Season 2 Finale – ‘Anasazi’.

“Nothing disappears without a trace.” – Albert Hosteen.

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ANASAZI [Mythology] Aired May 19, 1995

Episode: 2×25 / 49 Overall

Director: R.W. Goodwin • Writer: Chris Carter & David Duchovny

Mulder receives an encrypted computer disk containing the defense department’s top secret files on extraterrestrial life.

Alternate tagline: ‘Éí ‘Aaníígóó ‘Áhoot’é‘, which is Navajo for ‘The Truth is Out There’.

Carter worked closely with Duchovny to develop the story for the final episode of season 2, the first of a three-part story arc that continues in to season 3. Carter was apparently pleased with the way the finale posed more questions than it answered and this is certainly a trademark of most mythology episodes. While the standalone shows would often vary in many aspects; tone, rhythm, pacing and so on, the myth-arc entries almost all share a very similar structure, and one aspect of this is that they often featured quite densely layered plots, attempting to cover a lot of ground in limited time period. Early on these episodes were few and far between so you get the sense that when they did venture into mythology territory that they worked hard to make the most of it. This method achieves varying effects. For one, they can rarely be described as boring, moving swiftly from scene to scene with frantic urgency, teasing the reveal of a course changing revelation, though admittedly never quite satisfying our desire for the infamous ‘truth’. Arguably an intentional effect, attempting, and often succeeding, at keeping us baited but never fully content that we’ve been given the whole story. And herein lies the root of their undoing. This obsessive desire to cover so much ground while persisting to hold back on ever answering the big questions unfortunately resulted in as much, if not more, frustration as fulfillment. Looking forward, it’s clear that the series weaved itself in to tangled mess of loose ends and while it’s certainly possible to stand back and construct some overall sense of structure, it still demands a lot from the viewer in the process. While it’s easy to criticise the mythology arcs when looking at the big picture in retrospect, it’s important to attempt to take each episode on its own merits, regardless if the end doesn’t quite match up perfectly with what was set in place in these early stages. With that in mind, ‘Anasazi’ is undoubtably an enjoyable episode that ends on what could be called the series greatest cliffhanger, the apparent death of Mulder.

This isn’t the only time the series teased the possible demise of Mulder, however at this stage after only two seasons it would have been possible to convince audiences that the character may in fact not return for future episodes. The future of the series was undetermined and really could have gone in any number of directions. The apparent death of Mulder brought a lot of interest to the show and succeeded in keeping the fan base on board for the next installment. The writer’s also shocked audiences with the sudden death of Bill Mulder, whom we had only just begun to get to know. Carter has been quoted as saying that this turn of events proved that ‘anything could happen in the X-Files’ and to this end the plot device served its purpose. This also laid the groundwork for Mulder’s hatred for Krycek which will hold strong throughout the coming seasons.

The art department had their work cut out for them with the re-creation of the New Mexico environment. As it was too difficult and expensive to fly the crew to the location, 16,000 gallons of red paint were used to transform a rock quarry in Vancouver in to a believable New Mexico location. The painted rocks were then combined with images shot in New Mexico to achieve the final result, which all things considered is nothing short of spectacular. Duchovny pulls in a compelling performance as he gradually shifts in to a more agitated state due to the contaminated water. It’s a subtle direction at first, which is almost imperceptible, but progressively builds at a steady rate throughout the show and is one of the episode’s strong points. It’s a pity Scully doesn’t have more to do but this is a very Mulder-centric story that’s being told, which is fine as it works well. Carter himself makes his first cameo on the show as an agent interrogating Scully in Skinner’s office. The impact of the final moments is certainly lost over time since we’re all very aware that Mulder doesn’t die in the train car, however it doesn’t take away from the initial effect this would have had on first time viewers. In many ways this feels like the beginning of a story arc more than a season finale. While tantalizingly frustrating in 1995, thankfully we now have the luxury of DVD to propel us forward and skip the agonizing months of waiting for the next season.

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★★★☆☆

Season 2, Episode 24 – ‘Our Town’.

“Chaco Chicken. Good People. Good Food.”  – Chaco Motto.

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OUR TOWN [Standalone] Aired May 12, 1995

Episode: 2×24 / 48 Overall

Director: Rob Bowman • Writer: Frank Spotnitz

Reports of foxfire on a field in Dudley, Arkansas lead Mulder and Scully to a bizarre situation regarding the townsfolk. Employees of the Chaco Chicken Corporation are displaying bizarre behavior, and the death rate is slowly increasing.

