ROLAND Episode 23 Season 1 of The X-Files

Roland’s revenge

Synopsis: The deaths of two scientists linked by their work prompt Mulder and Scully to investigate.

The penultimate episode of the X-Files season one sees a repetitive, candid pattern turn full circle. Roland is another story of revenge from beyond the grave by controlling the will of an unsuspecting person, see similar season one episodes; Shadows, Space, Lazarus, Born Again. The decision for Roland to follow Born Again was myopic and if it were not for Roland’s saving graces this review would be just another scathe-fest. As a fan with many re-watches under my belt I find myself looking beyond the story. I feel as an X-Phile that it is my job to see what some may not and sing high praises to episodes found wanting by others and mainly I would just feel plain guilty trouncing this one straight after trouncing Born Again.

Always look on the bright side of life.

The performance of steady actor Zeljko Ivanek is convincing, his character, the autistic Roland lends inspiration and a numerical gift from the similarly named autistic Raymond from late 80’s hit Rain Man. It is one thing to curl up your hands, speak in a laborious monotone voice and role your head slowly back and forth, it’s another to pull it off. His efforts are matched by co-star Kerry Sandomerski playing Tracy. I knew she wasn’t disabled because I saw her on Fringe the same night I began this write up acting as a perfectly ably mannered nun. Nailed it!

I can’t help but feel a nerve tingling unease when watching their scenes inside the politically correctly named half way house, partly due to the direction and the other part possibly guilt. The dull ache in the pit of my stomach is more than evident, an emotion David Lynch himself would be proud of generating. I find myself relieved when they are over and yet somehow disappointed they are not longer. The finale scene in which Roland must leave Tracy is especially sad when you factor in the autistic persons slight understanding on love and the pairs inevitable loneliness. The dream sequences that use vivid colours contrasting black and white also resonates well.

Mulder shows his compassionate side once more in the way he interacts with Roland. The understanding and identification he shares with societies victims is always direct, just and sincere and in complete distinction from his contempt for the villains. He has displayed this tact with children, i.e. Born Again and numerous adults, i.e. Fallen Angel with a warm trusting manor. Perhaps this empathy comes from Mulders own feeling of loneliness and confusion. Sometimes however his directness allows his mouth to run ahead of him leaving Scully to cut him short to avoid either embarrassment or ill feeling as she did when Mulder attempts to explain the events leading to Roland’s departure from the half way house to Mrs Stodie.

The inspiration for Roland’s character may have been Rain Man but surely the idea of the cryogenic chambers has to be accredited to the film Demolition Man. They are a massive sci-fi shout out and although they have no place in the labs of jet propulsion scientists, they are a fun inclusion. As are the manor of the scientist deaths. The noise Dr. Surnow creates when hitting the fan can only be described as a squelch and the chalk line of Dr. Keats fragmented head draws a wry smile.

The story may boast a fuzzy back story and inconsistency in plot, but there is occasion to laugh and cry. 18 years later and blessed with hindsight we know where all the effort went so it’s forgivable 7/10

Musings:

• The computer software used in early X-Files to render e-fits of criminals and alter their age and appearance is nothing short of other worldly.
• In the word of Kirk Lazuras ‘Everybody knows you never go full retard.’ 

BORN AGAIN Episode 22 Season 1 of The X-Files

Reincarnated botch, even the actors seem bored 3/10

Synopsis: A little girls appears to be killing cops connected by their work in the 80’s but why and how?

The Gansa and Howard MoW collaborations of season one got no better than mediocre and mediocrity is all they could muster here. Inspiration for this episode seems short sighted at best.

Born Again signals a return to conventional X-Files detective work for agents Mulder and Scully not seen and forgotten since Shapes. The agents are brought into this paranormal investigation by Detective Sharon Lazard played by Maggie Wheeler of O.M.G. Janice from Friends fame on the recommendation of her non-descript cop brother who had some sort of involvement on the Tooms case. They meet at New Yorks' 14th precinct, home of the crime scene and terrible police station banter dialogue.

Mulder wastes little time in realising what they are after, he has seen this before, not in some X-File dating back 40 year but in and X-File dating back 16 episodes to Shadows. This episode is bereft of any originality and if anything just plain thoughtless. Why if this girl was the reincarnation of Charlie Morris was she giving psychokinetic abilities? Surely having a vengeful cop in the guise of a five year old girl on a killing spree was a just cause for paranormal escapade. Needless to say Gans-ward got a little carried away on this one, their youthful exuberance is on show, they clearly needed to take a step back and surmise their creation when it was still on the drawing board.

