The X-Files | 201 Days of the X-Files Blog

“X-Cops” – Season 7 Ep. 12

Posted on January 21, 2016 by tjyoung123

Mulder: So, apparently, we’re on the lookout for someone whose hair matches her fingernails– bubblegum pink. That’d be a good color for you, Scully.

Written by: Vince Gilligan

Directed by: Michael W. Watkins

Original Air Date: February 20th, 2000

Principal Setting: Hollywood, California

Episode Summary:

An investigation into possible Werewolf sightings brings Mulder and Scully to Los Angeles. There they run into a crew filming a ‘COPS’ episode. While being followed around by the ‘COPS’ camera crew, Mulder and Scully trail a monster that appears to be able to change into each victim’s own worst nightmare.

Personal Commentary:

I absolutely love this episode. It feels so real in the format of a COPS episode–like you’re walking along side Mulder and Scully solving the case with them. I like the idea of a monster that takes the shape of what scares us the most. It’s a really interesting monster idea and I liked how we never saw the monster. It lets you imagine what it looked like and that makes it even scarier.

Yet again another fantastic episode written by Vince Gilligan that has humor, cleaver writing, an excellent cross-over with COPS, and Scully’s death glare looks into the camera all make this one of my favorites.

Episode Grade: A+

Favorite Scene:

Fun Facts:

This episode was filmed entirely on video tape.

Faces You May Recognize:

Nobody that I noticed that I’ve seen before.

“Closure” – Season 7 Ep. 11

Posted on January 17, 2016 by tjyoung123

Mulder: You know, I never stop to think… that the light is billions of years old by the time we see it. From the beginning of time right past us into the future. Nothing is ancient in the universe. But, maybe they are souls, Scully. Traveling through time as starlight, looking for homes.

Scully: Mulder, where did you go?

Mulder: End of the road.

Mulder: I’m free.

Written by: Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz

Directed by: Kim Manners

Original Air Date: February 13th, 2000

Principal Setting: Sacramento, California

Episode Summary:

Mulder enlists the help of Harold Piller, a police psychic, to search for the missing girl, Amber Lynn LaPierre. Meanwhile, Scully searches for answers about Samantha’s abduction, leading her to the Cigarette Smoking Man. Both of their investigations lead to Mulder finally learning the truth about his sister’s disappearance.

Personal Commentary:

“Closure” is where we find out the true fate of Mulder’s sister Samantha, and it is heartbreaking, but Mulder does find his sense of closure as a big aspect of Mulder’s quest has been found. The ups and down of Mulder thinking his sister is alive and the climax of seeing her ghost move on into the stars is very sad, although there is some comfort in knowing the truth for Mulder.

Season seven was initially supposed to be the last season of the series and you can tell with all the story lines they wrap up with CSM and Mulder’s relationship, Mulder’s fate at the end of this season, and him finding the truth about his sister. Very well made, “closure” episode.

Episode Grade: A-

Favorite Scene:

Probably the most emotional scene of the entire series.

Fun Facts:

Mimi Paley, who plays young Samantha Mulder, shares a birthday with David Duchovny, who plays her brother. Curiosly, Vanessa Morley, who plays Samantha at the age when she was abducted, shares birthday with Gillian Anderson, who plays Scully.
“My Weakness”, a song by Moby from his album Play, is used in this episode, during the first scene (in which the FBI discover a mass grave site containing the bodies of dozens of missing children), and near the end (when Mulder apparently encounters his sister’s spirit). Chris Carter never told the series’ resident composer, Mark Snow, about this change, although Snow has since said that his reaction to the use of this composition was more positive than negative, adding that it was a “perfect” fit for the scenes in which it can be heard.

Faces You May Recognize:

Anthony Heald Picture

Anthony Heald is famous for playing in Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and the show Boston Public.

“Sein und Zeit” – Season 7 Ep. 10

Posted on January 17, 2016 by tjyoung123

Scully: Don’t go looking for something you don’t want to find.