There’s something creepy about small towns. The idea of wandering in to some backwoods part of the country where everyone except you is in on the secret. There’s an incestuous vibe to it, a sense of anonymity and isolation which suggests that what happens in this town, stays in this town. Many horror stories take place in a small towns, often somewhere in the Southern United States, where folks are a bit ‘set in their ways’ and wary of outsiders. The unassuming traveller unintentionally brings with them the threat of change or perhaps the locals fear their unconventional ways will be exposed by this interloper. Either way there’s always something sinister lurking just underneath the friendly visage. Spotnitz’s first standalone episode, his second overall, employs this familiar trope with a story about human cannibalism. The script isn’t populated by the type of inbred caricatures we often see in these stories, rather the townsfolk all appear quite normal when we meet them. It’s their actions that are disturbing.

Spotnitz doesn’t give anything away too quickly, and the plot is slowly fleshed out over the course of the episode so that we’re never guessing too far ahead of what’s happening on screen. The inclusion of the rare disease works almost like a misdirection to the cannibalism. This, along with the discovery of Paula’s age discrepancy and the mysterious tribal masked murderer at the beginning of the episode mean that early on in the proceedings it feels like the story could go in many different directions. There’s a good sense of mystery about the events that have occurred and Mulder and Scully get down to some solid detective work to uncover the truth. The tone is sometimes comedic, especially early on, and gradually descends in to a much darker, more sinister feel as we discover the horrors that are occurring in Dudley. The scene in which Paula slowly submerges in a vat of blood and ground chicken waste is both suitably disgusting and also a clever foreshadowing of what will be revealed later on.

The writing does waver towards the end when they once again resort to placing Scully in danger in order for Mulder to save her. It’s a little hard to swallow this type of plot device when we consider that our female lead is a highly trained F.B.I. field agent who you would expect to be able to handle herself without the need to rely on her male counterpart. It’s also not so much the sexism of the situation as it is a tired cliché of creating a climactic moment by placing one of the leads in danger. I find this rarely works to their advantage as there is never any doubt that either will be harmed. After all, we need them to come back for the next episode. Placing a more minor character in danger has a greater effect as it’s very plausible that they will get killed. Of course the audience needs to care about this person for the effect to pay off so there’s a delicate balance between using the invincible main characters and an insignificant bit player whom we couldn’t care less about. The revelation that Chaco, a man with the appearance of a 60 year old, is actually 93 gives credence to the idea of cannibalism prolonging life. The inclusion of this plot point has been criticized as going too far but I thought it added to the slightly supernatural feel of the episode and gave the story more weight. It worked particularly well because it wasn’t laboured as an integral component of the show, but worked simply as an arousing addition to cap off the story. An enjoyably creepy, perhaps even underrated, small town horror story to conclude this season’s standalone tales.

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★★★☆☆

Season 2, Episode 23 – ‘Soft Light’.

“Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.” – Fox Mulder.

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SOFT LIGHT [Standalone] Aired May 5, 1995

Episode: 2×23 / 47 Overall

Director: James A. Contner • Writer: Vince Gilligan

The agents hunt down a scientist who is literally afraid of his own shadow.

In 1995, Vince Gilligan was a relatively inexperienced screenwriter with only a single credit to his name. He was also a fan of The X-Files and, at Carter’s request, submitted a script as a freelancer writer. Carter and Howard Gordon then edited the script that would become Soft Light, leading to the hiring of Gilligan as a permanent member of the writing staff. As the years progressed he would continue to pen some highly acclaimed screenplays for the series and take on the additional roles of producer and director, not only for The X-Files but also Carter’s side projects, Harsh Realm and The Lone Gunmen. He is of course now well known as the creator of the groundbreaking AMC produced television series Breaking Bad and it’s surprisingly successful spin-off Better Call Saul, he also wrote the screenplay for the film Hancock. He became an integral component of the shows success, a key figure behind the scenes alongside Carter and Spotnitz. His first script is one that I can vividly recall watching back when it aired on television and it has stuck with me ever since. I would cite Soft Light among my favorite episodes. This isn’t as universally praised as other Gilligan episodes like season five’s Bad Blood or season six’s Dreamland (Parts I & II) but it had a significant impact on me and like Darkness Falls is one of the early episodes that for one reason or another struck a chord and has been permanently etched in to my mind.

