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PLOT:Investigating a baby's death, Mulder and Scully discover genetic mutations, generational incest and a black sheriff named Andy Taylor in the small town of Home, Pennsylvania.
"Home" harks the return of writers/producers Glen Morgan and James Wong. They wrote many of the first and second season classic episodes such as "Squeeze/Tooms", "Beyond the Sea", "Ice", "Little Green Men" and "One Breath", just to name a few.
This is the first episode I've seen where a parental warning was posted before the opening scene. The rest of the hour proved why. It was a tour-de-force of genetic mutations, generational incest and graphic violence. I am proud to admit that I've watched many "Faces of Death" videos and went away pretty unscathed, but "Home" left me deeply disturbed and flinching throughout.
The opening scene shows a baby being born in what looks like a kitchen table. That is horrific enough, since the mound of flesh proved to be dead before it ever lived. Blood is everywhere, which is something that I took notice right away. A thunderstorm is raging as three figures are burying the deady baby. So the creepiness factor is plainly evident before we're really even sure what to make of it.
Though there appears to be no X-File, Mulder and Scully are brought in to investigate the death in the quaint little town of Home, Pennsylvania, where people don't lock their doors and have a black sheriff named Andy Taylor.
One aspect of a Morgan/Wong script is the deftness in their characterization of our two heroes. Mulder and Scully always display a degree of affection and playfulness that go well beyond the normal aspects of a good partnership. Even though they are witnessing a rather grisly scene, Mulder still finds time to reminisce about how he and his sister played baseball as kids and the obvious joy he felt from the experiences. Sensing his distraction from the case, Scully jokes about quitting the F.B.I. and being a spokesman for the ab roller *just* to see if he was paying attention. I don't remember ever seeing that kind of camraderie on many other dramas.
As for the dead infant, Sheriff Taylor finds it difficult to fathom such a crime happening in his town. Yet, Mulder and Scully are suspicious of the nearby family, the Peacocks. Taylor explains that the Peacocks have owned their property, which now looks like a junkyard, since the Civil War. The parents supposedly died in an auto accident years before. The Peacock brothers do not associate with the town and vice versa.
When the duo examine the dead infant, which is actually *shown*, even Scully is shocked at the birth defects and genetic abnormalities. There are just too many genes gone awry for the infant to even have had a chance at life. People would tend to be horrified at such grisly sites, but this is the "X-Files" after all.
The examination would prompt a rather intimate conversation between the two concerning parenthood. I remember reading an interview with Gillian Anderson prior to the fourth season. She mentioned that this episode would contain a scene about something the characters had never discussed before. Since Chris Carter never integrates their private lives into the show, this conversation was a nice peek at their personal longings that tend to make them more human. It would never occur to the fans at this point how much Scully's admitted desire to have a family is a foreshadowing for episodes to come.
Of course, Mulder and Scully need to know what makes the Peacocks tick. They believe that there is more to the family than just anti-social behavior. They find noone home, a bloody table and a pair of scissors, which appear to prove to them that the Peacocks were involved with the baby's death. It also means that since there is supposedly no female left in the Peacock family, they surmise that a female is being held hostage to basically promote more Peacock generations. The duo are *so* close but don't realize it.
The next scene is pretty grisly and was where I ended up flinching. The Peacock brothers are shown getting ready to leave in their delapidated white convertible. There is no conversations spoken between them and no clue as to their destination. Sheriff Taylor knew, and he tries to protect his wife to no avail. The Taylors are bludgeoned to death. After surveying the bloody bedroom later, Mulder said, "They went caveman on them."
Violence shouldn't be a surprise on a show like the "X-Files," but they made a reputation of having "less is more." The implied horror is what makes many of their episodes very scary and disturbing. This blatant display of graphic violence, which was shown much longer than needed, was an obvious Morgan/Wong influence. It stretched the boundaries of good taste and acceptability. This episode is only starting to show how much they were willing to stretch both critics and fans sensibilities during the fourth season.
The raid on the Peacock household was very compelling as Mulder and Scully discover the female involved with the dead baby. There are always jokes on how most Appalachian communities have family trees going on a straight line without branching out. The Peacocks *live* that joke. That disturbing thought is only momentary as our favorite duo have to use their fighting skills to fend off the brothers, who want to keep the family secret. The scene was exciting, troubling, funny, scary and absolutely brilliant.
For a first time effort back, Morgan and Wong packed an explosive punch with this episode. The cinematography and moody music made "Home" that much more frightening. Where else but on a show like the "X-Files" can you watch something as topical as incest become your worst nightmare? The sheer fact that they brought the horror back on a Friday night (before moving to Sundays) made this a near classic episode. I did have trouble watching any of the gore when I rewatched "Home", because it is not something that is seen on regular prime-time TV.
The touchingly intimate and often funny exchanges between Mulder and Scully brought back some of the incredible bonding that we hadn't seen much between them during the third season. Morgan and Wong knew the right moments when we needed to have relief from the gorefest. For those scenes alone, "Home" is well worth the watch. Just make sure you lock your doors.
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