Written by: Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz

Directed by: Michael W. Watkins

Original Air Date: February 6th, 2000

Principal Setting: Sacramento, California

Episode Summary:

Mulder requests to be put on the case of a seemingly routine child abduction case of a missing little girl. Mulder finds a connection between this case and old x-files involving missing children. Scully believes that Mulder is personalizing the case, relating it to the abduction of his sister Samantha.

Personal Commentary:

This is the first of a two-parter where Mulder finally finds what truly happened to his sister. The opening scene is very strange, creepy and sad. It is an emotional ride, especially the second half, as Mulder is drawn in to a routine child abduction and finds coincidences within the case and his mother giving him cryptic voice mails.

Dealing with a serial killer that kidnaps and murders children is always a tough thing to watch, and the journey on how they discover the secret santa workshop that he lures the kids in makes it that much more tragic. It’s a very well acted, heartbreaking two part episode that we will find out what happens to Mulder’s sister in the second part, “Closure”.

Episode Grade: B

Featured Video:

Mulder usually comes across as a bad actor when he cries, but this one scene is very emotional and believable.

Fun Facts:

‘Sein und Zeit’ is the original title of German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s influential 1927 book ‘Being and Time’.
The TV show being watched early on in the episode is another Chris Carter show (which was cancelled a few months after this episode aired) called Harsh Realm.
*SPOILER FACT* Last episode of Mulder’s mother. She dies in this episode.

Faces You May Recognize:

Spencer Garrett Picture

Spencer Garrett is famous for playing in Yes Man, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Air Force One, and stars alongside David Duchovny in Aquarius.

Mark Rolston makes another appearance on, first starring in “Red Museum”. He is famous for playing in The Shawshank Redemption, The Departed, Aliens, and has starred in shows CSI:Miami and Cold Case.

“Signs & Wonders” – Season 7 Ep. 9

Posted on January 17, 2016 by tjyoung123

Scully: Snake handling. I didn’t learn that in catechism class.

Mulder: That’s funny. I knew a couple of Catholic schoolgirls who were expert at it.

Written by: Jeffrey Bell

Directed by: Kim Manners

Original Air Date: January 23rd, 2000

Principal Setting: Nashville, Tennessee

Episode Summary:

A man is found dead in his locked car, killed from over a hundred snake bites. However, no evidence of snakes being present is found. The man was a former member of a religious cult that believes in snake handling. Mulder and Scully believe that this snake death was no accident, and that it may have been a murder involving this snake handling cult.

Personal Commentary:

This is yet another religious themed episode dealing with the satanic use of snakes. It has a twist of who really is the demon controlling the snakes, but it’s kind of a go through the motions episode. Mulder gets bit by a snakes, but nothing too exciting happens besides that.

Episode Grade: C

Fun Facts:

The hymn (“May Glory Protect Us”) sung during the Signs & Wonders evening service, sounding like old-school gospel, was actually an original song written by executive producer Paul Rabwin.
This was Eric Nenninger’s TV acting debut.

Faces You May Recognize:

Beth Grant Picture

Beth Grant has played in numerous supporting roles including No Country for Old Men, Rain Man, The Artist, and Donnie Darko.

“The Amazing Maleeni” – Season 7 Ep. 8

Posted on January 12, 2016 by tjyoung123

Mulder: There’s another possibility. Behold– an ordinary household quarter. I’m going to take the quarter from my right hand and place it into my left hand. Where is it?

Scully: It’s in your right hand.

Mulder: Oh, no, no, no.

Scully: Ah… That’s not bad.

Mulder: Blow your nose, Scully.

Scully: Mulder…

Mulder: Blow your nose.

Scully: Ah-choo.

Mulder: Ta-da.

Scully: Amazing!

Mulder: The Great Muldeeni.

Written by: Vince Gilligan, John Shiban & Frank Spotnitz

Directed by: Thomas J. Wright

Original Air Date: January 16th, 2000

Principal Setting: Santa Monica, California

Episode Summary:

Mulder and Scully investigate the apparent murder of a magician who was decapitated just minutes after he was able to perform his greatest trick ever of turning his head around 360 degrees. The agents are perplexed when Scully discovers during the autopsy that the deceased died well before he performed his final trick.

