2x21 The Calusari

[ruuger]

I was trying to think of something to say about this episode, but all I could think of was that this was the only S2 episode that I didn't finish during my last rewatch (though I can't remember if it was because it was too boring or because it was too depressing - I've always felt really sorry for the woman who basically loses her entire family).

Writer(s): Sara Charno
Director: Mike vejar
Originally aired: April 14th, 1995

Synopsis: A small boy is killed in a freak accident, which Mulder thinks was caused by a ghost or some other supernatural entity while Scully suspects a more mundane explanation of Munchausen by proxy.

Memorable Quote:
Mulder: You see, this is a helium balloon here, and the one thing I did learn in kindergarten is when you let them go, they float up, up and away, but you see this is moving away from him, horizontally.
Scully: Did you learn about wind in kindergarten?

Links:
Transcript

Comments

[badforthefish.livejournal.com]

This was such an exorcist rip off, but it was pretty creepy IIRC (I know, I know, what am I doing here commenting without having had the time to rewatch the eps)

[wendelah1]

It is an Exorcist ripoff, and a pretty bad one at that.

[talulahk.livejournal.com]

<3

[wendelah1]

This is a badly written episode, the second penned by Sara Charno. I like this one even less than her first. Starting out with the violent death of a two-year-child is offensive. One of the critics wrote that you have to earn the right to show that kind of death and this episode doesn't come close. It felt like an exploitative attempt to play on the audience's emotions. It isn't structured like a typical TXF episode. For most of the show, including the climatic scenes, Mulder and Scully only stand by passively and watch events unfold. There's no real investigation, at least none that matters, and no discussion of what these unexplained events might mean to either character. badforthefish called it a ripoff of The Exorcist and I have to agree. Mulder is supposed to be an expert on the paranormal and he's clearly out of his depth. This isn't her area of expertise but Scully has at least seen The Exorcist . You don't want to get me started on the ethnic stereotyping, but the end result is that the supporting characters are all portrayed so unsympathetically that it's hard to care about the unending parade of death and loss. They're just stock figures from bad horror movies, not real people who matter to the audience. I give this an "F."