“Detour” – Season 5 Ep. 4

Scully: Have you thought seriously about dying?

Mulder: Yeah, once, when I was at the Ice Capades.

Written by: Frank Spotnitz

Directed by: Brett Dowler

Original Air Date: November 23rd, 1997

Principal Setting: Leon County, Florida

Episode Summary:

While driving in Florida to attend an FBI conference with two other fellow agents, Scully and Mulder are drawn into the disappearance of several men in the woods. Rumors are spreading that there is some kind of monster in the woods taking these people. After he thinks he sees a camouflaging figure, Mulder soon believes there is something in the woods causing these deaths and nature itself may be acting out revenge in the form of invisible creatures to preserve the natural wilderness. They discover much more than an animal in the woods when they have a dire encounter with the creatures firsthand.

Personal Commentary:

The monster in this episode isn’t that interesting or scary, but its the interaction Scully and Mulder have when they have to spend the night in the woods together that really makes this episode special. The face Mulder makes when she starts to sing “Joy to the World” is priceless and the seriousness mixed with humor dialogue as Scully pours her heart out about dying is so good making it one of the best scenes of the show. Its very similar to the rock moment in “Quagmire”, but I like this moment better due to Scully’s off key singing to keep Mulder alive.

I also like that this case wasn’t assigned to them, but they stumbled upon it. Mulder’s curiosity gets the best of him, and he can’t help but figure out what is taking the victims. And once again his theory is spot on. How does he do know exactly what happened EVERY SINGLE TIME?!

Episode Grade: B

Favorite Scene:

Fun Facts:

• Mulder’s dialogue “You try any of that Tailhook crap on me, Scully, and I’ll kick your ass” is in reference to an incident that took place between September 8 and 12 in 1991. It was the Tailhook Association Symposium conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, in which more than 100 U.S. Military officers allegedly sexually assaulted at least 83 women and 7 men.
• Visual effects supervisor Laurie Kallsen-George created the glowing red eyes, digitizing and blending various eyeball images, including shots of her family’s dog.
• References “The Cockroach that Ate Cinncinnati”, a pop-culture song parodying horror movies of the 50s and 60s.
• Although the episode supposedly takes place in Leon County, Florida and the Apalachicola National Forest, the botany and geography portrayed in this episode bear little resemblance to the real-life location. Unlike the mossy, ferny Pacific temperate rain forests that abound in southwestern British Columbia (where the episode was shot), the actual Apalachicola National Forest is flat, brushy woodlands dominated by longleaf pine and saw palmetto. Additionally, the character Fazekas mentions the presence of panther in the forest. This is beyond implausible, as the Florida panther has been completely extirpated in the region. The nearest wild panther live over 300 miles away, in the Everglades of southwest Florida.

Faces You May Recognize:

• Anthony Rapp is famous for playing in A Beautiful Mind, Rent , and Dazed and Confused. I recognized him from the movie Road Trip.