The X-Files: Agua Mala Rewatch

July 6, 2020 7:54 PM - Season 6, Episode 13

Arthur Dales asks Mulder to come to Florida during a rising hurricane after a neighbouring family disappears.
posted by orange swan (6 comments total)

Fun fact I heard on an interview - the cat Mulder sees outside the house, in the rain, is doing a weird distinctive thing with its paw that isn't really explained. David Duchovny mentioned that in an interview, and says that it's because that particular cat had previously been in a commercial where the script called for it to "pick" a particular brand of cat food by patting the can on cue. So in the scene in AGUA MALA, where it didn't actually have to do anything but sit there, it was getting so miserable sitting in the rain that it started doing that paw-pat movement over and over, as some kind of "I'm doing this fancy trick because it's what you wanted last time, please don't make me do this any more" move.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:41 AM on July 7, 2020 [7 favorites]

Nice to see an old friend in Dales (too bad about the actor, this was his last role evidently). A serious MoTW episode washes some of the Mytharc sourness away.

Not reading anything into a rain episode; that's not Vancouver-style rain.

The jelly-tentacle looked cool, especially the one in the overhead light.

The contents of the gun nut's apartment was entertaining.
posted by porpoise at 7:49 PM on July 7, 2020

'Monday' was supposed to have been in this episode's spot immediately after the Mytharc two parter.

I think having this pretty strong MoTW as the palate cleanser, followed by an artsy episode, then the silly but old school 'Arcadia' episode works out for the best.

Then there are a few not-so-great episodes, then ends strong. iirc, the season finale Mytharc episode left me somewhat hopeful. That tease.
posted by porpoise at 8:51 PM on July 7, 2020

During the "Firewalker" thread, I commented that now that there'd been fire and ice (i.e., "Ice") episodes, there ought to be similar episodes for earth and water as well. I forgot about this one, which could certainly be reasonably counted the water episode, and "Field Trip", which could be considered the earth episode.

Scully delivers a baby and simultaneously figures out how to defeat the sea monster and directs the crazy gun guy to shoot out the light fixture because she's well, Scully. When I'm doing laundry and making food for the coming week on Saturday mornings, I get irritated if both the washing machine and oven buzzers go off at the same time when I've got my hands mucky with a third thing, and usually mutter crossly, "Why does everything have to happen all at once."

That said, that baby came awfully fast, especially for a first baby.

Dougie the Looter taking off Deputy Greer's wedding ring while was unconscious was pretty low. I wish the sea monster had gotten him.

It's pretty impressive that the sea monster manages to undress people without thumbs, but I suppose its tentacles give it a good grip.
posted by orange swan at 5:26 PM on July 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

I'm confused myself about the nature of the jelly tentacle.

I think that when the epsom salts spilled into the bathwater, it made the water salty so the jelly could survive and leave the body. It had been surviving from rising/ splashed seawater? The insides of a person are kinda salty, too.

Scully asked Walter to shoot the sprinkler and the fresh/ non-salty water hurt the tentacle, saving the day.

I have no idea what the tentacle did with the deputy's body. Maybe it completely dissolved him? There was also that "body" on the toilet, and somehow the wristwatch made it into the bowl.
posted by porpoise at 6:16 PM on July 8, 2020 [1 favorite]

Your "Fire/ Ice/ Water/ Earth episodes" conjecture is beautiful.

(huh, i had always considered earth as 'rock' - but earth as soil [healthy dirt is alive! really] makes total sense)

Would be cool if the writers meant to do it.
posted by porpoise at 12:30 AM on July 9, 2020