The X-Files: Ghost in the Machine Rewatch

March 3, 2020 9:01 PM - Season 1, Episode 7

A former colleague of Mulder's asks for his help with a case involving a CEO who was electrocuted in his tech company's computerized bathroom.
posted by orange swan (10 comments total)

Jerry was such a sad excuse for an FBI agent. Notice how there were no tears shed over him.

The whole "counterculture computer genius in jeans and a t-shirt" thing has become such a cliché.

I'll leave the computer tech critiques/ridicule to those who know more about computers than me (i.e., nearly anyone), but I'm pretty sure there's never been an program that one worked on by typing in conversational questions on a bare blue screen.

Scully circled some information she wished to highlight on her computer screen in red marker. Does she also use Wite-Out on her screen?

The book Scully was reading in bed was Obstacle Course by J.F. Freedman. I'm wondering if that title was chosen for a reason or was simply a random prop.
posted by orange swan at 11:31 AM on March 4, 2020 [2 favorites]

The whole "counterculture computer genius in jeans and a t-shirt" thing has become such a cliché.

It's always funny going back to stuff that dates to before a cliche was a cliche. Like, this was still the era when most computer jobs required a shirt and tie. Steve Jobs hadn't returned to Apple yet, and the dot-com bubble was around the corner. Woz would have been closer to the "counterculture computer genius", but I associate him (maybe inaccurately?) with collared shirts.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:01 PM on March 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

Also, every time I see the title of the episode I wonder which of this and the movie of the same name ripped the other off, but they would have been in development at the same time, being released something like two months apart. And the "ghost" in this one is an AI, not a literal ghost.
posted by tobascodagama at 1:27 PM on March 4, 2020 [1 favorite]

At approximately 30'35", the book Scully is reading on her bed is, The Obstacle Course, written by J.F. Freedman, who is also known as Jerrold Freedman, the director. (imdb)
posted by valkane at 8:12 PM on March 4, 2020 [2 favorites]

Looks like Jerrold directed two episodes of the x-files.
posted by valkane at 8:21 PM on March 4, 2020

Cheeky!
posted by tobascodagama at 8:43 PM on March 4, 2020

Hah! I had a feeling that book might have been chosen for a reason, but I was thinking "thematic" rather than "shameless self-promotion/product placement".
posted by orange swan at 8:23 AM on March 5, 2020

I wonder which of this and the movie of the same name ripped the other off

Both of them are references to philosopher Gilbert Ryle's dismissive description of Cartesian dualism, in 1949.
posted by Acheman at 8:36 AM on March 6, 2020 [3 favorites]

I assume Ryle never wrote about people getting murdered by sentient electronic devices, though.
posted by tobascodagama at 8:49 AM on March 6, 2020

Interesting that "everybody" is prejudiced against Mulder, except for someone who knew him/ worked with him - only to rip off his competence.

Also, Scully taking her pumps off only after finishing work (from home) and heading to bed?

I kind of applaud the 'dress like you're at work' while WFH though. Kind of. In contrast to her working after hours in motel rooms in sweats or flannels, previously.


lol, at least it wasn't a Sharpie-branded permanent marker.


Skytrain sighting (x3)!

First time we see Mulder disarmed, one way or another?
posted by porpoise at 8:30 PM on March 21, 2020