With a title like "Redrum," it's very difficult not to make a reference to The Shining. I’ll do my best, but I won’t make any promises. However, it is a subtle way to describe this episode. It’s Friday, Dec. 8, 2000, and an inmate is being transferred to another jail. But this is no ordinary prisoner and not just because he’s played by Joe Morton, the actor whose character in Terminator 2 inadvertently creates Skynet, but whose character in Speed utters my favorite line in the movie. The inmate, Martin Wells, personally knows John Doggett and calls him by his first name. Martin also gets shot in the chest by his father-in-law in front of Team Sculett and sees time move backward, but would you expect anything less from this show? So let’s go back to Thursday morning and see how we got here.
Martin, who has a freshly stitched-up scar on his cheek, meets with our intrepid heroes but Wells clearly has no idea of what’s going on. Doggett, who thinks Martin is trying to create an insanity defense, shocks Wells with horrific photographs of Martin’s murdered wife, Vicky. Wells is transported to the courthouse for his bail hearing and the decision is made to deny him bail while arranging for Martin’s transfer. Surprisingly, the judge, attorneys and gallery peeps don’t listen to Wells when he claims he’ll be shot during tomorrow’s transfer.
Scully and Doggett meet with Martin, who doesn’t remember meeting Dana for the first time the previous day. He tries to explain his lack of recollection, but Scully reminds him just because he can’t remember not killing Vicky doesn’t mean he didn’t do it. Back in his cell, Wells takes out his frustration on an innocent spider. Later, Martin begins to see violent images involving Vicky in reverse. His children visit in the jail and Martin arranges for the babysitter to retrieve a nanny cam from their bedroom. It doesn’t show the actual murder, but Wells definitely appears to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The next time Martin wakes up, he sees the spider at work on a new web. Actually, it’s the old web, which Wells has not yet destroyed, because it’s Wednesday, not Friday. The days continue to pass normally for everyone but Martin. He also doesn’t have the cut on his cheek yet, so clearly it’ll happen today. Wells meets his defense attorney for the first time, not realizing he hasn’t met her before. Back at the jail, he’s put in general population, a dangerous situation for him since he prosecuted some of the inmates. Who gets the honor of causing the facial scar? Machete himself, Danny Trejo, who conveniently has a spider web tattoo on his hand. After some shoddy patchwork, Martin meets with Team Sculett and tries to explain his unique passage of time. Doggett is less patient than Scully and leaves.
Wells later reviews the case file and realizes who killed his wife. Too bad his week continues to unfold backward and he wakes up on John's couch on Tuesday. Martin claims Vicky’s murderer is the inmate with the spider web tattoo on his hand. He relays the information to Doggett, who learns no inmate matching that description has been processed … yet. Martin and John go to the Wells’ apartment to retrieve the nanny cam. Doggett helps Martin’s case by pointing out how the camera activated at Wells' arrival after sunrise, not during the time of the murder that occurred before dawn.
Scully and Doggett meet with Martin, who doesn’t remember meeting Dana for the first time the previous day. He tries to explain his lack of recollection, but Scully reminds him just because he can’t remember not killing Vicky doesn’t mean he didn’t do it. Back in his cell, Wells takes out his frustration on an innocent spider. Later, Martin begins to see violent images involving Vicky in reverse. His children visit in the jail and Martin arranges for the babysitter to retrieve a nanny cam from their bedroom. It doesn’t show the actual murder, but Wells definitely appears to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The next time Martin wakes up, he sees the spider at work on a new web. Actually, it’s the old web, which Wells has not yet destroyed, because it’s Wednesday, not Friday. The days continue to pass normally for everyone but Martin. He also doesn’t have the cut on his cheek yet, so clearly it’ll happen today. Wells meets his defense attorney for the first time, not realizing he hasn’t met her before. Back at the jail, he’s put in general population, a dangerous situation for him since he prosecuted some of the inmates. Who gets the honor of causing the facial scar? Machete himself, Danny Trejo, who conveniently has a spider web tattoo on his hand. After some shoddy patchwork, Martin meets with Team Sculett and tries to explain his unique passage of time. Doggett is less patient than Scully and leaves.
Wells later reviews the case file and realizes who killed his wife. Too bad his week continues to unfold backward and he wakes up on John's couch on Tuesday. Martin claims Vicky’s murderer is the inmate with the spider web tattoo on his hand. He relays the information to Doggett, who learns no inmate matching that description has been processed … yet. Martin and John go to the Wells’ apartment to retrieve the nanny cam. Doggett helps Martin’s case by pointing out how the camera activated at Wells' arrival after sunrise, not during the time of the murder that occurred before dawn.
Team Dogwells meet with baby sitter Trina and learn “Spiderweb-Man” Cesar Ocampo is inside. John arrests him and Martin learns Cesar’s brother, Hector Ocampo, was a three-striker when Wells prosecuted him. Martin unethically suppressed evidence that would have exonerated Hector, who recently committed suicide. So Cesar’s plan to murder Vicky and set up Martin by using Wells' key card to enter the apartment worked perfectly. Martin is arrested for killing his wife.
And now we’ve made it to Monday. Martin wakes up in his hotel room at 2 a.m. – two hours before the murder -- and frantically tries to reach Vicky, but she’s not answering the phone. He calls the Baltimore Police Department to no avail, so he goes to Doggett’s place. John hasn’t seen Martin in three years, so Wells' talk of suppressing evidence and disbarment is alarming. But Martin just wants to save his wife, regardless of the cost to his own career.