The screenplay runs like a procedural detective story with supernatural elements. We spend a lot of time with Mulder and Scully investigating crime scenes, examining clues and posing hypotheses. Their thorough investigatory techniques lead them to find Chester, not by coincidence or happenstance but through a logical progression of fact finding and evidence examination. This is less common that it sounds for the series. We don’t often follow the agents from one crime scene to another and witness them playing the role of detective in such a traditional sense. There’s nothing mysterious or inexplicable about how they find Chester. Mulder and Scully spend a lot of time together and this was always smart move since they have such great chemistry, whenever they are split up in other episodes there seems to be less dramatic congruence. This makes the episode feel very grounded in reality, despite the premise of a man-eating shadow, which admittedly sounds a little silly when you say it out loud. However, Shalhoub’s acting is very naturalistic and we really believe the fear that he’s expressing. It’s an interesting idea that the monster, and the person most afraid of that monster are one and the same. On one hand you have an unstoppable, indiscriminate killer, Banton’s dark matter shadow, and on the other a mild mannered scientist who’s terrified of hurting anyone, it’s a little like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Combine these two elements together and you have a character who’s wrestling with the physical manifestation of his inner demons.

The effects of the shadow consuming people is left nice and simple, this is lucky since they could have overdone it and caused the CGI to age much more rapidly. As it stands it’s still highly effective decades later. The idea of someone being sucked into a dark matter black whole is a scary thought. I’ve often wondered whether they are in fact dead or perhaps they are still existing in another dimensional space and time. The character of X makes some interesting choices in this episode. It had been a while since his character had any significant headway and here we see him seemingly cross the line between friend and foe. Having X deceive Mulder and capture Chester for the government makes us question his motives. We’re left to decide whether he’s simply an antagonist working alongside people like the Cancer Man or whether he has to answer to superiors and is forced to take action. It’s intentionally left open by Gilligan and this is makes X a far more interesting character because of it. Gilligan even included a nice little reference to Tooms, having Scully examining the heat vent “just in case”.

Perhaps the secret to the episode’s success is the casting of Tony Shalhoub as Dr. Chester Ray Banton, the emotionally torn physicist who’s literally afraid of his own shadow. Or maybe there is simply an indefinable, subjective quality that makes an episode stand out from the pack. Every fan has their personal favorites and often no manner of intellectual justification or objective analysis can fully explain the emotional response one receives from the experience of watching it. This is Soft Light for me.

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★★★★★

Season 2, Episode 22 – ‘F. Emasculata’.

“I stand right on the line that you keep crossing.” – A.D. Skinner.

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F. EMASCULATA [Standalone] Aired April 28, 1995

Episode: 2×22 / 46 Overall

Director: Rob Bowman • Writer: Howard Gordon & Chris Carter

As Scully investigates the spread of a deadly contagion at a prison, Mulder tracks down two escaped convicts infected with the disease.

Long running sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother and That ’70s Show had one director for every episode. I imagine this would be a huge benefit to show, making visual and stylistic continuity infinitely easier to maintain. While these are half hour sitcoms with far less elaborate setups and half the running time of The X-Files, I have still often wondered why the series had so many one time directors instead of sticking with a core group of regulars. Perhaps they feared that sticking with the same director on a long term basis would cause the series to go stale. After all one of the secrets of the shows success is that within a basic framework, from episode to episode they were able to cross multiple genres and stylistic approaches that made every entry, at the very least, feel like a fresh experience. However, this also increases the failure rate by relying on directors who are perhaps less experience than others or just less familiar with the tone of the series. A clear example of this visual inconsistency can be seen when comparing the direction of the previous episode, The Calusari, by Michael Vejar, a one time director with no internal ties to the show. To the this far superior entry by Rob Bowman, series producer and director of multiple episodes, including the 1998 feature film. The difference is noticeable from the very opening shot, it’s immediately more engaging thanks to his direction, the camera angles and movement have a much more cinematic feel to them. This episode felt more like a mini movie. Of course this isn’t so much a criticism against Vejar as a director, rather it’s to point out that directors who’ve had more experience on the show, Bowman, Carter, Manners, Nutter, tend to produce better episodes simply because they seem to understand the tone of the series more. As such, this episode ranks among the top end for series two, it’s a monster of the week but with a bigger scope than we’re used to. It almost feels like a mythology episode especially with the inclusion of the Cancer Man.

The makeup work by Toby Lindala is perfectly disgusting, as victims stricken with the virus grow huge exploding pustules on their face and neck. It’s designed to gross out the audience and it certainly does the trick. But there’s more to this episode than just the special effects. The scale of the production feels much larger than the previous episode, this is a story you could really see working well on the big screen. In fact the producers were a little wary of running the episode so close to the film Outbreak as they share similar themes. The addition of the Cancer Man to a stand-alone episode is rare, Carter has said that he didn’t like mixing MOTW and Mythology episodes but his inclusion helps to give scope to this story. The screenplay is tightly woven as they make full use of the 44 minute running time, each scene feels like it’s progressing the story there’s nothing superfluous here. Both Duchovny and Anderson are given something interesting to do, they spend most of the episode apart but their characters contributions to the story are equally important and engaging. The guest stars are another element which attributes to the success of the episode, particularly Dean Norris, who much later will play a major role in X-Files producer Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad and also Charles Martin Smith as Dr. Osbourne.

