![]() ![]() “You’re a dark wizard, Mulder,” she responds, in a line that’s sure to set ‘shippers buzzing. “I invented it when you were in the hospital,” he says, referring to her brief coma in the 1994 episode “One Breath.” Instead, she asks Mulder if they ever came across an X-file in the past where someone wished a person back to life. Whoever’s idea it was to score this horrific murder with Petula Clark’s “Downtown” deserves special recognition.Īt the hospital, Mulder tries bringing Scully up to speed on the case, but she’s too distraught to care much about 7-foot tall garbage monsters. Later in the episode, a heartless city administrator winds up dismembered and stuffed in her own trash compactor after she threatens to have the police arrest any homeless people who relocate to her district. Horror fans may notice a slight similarity here to the 1992 film “Candyman,” where a mythic urban legend came to life in a crime-stricken Chicago housing development and slaughtered anyone unlucky enough to meet him. While Mulder is testing gooey medical adhesives and Scully is fielding phone calls from her brother, Band-Aid Nose Man is busy ripping the heads off a couple of art thieves who thought they could make a quick buck by auctioning his stolen portrait at Sotheby’s. Even stranger, there’s nothing inorganic on it either, despite the fact that it’s covered with hair and pus. But there’s something about the sight of Mulder slowly peeling away a nasty used band-aid stuck to the bottom of his shoe that’s especially hard to stomach.Īt the crime lab, a baffled FBI technician finds “no presence of any pathogenic agents” on the filthy band-aid. From a fat-sucking mutant who vomits snot into women’s mouths in the episode “2Shy,” to a parasitic slug crawling around inside Scully’s body in “Roadrunners,” we’ve been treated to some wonderfully disgusting moments over the past 10 seasons. Now, “The X-Files” has always excelled at grotesque imagery. But first he steps in something squishy on his way out the door. Meanwhile, Mulder investigates an eerie piece of graffiti seen on a building across the street from the crime scene. But aside from learning that her mother had a DNR order, asked to speak with her estranged son and owned an unfamiliar pendant, it plays out like a fairly standard soap opera storyline. Perhaps if more actually happened at the hospital this wouldn’t be an issue. ![]() Despite Gillian Anderson’s excellent performance, Scully’s somewhat routine medical drama repeatedly interrupts the momentum of Mulder’s case, and vice versa. Unfortunately, these two separate plots work against each other at times. hospital.Īt this point, the episode splits into two distinct storylines, with Scully sitting by her mother’s bedside while Mulder hunts the supernatural trash heap. The call is actually from William Scully Jr., her brother, who’s calling to let her know that their mother suffered a massive heart attack and is in a Washington D.C. The look of shock on her face is equal to our own. While examining the victim’s torso, Scully gets a call from William. Though the floor of the crime scene is covered with bloody bare footprints, the forensic tech can’t lift a print because they “lack ridges.” This instantly leads Mulder to determine that “this person was born without footprints.” Seems like a bit of a leap, but okay. At Chris Carter’s suggestion, the order of episodes was shuffled to help clarify a subplot about their son’s adoption. If you’re wondering why they’re introduced with a lingering shot of their outstretched FBI badges, it’s because this was originally filmed to be Episode 2, and would have picked up with their reinstatement into the bureau following the events of the premiere. The next day, Mulder and Scully arrive to investigate. Bravo to the sound designers for giving Band-Aid Nose Man’s thudding footsteps a menacing quality all their own. Echoing images from classic John Carpenter films like “Halloween” and “Prince of Darkness,” this opening sequence is one of the series’ most strikingly cinematic. Before Cutler can call for help, Band-Aid Nose Man rips him apart in a shower of blood. ![]()
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