X-Files S8E17: They're all connected

Sestra Amateur: 

I had to start today’s episode with a little research on the title before watching the show. According to Wikipedia, currently celebrating 20 years of not being a credible source for college students everywhere, Empedocles was a Greek philosopher best known for his theories regarding the origin of the universe and its four classical elements -- earth, air, fire, water. Since this is the first episode showing Mulder, Scully, Doggett and Reyes working “together” (I’m not counting Season 8, Episode 14: "This is Not Happening"), I’d like to think it refers to them.

In New Orleans, Louisiana, Jeb Dukes (Jay Underwood) gets fired from his job. While still in shock, he witnesses a high-speed police car chase and its horrific aftermath. (For the officers’ sakes, I hope the chase met the agency’s criteria or they’ll also be out of jobs.) Jeb watches the fiery, felonious driver stroll out of the vehicle and enter his body. Of course, none of the other rubberneckers see this happen. Jeb returns to the office and shoots the bosses who fired him. How did the spirit bring along a handgun?

Special Agent Monica Reyes is called to the scene. The lead detective, Franklin Potter, thinks the murders may be related to satanic rituals, based on the Marilyn Manson CD in Jeb’s cubicle. Reyes thinks the firing pushed Dukes over the edge. Good news for Monica: She’s trying to quit smoking. Bad news: While looking at the dead female boss’ body, she “sees” it as a burned corpse and knows something more is going on than workplace violence.

Fox Mulder shows up unannounced at Dana Scully’s door. He tries for banter, but essentially accuses Dana of sleeping around. The pizza man arrives and the outrageous price for one pizza pie sends pregnant Scully to the hospital. Agent John Doggett meets with Fox there, and Mulder is not happy to see him. Fox gets a phone call from Reyes about her case, which she claims involves Doggett. Mulder agrees to meet with her.

In Lavonia, Georgia, approximately 100 miles northeast of Atlanta, it looks like Jeb Dukes is back in control of himself and full of contrition. He tries to commit suicide, but the spirit inside of him won’t let it happen. It’s a cool-looking, yet disturbing image when Jeb tears away skin from his face to reveal the glowing man underneath. At FBI Headquarters, Reyes officially meets Mulder for the first time. She hands him the file for 7-year old Luke John Doggett, John’s murdered son. Monica reveals she had a vision when she first saw Luke’s body and it was the same one she had for Jeb’s murdered boss.

Doggett checks on Scully, which somehow triggers a dreamy memory of agents running into and out of a wooded area. He heads to the FBI office, grabs Fox and starts screaming at him for going behind John’s back for information. Boy, this is not the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Reyes briefly defuses the situation and tells Doggett about her vision. John reverts to denial mode, but Mulder mentions Bob Harvey, who was the original suspect in Luke’s case. Harvey was the man police were chasing who died in front of Jeb Dukes. Doggett refuses to see the connection. Reyes visits with Katha Dukes, Jeb’s sister, who conveniently lives in nearby Maryland. Sis is shocked her brother is being accused of murder. Jeb picks that moment to call from a South Carolina phone booth, but sis disconnects the call without telling Monica. Unfortunately, a stranded woman needing automotive assistance requests help from Jeb.

Dana wakes to see John at her bedside. He’s curious to know how she graduated from skeptic to believer. Doggett again flashes back to the wooded area; Reyes and other law enforcement officers are standing in a circle. He snaps out of it before we see anything else. Back in the X-files office, Monica and Fox have an interesting conversation between two different types of believers. Having Reyes refer to Scully as the open-minded one was perfect for getting Mulder’s attention.

Jeb looks at his reflection in the dead motorist’s window and sees fire behind him. He’s probably on his way to his sister’s house. Local police find the body. (Is anyone else picturing Tim Curry in Clue exclaiming, “The motorist!?”? Monica brings Fox to the scene and arranges for John to join them. Doggett sees Reyes standing in a circle with other law enforcement officers. Sound familiar? John denies having a vision, but Monica calls him on it. Mulder returns to Dana's bedside and learns she suffered a partial abruption. Guess that means she’s bedridden for the rest of the season. Fox updates her on the Reyes case(s). Scully gives her seal of approval, for Monica and Doggett.

Katha and her daughter, Mia, return home where Jeb is waiting for them. He continues to deny his involvement in the murders, but sis sees blood on his face. He asks for Katha’s help. Luckily, it’s Jeb and not the evil spirit who is in control when he hugs his niece. Meanwhile, John is making calls about Jeb Larold Dukes. (His middle name gets repeated enough that it piqued my curiosity. This isn’t the first time The X-Files has used Larold; back in "Tempus Fugit" (S4E17), passenger Larold Rebhun was on a plane with abductee Max Fenig. That character was named after the show’s sound mixer Larold Rebhun. But even more amusing is the Urbandictionary.com definition of Larold: “Someone who appears to be non-threatening but proclaims they will destroy you.” That’s Jeb + evil spirit in a nutshell.) 

Reyes again confronts Doggett about his visions. He admits if Sculder and Monica are right about the possibility of the supernatural, then he did not do everything he could to save his son. Our hero John would never be able to live with that thought. They’re interrupted by a phone call from Katha, who reveals Jeb’s current location. Team Reyett (Team Dogges? I want to go with Team Johnica, but that defies the pattern) head to Maryland.

