“They who slaughter the flesh, slaughter their own souls, and must be taught the way.” – Richard Odin.
RED MUSEUM [Mythology] December 9, 1994
Episode: 2×10 / 34 Overall
Director: Win Phelps • Writer: Chris Carter
A religious cult is accused of kidnapping teenagers for some type of ritual. But Mulder and Scully begin to suspect something else at play.
This episode appears at first to be a Monster of the Week until it shifts gear mid-way and ends up tying in to the mythology arc by making reference to season 1 finale, The Erlenmeyer Flask. Carter’s script is directed by one time contributor to the show, Win Phelps, and together they manage to deliver a creepy thriller which upon initial viewing can appear somewhat convoluted. However, after revisiting the episode I tend to disagree with the generally unfavourable reviews and argue that while there are certainly many elements to the plot, it’s easy enough to follow if you can keep up with the pace.
While this episode doesn’t offer any significant hard evidence to support Mulder’s theory regarding Purity Control, it still offers another alluring glimpse in to this shady conspiracy. Mark Rolston is always convincing at portraying someone who doesn’t seem quite right and he’s almost wasted in this episode as his engaging performance could have been utilised more. As it stands though, due to the high number of components that are packed in to this episode it would be difficult to see where exactly they could have fit this in. Carter’s script highlights the idea of fear of the unknown, particularly in small towns, and the paranoia that follows when presented with something that’s difficult to understand without delving below the surface. Despite their appearance the members of the Red Museum Church are in fact harmless and keep to themselves. Though in this small town it’s difficult for the community to accept their belief system and the fact that they don’t appear to follow the social norms, they are met with undeserved bigotry and judgement. Carter’s scripts always contain a broader theme or message and this is the idea he’s trying to get across this time.
Writer/Producer Glen Morgan disliked the treatment of ‘The Crew Cut Man’, feeling that his death scene was glossed over and not afforded the time it deserved. Considering this is the man who killed Deep Throat, who was such an integral component to the mythology, I agree that he could have been given some more screen time to develop his character a little more and I always half expected his return in later episodes. A gripe I could have with the episode is the lack of explanation for why the peeping tom was filming that particular family. At first it seems as though he’s simply a psychologically disturbed paedophile but it’s also possible that he was studying the boy in regards to the effect the alien DNA was having on him. At the same time though, it’s not so bad to leave some things unsaid or unexplained. As I’ve said previously, if one where to nit pick every unexplained moment on the X-Files they would quickly develop a rather long list. Mystery is an integral part of the show and from another perspective we could ask the question, is it enjoyable to have all the answers laid out in front of you as clear as day? Or does a certain degree of mystery actually serve to draw us deeper in to this fictional world, strengthening our desire for more.
★★★☆☆
The X-Files Retrospective Project 