LITTLE GREEN MEN Episode 1 Season 2 of The X-Files

No, Jorge, don’t touch that red button. Noho on the Roho.

Synopsis: The closure of The X-Files has left Mulder without direction, until a friend reaches out to him with some significant intelligence.

It’s season two of The X-Files, it’s time to get serious. A lot of Season one’s charm comes from its innocent misgivings, season two did not have the same luxury and had to mature. Season two needed to wow from the start. With time and money vested in growing its popularity Chris Carter and Co needed to grab the attention of the shows newcomers whilst staying faithful to The X-Files philosophy. With Little Green Men, Morgan and Wong nailed it using the right blend of emotion, conspiracy, scares oh and the first sight of an extra-terrestrial!

The first episode of the second season hooked millions of new fans to The X-Files, compare Little Green Men with its spoon feed treats, silky camera work and exotic locations to the pilot episode. In many ways they are similar but at the same time they are truly worlds apart.

The opening to this episode is as intriguing as it is clever. The introductory monologue tells the story of the voyager program and hints towards its successful contact with alien life from the far reaches of our solar system.  If the promise of contact is intriguing how about actually making contact? I remember the sight of the slender E.T as pure sensory overload, for avid fans and new comers alike, a great piece of television.

So our aliens finally have a face, well outline to the body anyway. As part of a semi-reinvention to The X-Files universe they are no longer seen as the atypical invisible scavenger like creatures depicted in Fallen Angel but the more traditional slim big head big eyed aliens from so many documented accounts of close encounters.

Both the dream sequence of Samantha’s abduction and the contact Mulder experiences at the observatory are hair-raisingly to say the least but for a good old jump out your skin moment look no further then Jorge in the bathroom  it got me 18 years ago and it still gets me today. Poor Jorge left looked inside the observatory for some inexplicable reason, his inclusion in the story an inspired one, how long had he been there? How many times had he been abducted? For a grown man to be scared to death it would take something callous.

The mythology arch of this episode was a true indictment of how far The X-Files had come in its short tenure and what direction it would take, a brief peak at an alien was enough to get us salivating at the mouth and we wanted more. So did Mulder

The unkempt Mulder stuck on an endless wiretapping detail seen earlier on in the episode was a depressed shadow of his former self. He allowed himself to question his own beliefs; his paranoia raged uncontrollably and seemed a man devoid of all-purpose. Without The X-Files Mulder felt worthless, although hope remained in the guise or Senator Matheson. His apology to Mulder about not being able to secure The X-Files future tells of his vested interest in the cases and that he was most probably Mulder’s friend in Capitol that he refers to in Pilot and to whom Skinners referred to in Tooms.

Mulder heeds Matheson intelligence and travelled without hesitation to the satellite observatory in Puerto Rico with complete disregard for his assignment with the Bureau. Telling in that his prerogative to a regular pay check pales in significance to his search for the truth. I find Mulders use of the Dictaphone brilliant as not only was it a good way of explaining to the viewers what the partner-less agent is seeing but also his reactions to what he was seeing, it was interesting to hear him doubt himself without Scully’s faithful ear to bend and in hindsight and a view to subsequent seasons it is especially interesting to hear him cast doubts 

over the events of Samantha abduction.

Mulder made sure Scully had her work cut out in Little Green Men. Her shoulder to cry on was all that was keeping Mulder in anyway sane, she believed in him even if he didn’t. With Mulders fantastical imagination and hostility towards authority figures it is easy to forget that Scully is three years his junior and that a year prior to Little Green Men Scully was heading for a perfectly amicable career in the FBI. She takes it upon herself to follow him blindly and back him at all conceivable cost. Lying to her peers she evaded the watchful eye of the bureau surveillance team and heads all the way to Puerto Rico, the airport scene is reminiscent of the airport scene for E.B.E and typical of the sort of covert methods taken by Mulder. Without this level of devotion and sacrifice Mulder and Scully would never have worked. Scully’s eleventh hour appearance is all that saves Mulder from the shoot to kill U.F.O crash site recovery operation team. This was not the first time Scully had saved Mulder’s life and it won’t be the last, debunking the theory of Mulder constantly saved the damsel in distress; Scully. Well actually he does but what I am saying is that it was not all one way traffic.

The cherry on the top of the icing on top of the cake for this episode and one of my all-time favourite moments from the second series is the final scene that not only authenticates Mulders paranoia to his being watched but also creates one of these; that awkward moment when Skinner yells ‘get out of my office’ and you think his taking to Mulder but his really talking to me! Ha love it and its significance to the development of Skinners character, he is no puppet but whether he likes it or not he cannot sit on the fence forever.

