X-Files S9E8: Repeatedly getting under their skin

Sestra Amateur: 

In Novi, Virginia, it’s Terry Pruit’s turn to share in group. Which group, you ask? AA? NA? Based on stereotypes, I’m leaning toward court-ordered anger management. Except for Terry, these men are a pessimistic bunch. Victor Dale Potts suffers from nightmares and sees visions, like the one of buddy Ed Kelso standing in front of him, skinned alive.

Five days later, FBI Agent Monica Reyes has the case file for poor dead Victor, who was the one actually skinned alive. She calls Agent Dana Scully and Agent John Doggett to the morgue to help her with this particular investigation. Monica knows more but she’s not being very forthcoming with her partners. They head to Novi and meet with local police detective Van Allen. Reyes wants to hear from Dr. Lisa Holland, who led the group session. She doesn’t have nice things to say about Ed, Victor’s buddy from group. Van Allen thinks he’s seen Monica before but she denies it.

Terry works with Ed at the meat packing plant. Clearly they don’t get along, but Ed actually seems to scare Terry. Scully’s doing her own research and finds a similar murder that occurred in 1960. She interviews the now-84-year-old coroner named Bertram Mueller and learns the then-sheriff committed suicide after the skinned body was found. Dana also learns there was a series of murders committed back then, not just the one John Doe.

Terry thinks Ed is stalking him at work and is ready to defend himself. Too bad Pruit gets knocked unconscious, stripped and strung up by his feet. Of course things get much, much worse for poor Terry, who at least tried to change for the better. Meanwhile, Reyes goes to the church to see Dr. Holland, but runs into a skinless man instead. Turns out, she’s just having a nightmare. John wakes her up (he was in the next room, don’t get any ideas) to tell her about Pruit's murder. Seeing his skinned body freaks out Monica and she bolts from the crime scene. Scully arrives and shows Reyes the 1960 case file. And John almost pees his pants when he realizes skinless Terry is still alive! 

Doggett arrests Ed, who is actually running from something else. During his interview, Monica sees something redeemable in Kelso when he cries over his friend’s death. John doesn’t like Reyes connecting with their suspect. Detective Van Allen cuts Ed loose because he has an alibi. While leaving the police station, Kelso has a vision of a skinned Holland. Meanwhile, Dana’s been very busy. She had two bodies from the 1960 case exhumed and learned Victor Potts and Terry Pruit were born on the same dates that someone was skinned alive in 1960. That’s some speedy super-sleuthing, Agent Scully. Reyes thinks Ed will be Victim No. 3 and she’s right. Doggett finds what’s left of Kelso on the table.

John has a bone to pick with Van Allen, but Monica refocuses Doggett's attention. Reyes thinks the souls of the men are the same. She describes Kelso’s remains even though she hadn’t seen his body at the scene. Monica is also sure there will be a fourth victim. Team Johnica head to a nearby coal mine where they find newspaper articles from 1868 and 1909 along with a sheriff’s skeleton. Looks like that one committed suicide too. Turns out, this all started over a mining claim dispute from 100-plus years ago. Four men scammed and killed a fifth man over it. Monica finds the skins -- some old, some fresh -- and then the culprit: Detective Van Allen. He points out how she always fails when she tries to stop him. Van Allen was the man skinned alive during the original land dispute and he’s destined to keep repeating history.

Reyes thinks Dr. Holland is Victim No. 4 and warns her away from the murderous detective just in time. Lisa makes a run for it and is saved by Monica, who shoots a very surprised Van Allen. Guess she didn’t fail this time. Dana and John still aren’t completely on board with Reyes' reincarnated connection to the case, but she believes in it completely. Too bad Van Allen dies … and the cycle appears to begin again.

Sestra Professional: 

This X-file should be sub-categorized "Not-for-the-Squeamish-file." Every once in a while we run across one of these, although this particular script by supervising producer David Amann could be cross-classified in the Twilight Zone file as well as the "Sanguinarium" file. That's the tag I give to competition for yuckiest X-file. Although there are other candidates over almost 8 1/2 seasons, Season 4's sixth episode always stands out to me for most memorable blood and tissue loss.

 

Season 9 may not be doing much for Dana, but we're getting a lot more insight into Monica Reyes and John Doggett -- and they're pretty interesting people. Fortunately they're quite different from our original leads, Mulder and Scully, even though they have similar drive and intelligence. It makes them easy to root for and side with, even when they don't agree with their co-workers.