Personal Commentary:

This one is fun with a lot of magic and misdirection. I mean the entire episode’s plot is one big misdirection. I like the supporting cast, as well as all the twists that don’t get wrapped up until the very end. There’s a lot more than meets the eye with the agenda of the magicians and it brings more layers than I expected.

The writers also have to show that Mulder is always right as he outsmarts even the magicians, which brought a smile to my face.

Episode Grade: B

Favorite Scene:

I just like this quick scene because of how cute Scully is taking off the magician’s hat.

Fun Facts:

Ricky Jay and Jonathan Levit are magicians in real life.
At approximately 28:15, a banner for Craddock Marine Bank is visible behind the agents, a reference to the episode “Monday”, which takes place at a branch of this bank on 8th St in Washington DC.
Malini taking a magician’s name and then spelling it different is a reference to Houdini. He got his name from the French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin whom he later discredited.
Max Malini The Amazing Maleeni was named for real-life magician Max Malini (1875 – 1942). Famous for relying on his own skill rather than props, Malini performed for Kings, Queens, and Millionaires.

Faces You May Recognize:

Ricky Jay has played another magician in The Prestige, and has also starred in Tomorrow Never Dies as Henry Gupta and in Boogie Nights.

*Episode art created by the very talented JJ Lendl. More X-Files art and other pop culture posters can be found here: https://www.jjlendl.com/xfilesposterproject.

“Orison” – Season 7 Ep. 7

Posted on January 12, 2016 by tjyoung123

Scully: He was evil, Mulder. I’m sure about that, without a doubt. But there’s one thing that I’m not sure of.

Mulder: What’s that?

Scully: Who was at work in me. Or what… what made me… what made me pull the trigger.

Mulder: You mean if it was God?

Scully: I mean… what if it wasn’t?

Written by: Chip Johannessen

Directed by: Rob Bowman

Original Air Date: January 9th, 2000

Principal Setting: Equality, Illinois

Episode Summary:

Five years have passed since Scully escaped from Donnie Pfaster, an obsessed death fetishist. When Reverend Orison helps the madman get away from prison he immediately turns to the ‘one’ that got away…Scully.

Personal Commentary:

“Orison” brings the return of the very creepy, demonic Danny Pfaster as he uses his hypnotic gifts to escape prison and search for the red haired woman that got away – Scully. Not as good as its predecessor, although the introduction of the reverend trying to kill Pfaster with God’s will was an interesting new plot (even though disappointingly a lot of the times Mulder was questioning God’s power and calling the reverend a nut bag).

The climax with the intense struggle of Scully battling for her life as Pfaster attacks her again was just as tense and tragic as the first time. The ending where Scully is questioning if it was the hand of God or really her desire to kill Pfaster that caused her to pull the trigger and kill him was very well done.

Episode Grade: B+

Featured Video:

The incorporation of that song “Don’t Look Any Further” added a perfect, creepy warning that only Scully could hear. Was it a warning from God? Or a sick way of Pfaster to bring her closer to him? I believe God was speaking to her because of her faith.

Fun Facts:

This is the fourth time Mulder and Scully face a demonic antagonist (after “Die Hand die verletzt”, “All Souls”, and “Terms of Endearment”. Although Donnie Pfaster was previously in “Irresistible”, he was not thought to be a demon at that point, despite the subtle suggestions throughout.
On the wall of the chapel is writen “Sheep go to heaven. Goats go to hell.” This is also the chorus for the song of the same name by the alt-rock band Cake, this episode may have inspired it.
This episode’s title is a literary word for a prayer.
This episode features the song “Don’t Look Any Further” by Dennis Edwards & Siedah Garrett which has significant meaning to Scully. Singer John Hiatt recorded a cover version of the song “Don’t Look Any Further” specifically for “Orison.”

Faces You May Recognize:

If you’re a The Walking Dead fan, you will immediately recognize Scott Wilson as the beloved Hershel Greene. He has also played in the films Monster, Dead Man Walking, and The Last Samurai.

