“Are you saying that the building’s haunted? Because if you are, you’ve been working with me for too long, Scully.” – Fox Mulder.
EXCELSIS DEI [Standalone] December 16, 1994
Episode: 2×11 / 35 Overall
Director: Stephen Surjik • Writer: Paul Brown
A series of violent attacks at a convalescent home are linked to angry spirits beyond the grave.
Known mainly at the time for directing the 1993 film Wayne’s World 2, Stephen Surjik requested to direct this episode as he was a fan of the series. Paul Brown, writer of Ascension returns for his second and final episode with a MOTW that touches on a few different social issues while weaving a delicate path between comedy and horror. The outlandish subject matter in this episode could have easily pushed it into the realm of comically absurd. However I felt that Brown’s script and Surjik’s direction, in conjunction with some capable performances, managed to find just the right balance between creepy and corny. The horror aspects are handled well and there are some genuinely unnerving moments coupled with emotionally charged drama. Apparently the production of this episode was plagued with difficulties that stemmed from the fact that the script was completed only two days prior to filming. Taking in to consideration this lack of preparation actually makes me appreciate the episode even more, a sentiment not generally shared among the majority of this show’s critics. On a side note, the episode’s title is misprinted on the DVD box set and in the disc menu as ‘Excelsius Dei’, this was corrected in the Blu-Ray release.
The mistreatment of the residents by the nurses and orderlies is a motivating factor in their ghostly attacks. As Gung says, we don’t treat our elderly with respect in this country, referring to the United States, abandoning them at nursing homes. They are not given the emotional love and support they deserve from the community. This is one of the issues Brown is examining with this episode. The nursing home staff hold the residents in contempt and to some degree we’re made to feel like the violence inflicted upon them by some of the elderly members is deserved. Mistreatment of patients and residents in elderly resting homes is a very real issue and certainly from an emotional point of view there is a moral grey area in the way many people ‘commit’ their elders to these places and relinquish responsibility for them to often underpaid and unappreciated medical staff that bare the brunt of (often Western) societies who do not respect the elderly. Certainly this is show exists within the realms of science fiction but the social issue is still relevant and helps to lend emotional weight to this ghost story.
Some reviewers have criticised the episode for its depiction of a rape case and the cavalier attitude that many of the characters have towards a woman who has clearly been brutally assaulted. Mulder in particular is quick to dismiss the case and if not for Scully he would have pursued it no further. Additionally, the nursing home management refuse to acknowledge the issue of rape, claiming that Nurse Carters simply concocted the story in order to take advantage of her employer’s medical disability. Whether intentional or not, it’s difficult to say what the writer’s personal viewpoint on cases involving rape is, I actually feel like the representation and victimisation of the female character, while frustrating is nonetheless a generally accurate depiction of the reality rape survivors. It’s a depressing truth that it’s near impossible to build a case around sexual assault due to the common lack of conclusive evidence. Due to this, rape survivors are often dismissed by law enforcement and offered little in the way of compensation for their physical and emotional trauma. The fact that no one believes Carter’s story or offers much sympathy for her is actually a fairly accurate portrayal of society’s attitude towards sexual violence involving women. Consequently, I disagree with the criticisms that this subject matter was handled poorly. If an audience member feels a sense of frustration and disgust at the treatment and lack of care afforded to the character in this story, it’s a reaction that I’d like to think writer Paul Brown was aiming for by tackling this social issue.
It’s nice to see Scully so invested in a case from the word go, instead of being dragged along by Mulder. There is a slight role reversal here and it’s a refreshing change of pace. I’m surprised Surjik didn’t hang around to direct a few more horror themed episodes as he does a great job creating a suitably unnerving atmosphere with the creepy setting of a dilapidated nursing home. There’s not much to fault here in what’s easily one of the series best efforts at a story involving malevolent ghosts and spectral entities and quite possibly my favourite MOTW so far for season 2.
★★★★☆
The X-Files Retrospective Project 