 

Might want to watch your step, we got some blood on the floor: That doesn't mean we wouldn't like Monica to let John and Dana in on what's going on earlier than she does. They've certainly earned our respect, so perhaps she should have the same confidence in them as well. Maybe she's just flustered by not knowing as much about the case as she usually does at the start -- that gut feeling she's always following. Reyes was either not initially getting that vibe in Novi or was trying her level best to ignore it. I tend to think it was the latter. 

 

Although not scripted as well as last week's "John Doe," it's nice to follow up an episode focused on Doggett that showed those in his orbit trying to help him with one exhibiting a similar pattern for Monica. That, of course, doesn't thrill the legion of viewers still tuning in at this point to see Scully. But if their minds were as open as Reyes', maybe they would come around by this time. Ah, who am I kidding? Oh well, there's enough of Dana pinpointing exactly what's going on scientifically to keep Gillian Anderson's fan base engaged as well.

You can't stop it, you never do: At some point, we were hellbound to get to the point at which Reyes and Doggett's differing viewpoints came to a head. Even finding out all the victims were born on the dates of the previous victims' deaths didn't sway John beyond pointing out they're hunting for a crafty killer. We do kind of expect the concept of karmic revenge to be Monica's terrain, but maybe I've got that backwards. Maybe this is Reyes' origin story. Her facility for such reasoning could come from the fact that she's been through the pattern over and over again.

The makeup team led by Cheri Montesanto did an excellent job on "Hellbound." I don't get bugged out by a lot of television episodes, but those were the most advanced skin peels I've ever seen and they were horrifying. By the way, the bodies reportedly were made by spraying a mannequin with a layer of latex, then peeling that off and applying the layers to mannequins that resembled the actors. Fake veins were applied over the moist-looking fake skin. In The Complete X-Files, Robert Patrick gave full credit to Montesanto and the special-effects makeup team: "They literally did a 36-hour day to pull some of that off," he said.

Guest star of the week: The only non-recurring character able to keep pace with the makeup and effects squad this week was James McDonnell as Detective Van Allen. A veteran of episodic television for over two decades, he found a truly meaty role on The X-Files.

X-Files S9E7: Meet John Doe

Sestra Amateur: 

Agent John Doggett is having a bad day. He woke up in Mexico (or Hollywood’s version of Mexico) without papers, one of his sneakers and his memory. (Maybe the episode should have been called "Juan Doe.") He very quickly loses his freedom too. 

The next day, John finds someone in jail who speaks English. Doggett only learns he’s in a town named Sangradura. He has flashes of his old life – happy memories of his son, Luke – while he sleeps. Eight days later, his new “friend” Domingo Salmeron pays for John’s freedom. Doggett, who apparently can’t grow more than stubble in “eight” days, doesn’t react well to being a slave. He disarms his captor and walks away. (Too bad he doesn’t have an alien tracking implant.) 

John finds his mugger – the man who stole his shoe – and tries to get back some of his other property. The opportunist gives him a tiny silver skull. Doggett returns to his “owner” and joins the payroll. John acts like he doesn’t know what the skull means, but gives Doggett money for a hotel room. Inside the room, John does a full body inspection. He sees fresh scars on his forehead and a Marine tattoo on his arm. A cigar-smoking man outside the hotel (no, not that CSM) watches and waits … and he's wearing a bracelet of silver skulls.

Four days later, Agent Dana Scully and Assistant Director Walter Skinner show Deputy Director Alvin Kersh proof of life: Doggett crossing a border in Laredo, Texas. Kersh cancels their missing agent task force and leaves John’s fate in the hands of Mexican authorities. Agent Monica Reyes continues her investigation in San Antonio, Texas. She interviews “Pillar of the Community” Mariano Molina in the presence of his attorney. Molina likely knows more than he is admitting, but his attorney ends the interview. 

Back in Mexico, Doggett finally gets to a phone. He reaches out to the U.S. Marines and uses his tattoo and physical description to narrow down his own name. Unfortunately, John has to disconnect because local popo arrive. Doggett goes to Domingo’s garage where Salmeron tries to convince John he’s a wanted man. Domingo’s right-hand man Nestor wants to get rid of Doggett and meets with the cigar-smoking man, who reveals John is a federal agent.

Scully meets with Reyes in Texas and reports that Skinner is on his way to Mexico. Dana also shows Monica a BOLO related to Doggett’s phone call to the Marines. Somehow, they suspect amnesia is a factor. Back in the garage, Nestor tries to kill John, who gets the upper hand – and takes off part of the would-be killer’s foot. Domingo arrives and he’s beyond pissed. He calls Doggett “desaparecido,” one of the Cartel’s disappeared ones. They own the town and took away John’s memory. John suffers another painful memory attack, enabling Domingo to get control and knock Doggett unconscious. Meanwhile, in Mexico, Reyes bribes her way to a dead man with similar scars on his forehead.

