The X-Files: Unruhe   Rewatch 
May 13, 2020 8:03 PM - Season 4, Episode 4 - Subscribe

Mulder and Scully investigate a Traverse City, Michigan abduction and murder in which the only clue is a passport photo that inexplicably developed as a psychic photo of the terrified victim surrounded by spectral images.
posted by orange swan (3 comments total)
 
I just wanted to pop in with a little TV history trivia. This episode marked The X-Files shift from Fridays to Sundays, where it would remain until its end.
posted by guiseroom at 6:08 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]


Another really creepy episode. Especially with Pruitt Taylor Vince taking advantage of his nystagmus, and needles and amateur awl lobotomies.

That inflection in Anderson's voice, "Whoever did this, Mulder, did this wrong." Shiver.

The photograph setup was cool, must have been fun to stage and composite.
posted by porpoise at 7:39 PM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]


Scully's memory is quite phenomenal, to the point that it's probably unrealistic. The woman is not only a walking encyclopedia of medical knowledge -- she knows so much right off the top of her head, and never has to research it -- but she also remembers the German she studied in college and has probably not used since. Also, as usual she kept her head and kept Jerry talking in an effort to connect with him in a way that would make him less likely to hurt her -- or at least buy time. She succeeded in the latter, and it saved her life.

Pruitt Taylor Vince was so good in this role. He was terrifying and unhinged, but in such a believable way. He's smart, but not a high-functioning mastermind, and he has a certain twisted logic motivating him to do what he does, but it isn't too elaborate or well thought out. Also, he gets annoyed when Mulder and Scully analyze him, which is understandable given that the guy was institutionalized for years and is probably fed up with the entire psychiatric field.

This was quite a solid, well-paced thriller episode. But I did think it was a stretch that Mulder figured out that the trailer would be at the cemetery based on the images representing tombstones in the photo.
posted by orange swan at 11:49 AM on May 15, 2020


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