Orison

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

PLOT: An old nemesis of Mulder and Scully breaks out of prison and targets a certain red-headed federal agent.

For a series that prides itself on showcasing paranormal events, religion seems to be one that it sometimes has trouble getting right. So far, Season 7 has displayed religion as an underlying theme in three previous episodes (6th Extinction, Amor Fati, Millennium) but in "Orison," the theme is very much prevalent. The opening teaser in fact shows a religious service in a prison where a familiar face is evident among the audience. From his reaction, Donnie Pfaster could care less if the reverend was talking to him about aluminium siding. Praising God and all that comes with it is not in Donnie's interests. It is obvious that five years of incarceration has done little to subside the evil so prevalent in his nature. What I found more frightening was how all the other prisoner's were so devout in their religious convictions. It felt more like a cult than a religious service. Only later did we find out that Reverend Orison was doing a little bit more than just passing on God's word. But it is also obvious that he was eyeing Donnie in a peculiar way as well.

Overall, the episode was excellent. It was very reminiscent of Season 2 and 3 episodes. Though adding Donnie Pfaster to the mix definitely made the chill factor increase by 20 degrees. This episode marks the third time that the series has brought back a classic villain. It's much better than "Kitsunegari" but totally not up to par with "Tooms." The main reason "Orison" did not necessarily live up to the classic "Tooms" is that there seemed to be two plots in this episode rather than one. In essence, there were *two* monsters displayed rather than concentrating on Donnie and our favorite FBI agents. True that "Orison" did have the creep factor that Donnie so well portrays but the addition of Reverend Orison in the mix made it more convoluted and, admittedly, somewhat confusing at times.

Then, there was the sub-plot of Scully's involvement in the case. As "Revelations" from Season 3 had hinted, Scully seems to have some kind of connection to God that Mulder does not truly understand or believe. Though, he does respect her views, religion does not sit well with Mulder. As Mulder champions the little green men, Scully sides with God. "Revelations" had shown that Mulder is very skeptical that God has anything to do with what happens in the world. He cannot fathom a God would exist that allows all the evils he has witnessed throughout his life. While Scully, with all her scientific knowledge and background, adamantly has faith in God. Thus, we are thrust into a situation where religion becomes a kind of character study in both of our heroes. Meanwhile, they are also trying to capture what Scully can only describe as "pure evil."

The hypocrisy of Reverend Orison's actions in helping prisoners escape only to kill them by burying them alive struck me as rather profound. Orison believes himself to be a man of God, yet he allows evil to be released back into the world and also murders them. What exactly does God have to do with it? It is almost reminiscent of many of the evangelical ministers on many a Sunday morning mass on television. They may truly believe they are a servant of God, but somehow, earthly possessions or desires get in the way of God's work. Remember Jim Bakker? This is just a confirmation that any person can have strong beliefs but their perception of reality or what is right or wrong can be totally skewed.

Donnie has no such beliefs, only hungers. He has been festering in prison for over five years thinking about women and in particular, Scully. His need to kill again outweighs any kind of self-preservation since most people would not try to harm someone with the backing of the United States government! But it is obvious that Donnie could care less when his true nature cannot be quelled any longer. The scene where Donnie was busy preserving his "trophies" into freezer bags was particularly grisly. It makes any sane person wonder what drives someone to such disgusting levels of humanity.

As for our two heroes, Mulder is ironically the one finding *concrete* evidence in regards to both Reverend Orison and Donnie. Mulder surmises that Orison is able to manipulate a person's perception simply by drilling holes in his head. He also believes that is how people like Donnie can walk right out of a maximum security prison without nary anyone noticing. The only flaw I find in that logic is what about cameras? No matter what Orison can do to "stop time," wouldn't Donnie still show up on any video camera? Also, how in the world does Mulder or anyone know that Donnie escaped at 6:06AM when *noone* remembers what happened? There's obviously a piece missing in there somewhere.

Meanwhile, Scully tries "not to take offense" at Mulder's rather limited view of her own religious beliefs. She truly believes that she is receiving signs indicating true evil. Her alarm clock displays "6:66." For all those not familiar with those numbers, it means the sign of the devil. That's definitely not something you want to wake up to. Ironically, that was the same exact time that Donnie escaped from prison. Also, a song that she hasn't heard in years suddenly starts playing everywhere she goes. Her recollection of the song is that it was playing when she was 13 -years-old at the same time she found out that her Sunday school teacher was murdered. As Scully confesses to Mulder, that is when she realized that there was evil in the world. "Don't Look Any Further" was also playing during Donnie's candle fetish in Scully's bathroom as well as when Mulder was setting his alarm around the same time he was wondering how Scully was. I would say that these are all pretty good signs to indicate that something was definitely looking out for Mulder and Scully.

The ending was very chilling and undoubtedly controversial among many an X-Phile. Was Scully directed by God? Or was it pure revenge? On the outset, it looks like murder. Scully definitely appeared to have her wits about her. The look on both Scully's and Donnie's face was very interesting. Notice that Mulder is the only one showing any kind of reaction? Donnie just stares at Scully daring her to do something, while Scully looks like the Terminator as she walks right up to him with gun in hand. I like the way that everything was in slow-motion during the scene. Almost every movie I have ever seen with an assassination attempt plays the scene in slow-motion. As she pumped bullet after bullet into Donnie, she again shows no reaction. Only after he drops, and she sees Mulder's shock evident on his face does she realize exactly what just occurred. This scene alone made the episode extraordinary.

The controversy stemming from this action is justified. No matter how much we love the characters, that doesn't necessarily mean they are beyond reproach. I admit that Mulder agreeing to show favoritism for Scully in his report struck me as rather odd even though it was totally in Mulder's character. He wants to protect Scully, and in some strange way, he believes that he failed in that again. So he feels that he has to make up for it by assuring that Scully see no repercussions from killing Donnie. While Scully contemplating her actions is not unusual, the fact that she does not fully admit to any wrong-doing is not. We all know that having Scully behind bars is not good for the overall storyline of the series, but it just doesn't seem credible otherwise. Unfortunately, we will never know for sure since it's highly unlikely that this little experience will ever be recounted in future episodes.

For whatever flaws may have been prevalent in the plot, the acting and the direction definitely made up for it. Nick Chinlund plays Donnie with the right amount of naivette and pure evil. Like Eugene Victor Tooms, Donnie offers no excuse for his murderous ways. He just does it. That is what makes him such a classic monster. As for David and, in particular, Gillian, the chemistry between them was very much on in this one, whether they were arguing the finer points of God or Donnie Pfaster. Chip Johannessen did a more than an admirable job in writing "Orison," but it's highly questionable whether adding more than Donnie Pfaster to the plot was wise. While Rob Bowman always seems to not only get the right kind of shots for the most effect but somehow get the actors to show more than what the script did. Overall, this is a very worthy episode in its own right for the moral implications addressed, but as a sequel to "Irresistible," it didn't have the pure story line to make it a true classic.

Please use the "Back" Button on your browser.