“The Goldberg Variation” – Season 7 Ep. 6

Posted on January 12, 2016 by tjyoung123

Scully: You okay, Mulder?

Mulder: Yeah, it’s all right. My ass broke the fall.

Written by: Jeffrey Bell

Directed by: Thomas J. Wright

Original Air Date: December 12th, 1999

Principal Setting: Chicago, Illinois

Episode Summary:

A man is tossed off the top of a 29th story building by gangsters. Amazingly, he gets up and walks away unscathed. Mulder and Scully investigate when Mulder suspects this man may have paranormal abilities. The man in question may just be the luckiest man on Earth.

Personal Commentary:

I liked this episode due to the great performance of Willie Garson playing Henry Weems, making his second appearance on the show since Season 3 “The Walk”. He doesn’t brag about his luck, but hides it to help others, which ends of backfiring all his life as people fall to bad luck from his amazing good luck.

The way he survived the scene where the mobster tries to shoot him, but somehow by lucky cause and effect gets caught in the ceiling fan, is wonderfully done. The whole feeling of the game Mousetrap was felt throughout making it funny, heart breaking, and filled with surprises.

The Shia LaBoeuf playing the sick kid got a bit tiresome, but it ended differently than the typical cliche sick kid plot line so it made it feel more heartfelt.

Episode Grade: B+

Fun Facts:

The title is a dual reference to Rube Goldberg machines and the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach.
The scene involving the lottery ticket is identical in nature to the catalyst for the premise of the television show My Name Is Earl.
The title refers to Goldberg Variations. “The Goldberg Variations” were special compositions of the work of J.S. Bach in the 1700s by a brilliant harpsichordist named Goldberg. Rueben (Rube) Lucius Goldberg (1888-1970) was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, sculptor, and author. A trained engineer and accomplished artist, Goldberg’s “inventions” were known for making simple tasks amazingly complex by utilizing dozens of arms, wheels, gears, handles, live animals, etc. to accomplish something as simple as squeezing orange juice or closing a window. The name Rube Goldberg has become associated with any convoluted solution to perform a simple task. The board game ‘Mousetrap’ utilizes a Goldberg device as its main feature.
This episode was too short, so they had to add a scene after the fact- the one where Mulder and Scully are in the car discussing the case. However, Gillian Anderson had already cut her hair significantly shorter for the next episode, so she had to wear a wig for the scene.

Faces You May Recognize:

Shia LaBeouf Picture

Shia LaBeouf is famous for starring in the first three Transformers movies, Fury, Lawless, and the hilarious Louis Stevens in the Disney channel show Even Stevens.

“Rush” – Season 7 Ep. 5

Posted on January 12, 2016 by tjyoung123

Mulder: You know why you collapsed don’t you, Max?

Max: Yeah, too much teen spirit.

Mulder: You think? Smells like murder to me.

Written by: David Amann

Directed by: Robert Lieberman

Original Air Date: December 5th, 1999

Principal Setting: Roanoke, Virginia

Episode Summary:

A high school boy is accused of the violent murder of a sheriff’s deputy. Mulder believes he is innocent. The agents find that someone with super-human speed may be the culprit.

Personal Commentary:

This episode just isn’t very good. The acting by the teenagers is sub par and the concept of them being able to move extremely fast due to exposure to a magical cave isn’t very exciting. Scully and Mulder don’t really get to do a lot or have the risk of their lives be in danger, so that makes for a rather lame episode. Skip it if you’re a casual viewer.

Episode Grade: D+

Fun Facts:

Due to the violent events (the table scene in particular) Fox’s Standards and Practices Department had an issue with showing the impact between the table and the teacher. In order to comply, the producers removed the impact, but the rest of the scene stayed intact.
Scott Cooper, who plays Max Harden, was 29 when this episode was filmed and it showed. Max’s looking older than his actual age could be explained by saying that the substance in the cave also accelerated his aging process slightly, though this doesn’t seem to apply to Chastity.

Faces You May Recognize:

Scott Cooper Picture

Scott Cooper is famous for playing supporting roles in Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace, and Black Mass.

