot point that will continue to be developed throughout the course of the series. It’s exciting to re-watch this episode and realise just how significant The Erlenmeyer Flask is in establishing the ongoing conspiracies. The term ‘Purity Control’ makes it’s debut in this episode, as we now know this is the code name given to the hybrid project, which is the syndicate’s attempt at developing a race of humans that will be able to survive the impending colonisation of earth. The hybrid’s toxic blood and super human strength is established here by the character of Dr. William Secare (Simon Webb). The syndicate of course cannot risk exposing a hybrid to the outside world, and much of the episode’s action sequences involve the capture and extermination of this character.
Just when Deep Throat is becoming more interesting he is prematurely killed off by Carter at this episode’s conclusion. While this is disappointing from a fan’s perspective, it’s nevertheless a successful plot device in regards to establishing the threat that looms over Mulder and Scully if they pursue the X-Files investigations further. Carter has said that he felt killing off Deep Throat showed the audience that anyone, outside of Mulder and Scully, is expendable. This works to heighten the drama surrounding supporting characters, as we’re never sure just how long they will last on the show, anyone can be killed off if the storyline requires it. Having Deep Throat be killed also legitimises his characters involvement with the conspiracy. Up until this point we could argue that he is simply toying with Mulder, stringing him along with false information. His death at the hands of the shadow organisation involved in Purity Control shows us that he was in fact a key player who was in possession of information that could jeopardise their well laid plans. What this means for the audience is that when the character of ‘X’ is introduced next season, we’re more likely to trust that his information is genuine and are more sympathetic to the compromising and potentially life threatening situation he places himself in, in order to provide Mulder with information. Although the character of Deep Throat has been killed off, it’s not the last time we’ll see Jerry Hardin in the role, throughout the rest of series he will return in flashbacks that reveal more about his character’s background.
The episodes conclusion mirrors the final scene of the Pilot. The Smoking Man makes his third and final appearance in Season 1, seen here placing an Alien foetus among countless pieces of presumably top secret evidence in the Pentagon vault. The X-Files have been shut down and Mulder and Scully are to be re-assigned to new areas, thus we have come full circle over the course of the season as we first began with the F.B.I intending to debunk Mulder’s work and close down his unit. The closure of the X-Files was something Carter had always intended to end the series with, as he felt it was where the first season was always headed from day one. It was also fortunate that splitting up the agents in the beginning of Season 2 helped the writers to work around Gillian Anderson’s pregnancy. The Fox network was very hesitant to allow the series to end with the closure of the X-Files unit as they felt that it would give the impression that the series had been cancelled, which it had not. With the internet being in it’s infancy at the time, some fans of the show may have felt this was the case as there was not way to confirm or deny this assumption.
R.W. Goodwin’s skilled direction helps to propel this story along, much like Fallen Angel or E.B.E, this mythology episode covers a lot of ground and we’re hooked in from beginning to end. There’s almost a sense of information overload as Carter crams as much as he can in to 44 minutes. Goodwin keeps it focused though and there are some visually striking moments that are very memorable. Particularly the scene where Mulder discovers the tanks containing what we assume is human/alien hybrid subjects, suspended in water. The famous dolly zoom camera movement, immortalised in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, is used with considerably effect as Mulder enters the room. Before he even opens the door to the tanks we know we’re about to witness something significant.
Considering that there are still 8 more seasons to go, it’s interesting to note just how much has been established in only 5 mythology based episodes. The ground work has been laid for what will be a complex and often-times convoluted myth-arc that remains to this day ultimately unresolved. However, as confusing as it was to decipher the first time around, it’s arguably more interesting and engaging to track it’s progress in retrospect, armed with a solid foundation of knowledge gained from viewing the series multiple times. This is a testament to the series re-watchability, while some may argue that it should have been clearer the first time around, I personally feel that a show that demands revisiting and further analysing presents a far more interesting and engrossing experience.
★★★☆☆
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