Consider attention grabbed Chris Carter there is nothing to dislike about this strong episode, its imagination and constant of thrills sees to that.

Musings:

• It seems Mulders has been ‘hounding’ a lady for a date, I doubt that very much given his demeanour at the time and I am guessing that message was from an admirer of which I assume Mulder had many.
• The big bucks second season means a proper Hoover building, the guts of which now look authentic and is a series main stay.
• Mulders dream sequence of Samantha abduction differs from his recollection of the event via hypnotic regression. C.C explains the phenomena as possible inaccuracies in hypnotic regression. Want to know the real reason? Morgan and Wrong had never seen Conduit!
• The alias George Hale is in reference to the mentally ill scientist that Mulder compares himself to during the covert meeting with Scully in the car park. If you have time Google him for a fascinating read.
• Voyager 1 is currently the furthest man-made object from Earth, it is still in our solar system but scientists predict the craft to reach interstellar space within 3 years. I hope it doesn’t attract any unwanted attention!

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The Six Best Monsters From The X-Files Season 1

Developing a premiere season is a tough task for any producer but what made Chris Carter and Co. jobs that much harder was the originality of The X-Files, it was experimental broadcasting  with no guide rope they just had their creativity, instincts and penchant for anything spooky, oh and they also had the notorious FOX Network executives to deal with.

The first season of The X-Files was rich in Monster of the Week episodes, in-fact it boasted nineteen in total the highest amount of stand-alones in any of the nine seasons.  Not all were classics mind and some were definitely dud but there was many diamonds amongst the rough.

Some of these monsters make the cut because they are just plain scary especially for the John Doe of 19 years ago some however make us smile and others make us sad.

With so many MoW’s to choose from narrowing them down to a list of six was not easy but here it is, the definitive list of the six best monsters from MoW episodes:

6. Cecil L’Ively, Fire

Possibly a controversial choice, Cecil’s general exclusion from these types of lists can only be merited to the overshadowing hate for Phoebe Green a women equally annoying and fugly. Cecil just makes the cut based on the fact that he should not be underestimated. The highly intelligent psychopaths’ dedication to his killings is unrivalled and his anti-establishment views make him an ideal candidate for world domination. His each and every sanctimonious move derived from pure evil. A wicked black heart gets this pyro-kinetic monster a top six spot.
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5. Roland, Roland

The hapless autistic Roland was an early example of the variety of emotional avenues Chris Carter would be granted to travel down over the course of the next 8 seasons. This X-Files MoW week didn’t scare anybody it may have got a few laughs but in truth they only feeling we were left with was that of sorrow, loneliness and possibly empathy for the most innocent and ill-fated young man. Perhaps that is fear.
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4. The bugs, Darkness Falls

These carnivorous nocturnal bugs cocoon and slowly digested their prey, eating them alive. What makes their fear factor worse is that they are undetectable in daylight. They could be gathering around your bed waiting for darkness to fall. If The X-Files ever gave us a reason to sleep with the lights on this was it.
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3. The Eves, Eve

Creepy test tube twins Cindy Reardon and Teena Simmons both killed the respective adoptive fathers through means of exsanguination at the tender years of eight. These highly intelligent blood thirsty sentence finishers are destined to drive themselves to psychotic madness in later life, just ask their big sis, eye ball biter Eve 6.
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2. Luther Lee Boggs, Beyond the Sea

On death row and desperate for a pardon, Boggs claims he can use psychic channelling to help locate a killer before he kills his kidnap victims. His claims seem to hold up against adverse facts to the matter. Is he to be believed and even if he is; is this a chance for redemption and should his sins be forgiven? A most memorable character responsible for bringing passion to The X-Files, his importance to the show should not be undervalued.
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1.  Eugene Victor Tooms, Squeeze/Tooms

We became acquainted with this bile spewing stretchy odd ball over two episodes that allowed us to get a real insight into his peculiar existence. Tooms appearance was also the first MoW appearance in The X-Files history. We learned early on that behind his jaundice liver hungry eyes laid the brains to challenge Mulder and Scully, he is good at what he does after all he has been doing it over a matter of centuries. His ability to stretch out and squeeze through the tightest of spaces meant that no one was safe from his appetite, his prey seldom escape. He was disgusting, the sneer on his face was unpleasant, his method of sticking his nest together was sickening and his methods of entry repugnant (the sewer especially). It was fitting that Tooms suffered such a gruesome demise at the hands of Mulder and an escalator, an unforgettably brilliant end that he earned and it was no less than he deserved.
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There you have it my definitive list of The X-Files first season best monsters from MoW episodes. Let me know your lists, who would of you include?

