I don’t know where to begin, save for to say this episode is one of my new favorites. Possibly in my top ten.
Spoilers beneath the cut!
Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster. The title alone is a gem, although “Mulder Meets his Midlife Crisis” might be a more accurate title. Scully didn’t spend much time with the monster in question (provided you don’t believe the monster’s side of the story…)
I tried to avoid spoilers for this one before it aired, but Fox made that damn near impossible, with multiple clips from the first part of the episode released all over the place. Going in, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but I was still pleasantly surprised.
Halfway through, I couldn’t stop giggling.
Scully’s nonplussed reaction to her partner’s crisis of faith was so telling. She knows him well enough to know he’ll snap out of it. “Mulder, I can see you’re going through a questioning phase,” could just as easily have been, “That’s nice, dear.”
Mulder’s monologue in the creepy taxidermy motel room was perfectly Mulder, and Scully got to show her fun side (and a lot of skin?) for once. If I had any lingering doubts about the actors getting back into character, they were thoroughly assuaged by this episode.
“You’re bat-crap crazy!”
I got legitimately choked up when Mulder put flowers on Kim Manners’ grave. Did not expect that to hit me as hard as it did.
Loved the twist on the traditional werewolf trope; a monster that’s bitten by a human and turns human as a result, and inherits all the typical human anxieties about love, loss, sex, and money. Rhys Darby was a perfect choice for “Guy Mann”.
“I’m guessing that’s not his real name.” This coming from the guy named Fox…
And he works at a phone store, which is apparently the most soul-sucking career, three-thousand gigaberts of pixelbits and all.
“My craving couldn’t be satiated until I could find steady work.”
This show busted through the fourth wall with so many Easter eggs. It was a love letter to the fans, and as much as I appreciate that, I wonder how those who aren’t super fans will like it. Admittedly, the X-Files ringtone on Mulder’s phone was a bit much, even for me.
Guy: “The drugs just clouded my thoughts…so I did something insane.”
Mulder: “You killed someone.”
Guy: “No, I got a puppy!”
I have been there, Guy, and thankfully it ended well. I’m naming my next dog Daggoo.
Scully got to be particularly badass by taking down the actual murderer, an animal control officer played by Kumail Nanjiani, who was going through a crisis of his own (albeit a slightly more gruesome and illegal one).
But for everything else that was great about this episode, Scully stealing the dog from the scene of the crime probably takes the cake. I almost feel bad for the poor thing, given Queequeg’s untimely demise. Hopefully she’ll keep this one at home.
Somehow Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster ended up being not only funny but touching; a testament to hope in the face of the kind of self-doubt we all experience from time to time.
And Mulder finally got to meet his monster.
I really loved this episode too!