Read into this you will but I find these posts easy to write when I am bashing an episode and fun to write when I am enjoying an episode but with Born Again I am just plain struggling.Even the chemistry between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson flounders, highlighted further by their wonderful exchanges shared in Darkness Falls and Tooms in the two previous episodes. Scully’s unnecessary presence signifies regression in the writing and is not something seen since Space.

There was some development to be had; Mulder asserts a firm belief in regression hypnotherapy in this episode, this technique of delving into past life and the sub conscious is a popular method in his pursuit for the truth. We first saw it was used on Billy Miles in Pilot and Mulder had already used it on himself to recall his sisters’ abduction. Later Scully will go on to devalue the credibility of regression hypnotherapy but that’s a different post for a different time.

Lacking in so many departments this episode is by no means ever going to be anybody’s favourite but it is watchable in the same way that a low flying plane is watchable, saying ‘oh look a plane’ and then forgetting about it 5 minutes later. 3/10

Musings;

• The plug that attacks Tony Fiore removes itself from the wall socket and appears to look at him before it takes his legs is unintentionally hilarious.
• This was Alex Gansa’s last creative influence on The X-Files story, good. He is the reason I have never seen Homeland which may seem harsh but he is awful in this season. Rant over. 
• Pffft NEXT!

E.B.E Episode 17 Season 1 of The X-Files

The Foundations of a Phenomenon  10/10

Synopsis: A secret government agency transports a downed U.F.O and Alien across America, can agents Mulder and Scully track it down and what ‘truths’ are they to believe along the way?

E.B.E represents a leap in The X-Files universe. It plots a course for the truth that will map out an entire franchise. This is where it all begins. Of course we have been offered glimpses of the government’s seemingly reckless actions and the callous way in which it covers the truth, however  E.B.E looks closer, exposes more and for the first time offers us answers that maybe we never thought were coming. Fuelled by snippets of conspiracy laid down in earlier episode, E.B.E rises up as the maiden episode of nine seasons of mythology.

E.B.E offers us an up close and personal look at Deep Throat and the reasons for his role as informant.  Deep Throat has been a concrete source of Mulder, showing him where to look and assisting him in solving cases. There seems to be a mutual respect between the two men, I would even go as far as to say Mulder admired the man. The events of E.B.E. cast doubts over the validity of this trust. With Mulder confronting Deep Throat for the first time and then launching a tirade aimed at the ethical practise of his work, a tirade that Deep Throat can defend himself against.

Deep Throat reads like a book in this episode we learn what makes him tick. The information he offers has always been concrete, yet we find him also deceiving Mulder. Like a tactician he plans his truths and lies like a chess game, a distinct characteristic of the government conspirators seen throughout the X-Files. During the meeting at the shark tank he defends his deceit by saying ‘a lie Mr Mulder, is most convincingly hidden between to truths’ One of the most iconic lines in X-Files history.

Most importantly we learn of Deep Throats intentions. He explains to Mulder that after watching him for years, with enthuses put on years, he choose Mulder as the one to trust. Deep Throat needed someone to expose certain government conspiracy. In his role he has carried out heinous and brutal acts against man, nature and biological entities (We discover that Deep Throat implemented the act of exterminating biological entities) and is of the thinking that Mulder can expose the government for what it really is.

E.B.E is the first episode in which we see direct attempts by government agencies to interfere with the X-Files. Firstly with the bug found in Scully’s pen and the bug found in Mulders apartment. Then two men that follow the agents on route to the airport, in a brilliant sequence in which Mulder and Scully evade the cronies. And lastly the feigned alien rescue mission that depicts the lengths in which the conspirators would go to halt Mulders hunt for the truth.

E.B.E offers us more than the beginning of a conspiracy trail that will lead on for 10 years. It reunites Agents Mulder and Scully. Not since ‘Space’ has David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson shared this much screen time and it shows, big time, for their ability to act with one another has metamorphosed into something quite wonderful and it hits home in one magnificent episode. The only way I can think of describing it is seeing a child for the second time after a three year interlude. The screen presence they share has simply grown.

