1X07 - Ice [REVISITED]

Summary

I really, really enjoyed this episode — so much so, that it probably should be on my "defining episodes" list. I suppose its overall lack of originality stopped me from selecting it, but this is a good example of how rehash doesn't necessarily make for a bad experience. There was so much quality Mulder/Scully interaction here that whatever reminiscences I may have had of "The Thing" (or whatever) were completely overshadowed. The tension and dialogue in this hour — even though there were instances in which I could tell the actors were still trying to find their footing with these characters — was convincing and engaging. We learned about these two, about their differences, and most importantly, about their trust.

One of the best scenes in all of TXF history

Kenny Bania joins Mulder and Scully in Alaska! They find single-celled organisms in deep, deep, ice samples that may or may not have been brought to earth by a meteor that landed many, many years ago. These organisms grow into worms once they infiltrate hosts (animals and humans), causing them to exhibit violent behaviour. I admit to being nitpicky for downgrading this episode from a four to a three. It's still a very significant chapter in the Mulder and Scully partnership and is great fun to watch. Their moments together, whether by themselves or in front of others, are true gems. As a story, however, the science part of it (as well as a highly overused plot device) took it down a notch for me during my recent re-viewing. (And the plot is just a re-telling of The Thing.)

Despite the video that they had as evidence of the seriousness of what was happening up there, I found the team remarkably casual about the risks: no biohazard suits, no face masks, not even a pair of gloves. Then, without knowing how the infection was being transmitted, they all thought it was perfectly fine to sleep in the same quarters as the previous victims. (I'm not even going to get into the really radical idea of how those worms travelled from one disconnected place to another inside their hosts; that was part of the suspension of disbelief thing that you just have to allow in some cases.) But the part that I most dislike — in this episode as well as in countless movies that I've seen over the past couple of decades — is that irritating plot device where the "most unlikely character to be psychotic" manages to appear so normal and so sane until just the right moment before the show is over. No, it wasn't as bad here as in some movies that I've seen, but the sequence of DaSilva running around like a madwoman seemed over the top.

Best or Worst Moment

Yes, the let me feel your neck segment was searing in its "heat" (this early in the series yet), but my choice for best moment was the "guns drawn" scene. No point in trying to describe how powerful it was (if you haven't seen it, you simply must) — that scene is one of my all-time faves in TXF history.

I've always said that Mulder trusts Scully implicitly (or rather, in my fanfic, I have had Mulder say those words). Here, he shows that very early in their relationship, he trusts her enough to be the first to lower his gun and then later, to turn his back on her to let her do her examination.

Speaking of examination, I loved how Dr. Whatshisname deemed the dog to be more or less fine (I believe he said "Sounds okay") by taking a stethoscope reading. This was before he "uncovered" the worms in the dog's stool, despite the fact that one of the worms was introduced into the dog's ear and the other one was last seen squirming around under the skin around its neck.

Original Rating: * * * *
Revised Rating: * * *