5X12 - Bad Blood [REVISITED]

Summary

I knew that this one would wind up in my top three TXF eps of all time when I first saw it. Something about the teaser alone told me that this one would rock and it did in more ways than one! What an enjoyable hour. I'm sure that this is the case with many fans, but when I re-watch an ep on tape, there are invariably parts that I fast forward through just to get to the next good part. Not the case here. The excellent bit of casting and characterization involving Luke Wilson kept me invested and interested throughout. Tremendous job by both DD and GA in giving us alternating versions of Mulder and Scully that we all know and recognize, albeit in less cartoonish fashion. Great dialogue and choice of situational comedy. (Okay, so Vince Gilligan basically rules! By the way, I highly recommend his Home Fries movie as a quirky and humorous way to spend ninety minutes or so.)

Mulder's reaction to the "buck-toothed" Sheriff

Bad Blood is still tied at the top of my top ten defining TXF episodes list. As I conduct this 20th anniversary rewatch, I've had some changing thoughts about some of the episodes on that list (although nothing so serious that I would revise it), but the top two? Nothing's changed there.

The unique thing about this episode is how memorable it is for what it is. Just think: it wasn't related to the show's ponderous mythology nor was it one of its more successful MotW eps. (After all, it was about vampires — long before vampires were considered sexy/cool/trendy.) Despite that, I think every TXF fan who has ever seen the episode can describe what happens during this hour and manage to highlight his/her most memorable scene.

And when you talk about those memorable scenes, well, where do you start when it's a case of one memorable scene after another? Here are a few I haven't yet mentioned:

1) Mulder doing the "Dance of Death" on his garbage can near the beginning of the episode.

2) "Dana".

3) Mulder giggling away while vibrating on Scully's "magic fingers" bed (in her version of the story).

4) Scully's touching sense of horror when she realizes that the pizza contains the chloral hydrate and that Mulder is going to be the next victim.

5) Scully virtually screeching at Mulder that "I do it all for you, Mulder" (in his version of the story).

6) Ronnie telling Mulder, "You are in big trouble" after Mulder tosses sunflower seeds at him.

7) Scully inexplicably trying to straighten Mulder's tie as they wait to be confronted by Skinner.

8) Ronnie trying to attack the coroner and realizing that he's missing his vampire teeth.

9) Mulder telling Scully in his best southern drawl, "Don't say I never did anythin' fer ya", after he suggests to Sheriff Hartwell that he stay with Scully. [I found this to be very generous of Mulder; after all, I don't think that Scully would do the same if the tables were turned.]

10) Mulder's last line: "Except for the part about the buck teeth."

Best or Worst Moment

All right, the best moment out of many great ones in this episode — for me — is the look on Mulder's face when the Sheriff first enters the room (in his version of the story) and utters his first words, "Y'all must be the gov'mint people." I don't think I've ever laughed so hard during an X-Files episode.

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