After Doggett and Reyes arrive, Katha tries to get Mia away from Jeb, but she makes it worse and now Jeb has a hostage. John lowers his weapon but Monica takes the shot and Mia is saved. They somehow end up at Scully’s hospital. Boy, they sure are keeping that E.R. nurse busy! Reyes sends Doggett home, but he goes to Dana's room instead where his original flashback continues. He sees Luke’s dead body, first normal, then burned. Mulder unintentionally snaps him out of it and shoos him out of a sleeping Scully's room. Fox tells John about his time with the FBI’s Violent Crimes Unit and they finally have a civilized conversation. Jeb begins to convulse, then flatlines. Dr. Mary Speake, played by Denise Crosby, calls time of death. Katha, now possessed by the evil spirit, knocks Monica unconscious and takes her gun. Luckily, Doggett arrives and easily disarms her.

Dana is back in her apartment with Fox's replacement pizza and they have a rare lighthearted moment. On the darker, more “normal” side of things, John is at the hospital watching over a restrained Katha. He clearly believes Reyes' statement, “it’s never over.” 

Sestra Professional: 

For the second straight show, there's a lot for X-Philes to unpack in an episode. Guess there's much to cover when you need to factor in the longtime lead alongside newcomers to the canvas. But it's working out well, nothing seems like it's dragging and even the required bits of business (like introductions) mesh well enough with the back story enough to keep the attention in "Three Little Words" (S8E16) and now "Empedocles."

It starts with a pretty cool-looking set piece. Clearly that's one vote against laying off employees so late at night. I agree with Sestra Am that it's awfully strange that no one else saw fire man merge with a mere mortal, guess that was supposed to be symbolic. On the other hand, I think Jed left the area to pick up the weapon because he changed his clothes too, Sestra. But I'm giving you a bonus point for that deft philosophical explanation of the episode title.

Then again, maybe that inferno body swap wasn't merely symbolic. If Reyes and/or Doggett had been there, I suppose they would have noticed the fire beast merging with Jeb Dukes. Monica, who told us she was open to all possibilities when she was introduced a couple of episodes ago in "This Is Not Happening" (S8E14), backs that up with her acute sense of charred human. And although John clearly needs more time to process these things, he's got some X-files ability in him after all. 

The pizza man is not above suspicion: I'm not sure what to make of that awkward conversation between Mulder and Scully. It really did seem reminiscent of '90s sitcom Mad About You. Dana has come a long way, she didn't used to have any facility for pop-culture references. Guess she's had more downtime than usual. Is this the show's way of telling us Fox isn't entirely sure he's the father of the baby? Either that or his banter muscles atrophied when he was buried. I wish Scully would say something rather than looking meekly at her belly. But I'll give Mulder all the credit in the world for his retort to the cost of the pizza -- "What'd she get on it, a tank of gas?"

"Empedocles" was written by future Smallville co-producer and Titans executive producer Greg Walker. His previous two forays were a study in contrast -- the addictive "Brand X" (S7E18) and the awful "Surekill" (S8E8). His third X-Files effort seems to be kind of a mixture of the two. 

You fellas just don't listen: Things get better when Monica "meets" Fox for the first time, the first time he was -- you know -- not dead and all. In that interaction, we see that while Reyes seems to be of the Mulder mold, she's got a lot more going for her. There's an intuition that she follows readily, and she's even got intuition about other people's intuitions. So while by-the-books Doggett might have turned off another paranormally inclined agent, he doesn't dissuade her with his words. Note to Deputy Director Kersh: They would make a strong team for the FBI if you need one ... in a month.  

We're finally getting into John's back story. The recurring recollection from the day his son's body was found was atmospheric and eerie, since we initially only saw bits and pieces and that was juxtaposed with a similar modern-day scene. In this episode, there's a lot of angry Doggett pushing back, particularly against Fox and just those few moments of flashback keep us on John's side even when he doesn't want to listen to reason. 

You just keep shooting 'til you hit something, don't you? Reyes puts most of this puzzle together and then Mulder brings it home. Monica's the one who understands that there's a reason all of it is happening when it does. That Jeb's possession is not as random as it might appear on the surface. It wasn't merely that Harvey was killed in a nearby car crash, but that Dukes -- at a particularly vulnerable moment -- was on the scene and easy prey for ultimate evil. Even Fox considers it coincidence at that point, Monica's the one who deems it a pattern. And since we can see patterns, even in the way law enforcement stands at a crime scene, we're able to side with Reyes from that vantage point.

Having said that, Monica's not seamlessly woven into the fabric. Her new-age ideals can ring a little bit tinny if you don't subscribe to those theories. But at the end of the day and the end of episode, she's made some fairly valid points. As much as John wishes he could save his own son, maybe saving Mia was the reason they were there.

Through Katha -- not only a guest character, but one who winds up suffering a similar fate -- the show gets to hypothesize that people are born good and life does the corrupting. Katha doesn't know how true her words will ring. Meanwhile, a slightly out-of-it Scully counsels Doggett about not being afraid to believe. And Dana's contribution, while minimal due to her pregnancy complications, not only helps John but also start to pry Fox's eyes open about his worthiness. 

I once saw Elvis in a potato chip: We still get to count on our closer, Mulder, to tidy up the proceedings. Fox gets to declare the malevolent entity as a disease being passed from person to person. That when that victim is weakened, evil jumps on in and has a good time. No sooner has he said it than the theory gets put into practice on Katha, at Monica's expense. Man, he's good. Six months under the soil and he's as good as ever.

Guest star of the week: Jay Underwood, whose first career credit was with Annabeth Gish in the coming-of-age movie Desert Bloom, does strong work as Jeb Dukes. He comes off very well as an everyman who doesn't have control over what's going on and ultimately transforms into evil incarnate.