Summary
I loved Peter Boyle's portrayal of Clyde Bruckman when I saw this ep and have to add that I think he's a wonderful scene stealer on Everybody Loves Raymond. It was, of course, Mr. Darin Morgan's outstanding writing that allowed the character to be so amusing and memorable, but the actor also had a tremendous chemistry and rapport with the Mulder and Scully characters. In terms of story, this was one of those great X-Files that didn't have to rely on anything other than simple human interaction to deliver a fine hour of entertainment. No aliens, no monsters... just the final days in the life of an old man who no longer wishes to cope with his "gift". It was funny, touching, and filled with so many layers of meaning all at once.
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| "Why are you telling me that?" |
The way in which the ultimately sad theme of this episode is wrapped up and presented to us is a true gift. I actually believe that our lives are more or less mapped out for us in terms of how we live and when we die, but I think that the nuances of our journey are constantly being changed by choices that we make. So I totally agreed with Mulder when he told Bruckman that "I believe in your ability but not in your attitude". I may be fated to die on a specific day, but the choices I make in my life will affect how I die and under what circumstances... in the same way that I think Bruckman's choice to help out our agents actually led to Scully being at his bedside when he expired.
And wouldn't this have made a great X-Files movie? Whenever the question arises about another film, CC talks about wanting to tie up the mythology. That animal has so many spidery loose ends that it can never be adequately resolved, and I would seriously question the rationale of attempting to do it in a two hour time frame. (Frank Spotnitz: "...us trying to design this mythology as we went along, it made it virtually impossible to give it some kind of organic, novelistic conclusion...") If anyone connected to TXF were to ask me — which no one ever does — I'd say that if you would have made a few of these types of episodes into feature length adventures (and cut short the number of seasons the show ran), they would have been winners at the box office.
I believe that CC himself once said that as time goes on, TXF's lasting appeal will be via the stand-alone episodes. And this one — from the extremely capable hands of Darin Morgan — is a magnificent example. Excellent writing will always elevate any absurd plot to greater heights and Mr. Morgan demonstrated this in (sadly) only four scripts for the show.
Best or Worst Moment
I have three. First is Mulder's honest, deadpan delivery of "Why are you telling me that?" in response to Bruckman's offhand revelation that there's no more undignified way to go than autoerotic asphyxiation. Second, I loved the opening sequence with the Stupendous Yappi and the "comparison" digs at Mulder, culminating in the latter being banished from the room for his negative energy. Third — "I'm supposed to believe that's a real name?" Great stuff!
Original Rating: * * * *
Revised Rating: * * * *
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