“Millennium” – Season 7 Ep. 4

Posted on January 12, 2016 by tjyoung123

Scully: Mulder, those people, even when they were alive mangled biblical prophecy to the extent that it’s unrecognizable. The year 2000 is just their artificial deadline and besides, 2001 is actually the start of the new millennium.

Mulder: Nobody likes a math geek, Scully.

Written by: Vince Gilligan & Frank Spotnitz

Directed by: Thomas J. Wright

Original Air Date: November 28th, 1999

Principal Setting: Tallahassee, Florida

Episode Summary:

At the turn of the 21st century, a religious fanatic enlisted by the Millennium Group resurrects four members of the group as zombies to bring about the end of the world. Mulder and Scully enlist the help of Frank Black to help stop the apocalyptic designs of the Millennium Group.

Personal Commentary:

This episode came out at a perfect time to not only end the show Millennium, but also create a perfect depiction of what was going on with the Y2K scares, as we get an interesting story of a cult self-delusion of an millennial apocalypse.

The zombies weren’t as scary as The Walking Dead walkers, although the basement scene was abit frightening. It does really make you want them to create a The X-Files/The Walking Dead crossover episode in the upcoming new episodes.

I hadn’t seen any episodes of Millennium, though I have heard it’s a good show dealing with cults and the apocalypse. Most fans I’ve seen weren’t really happy about how they ended the series with this episode as it focuses more on Mulder and Scully than the character Frank Black.

I did like the ending as Mulder and Scully kiss, even though it’s just a New Year’s kiss. There was some magic in that moment not just due to the new Millennium. Oh I apologize Scully. I guess that doesn’t come officially until 2001.

Episode Grade: B

Favorite Scene:

Fun Facts:

This is a crossover episode. The character Frank Black is an F. B. I. from the show Millennium. The episode was its official series finale.
This is the first genuine kiss between Mulder and Scully. They kissed previously in “Triangle”, but that was Mulder kissing a 1939 alternate version of Scully.

Faces You May Recognize:

Octavia Spencer Picture

Octavia Spencer, coincidentally playing Nurse Octavia, is famous for playing in The Help, Being John Malkovich, Snowpiercer, and Fruitvale Station.

“Hungry” – Season 7 Ep. 3

Posted on January 11, 2016 by tjyoung123

Robert ‘Rob’ Roberts: [to Mulder & Scully] I’m sorry, but this is like good cop, insane cop.

Written by: Vince Gilligan

Directed by: Kim Manners

Original Air Date: November 21st, 1999

Principal Setting: Costa Mesa, California

Episode Summary:

Rob Roberts has an addiction to human brains. As he tries to control this overpowering hunger and turn his life around, Mulder and Scully try to find out who the brain-eating monster is.

Personal Commentary:

I didn’t actually realize this until I read the fact, but this is the first time an episode has taken the sole perspective of the monster as we only see Mulder and Scully when he comes into contact with Rob. This perspective creates a more interesting effect by really understanding his desires and why he is really a cannibal.

The creature makeup was very well done as we see ears and hair being pulled off on camera seamlessly. The acting was good by the whole cast, just not the most original monster or no real surprises besides what creature he truly is. I liked how he never changed who he was, even at the end when his death was imminent.

Episode Grade: B-

Favorite Scene:

Fun Facts:

The first episode to be told solely from the point of view of the antagonist. We only see Mulder and Scully when he comes into contact with them.
In keeping with writer Vince Gilligan’s habit of putting his girlfriend’s name (Holly Rice) in each episode he writes, the manager of the fast-food store is named Mr. Rice. Another employee is named Lucy, which is Holly’s real first name.

Faces You May Recognize:

Mark Pellegrino Picture

Mark Pellegrino has been in supporting roles in The Big Lebowski, National Treasure, The Number 23, and Lucifer in the show Supernatural . Most of you will recognize him for playing Jacob in Lost.

Judith Hoag Picture

Judith Hoag isn’t really that recognizable, but just wanted to give her a shout out for playing April O’Neil in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.