"Terms of Endearment"

"Wayne Weinsider. He's a Czech national. Emigrated in 1994. He's also known as Bud Hasselhoff. Also known as Gordy Boytano."
Originally Aired 1/3/99

Similar to remembering to write dates on your check with the new year, I had to remember that this episode had aired in 1999. It's hard to believe that it's "1999" already, with only 3 years left on this journey through the series. At least I'm back in familiar territory now following a few weeks of high concept episodes, which featured ghosts and body swapping hijinx. I've watched "Terms of Endearment" once before, and though I recall Bruce Campbell in the lead guest starring role, that was back in 2007.

Bruce Campbell gives a fine performance as Wayne Weinsider, who's like most parents, in that he wants a normal, healthy baby. It just turns out that he's not a normal parent; he's a really a demon. It was a wise choice to have him portray a loving husband than your typical over-the-top demon, which is also opposite of many humorous characters he's known for in the Evil Dead series and The Adventures Brisco County, Jr.; that series coincidentally premiered on the same night as The X-Files back in 1993. While Bruce Campbell, David Duchovny, and even Chris Owens in his brief scene, are fun to watch, I think the problem with "Terms of Endearment" is it's tone. It's credited to a new writer to the series, David Amann, who also happens to provide the first script of the season from a non-regular writer/producer. The previous six episodes have been from the usual suspects- Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz. If you look back further into Season Five, the last few were also penned by them as well. