"Kitsunegari"

"Hey, it's Mel Cooley."
Originally Aired 1/4/98

I always watch an episode at least twice before I sit down to write my review, whether I've never seen the episode before or I've watched it ten times already. It's a good thing I watched this week's episode more than once, because the second time put a completely different spin on it. The first time I watched it, I liked the chase for the escaped Robert Modell (from Season Three's "Pusher"), but I thought it fell apart halfway through once another character was introduced; especially when they copied a scene straight out of an episode from Season Two. When I saw it the second time, I picked up more on the dialogue, especially the words of "Pusher" Modell.

What changed my perspective the second time was when "Pusher" is on the phone with Mulder, he told him he wanted to talk. Mulder's response was "Pusher" should tell him in person, which is exactly what happens later in the episode. If only Mulder had listened to his enemy sooner, but who could blame him since "Pusher" gave a man a heart attack over the phone in their last encounter. I did like when they're on the phone how Duchovny hesitates before hanging up the phone, as if Mulder really is under the spell of "Pusher." I guess I was just confused why "Pusher" was portrayed as a sympathetic character in this episode, when before he had used his abilities to kill at least 3 people. I suppose he's not really sympathetic or villainous, instead the episode just portrays him as directionless. It seems he just kind of hides out in warehouses til he's able to talk face to face with Mulder, but I think I was focusing too much on the details again, like always.

X-Files is great at not spelling things out for the viewer. Perhaps that's because focusing too much on the details would slow down the pace. I do like how the pacing of this episode is in the style of a "mini-movie" that the series is known for being. Even the prison set pieces, lighting, and camera work make it feel much more like a movie than just a television show. But back to the "details", that they didn't spell out- Modell went to the sporting goods store for a sweat suit, Linda Bowman was one of the nuns that visited the prison (only after discovering she had a brother), and as I said before, Modell's reason for being on the run was just to warn Mulder. This episode would have been totally different had Mulder just listened to him on the phone. I would have liked to have seen Linda Bowman running around in her nun attire but that might've turned this episode in a parody than a suspenseful episode.

"Kitsunegari" is obviously an episode that gets better with multiple viewings, since the first time through I thought it was a confusing cat and mouse game because it left too much out. But now I see it as a fine thriller, though it's obviously not as strong as the original. It doesn't have any memorable moments like the first, such as "Frank Burst" and defining "The Whammy." Why this episode may seem confusing is as the viewer we're supposed to be in Mulder's shoes, and it's about the effect the case has on him, more than it is about Modell. We already saw Modell in action before, so I think the writers assumed that any type of shenanigans from him would just be rehashing scenes from the first. Instead they just made references to those scenes.