THE ERLENMEYER FLASK Episode 24 Season 1 of The X-Files

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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!

TOOMS Episode 21 Season 1 of The X-Files

Brilliance and Bile 10/10

Synopsis: A court deems the stretchy contortionist Victor Eugene Tooms safe to be released back into the public, Mulder however deems otherwise.

In my last post, Darkness Falls, I touched upon the notion that inspired characters and casting make up the foundations of success for the first season of The X-Files. Enter Mitch Pileggi as Assistant Director Skinner, acting superior to agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.  As a body to report to, Skinner offered The X-Files an additional dimension, a new barrier to break down with new avenues to explore and an eventual formidable ally. Pileggi’s powerful character’s share in the first season may only be accredited to three scenes however his inclusion throughout all nine seasons of The X-Files and both films bellow his legendary status. This monopoly on the franchise is bettered by no one other than Mulder and Scully and his characters development is tantamount to the growing success of the series.

Skinner’s presence in this episode is primarily to question the practices that Mulder and Scully use to get result with a clear view to closing The X-Files. He conjects that Mulder has a detrimental effect on those that work closely with him i.e. Scully and that Mulder’s conduct is fuelled by stress brought about by his emotional involvement with The X-Files cases and asks in an apparent sincere manor that he steps back from The X-Files. Skinner’s early innocents dictate that his faith be place with the Cigarette Smoking Man however his mounting involvement with The X-Files will eventually lead him to become the equivalent of a good luck charm complete with muscle and an a whole lot of attitude.

This episode is all about change; new meeting old and I cannot give enough praise to Doug Hutchinson’s reprisal of his role as the predatory slim ball Eugene Victor Tooms. This is early 90’s Doug, a small fish in a big pond with little to note on his C.V. playing a role opposite the television pin up boy of the decade. Unadulterated determination to the character could only be born out of an obsession to make it as an actor. Tooms is given much more screen time than in Squeeze and the decision is validated by Doug’s fight for his place in the show tooth and nail, depicting a Tooms hungrier, smarter and more disgusting than before, his underlying menace seeps out past every crooked smile.

The episode in parts plays out like ‘a day in life of’ for Victor Eugene Tooms. We see him at work, stalking his prey and his methods which can only be described as thinking outside of the box. He shows some dry wit when he is told that the new room he will be staying in is small… ‘I’m sure you’ll be able to squeeze in’ Tooms replies ‘I’m sure’. We learn that he enjoys the taste of rotting rodents as he licks the glove used to pick up a dead rat and that he is unperturbed by the thought of travelling through a sewer pipe and gaining access to a property through a toilet pan. His odd behaviour adds humour to the character to the point of feeling pity and perhaps empathy, it is easy to forget that Tooms never asked to be this way and that putting all our eggs in the Mulder basket can blind us to that fact.

Tooms is a worthy adversary for Mulder. His ability to evade capture by out smarting him is something that vexes Mulder and jabs his ego. A personality trait Mulder displays on numerous occasions across the series, ‘Young at Heart’ and 'Pusher' just to examples. This trait is by no means a shortfall, more of a characteristic better described as a quality. It drives Mulder on to apprehend his suspects.

In short Tooms was dead before he ever left that courtroom and that smug smirk aimed at Mulder on leaving the court room is at fault for the excruciating pain in which the death happened. I’m not saying Mulders a murder but perhaps his latest ordeal with Barnett has gone someway to prompting a reaction.

Mulder is unmistakably aggravated by the courts rejection of the implausible truth he presents and of the release of Tooms from the psychiatric prison, biting at Scully’s doubting of his actions and methods in a stern voice he says ‘Look, Scully, if you're resistant because you don't believe, I'll respect that. But if you're resistant because of some bureaucratic pressure, they've not only reeled you in. They've already skinned you.’ In short you are either with me or with them, an ultimatum that Scully agrees with by ignoring Skinners plea to use methods that act by the book. Mulder later snaps at Scully during a stake out as it becomes apparent Tooms journey under his skin has gained mileage. This is one unhappy Fox.

