Case 08, File 19: Alone

AKA: Till Now, I Always Got By On My Own

While The X-Files has some meta jokes and commentary, it is not, as a rule, a very meta show. It has a handful of episodes that have meta elements, but outside of Hollywood A.D. it's not really something they do very often, they're not Community. But, well, as I've noted, Duchovny is only back for a few episodes and is preparing to wander back away, with no guarantee he'll do any more appearances outside of myth arc episodes. This was, as far as anyone knew, the last Monster of the Week with Mulder in it (and indeed it was, until the revival). So perhaps understandably, the series wanted to take a moment to have a bit of a victory lap.

Our story this time starts with two people, an old man and his son, caretaking an estate in upstate New York. But of course they have to fuck it up or there'll be no episode, and so something weird on the estate gets loose and attacks them both. The next day, Scully is leaving the office for maternity leave and gives Doggett a medallion from a previous episode (Max IMDB tells me. I recognize all the other callbacks but that one flew over my head).

But no sooner is Scully out the door than Doggett is teamed up with a fresh faced youngster named Layla Harrison to go investigate the disappearance and death from the cold open. While there, they find some weird slime and Doggett also learns that Layla is a massive Mulder and Scully fangirl. Which, you know, me too. She's a fangirl from having processed all their expense reports, which is just...incredibly dorky, I love it.

Anyway, after a brief check in with Mulder and Scully, talking about how Scully feels awkward taking maternity leave, Doggett and Layla find a big damn house on the same property and begin searching it. It takes about 90 seconds before a mysterious something attacks Layla and Doggett falls into a trapdoor. Well done guys. Oh and about 90 seconds after that, the FBI has declared them missing and Mulder and Scully are discussing Doggett going missing, while Scully does an autopsy on the old guy, who it turned out died of a heart attack after being blinded by some chemical.

I'm gonna be honest, this bit is shot and cut like a Loony Toons moment.

Meanwhile, back at the crime scene, Doggett begins wandering around the tunnels underneath the estate, getting blinded by the weirdo lizard thing, finding Layla also blinded, finding the dude from the cold open semi-comatose, trying to climb up a tunnel while blind, you get the idea. The next major plot movement is when Mulder, worried about Doggett, heads up to the mansion to investigate, finds the medallion and chats with the mansion owner, a biologist named Stites, only for Stites to step on Doggett's hand and seal him back in the tunnels. Dun dun dun.

Back down in the tunnels, the cold open victim is gone. I just remembered his name is Gary Sacks but he's gone now so I guess remembering it was pointless. Doggett catches a glimpse of the creature ad chases it, only for it to disappear through a locked door. while Scully discovered that the venom the creature spits eventually liquifies your internal organs, allowing it to drink you (ew). Mulder meanwhile is hanging out in front of the mansion because he knows Stites is up to no good and catches his own glimpse of the lizard thing, chasing it back to the mansion.

It's here we get out big reveal, that Stites actually IS the lizard thing , and he agrees to take Mulder downstairs into the labyrinth to let him rescue Doggett. But Layla figures out that Stites is the monster and Doggett, still blinded, has to follow Mulder's instructions to shoot the monster since he's, you know, blind. But that works out okay (pretty quickly too) and our episode ends a few days later, with Layla deciding that the X-Files aren't a good assignment for her, but getting the medallion from Mulder and Scully and getting to fangirl out to them. So that's nice.

Alone is an episode that feels like it could have gone very wrong, because on some level it doesn't feel much like an episode The X-Files would do. It feels like a premise a more overtly comedic show would go with, our heroes running across an agent who has been following their entire career and worships them. But it works, partially cause the callbacks are so minor and partially because it ends on the coda that working on the X-Files is difficult and dangerous.

"What did you find Mulder?"
"Oh, a callback to Season 4."

It also works because outside of the callbacks, it's just a fine little episode. It feels like a throwback to the monster oriented early seasons, as the Monster-of-the-Week episodes have gotten a little more abstract of late (the kind of thing that Patience tried and failed to capture). But whatever went wrong with Patience didn't go wrong here, as the episode works, with the elements coming together nicely. Okay so the lizard thing doesn't look great, but they do a good job hiding it with it blinding people and keeping it in darkness, and it's got some great shots and some really solid editing.

The core mystery is pretty intriguing, building on a solid script that characterizes Layla and its villain of the week quickly. The reveal that Stites is the lizard thing (they never give it a proper name, so I'm just gonna keep calling it lizard thing) is one of those things that works because we know he's villainous, but they had kept the idea that it's possible he's a were-lizard to the background, only for it to make a ton of sense. Him pushing Doggett back down the tunnel, along with the throwaway line about Doggett's car having been moved are all they really need to make it make sense and it works.

The other major element of the script that deserves close examination is Layla Harrison, cause she's an interesting element and one that could sunk the whole thing. On paper, she feels incredibly fanfic-y, a long time fan of the characters who's been there the whole time, but she works okay. The callbacks aren't that thick on the ground (okay they kinda are, but they're mostly quick) but more importantly, the characterization of her as an awkward inexperienced dork works and the actress sells it, as does Doggett's clear discomfort around her. It also feels like a very fond depiction (she's even named after an X-Files fan who died in early 2001), so many depictions of in-universe fans can feel meanspirited or cruel.

