LAZARUS Episode 15 Season 1 of The X-Files

And stay dead 2/10

Synopsis: An FBI agent and a bank robber are gunned down at the scene. The robber dies while the FBI agent is revived however Mulder suspects the agent of not being who he appears to be.

Raising of Lazarus is a biblical story of a miracle performed by Jesus in which he raises Lazarus of Bethany from the dead. Unfortunately the story on offer here is less than divine and plainly insipid.

If you were a bank robber shot whilst on the job and in death you were given a second chance what would do? Would you catalogue your mistakes and misgivings in your first life and act upon them in a way of redemption in your second learning to appreciate that the error of your ways may be related directly to your untimely demise and perhaps learn to change them?

Or would you clumsily hunt down your ex-husband murdering, FBI fugitive, double crossing wife and once finding her abduct a federal agent?

My point being that at the very least you would keenly prevent attention being draw to yourself. This is not for bank robber Warren Dupree, who spends no time what so ever on considering his options. I am not going to pretend that The X-Files is always believable, after all it is Science Fiction, but it is when palpable human behaviour is so blatantly disregarded that I find myself rolling my eyes.  I see little reason to look further into this MOW impractical behaviour. Well maybe I could say he was driven by passion which is the only argument but really? Yawn. It seems like lazy storytelling to me.

The lack in character depth does bother me somewhat although it is not all bad and as you know I am not one to kick an episode whilst it is down. It’s a fun story, having the mind of a criminal jump to that of FBI agent Jack Willis a man whom he’d been hunted by for two years. Dupree recklessly gets up close and personal with the FBI. A little more focus on his interactions around other FBI agents and inside the FBI headquarters could have added a touch of sophistication to this episode. Regrettably it wasn’t to be as I believe this would have made for a more invested storyline.  Mulder was the only one within the FBI suspicious enough of Willis’ new behaviour to show enough concern. Which is odd really given the common knowledge that Willis inexplicably cut the finger off a corpse in a scene that makes me wince, and yet still manages to pass a physical and perhaps more surprisingly a psychological exam.

Believe me I am not intentionally ripping holes in this episode it is just inescapable.

I will move on. Another small portion of Dana Scully’s past was offered up to us. Her relationship with FBI Jack Willis was confirmed to be more than just friendship when Scully revealed to Mulder that the two had dated for almost a year. It seems Scully has a habit of mixing work and pleasure and this time with a man she appears very incompatible with. We also learn of her birthday, February 23^rd, but not the year.

I’m sorry if my take on this episode conflicts greatly with your views on it. There just aren’t enough redeeming features on show.  As much as I dislike low scoring I have to be realistic. A lowly 2/10 and a big look forward to the next episode Young at Heart.

Musings;

The biblical story of Lazarus will again be the source of inspiration in season 7 episode HOLLYWOOD A.D.

Scully has the inconvenient habit of being abducted which begins and certainly does not end with this episode.

We know Mulder has at least one colleague within the bureau apart from Scully that defends him, agent Bruskin.