When the X-Files really hits the mark it’s comparable to the best television being produced today. Aside from the odd effect here and there and perhaps some dated clothing styles, the series has aged exceptionally well. Thematically a story like this still feels fresh and the execution, thanks largely to Bowman’s direction, is as visually engaging and dynamic as the productions values we’re used to from feature films. A strong highlight for season two.

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★★★★☆

Season 2, Episode 21 – ‘The Calusari’.

“Neither innocence nor vigilance may be protection against the howling heart of evil.” – Fox Mulder.

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THE CALUSARI [Standalone] Aired April 14, 1995

Episode: 2×21 / 45 Overall

Director: Michael Vejar • Writer: Sara B. Charno

The agents investigate when a young boy’s family is plagued by a series of tragic accidents.

Charno’s second script borrows heavily from films like The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) which challenge the traditional archetypal villain, in some cases the personification of the Devil, by having a child embody this evil. This can be highly effective at terrifying audiences, as the juxtaposition of innocence and purity, that we associate with a child, with the malevolent and destructive force of pure evil, can be very unsettling. At the same time however, this concept can easily become comical. The ‘evil child’ trope is often unsuccessful at being genuinely scary since the execution of the idea is riding so heavily on the performance of an often inexperienced actor. The question here is where does The Calusari fall in it’s attempt at dramatic horror? For the most part it sticks the landing and despite sometimes missing the mark it’s largely successful even though it’s wholly unoriginal. This was the only X-Files episode in the life of the series to receive a UK ’18’ rating for featuring the death of a small child and the overall disturbing nature of the premise. Joel Palmer returns once again to the series to play the ‘devil child’, he was featured in season one’s forgettable entry, Conduit.

The tightrope of comedy and horror that this episode traverses holds steady for the most part though there are a few slips here and there. One such moment that was written to be scary but comes of as funny is when Michael, Charlie’s twin brother who has materialized from the dead, says “What are you doing Mummy?” They pushed a little hard with this line and it comes off as a forced attempt at being creepy. Yet at other points in the episode Palmer is actually quite convincing, such as when he is violently resisting the exorcism or when his twin is about to stab Scully, he manages to pull off a credible menacing presence, no small feat for a child actor.

The opening and closing sequences are probably the two strongest moments in the show, and this helps carry some of the dead weight and loose ends that were not thoroughly explored during the course of the episode. Such as the grandmother’s claims that the father is the devil or a demon. This is never explored to any great length, we start to get a sense at one point that there may be some truth to this claim but it’s left wide open after his ‘accidental’ death at the hands of the garage door opener motor. The grandmother claims at one point that the boy is evil because the father is evil, but then later on we learn that the evil actually stems from the fact that Charlie’s twin brother Micheal died at birth and the proper soul separating ceremony was not performed. Supposedly this mean that death will now follow Charlie throughout his life. What, if anything, this has to do with her earlier accusations against the father is underdeveloped. A positive addition is that we’re treated to the first appearance of Chuck Burk (Bill Dow) whom Mulder will call upon at various times throughout the series for his unique take on all things paranormal. This is a character I always felt could have been given more screen time and was unfortunately under used.

An aspect that I enjoyed about the climax was that both Mulder and Scully witness equally terrifying and unexplained events. Mulder watches as the evil force is drawn from Charlie’s body as he thrashes around in the hospital bed. Looking for perhaps the first time genuinely frightened and confused by what he is witnessing. At the same time Scully enters the family home to find the mother pinned to the ceiling and Michael advancing upon her with a knife, only to vanish in to thin air moments later leaving behind a small pile of ash, or ‘vibhuti’ the residual sign of spiritual energy. There is a sense at the end of the episode that both agents have experienced something profound, they can neither can fully explain or understand it and both have been moved by the event. The fact that we don’t see a conversation between them were Scully tries to use science to justify the occurrence gives the impression that for once she can’t explain it in any rational sense. It’s about time.

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★★★☆☆

Season 2, Episode 20 – ‘Humbug’.

“Mr Nut, the kindhearted manager here, convinced me that to make a living by publicly displaying my deformity lacked dignity. So… now I carry other people’s luggage.” – Lanny.

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HUMBUG [Standalone] Aired March 31, 1995

Episode: 2×20 / 44 Overall

Director: Kim Manners • Writer: Darin Morgan

The agents search for a killer in a Florida town inhabited by sideshow performers.