They bounce of one another so effortlessly; the opening scene that they share investigating the report of the U.F.O sighting from the previous nights is one of my favourites from the whole program. Scully offers up her most rationale theories as Mulder humours her, brilliant.

Of course the duo have to share a moment of truth and that comes with Scully telling Mulder that he is too determined to believe Deep Throat, and that there are people out there willing to use his blinding beliefs as a way of deceiving him. Which is fair after all, how far would Mulder get if he never had Scully there to rein him in once in a while?

We also have our first instalment of everybody’s favourite conspiracy theorists The Lone Gunman. The trio are introduced to us in their very clean well lit office, is it there dealings with agent Mulder that drives them to a more underground feel later on?

They share information on anything with Mulder freely so they obviously trust him and he can complicity trust them in return, a stark contrast to any shady government agents Mulder is used to dealing with.

Langley and Byres spout off conspiracies on the JFK assassination and the leader of the Russian Social Democrats to Mulder and all he can muster is a shrug or funny remark.

They trio don’t take up much screen time in E.B.E but do have a significant part to play in this episode, and of course grow in stature as The X-Files grow. They not only offer assistance to Mulder and Scullys campaign for the truth they also offer banter that is worth its weight in entertainment value. Love these guys.

E.B.E, The foundations of a phenomenon 10/10

Musing;

• If I have learnt anything from Sci-Fi it is don’t randomly shoot at spaceships.

• Frohike’s love affair with Scully begins here, calling her ‘hot’. When Scully later remarks that the Lone Gunman’s beliefs are implausible Mulder says ‘I think it’s plausible that you’re hot’ Oh so he has noticed.

• How do Mulder and Deep Throat know where to meet, have I missed something?

• I hope there was some spaceship on board that truck or that’s one obese alien 2000ibs!

• Names of the U.F.olygist agencies Mulder lists include NICAP, Max Fenigs group.

• Five and a half minutes in Mulder mentions our favorite lake for the second time this Season 'Lake Okobogee'' 

SPACE Episode 9 Season 1 of The X-Files

Huston we have a problem 2/10

I feel as if I have just spent 45minutes watching Mulder and Scully watch a NASA space mission that was in jeopardy from paranormal forces. Paranormal forces whose inception came from the famous 'face on mars' photograph taken from by the Viking 1 Orbiter during the 70’s. The famous photograph is shown at the beginning of the episode when it is questioned by a reporter over its possible indication to life on mars. Chris Charter must have seen the photo and drew all his inspiration for the episode from it and I mean all his inspiration. Maybe he thought it such a novel idea that he could run with it for an entire episode. Unfortunately it didn’t have the legs to carry the episode and without any added dimension the whole thing came across as lazy as if Carter put no real thought into it at all. A clever background story to the face’s origin might have had me salivating and an injection of Deep Throat conspiracy theory may have supplemented the story.

Sure had it not been for Mulders interjection in the last ten minutes the Space Shuttle Orbiter may not have re-entered Earth’s atmosphere without bursting into a big ball of flames, apart from this Mulder and Scully were left redundant throughout. Like voyeurs they observed as a confused mission control tried to regain some sort of grasp on what was happening to the sabotaged shuttle. Mulder appears to be quite struck with meeting his boyhood idols in Lieutenant Colonel Belt yet that old adage ‘never meet your heroes’ rears its head as Belts decision making is reckless and void of compassion for the men aboard the shuttle. It is in the end Mulders desire to believe in the greatness of the man that draws the real Belts away from alien control to receive the instruction to bring the shuttle in at a trajectory of 32 degrees thus saving the lives of the crew members and preserving the life of the space program. This episode shows how strong and unique Mulders faith really is as any normal man would have given up their belief in their hero under similar circumstance.

Another noteworthy point is the convincing mission control set. Ok maybe we might expect to see a larger room with technicians running all sorts of varying equipment. Nether the less it manages to pull it off and it is not impossible to believe. The techno jargon between mission control and the ship seems plausible and the NASA footage of the shuttle in space and landing offer nice touches.

I find it funny; I always thought Ghost in the Machine was my least favourite episode of the series until I wrote this post. GITM succeeds in bringing us a delightful conspiracy undertone that not only breaks up the episode but also give it a point. Space on the other hand is almost entirely pointless and that’s why I can only award it 2/10.

After that nonsense I am really looking forward to sinking my teeth into the next episode ‘Fallen Angel’ Thanks for reading.