1X04 - The Jersey Devil

Summary

I must say I liked this episode more for its character presentations than for its believability as an X-File. (Mind you, this was an educational moment for me as I discovered the meaning behind the name of the New Jersey hockey team.) It definitely had its ridiculous moments that made Mulder seem just a little over the edge and deserving of a night in the drunk tank, but we also got another early glimpse here of his inherent compassion and desire to understand all types of behaviour. In any case, the shortcomings were made up for in the unexpected character development... Dana Scully already has this love/hate thing going on for Fox Mulder? She has real friends and goes on dates with dull guys?

Mulder meets "Wife of Bigfoot" and falls in love

An utterly absurd story that leaves you wondering about Fox Mulder’s intelligence at times, but for the pure gold nuggets of background information that we are given re: Scully, we have to forgive and try (really, really try) to forget.

Significant peeks into the personal life of Dana Scully aside, I came out of this rewatch definitely feeling the need to downgrade the rating to a single star. Our fascination with myths like this stem from the fact that these “beings” rarely, if ever, come out into the open. And yet this one is running through the back streets of a major tourist city.

I wondered why the show’s creators didn’t think that the audience would snicker at the crude drawing of the big-busted Bigfoot. Makes you wonder even more when you consider that the Jersey Devil as portrayed here is nothing more than a dirty naked human. Not exceptionally hairy and lunky and definitely not Bigfoot-like. Clean her up and she’s a potential supermodel. . . she’s beautiful, after all.

Unlike the latter seasons’ love affair with SoCal, I appreciate how the early days of TXF situated their case files all over the place. That being said – and while I have never been to Atlantic City – nothing about what we saw here made me think that this was Atlantic City. I get the idea that business would be compromised if rumours were to get out that a female Cro-Magnon was trampling along casino row, but that aspect of this crazy story didn’t sell me on the choice of locale.

Best or Worst Moment

Best moment was definitely Scully's comment in the final scene when Mulder casually asks, "Don't you want a life?" after she passes up a second date with Mr. Excitement. "Keep it up, Mulder, and I'll hurt you like that beast woman did." Ah, such promise of an interesting relationship that was never realized.

Original Rating: * *
Revised Rating: *