Darin Morgan’s first script for The X-Files, not counting his story credit on Blood, was a seminal moment for the series. Morgan weaved his irreverent style of black comedy so seamlessly into the Monster of the Week format that while it represented a significant tonal shift for the series, it was at the same time such a natural fit that it feels like a perfectly logical direction for the writing to take. The absurd nature of the X-File cases that Mulder and Scully investigate often tread a fine line between comical and horrifying, accepting the ridiculousness of the situation and embracing the comedic element was a very smart decision by the writers. Morgan was instrumental in this realisation that the show could weave comedy through the established horror/thriller format that they had developed up to this point. It really shouldn’t be so surprising that it works since comedy and horror have always gone hand in hand. Horror films often use comic relief as a reprieve from the scares. Duchovny has always played Mulder with a sense of humour, ever since the Pilot, and here he showed that he was able to utilise his offbeat sensibility to great effect by simply turning up the dial from deadpan to goofy and finding just the right balance. All of Morgan’s contributions as a writer used this ‘comedy’ format and while others followed suit by delivering some fan favorites in this style it’s important that we give credit to Morgan for daring to push the envelope so early on in the life of the show.

By injecting just the right about of comedy and a certain self-awareness in to the mix, Morgan was able to save his story from being seen as a parody of the show and have it be not only accepted but embraced by fans and critics. It’s clear we’re not supposed to take things too seriously here, but it’s still the X-Files and there’s still some genuinely creepy moments throughout. The idea of a conjoined twin detaching itself and attempting to find a new host by gouging out their stomach flesh is admittedly funny in one sense but on the other hand a deeply disturbing image. Unlike some later comedy episodes the actors don’t ham up their performances much at all, rather they take a ridiculous situation and play it with dramatic integrity. This stops the episode from being too jokey, and the comedy is more understated than too on-the-nose.

A well known piece of trivia from this episode involves a scene between the agents and Dr. Blockhead. Having been offered a jar of live cockroaches, Scully takes one from the jar and eats it, only to reveal moments later to Mulder that she hid it with a slight of hand. During filming however, Gillian Anderson actually took the live bug and put it in her mouth, she held it there, pretending to chew until Manners yelled cut and then she spit out the still live cockroach. Duchovny apparently stated that he liked the fact that Morgan’s scripts almost seemed like he was trying to destroy the show. It’s not hard to imagine this attempt at comedy failing dismally. This could have easily earned a place among the worst of the X-Files episodes. However thanks to a willingness of the fans to embrace this new direction, the future of the series was irrevocably altered for the better. Without the tenacity of Morgan’s genre bending script writing we would likely never have gotten to experience such gems as Bad Blood, Small Potatoes and the season six two-parter Dreamland. Also, without this comedic touch it’s entirely possible that the show might not have lasted as long as it did, offering no respite from oftentimes overbearingly gloomy atmosphere. I can only speculate but I would imagine that episodes like this would have drawn in a wider audience or simply a different crowd that were initially not so willing to invest in a dramatic science fiction horror show about aliens and monsters.

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★★★☆☆

Season 2, Episode 19 – ‘Død Kalm’.

“I always thought when I got older I’d maybe take a cruise somewhere. This isn’t exactly what I had in mind.” – Fox Mulder.

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DØD KALM [Standalone] Aired March 10, 1995

Episode: 2×19 / 43 Overall

Director: Rob Bowman • Writer: Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa

When some people on a ship are rescued, it is discovered that they are aging and later, dying. Mulder takes it upon himself to investigate the ship, which he believes has been the target of Philadelphia Experiments.

The X-Files had its fair share of gruesome monsters on the show, brought to life often with great success by the highly skilled art department. A monster of the week lineup from the entire series would be a veritable cornucopia of ghosts, ghouls, zombies, werewolves, vampires and mutants. Some of these nightmarish creations have become iconic images from the series, permanently etched in to the minds of the viewers. Any fan will remember characters like the Flukeman from The Host, Eugene Tooms from Squeeze and Tooms, the Peacock family from Home and The Great Mutato from The Post-modern Prometheus. Not to mention the many human ‘monsters’ such as the mind-controlling Pusher, Robert Modell, and the creepy child killer John Lee Roach from Paper Hearts. There’s no doubt the writers thought up some memorable antagonists for Mulder and Scully to face. However, there’s also another type of ‘monster’ that takes on a less corporeal form, the type of ‘monster’ the agents face in this episode. As wonderful as the zombies and mutant sewer creatures are I’ve always found that the unseen evil can be even more frightening. A force, entity or disease can, in some respects, pose a far greater danger. Once evil manifests itself physically, there is a sense that it can be contained and ultimately destroyed in one way or another. However if it is faceless, an ethereal presence, in some ways it poses a greater threat. This is what the agents face in Død Kalm, a threat they can neither see and struggle to fully understand.

