Mulder: It looks like a small superstructure with three circular pieces inside. It’s hard to tell on an x-ray, hold on.
Scully: I think that what we’ve got here, Mulder, is a case of high-tech industrial espionage.
Mulder: More people are trying to get their hands on this thing than a “Tickle-Me Elmo” doll.
Scully: This gift that you gave me for my birthday. You never got to tell me why you gave it to me or what it means… but I think I know. I think that you appreciate that there are extraordinary men and women and… extraordinary moments when history leaps forward on the backs of these individuals… that what can be imagined can be achieved… that you must dare to dream… but that there’s no substitute for perseverance and hard work… and teamwork… because no one gets there alone… and that, while we commemorate the… the greatness of these events and the individuals who achieve them, we cannot forget the sacrifice of those who make these achievements and leaps possible.
Mulder: I just thought it was a pretty cool keychain.
Written by: Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz
Directed by: Kim Manners
Original Air Date: March 23rd, 1997
Principal Setting: Washington, D.C. and on a plane
Episode Summary:
As Scully escorts Sgt. Louis Frisch to Washington to testify what happened in the events before the crash, Mulder goes scuba diving in a bay near the crash site and finds what he thinks is a crashed UFO. It helps solidify his belief that Flight 549 was shot down by a USAF fighter that was intercepting a UFO. The cover-up continues, headed by a mysterious man with an epic mustache, as he makes an attempt to kill Sgt. Frisch in a bar but hits Agent Pendrell instead.
Mulder learns what Max Fenig and his friend Sharon stole from a secret government lab. Mulder gets his hands on one last piece of evidence although transporting it to Washington proves to be a challenge with the devious mustache man on the plane.
Personal Commentary:
This two-parter surprisingly doesn’t involve the Cigarette Smoking Man, which is a shock since it’s basically one massive government cover up. I really liked the tension on the plane when Mulder is transporting the evidence, and he gets so close to having one actual piece of evidence to prove extraterrestrial life. It was sad to see Max go, but you’ve got to assume he will be back somehow down the line. Overall, an exciting, action packed two-parter, refreshingly not involving CSM.
Episode Grade: B+
Favorite Scene:
Pretty much sums it up. Mulder gets proof, government takes it away, no proof.
Fun Facts:
- The song that plays when Mulder enters Max’s trailer for the second time is ‘Unmarked Helicopters’ by Soul Coughing, featured on the X-Files album, “Songs in the Key of X.”
- Mulder’s quip while exiting the customs room about The Tickle Me Elmo (originally Tickle Me Tazmanian Devil) toy by Tyco, derived from the popular toy introduced in 1996 and selling out at Christmas causing hysteria at stores and price fluxuations from $28 to $1500.
Faces You May Recognize:
- Joe Spano, the lead crash investigator, has been in the show Hill Street Blues and in the film Apollo 13, but most will recognize him as Senior FBI Agent T.C. Fornell from the show NCIS.
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