“In case you haven’t noticed, Agent Mulder, the Statue of Liberty is on vacation. The new mandate says if you’re not a citizen you’d better keep out.” – Mr. X.
FRESH BONES [Standalone] Aired February 3, 1995
Episode: 2×15 / 39 Overall
Director: Rob Bowman • Writer: Howard Gordon
The death of a Marine, who allegedly committed suicide, unearths a disturbing truth at a Haitian refugee camp.
Inspired by the reported suicides of two U.S servicemen in Haiti, during Operation Uphold Democracy, which was successful in restoring peace to the region. Gordon originally wanted this episode to be set in Haiti itself, though this proved infeasible and the story was shifted to focus on Haitian refugees on American soil instead. The episode deals with both the supernatural concept of voodoo curses while at the same time acting as a social commentary on the inhumane treatment of refugees in holding camps. It’s unfortunate that this social and political element of the episode is just as relevant today, if not more so, than when this episode aired 20 years ago. First world country’s policies on asylum seekers is still a very thorny issue that fuels endless debates among politicians and the public, and due to this being a central theme that frames the story for this week, there is a particular poignancy to the episodes subject matter. Howard Gordon’s scripts are almost unrecognisable when compared to the pedestrian effort that he and writing partner Alex Gansa were producing in early season 1. In simply tracking the progression of his scripts alone we can clearly chart a significant growth in the shows complexity and sophistication regarding story telling.
There are a lot of unexplained elements to this story. Just what was the true nature of the child, Chester Bonaparte, who sells Scully the protection charm that ultimately seems to saves her life. How did Beauvais orchestrate the killing of the soldiers and what exactly was Wharton after when he was interrogating him. These questions however, did not seem to detract from my enjoyment of the episode. I would attribute this willingness to accept the unexplainable by the fact that the whole story is framed around voodoo magic, which is in itself mysterious in nature and arguably unexplainable by logic. I was happy to be taken on the ride and simply become swept up in the metaphysical power of voodoo magic. I particularly enjoyed the scene in which Scully hallucinates a man emerging from the sore on her hand and attacking her in the car. This was a really creepy concept with the man violently chanting French while strangling her and the black contact lenses they used to make Gillian Anderson’s eyes appear diluted were very effective. The political element of the episode regarding the mistreatment of refugees is not pushed as an agenda by the writer, rather it simply grounds the episode in a believable reality. It’s an obvious undercurrent to the story that’s deserves to be recognised but I was glad that it didn’t derail the story. This is after all science fiction, not a political drama.
Mr. X makes a brief appearance in order to tell Mulder that the government may actually be sanctioning Colonel Wharton’s revenge on the Haitians due to some of his men being killed while in the country. As with Deep Throat, Mr. X is sometimes used a key plot device to the propel the story in a certain direction, and other times, like this one, he’s simply used to deliver some quick exposition that neither detracts nor really adds anything of great value to the episode. I suppose though it’s good to remind the audience that he’s there, behind the scenes keeping an eye of Mulder’s work, ready to intervene if necessary.
Mulder doesn’t really have great deal of understanding regarding Haitian voodoo and this is one of those episodes where both agents appear out of their depth, dealing with forces they don’t fully understand. It’s good that the writer’s didn’t fall in to the trap of having Mulder be an expert in all things supernatural. While he certainly has an extensive and varied range of knowledge regarding supernatural concepts, he does at times get it wrong or simply encounter something he has not had a great deal of experience in. This is the sort of stuff that makes characters more interesting, having them sometimes get it wrong or make bad decisions. It endears us to them because they appear more human and therefore relate-able to an audience. The development of the shows two lead characters and their captivating performances played a huge part in the success of the series and it’s fascinating to analyse their progress over the nine year run.
★★★☆☆
The X-Files Retrospective Project 