The episode slows things right down, with a minimal cast, static environment and focus on dialogue and atmosphere over action. This was done partly to give the crew a rest following a series of demanding shoots with the previous episodes. The vibe and plot is similar to Darkness Falls, a small group of people trapped in an isolated place, the danger growing with the passing of time, and an invisible threat that they cannot fight head on. Everything about the ship is dark and foreboding and since the majority of the episode takes place here it’s quite a gloomy feeling show. Which is a good thing. This is one of those times where Mulder’s initial theory turns out to be way off and it’s Scully who uses her scientifically minded way of seeing to discover the cause of the rapid aging. Another good example of how the pair complement each other with their opposing ways of approaching a situation.

The extensive makeup and prosthetics applied to the actors was poorly received by many fans and drew harsh criticisms from some critics. It’s important to remember that the change in the character’s appearance was caused by cell damage and an overproduction of salt. This means that their skin became wrinkly, taking on the look of an elderly person. Therefore since the characters are not actually aging, but rather becoming deformed in a sense, you could excuse the somewhat odd makeup effects to a certain extent. Gillian Anderson’s makeup was done well, John Savage’s makeup never seemed to be quite enough as compared to Anderson’s and this was not explained within the story. Duchovny on the other hand looked almost comical by the end, there was far too much latex used which made his face lose to much of it’s natural shape and severely inhibited his facial expression. Poor effects notwithstanding, this still wasn’t enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the show. Once again the main characters are put in mortal danger, even though we of course know that they’ll survive it’s still good to see that the writer’s are not afraid to let their lead actors get dirty. I like that at one point there is a doctor that approaches Scully, who’s in charge of the unit she’s investigating and she just happens to be both a woman and black. This may seem trivial but they could very easily have cast a while male doctor instead, the series often made conscious choices like this which I applaud.

Apparently the Norwegian spoken in this episode is very poor, according to people who speak the language, I personally have had very little experience listening to people from Norway so in all honesty I had no idea whether it was accurate or not. Some reviewers espouse that even people who aren’t familiar will the language could surely tell it sounded off, apparently not. One would assume the title Død Kalm is a Norwegian word but it’s actually gibberish. Død translates to Dead, however Kalm is not a word. Obviously the writer’s were intending the translation to be Dead Calm, which would refer to the stillness that took over the ship and most likely also reference the 1989  film Dead Calm. Yet again I seem to be at odds with the general consensus on this entry from Gordon and Gansa. Maybe it’s Bowman’s direction or my fascination with claustrophobic minimal settings that rely on characters to move the story forward but this is a Monster of the Week that borrows from, and earns its place among, earlier successful entries like Darkness Falls and Ice.

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★★★★☆

Season 2, Episode 18 – ‘Fearful Symmetry’.

“Mulder, if you’re still suggesting that an elephant did this it defies logic. Someone would have seen it.” – Dana Scully.

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FEARFUL SYMMETRY [Standalone] Aired February 24, 1995

Episode: 2×18 / 42 Overall

Director: James Whitmore Jr. • Writer: Steve De Jarnatt

Animals from a zoo in Idaho are suspected of killing several people, but witnesses claim the real culprit is a powerful invincible force.

This is one of the rare episodes I can remember watching on TV during it’s original airing. I recall at the time that I found it quite disturbing and now 20 years on from that first impression little has changed to dissuade my opinion. Written and directed by another pair of X-Files one-timers, it’s certainly understandable that some critics and fans have had unfavourable reactions to what seems at first to be a rather ridiculous premise. The script feels very Carter-esque which pushes an agenda regarding animal rights and concludes with stern warning to human-kind that our reckless attitude towards nature and our current state of apathy regarding our imminent self-destruction will lead to our downfall. This is unless we receive some assistance from another civilisation who has the foresight to anticipate our demise and help us prevent it. The common consensus that this episode is unintentionally comedic is a justifiable reaction, certainly invisible elephants and animal abducting aliens could err on the side of absurdity. And it’s possible that my enjoyment of this episode is due to a sense of nostalgia rather than it being good story telling. Nevertheless, contrary to popular belief I still find this worthy of a re-visit.