Needless to say agents Mulder and Scully discover Tooms layer, an escalator pit located in the spot of his old hibernating patch. Mulder ventures down the narrow corridor beneath the escalator to find Tooms bile bonded nest. A woken naked Tooms chases Mulder back up the corridor. Mulder’s narrow escape equals Tooms demise as Mulder activates the elevator tearing him to shreds. This ending is one of the most memorable sequences in X-Files history and cause of a particular recurring nightmare of mine when I was young.

Tooms is an abundant feast of scares and humour, refined plot lines and commendable series development and whose only competition for season one best MoW is EVE. I think Tooms just squeezes out in-front. 10/10

Musings: 

• This episode gave me a mutual respect of my toilet, a caution later validated by season two episode The Host. 
• You can see Tooms bum in the escalator chase scene! Hutchison came up with the idea to get completely naked, and I make him right. 
• C.S.M muttering the three little words ‘course I do’ in endorsement of the phenomenon contained in The X-Files. His first words are telling in that he is a believer. 
• Tooms return signals the first of three MoW sequels. Can you name the other two? 

DARKNESS FALLS Episode 20 Season 1 of The X-Files

Great Buzz 8/10

Synopsis: Mulder and Scully turn prey to ancient carnivorous insect when an investigation into the disappearance of 30 loggers in Olympic National Forest turns into a fight for survival.

The success of The X-Files in its fledgling season was no fluke. The majority of episodes were made up from a recipe of inspired casting, creative paranormal focused plot lines, subtle comedic undertones, solid production values and of course scares and it was this cocktail that established the shows core fan base that it still prevalent today. There are of course exceptions to the rule, flops if you will and guilty pleasures if you won’t. Inconsistency in value from one episode to another is a possibility for the first season of any show as they test the waters, but for a show which very essences is built upon the paranormal I would say it becomes an occupational hazard.

Darkness Falls is a great exhibit of the strength season one had to offer, an unassuming episode that keeps our interest from start to finish. The opening teaser sets the tone, 30 brawny plaid shirted lumber jacks scared witless, scream as they flee hopelessly through the dense boundless woodlands of the Olympic National Forest, Washington State. This vast forest is an ideal setting for this X-File. It is natural and wonderful to behold and at the same time mysterious and dangerous, the peaceful solitude turns into remote isolation and with the threat of darkness comes a sensation of helplessness and intense claustrophobia similar to that of Ice. Man versus nature is obviously the theme and Carter warns us there can only be one winner although ultimately it is the U.S Government.

There is understated comic relief in place throughout the episode, not meant as detraction from the moody ambience but rather a ploy to loll us into a sense of security. The relaxed opening scene between Mulder and Scully in the familiar warmth of the X-Files office acts to divert our attentions away from the horrors that lay in wait. This shroud of blissful ignorance soon disperses as the agents make their way deeper into the woods and we learn that this field trip is going to be no picnic.

The supporting cast all give solid believable performances which helps amalgamate the episode. The agents enlist the help of park ranger Larry Moore as chaperone to the logging site and are accompanied by Steve Humphreys, head of security for the logging company responsible for the missing men. All round good guy Moore is played by Duchovnys’ close friend and scientologist defector Jason Beghe who pulls of the strong outdoorsman man’s man role very convincingly. Humphrey although seemingly pleasant shows overzealous contempt for the eco warriors in an attempt to deflect attention away from his companies’ reckless and illegal logging methods. Doug Spinney plays the logger’s antagonist whose magnanimous nature directly opposes that of Humphreys’ which entertains malevolent undertones.

Spinney in affect sacrifices himself to save agents Mulders and Scully and park ranger Moore and in doing so vindicates Mulders actions of allowing him to leave their base camp along with the car battery, a decision that perplexed Scully, Moore and everyone who has ever watched Darkness Falls it even had Mulder doubting his own decision making. Who are we though to question Mulders choices? Admit it you felt a little guilty.

There are so many factors that make Darkness Falls’ re-watchable and it is always a pleasure to revisit this strong MoW. 8/10

Musings:

• What do you call a camel with three humps?
• Apparently Chris Carters inspiration for this episode came from a tree-ring dating course he took back in his college days. I suppose Darkness Falls justifies his omission from simply dating girls back in his college days.
• The awful microscope affect used is completely allowable because the episode pulls its weight with the aspects that really matter.
• As a foursome of three guys’ one girl, our agents, park ranger and logger man stumble across a cocoon half way up a tree. They decided to send ‘the women’ up in the harness to retrieve the icky insect webbed corpse, very brave guys and very funny. 
• This is one of the few MoW that isn't left open-ended