Doggett makes a phone call while Wells heads to the apartment, which is now full of police officers. They leave and Vicky returns home so quickly that she really should have run into a few cops in the hallway. So should have Cesar, who sneaks in a minute later. He pummels Martin and is about to slit Vicky’s throat when Team Sculett arrive and John shoots Cesar to death. Three months later, Wells is serving his deserved time in prison for his illegal acts. Let’s hope he’s more considerate to innocent spiders this time around.
By the way, Fathom events is hosting a 40th anniversary showing of The Shining in movie theaters starting Oct. 17. There, I held off as long as I could.
Sestra Professional:
Guest star of the week: Joe Morton often is woefully left behind when X-Philes compile favorite guest-star lists. And it's a shame, because not only is the television, film and theater legend impactful in this episode specifically and the season overall, but he's truly the strongest guest star we've had in ages. That's, of course, important because the entire episode focuses around him to the point at which our regular leads wind up filling supporting roles, much like "Hungry" (Season 7, Episode 3). You've got to be a particularly strong actor to make that work. Morton is. For my part, he'd be near the top of the show's all-time best guest stars.
By the way, Fathom events is hosting a 40th anniversary showing of The Shining in movie theaters starting Oct. 17. There, I held off as long as I could.
Sestra Professional:
Guest star of the week: Joe Morton often is woefully left behind when X-Philes compile favorite guest-star lists. And it's a shame, because not only is the television, film and theater legend impactful in this episode specifically and the season overall, but he's truly the strongest guest star we've had in ages. That's, of course, important because the entire episode focuses around him to the point at which our regular leads wind up filling supporting roles, much like "Hungry" (Season 7, Episode 3). You've got to be a particularly strong actor to make that work. Morton is. For my part, he'd be near the top of the show's all-time best guest stars.
While we're being disoriented by the way this tale unfolds, "Redrum" hits us with an intriguing morality tale. I'm reminded of similar methodology from an episode in which the FBI agents were mostly relegated to a background role -- "Mind's Eye" (S5E16) -- also hinging on a dynamic guest-starring performance by Lili Taylor. In that one, Marty Glenn was cleared of the murders she didn't commit, but ended up imprisoned for the one that eliminated the supernatural aspect of her life.
By continuing on this way, the fabric of the series could have been altered slowly and surely, the same way the spider went about spinning its web. It wouldn't be the easiest thing to accomplish, having a non-regular at the focus of the action and needing fans to care about redemption for someone who won't be seen again. In this one, Morton did the heavy lifting. Also all due credit for Peter Markle for rising to the challenge of helming the final of his three X-Files offerings. (He also directed the demanding sixth episode of the fifth season, "Christmas Carol" and sixth-season dog "Alpha.")
I think "Redrum" could have provided a jumping-off point for getting more into Twilight Zone-esque yarns like this one. Maybe that would have quieted the calls for actors and crew who were ready to move on after investing so much time and effort in the show for years, cultivating a new wave of fans while slowly establishing newer leads and enabling those primarily invested in Mulder and Scully to ride off gracefully into the sunset with them.
How can telling this tale further our ongoing story? By showing us yet again that John Doggett is on the straight and narrow. Too many times over the course of our series, there's been someone we thought could count on who wound up being just the opposite -- in the most extreme cases, Alex Krycek or Diana Fowley. Even on occasion, Walter Skinner or Deep Throat had to throw our leads off the track in order to maintain their positions. By having John go to lengths to help unravel Martin Wells' mystery, he takes another big step toward being worthy of Dana's trust ... and earning ours in the process.
All I need to know about you is that you broke the law: So we're in a story that can't advance the course of newly paired Scully and Doggett too much. But it does provide clear and concise character studies for who they are at this point. Dana's taking the facts as she sees them into account, but really listening to what Wells has to say without knowing whether that ultimately changes anything. John, a man who makes his decisions based on what he's seeing and hearing, is still quick to dismiss the surreal aspect of Martin's arguments. He's in the formative stages of his web.
There's a lot of mileage gained by having Morton play Wells, that comes with the built-in Terminator 2: Judgment Day connection between Robert Patrick and Morton. It provides a lot of power and heft to the story, an emotional component that makes us care about Martin and what happens to him. Then again, maybe it's just having an actor who completely invests in his story. Morton seamlessly takes us along on Wells' journey, so much so that we need our leads to figure out what's going on and find a way to remedy the situation.
It looks like Woodstock out there: This episode is the second of five strong scripts from future Lost co-executive producer Steven Maeda, from a story crafted by Maeda with Daniel Arkin (who also penned S6E15 shipper favorite "Arcadia.") Maeda previously smoked out the cigarette industry in "Brand X" (S7E18). He'll deliver another of Season 8's highlights "Vienen," before providing two of the ninth-season's peaks -- "4D" and "Audrey Pauley." He's been heralding the way to that different method of storytelling that could have sustained the original run.
For all the ways "Redrum" is reminiscent of The Shining, most obviously the reverse spelling of the title, it's also a precursor to two seminal moments in pop culture -- Memento, the Guy Pearce film that came out to great acclaim (and an Oscar nomination for best screenplay) the following May, and "Blink," a fan favorite from the third season of the reboot of Doctor Who in June 2007. Maybe this episode really did happen before its time.
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