Aliens abducting animals may seem like a silly idea on paper but one could easily make the argument, if human abductions are so easy to accept within the realms of science-fiction then why not animals? After all, all life on earth should be foreign to an alien civilisation. From an alien perspective, there is conceivably just as much to learn from experimenting on a cockroach as with a human. Going one step further, the argument could be made that animals are in fact easier to deal with since there is no need to wipe their memories and people are much less concerned with the disappearance of an animal versus a human being. Therefore the subject matter of this episode is well within the boundaries of the believable. The idea is handled with a sense of realism and re-watching the episode I found nothing comedic about the execution.

The connection between the episode and it’s title alluded me until I discovered that it’s taken from a line in a poem written by William Blake, The Tyger –

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, 

In the forests of the night; 

What immortal hand or eye, 

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

The pre-CGI practical effects of the invisible elephants destruction is worth a mention as they have held up extremely well over the past two decades. The scene where the animal rights activist is mauled to death by an invisible tiger is also done well, both of these sequences could have severely hampered the intended effect however I found them very serviceable even today. This is certainly not the greatest episode of the series, however I do believe it’s unworthy of it’s harsh criticism. On whole the direction is hit and miss, there’s an over-abundance of close ups in the early scenes that ends up feeling like a series of talking heads, yet on the other hand there’s the previously mentioned opening sequence which is very memorable. Much like season one’s Space which was panned by critics for it’s supposedly outlandish plot, Fearful Symmetry seems to have received the same unwarranted backlash from an audience who maybe forgot what television show they were watching at the time. This the X-Files remember, unexplained paranormal phenomena abounds.

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★★★☆☆

Season 2, Episode 17 – ‘End Game’.

“I found something I thought I’d lost … faith to keep looking.” – Fox Mulder.

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END GAME [Mythology] Aired February 17, 1995

Episode: 2×17 / 41 Overall

Director: Rob Bowman • Writer: Frank Spotnitz

Mulder attempts to catch an alien bounty hunter who holds the key to his sister’s whereabouts.

The conclusion to the two part mythology story line that began with Colony, which is arguably the superior of the two, thanks mainly to the competent direction from Rob Bowman. This is the first credited work of Frank Spotnitz who will go on to become a key collaborator in the series as a writer and executive producer, contributing to both feature films and creating the short lived spin-off series, The Lone Gunman. Spotnitz also worked as a producer on Harsh Realm and Millennium, two other Carter produced shows, and has returned for the 2016 mini-series event. Spotnitz worked closely with Carter over the years to develop the mythology of the show. A great deal of what will become the tangled web of secret government conspiracies, interwoven counter-plots and entangled backstories was intricately constructed by these two. End Game heaps exposition at us by the bucket load at such an overwhelming pace that it’s difficult to take it all in upon first viewing. Spotnitz attempts to answer the questions left by Colony though in the process we’re left scratching our heads, searching for the missing pieces while second guessing the information handed to us, is this the ever elusive ‘truth’, or yet another deception? Even so it’s a hell of a ride.

The pacing of this episode is tighter than it’s predecessor and Bowman’s direction shapes a more noticeably polished experience. The scenes in Alaska towards the end of the episode are a definite highlight, the submarine/spacecraft submerged in the ice provides a memorable visual spectacle that is a key element to the climactic finish of this two-parter. Once again the relationship between the agents is tested, only to be strengthened further by the events that take place. Scully is, somewhat disappointingly, placed in the damsel-in-distress role once again, relying on Mulder to save her. However, the tables turn and Scully plays the role of savior, returning the favor. If anything this episode shows us that Mulder and Scully are a team and when they’re separated physically or at odds with one another, trouble will ensue. Furthermore, beyond their mutual respect that exists between them on a professional level, there is a willingness to go beyond the requirements of the job description in order to help one another. There is little doubt at this point that these two agents share more than a professional relationship, considering all they’ve been through it’s clear that they are prepared to go the extra mile for each other. Even if Scully doesn’t believe to the extent that Mulder does, she does however believe in his convictions and is willing to fight for the cause, even while battling her own conflicting feelings regarding the facts from a scientific perspective. This is of course what makes the dynamic between them so compelling.

Scully attempts to enlist Skinner’s help when Mulder performs his disappearing act but she is met with hostility and a resistance to lend support. However as we’ve begun to expect from Skinner, he is all to aware of his superiors discovering where his allegiance lies and he turns out to, literally, fight for the information which helps save Mulder’s life. Scully contacts X using Mulder’s usual method though he is unwilling to help when he finds out it’s her. Skinner however confronts X as he attempts to leave the building which results in a violent encounter. Proving conclusively that Skinner is in fact willing to risk a great deal for his subordinates on a personal and professional level, and has a personal stake in the X-Files unit. This is a turning point for the character of Skinner whom we now see as a true ally to the agents. In the position that he’s in, Skinner is perhaps more aware of how deep the conspiracy goes than Mulder himself, who is really at this stage of the game still quite naive.

