the x-files: part four

I was hoping to get a post up before this, but honestly I'm shocked I got one up this soon! I could have done it last night but after I finished episode 20 I was too tired and went right to bed.

So my favorite episode out of these 5? Miracle Man. I'm a sucker for the X-Files's religiously themed episodes. I am an avid fan of the religious battle between good and evil spilling over into the moral world. But that does not really apply to this episode and in all reality, not to the X-Files. I'm getting off track. I like this episode mostly because of people's determination not to believe that which is right in front of them. And because of the battle between good and evil inside of people's very souls. There is no shortage of proof that Samuel can heal people with his hands, yet people not only refuse to believe in him they go out of their way to hurt him. The local police even go so far as to murder him when they cannot pin the murders on him when proof comes forward that he is innocent. This episode capitalizes not only on people's fear of the unknown, but their determination to remain ignorant when faced with mountains of proof to the contrary. Really, the entire episode is summed up perfectly in the ending scene, which gets me every time. The police sheriff sitting there, reading a newspaper article that speaks of Samuel rising from the dead, while his ill wife panics in the background because he wouldn't let her anywhere near Samuel the "fraud." And then one of his deputy's comes to the front door to bring him in for questioning in relation to Samuel's death. The realization that not only were you wrong the entire time, but that you ignored every piece of evidence, every bit of proof, and committed a horrific crime on an innocent man in the process. The sheriff had a battle between good and evil inside of his soul, and he not only let evil win he wouldn't even give good a chance.

Here are the 5:

Young at Heart - Season 1, Episode 16

Synopsis: John Barnett, a man Mulder sent to prison years before, seemingly comes back from the dead determined to destroy Mulder's life.

Themes: abnormal human, Deep Throat, human experimentation, miraculous medicine

E.B.E. - Season 1, Episode 17

Synopsis: Mulder and Scully try to track down an alien they think the government has captured. Their investigation reveals some uncomfortable truths about Deep Throat and his relationship with Mulder.

Themes: Deep Throat, government conspiracy, gulf war syndrome, local law enforcement conspiracy, The Lone Gunmen, UFO

Miracle Man - Season 1, Episode 18

Synopsis - A young man seems to have the power to not only heal people, but to bring them back from the dead. However, the people he tries to heal have started dying leading him to believe the Devil is tainting his work and the local police to try and arrest him for murder.

Themes - abnormal human, the devil, faith healing, god, local law enforcement conspiracy, the plagues, psychic, psychic healing, religion, resurrection, Samantha, visions

Shapes - Season 1, Episode 19

Synopsis - Mulder believes that a young Native American man shot by a rancher was actually a shapeshifter

Themes - abnormal human, MOTW, Native American, shapeshifter

Darkness Falls - Season 1, Episode 20

Synopsis - Loggers have gone missing in the woods. An investigation shows ties to eco-terrorists and illegal logging that might have awoken something long asleep.

Themes - ancient insects, MOTW