The X-Files: The Rain King Rewatch
July 1, 2020 8:13 PM - Season 6, Episode 8 - Subscribe
Mulder and Scully go to Kroner, Kansas, to investigate Daryl Mootz, the self-proclaimed "Rain King", who appears to be able to control the weather for his own gain.
Is it some kind of meta-commentary that they waited until after production moved from Vancouver to LA before doing an episode that relied heavily on rain as a plot point?
posted by wabbittwax at 1:30 PM on July 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by wabbittwax at 1:30 PM on July 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
This is one is a little too silly and saccharine for me, but it still is quite a bit of fun.
A town where a visit from FBI agents is considering worthy of baton twirler reception and where a 20-year high school reunion is "the social event of the decade" does not sound like my kind of place.
Scully and Mulder get mistaken for a couple repeatedly in a "it's obvious to everyone but them" way. And I'd like to know how they managed to share a hotel room with only one bed.
Francesca Ingrassia was hilarious as Cindy Culpepper. The Daryl character was too dumb and over the top.
The Wikia page for this episode says, the "title may be a reference to Saul Bellow's novel 'Henderson The Rain King'." Another thing it might reference, given this episode's Wizard of Oz references (i.e., Kansas, tornadoes, use of the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", the final shot of the barn that looks just like a shot from the Wizard of Oz), is the Rain King from the Oz books. The Rain King never actually makes an appearance, but he is described as making it rain when it rains, and he is uncle to a character named Polychrome, who is a daughter of the Rainbow and appears in a few of the original Oz books.
It's amusing when Sheila claims that Scully is just jealous of her special connection to Mulder, because although Scully does get jealous and territorial when another woman is on her turf, she would never be jealous of Sheila because she knows full well that Mulder would never be interested in Sheila.
"That cow had my name on it."
"I do not 'gaze' at Scully."
"Daryl! No, not his face!" -- Sheila to Daryl, who has just taken a swing at Mulder.
Mulder: [on phone to Scully] Fog? [looks accusingly at Holman] Holman!
[Holman shrugs resignedly.]
Scully: Holman?
Mulder: Yeah... he wants advice. Dating advice.
Scully: Dating advice? From whom?
Mulder: Yours truly.
Scully: .........
Mulder: Hello? Hey, Scully. Scully, you there?
Scully: I heard you. Mulder, when was the last time you went on a date?
Mulder: I will talk to you later [disconnects call].
Scully: [muttering to herself] The blind leading the blind.
posted by orange swan at 4:35 PM on July 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
A town where a visit from FBI agents is considering worthy of baton twirler reception and where a 20-year high school reunion is "the social event of the decade" does not sound like my kind of place.
Scully and Mulder get mistaken for a couple repeatedly in a "it's obvious to everyone but them" way. And I'd like to know how they managed to share a hotel room with only one bed.
Francesca Ingrassia was hilarious as Cindy Culpepper. The Daryl character was too dumb and over the top.
The Wikia page for this episode says, the "title may be a reference to Saul Bellow's novel 'Henderson The Rain King'." Another thing it might reference, given this episode's Wizard of Oz references (i.e., Kansas, tornadoes, use of the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", the final shot of the barn that looks just like a shot from the Wizard of Oz), is the Rain King from the Oz books. The Rain King never actually makes an appearance, but he is described as making it rain when it rains, and he is uncle to a character named Polychrome, who is a daughter of the Rainbow and appears in a few of the original Oz books.
It's amusing when Sheila claims that Scully is just jealous of her special connection to Mulder, because although Scully does get jealous and territorial when another woman is on her turf, she would never be jealous of Sheila because she knows full well that Mulder would never be interested in Sheila.
"That cow had my name on it."
"I do not 'gaze' at Scully."
"Daryl! No, not his face!" -- Sheila to Daryl, who has just taken a swing at Mulder.
Mulder: [on phone to Scully] Fog? [looks accusingly at Holman] Holman!
[Holman shrugs resignedly.]
Scully: Holman?
Mulder: Yeah... he wants advice. Dating advice.
Scully: Dating advice? From whom?
Mulder: Yours truly.
Scully: .........
Mulder: Hello? Hey, Scully. Scully, you there?
Scully: I heard you. Mulder, when was the last time you went on a date?
Mulder: I will talk to you later [disconnects call].
Scully: [muttering to herself] The blind leading the blind.
posted by orange swan at 4:35 PM on July 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
The baton twirler (and child beauty pageants) is super creepy, but totally unrelated to this X File.
Kinda like how they set Daryl up as an idiot - in a huge hailstorm, stop driving. Don't get out of your car. The heart shaped hailstones was a nice red herring.
"Dairy Queen will take me back! I get almost $6 and hour."
The small town soap opera was decently written; the meteorologist going away for school and still return to his little town because of a highschool love. Mulder confronting him was adorbs.
Holman: "I've been envious of men like you my whole life. Based on your physical bearing, I'd assumed you were... more experienced."
Of course, it descends on Scully to put in a bunch of emotional labour to resolve the situation. I'm not sure if Scully believes in her own bullshiting or not? Maybe she doesn't know either.
The frozen cow makes up for any deficiencies this episode might have.
posted by porpoise at 6:39 PM on July 3, 2020
Kinda like how they set Daryl up as an idiot - in a huge hailstorm, stop driving. Don't get out of your car. The heart shaped hailstones was a nice red herring.
"Dairy Queen will take me back! I get almost $6 and hour."
The small town soap opera was decently written; the meteorologist going away for school and still return to his little town because of a highschool love. Mulder confronting him was adorbs.
Holman: "I've been envious of men like you my whole life. Based on your physical bearing, I'd assumed you were... more experienced."
Of course, it descends on Scully to put in a bunch of emotional labour to resolve the situation. I'm not sure if Scully believes in her own bullshiting or not? Maybe she doesn't know either.
The frozen cow makes up for any deficiencies this episode might have.
posted by porpoise at 6:39 PM on July 3, 2020
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posted by Chrysostom at 10:36 PM on July 1, 2020