X-Files Rerun "Shadows"

Originally Aired 10/22/93

David Duchovny stars in a Lifetime Movie.

At this stage of the series they were still working out what makes an "x-file" and what doesn't. Morgan & Wong are my favorite writers on the series but this actually feels more like the plot of a Law & Order episode than what I'd come to expect from the duo. What happens is a businessman is killed, so he comes back from beyond the grave to avenge his death and expose the dirty dealings within his company. There is some cool ghost chokings though, where he uses his supernatural powers to crush the throats of people who would harm his secretary.

While the plot isn't great, the character moments are, which shows how well developed they were right from the start. The scene that introduces Mulder and Scully in a dark morgue was neat, as well as Mulder's ingenuity when he uses his glasses to get fingerprints. Mulder's Elvis references started here with his remark that "one person successfully faked his own death."

My favorite part of the whole episode really has nothing to do with Mulder or Scully, its when they show a close-up on this black lady who says, "Howard Graves is very dead." I'm sorry to admit that's really all I can say about "Shadows"; its a fine episode, though not particularly memorable.

YIKES!