There are some issues with the script; I feel like the episode is building up to Layla shooting the monster, although I do like the construction of the scene itself since it demonstrates that Mulder and Doggett trust each other now. Also the timeline is very loose, to the point where I found it distracting (Doggett goes missing and Skinner an entire search team out about 20 minutes later). But overall I think that the big problems are just the millstones that are beginning to weigh the series down. The show spends what feels like an inordinate amount of time getting Mulder on the scene, because the overarching plot has pulled Mulder away from the X-Files and so they need to get him in there, and it does just feel like that time could be better spent.

I'm gonna be honest, the lizard monster reminds me of Leonard from Humbug.

The X-Files has been in a pretty bad state of flux since the back half of Season 7 and seems to be constantly hedging its bets about what's going to happen next. Mulder's exit from the series was itself a hedged bet about whether he would be able or willing to return. Alone is still part of that flux, working (along with the last episode) to shuffle Mulder back off screen with a little more dignity than last time. Upkeep for an overarching story can be tedious, but simply by focusing on characters and making a fun little yarn about a dude who turns into a lizard, Alone manages to do it really well.

Case Notes:

• The opening scene of this episode is very thick with "We have to discuss this stuff aloud so that the audience will know it," dialogue.
• The heart monitor increasingly rapidly as the old dude looks around is some nice tension building.
• The shot of the dude from behind with just the tail moving in the corner of the screen is pretty good too.
• I'm just gonna do Callback Counters in these notes.
• Callback Counter: The fused coin from Dreamland
• Callback Counter: Queequeg's Dog Tag from Quagmire
• It feels pretty in-character for Scully to have to have her doctor demand she take maternity leave before she does.
• Callback Counter: The Apollo 11 Medallion from Max
• Doggett and Scully's relationship is still stiff, but kind of caring, in a brothers-in-arms sort of way. I like Doggett worrying Scully won't be coming back.
• I love Doggett thinking the footsteps are Scully coming back, it feels kinda dorky and genuine in a way that works for him.
• Doggett is SUPER uncomfortable about Layla and she's clearly kind of awkward too, I like it.
• Doggett finding the slime trail feels like he's getting into his groove as an X-File investigator, and I do enjoy Layla being a completely inexperienced dork.
• Doggett figuring out instantly that Layla is intended as a punishment for him is good character work, and I really dig that Layla is a fan of the X-Files from processing Mulder and Scully's travel expenses.
• Callback Counter: Layla mentions the plot of Squeeze
• Domestic Mulder and Scully is a really excellent interlude, because we all just want to see them hang out and be domestic. Also Mulder watches Oprah. I love it.
• I feel like if you're investigating a murder, you might want to know up front that the property where that murder was committed contains a big scary mansion. Like, that feels like relevant information.
• Callback Counter: Doggett picks up a book called The Sixth Extinction
• The camera move following Doggett is really excellent. This episode is getting a lot of mileage out of really dynamic camera moves.
• Skinner is out in the field looking for Doggett, which doesn't feel like his job but also feels like something he'd do.
• Mulder wearing the visitor pass is amusing to me, as is Scully doing an autopsy while visibly pregnant.
• The timetable on this episode is a little wonky; Either Doggett was unconscious at the bottom of that trap door for like 2 days, or they formed a search party, got the body to DC and had Scully do an autopsy all in about 2 hours. But whatever, I'm not THAT bothered by it, it's just funny.
• The pig face is really freaky.
• REALLY solid direction here, giving us just enough space over Doggett's shoulder to make us think the monster is gonna pop up there and then have it attack Doggett from the front.
• The salamander thing, as I suspected, does not look good if we get a solid look at it, which might explain why it's being kept to the shadows.
• I feel like in older episodes, the whole venom-blindness thing would be a way to keep someone from seeing the truth of what the creature is, but Doggett is pretty on board with it being a monster.
• Callback Counter: Layla brings up the plot of Detour
• Skinner: You're not supposed to be here. Mulder: Lol, yeah, whatever.
• Doggett climbs pretty well for a blind dude, and the shot dragging up from the grate to Mulder talking to the scientist is great.
• Mulder's back and forth with the evil scientist is pretty solid, as is him telling the dude he's Kersh.
• Scully calling Mulder asking him why he's doing illegal stuff is just vintage X-Files.
• I feel like there have to be more efficient ways to feed than spraying a dude in the eyes and waiting for them to liquify, but it sure is gross sounding.
• The creature is clearly imperfect special effects, but so long as its dark or we're seeing it through blurry eyes, it looks okay.
• I like the sequence where Mulder has to guide Doggett's shots by telling him where to shoot, but I feel like it should have been Layla doing that, to give her a character arc. I guess her figuring out that the lizard thing was Stites works.
• Callback Counter: Layla brings up the plot of Fight the Future
• Big fan of the episode ending on Layla getting the medallion and Mulder and Scully bickering like the old married couple they are.
• As always these reviews are supported by my Patreon. Check it out cause I don't have a job at the FBI silently fangirling over Mulder and Scully.

Future Celebrity Watch:

Zach Grenier, who plays our evil scientist/lizard had already been on a show called C-16 but it's a pretty unknown show, so I don't think I'll count that. He eventually got a regular role on The Good Wife (and it's spinoff The Good Fight) as David Lee. I've never watched either of those, but at least I've heard of them.