Introducing Samantha only to effectively kill her off in the next episode feels a little cheap. It might have been nice to keep her around a little longer before revealing the truth about her so that as an audience we could develop a relationship with the character which would in turn give the reveal more impact. On a positive note, the Bounty Hunter’s shape-shifting ability is a great device at creating tension as we’re never sure exactly who is who in this story. During the interaction between fake Mulder and Scully in her apartment there’s really no way to tell whether it’s him or not and this very effective. Even during the final encounter in the submarine you’re just about to start trusting the disheveled and frightened crew member before he reveals his true nature. Overall, the Colony / End Game story-line establishes some rich mythology based plot that really helps to begin to flesh out the X-Files universe and show us what the series is capable of.

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★★★☆☆

Season 2, Episode 16 – ‘Colony’.

“I have lived with a fragile faith built on the ether of vague memories from an experience that I can neither prove nor explain.” – Fox Mulder.

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COLONY [Mythology] Aired February 10, 1995

Episode: 2×16 / 40 Overall

Director: Nick Marck • Writer: Chris Carter & David Duchovny

When someone sends Mulder and Scully obituaries showing three separate but identical men apparently having died, the agents investigate, but things take an unexpected turn when Mulder receives a call from his father.

Duchovny’s first contribution as a c0-writer is for an episode that introduces us to some major players in the X-Files ongoing mythology. This first installment of a two part thriller is directed by another series one-timer, Nick Marck, and ends with a cliffhanger that makes us eager for the story’s conclusion. Mulder’s sister, or a version of her as we’ll later discover, makes her first appearance as portrayed by actress Megan Leitch, along with Mulder’s mother and father and of course the infamous Alien Bounty Hunter, all being introduced to audiences for the first time. Deception runs thick as Mulder and Scully inadvertently aid the opposition and are led astray by people they thought they could trust. Proving once again that Deep Throat had it right when he warned Mulder to “Trust no one.”

The prologue to this two-part mythology begins with a short wistful monologue that sounds almost melancholy in its realisation that Mulder’s life’s work may finally have been justified by a revelatory experience that may also end his life. This dialogue is spoken over the visuals of Mulder being rushed to emergency in a life threatening condition, however the events which led to this dire situation won’t be revealed until the following episode. An engaging prologue, or ‘cold opening’ in TV speak, has a huge impact on the audiences interaction with the show. If we’re drawn in by an enticing sequence that leaves us with questions begging to be answered we’re more primed to enjoy what follows. Just as an explosive opening to an action film will get our blood pumping and edged forward on our seats or a well presented trailer will get us excited about the upcoming experience, first impressions count for a lot. In the format of a television show the opening prologue that runs before the title sequence is designed to stop us changing channels, to hook us in and say, ‘you’re in for a treat with this one.’ Certainly the X-Files did not always hit the mark with these sequences but Colony’s captivating opening scene does it’s job in grabbing out attention.

Duchovny apparently had the idea of his character facing an Alien Bounty Hunter and Carter then weaved this together with his own idea of having Samantha, briefly, return. Often actors end up contributing story ideas and even directing episodes in long running television series, however it’s rare that they’re given creative license so early on in a series run. This suggests that Carter had a lot of faith in the actor’s understanding of their characters and valued their input regarding the progression of the show. Both Duchovny and Anderson will write and direct future episodes.

Mulder and Scully spend a lot of time apart in this episode, playing phone tag as they follow separate elements of the investigation. Contrary to regular occurrence, Scully bares witness to many of the more shocking scenes such as the melting corpses of the ‘clones’ and the secret laboratory that appeared to contain tiny fetuses in water tanks. She still however remains the voice of reason, warning Mulder that his pursuit of the truth may be lead him down a dangerous path. Carter has explained that the series as he sees it is presented mainly through Scully’s eyes. She is the voice of the rational audience, questioning the validity of these absurd events, challenging Mulder to justify his wild theories and being the one who is amazed by what she sees, unable to comprehend at times the events that transpire. This is particularly evident in this episode and also simply from a fans perspective I enjoyed seeing her play a more integral role, taking the lead as opposed to being dragged on yet another wild goose chase by her partner. As the episode nears the forty minute mark we can sense the ‘To Be Continued…’ coming as there’s far too much to wrap up in time. We’re left with a terrific cliffhanger as Scully realises she may be in mortal danger, unable to trust the one person she has come to depend on.

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★★★☆☆