X-Files Rerun "Squeeze"

Originally Aired 9/24/93
Originally Reviewed 9/25/08

Here it is, the first standalone thriller of the series, and my all-time favorite from that category of episodes. Its just as good as it was the first time, or even the fifth time. I believe while it was hinted in the pilot that Mulder has a reputation in the FBI, this episode is the first time he's actually given the "Spooky" Mulder nickname. It should come as no surprise since he's just as offbeat as in the Pilot. After being asked if he thinks its the work of little green men, Mulder quickly corrects them by saying they're grey. Here's his full line, "Grey. You said green men. A Reticulan's skin tone is actually grey. They're notorious for their extraction of terrestrial human livers. Due to iron depletion in the Reticulan galaxy."

Not only is this the first standalone episode, its also the first from my favorite X-Files writers, Glen Morgan & James Wong. I enjoy their work on the series the most because not only did they have creative cases for Mulder & Scully, but they added a new layer to the characters while supplying a healthy dose of humor to the series. Although I said they did have creative scripts, this one actually started a trend where they borrowed from other works. The villain in this episode, Eugene Tooms, hibernates for 30 years after consuming human livers. It felt very similar to the second Kolchak tv movie where that villain also hibernates after committing murders; yet I like how the X-Files team made it their own. One instance is what I call Toom's liver vision. As he's stalking his prey, they are in full color while the rest of the scene is greyed out. His eyes turn a creepy shade of yellow too.

This episode starts another trend for Season One, too. We get to know Mulder and/or Scully better through the use of a person from their past. This time Scully is introduced to the case because a colleague of her's is stumped by the lack of evidence, so he brings Scully onto the case, but its Mulder who cracks it in an unusual way. After he finds a fingerprint on an air vent, they match it with prints from previous murders and visit the detective from that case. It creates a chilling scene where the retired, old detective describes the murder scenes and it almost gives me goosebumps.

After two alien-related episodes, The X-Files proved they could tackle more than just flying saucers. They hit a home run with "Squeeze" and that's why its been my "go-to" episode for introducing the series to new people.