Deep Throat

Free Web Site - Free Web Space and Site Hosting - Web Hosting - Internet Store and Ecommerce Solution Provider - High Speed Internet

PLOT: Upon meeting a mysterious informant with supposed inside information, Mulder and Scully go to Idaho to investigate the disappearance of an Army test pilot.

A marvelous continuation from the Pilot episode where Mulder meets his first informant in a long line of snitches; The Mulder/Scully dynamic is clearly evident; UFOs still remain a mystery. Did I miss anything?

This was the first X-Files episode I had ever seen, but I saw it when they re-ran it in November or December of that first season in 1993. It was on a Friday night, which in hindsight was a totally bad time to showcase such an intelligent sci-fi drama. I have to admit that it was Gillian Anderson's beauty that made me notice the show through my channel surfing. And I recognized David Duchovny from "Red Shoe Diaries" and "Kalifornia." But it was the fast-paced action and the focus on UFOs that made me stay for more.

It is nice to know that the episode felt very much like the pilot in mood, look and pacing. If you think about it, that is a big compliment to Fox for trusting Chris Carter to take his wonderful vision and not slice it and dice it into frivolous drivel. There were only a few minor changes from the pilot. The two most notable was how Scully's hair was much shorter and the voice-over at the end of the episode. The addition of an informant to help Mulder in his quest was a brilliant stroke to help fill in the blanks for both Mulder and the audience.

Though we never find out his real name, we can tell from his demeanor and intimate knowledge of Mulder's work that "Deep Throat" (DT) has some *major* connections inside the government. As later episodes will show, DT definitely knows what is going on and possibly uses Mulder and Scully to alleviate his growing guilty conscious regarding many of the events that he has witnessed or participated in.

Though DT is usually directing Mulder to unearth "the truth," he is uncharacteristically warning Mulder to leave this particular case of missing test pilots alone. Of course, there wouldn't be anything to watch if Mulder heeded the warning. He and Scully head to Idaho and Ellens Air Force Base, but their federal credentials do not carry any weight whatsover with anyone in the town. They do see something, but Mulder is brainwashed, just like the previous test pilots, to remember nothing. While Scully believes it was a big waste of time.

The plot perpetuated the standard during the first season that less is more. Only the surface of what is really happening at the military base is shown, and Mulder's impulsive penchant for getting himself in troublesome situations was in full force here. It's amazing to really see how much Mulder has matured since this episode. He can be such a spoiled brat at times, and it definitely is displayed here. I'm surprised Scully didn't shoot out the tires when he took off with the car. But Scully had professional integrity and a certain admiration for Mulder that prompted her to save his butt, which will be the first of many such situations.

One thing that struck me about this episode even from my first viewing was the instant chemistry displayed by Gillian and David. It was small screen magic unlike I had ever seen since possibly "Moonlighting." Though the story was definitely interesting unto itself, I couldn't keep my eyes off the interaction between Mulder and Scully. Obviously, it was very early in their relationship, but the subtextual meaning of their unspoken words was *so* evident even to the casual viewer (i.e. myself) at that time. I knew I had found a show that I made a note to watch every Friday night, no matter what I was doing.

Please use the "Back" Button on your browser.