It’s Day Thirteen and Domingo goes to see the silver-skull man. With glowing eyes and thumbs pressed into Domingo’s forehead, the cigar smoker “sees” what Salmeron knows. And Monica finally finds John in Domingo’s garage. He doesn’t remember her but at least he believes her. Too bad the corrupt Mexican police have surrounded them. He asks about his son, Luke, at the worst possible time, but the shock helps Doggett regain part of his memory. Mexican police try to smoke them out but Reyes throws the smoke bomb right back at them. 

A shootout begins and it’s very Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid until Team Johnica drives through the wall in a bus. They buy enough time for Skinner and the good Mexican Federales to arrive and save the day. John finds the cigar-smoking man and demands his memories back. Luckily, he starts to remember on his own. (How? By sheer force of will?) Silver-skull man doesn’t understand why Doggett wants to keep so many painful memories. John chooses to focus on the happy one of Luke that recurred during his ordeal and helped restore his memories.

Sestra Professional: 

Before I forget, "John Doe" is my favorite example of what The X-Files could be without Mulder and Scully at the center. I totally understand a lot of viewers weren't interested in that. The show was built upon and flourished under the premise of Fox and Dana vs. the world for over seven seasons. A large number of fans don't want to see it beyond that. 

But while I treasure those episodes and all the trials and tribulations we survived vicariously with them, I consider the basic concept to have a much wider scope. It could be vital without Sculder at the center of the universe, akin to programs like ER and NYPD Blue after their biggest names departed.

 

So here we have a wonderfully atmospheric episode written by Vince Gilligan and visualized with gritty style by co-executive producer Michelle MacLaren in her directorial debut and the show's esteemed cinematographer Bill Roe. It's too bad it was MacLaren's only such credit for The X-Files because I would have appreciated more opportunities to see her particular flair on this canvas.

 

It's a good point on the timeline for John Doggett to be going through this ordeal. The circumstances in which he loses his memory actually give us more insight into the man and his personal history, which we've only touched upon since he entered the fold about 15 months ago. It's an opportunity Robert Patrick jumps on and feasts upon, easily his most relaxed performance to date. I'll add that he looks great too when taken out of his tailored suits and poured into a t-shirt, jeans and only one shoe.

I'm the victim here: We're far afield of even where the ninth season began, and considering we're coming off the flat -- the most kind description I could give -- "Lord of the Flies," that is a most welcome change. After giving Doggett enough time to carve out his place in the canvas, we finally find out more about his back story through the brief memory flashbacks.

We've had forays into a Twilight Zone-like existence this year and this episode certainly fits that mold. You know how they say "you can't change who you are?" It's never more apparent than Doggett in his amnesiac state. He's still a straight shooter, a man of his word, but tough as nails like a good FBI agent/Marine. John might be figuring out who he is bit by bit, but we recognize every move his makes as true to his character.

 

Yo soy ha-ha: It's almost two weeks before we see the ungrainy action back at the Bureau. Forty agents -- including Reyes -- have been on the case of the missing agent in Texas, they really could have used a Doggett apparently, because they came up with less than nothing. Thank goodness John realizes he could call America for information about himself under the guise of the missing Marine. His tattoo reads "We shall not forget." Oh, the irony.

I marvel at Scully utilizing a Mulder tactic from the sixth season by taking trips and investigating without Kersh's knowledge and approval. That leads to a nice scene between Dana and Monica, who must feel a lot better about herself after being able to recognize the name of a Mexican calling card. 

I'll take the bad as long as I can remember the good: The Doggett-Reyes bond has strengthened in subtle ways this season and "John Doe" provides another opportunity for that to happen. Their back story extends from before they were on the show to Luke's initial disappearance, and that gives great tension to the bigger moments in the late scene -- when the still-amnesiac John distrusts and subdues her, and then the keenly felt agony of Doggett having to relive the murder of his son all over again.

Guest star of the week: It's a bit strange to give kudos to someone we don't really see who doesn't have any lines, but Barbara Patrick as John Doggett's wife is inspired casting. So with apologies to the intensely creepy Cigar-Smoking Man (Zitto Kazann), I'm going with her. Her mere presence adds another layer of critical emotion as the show starts to bring the story of John's son to the surface.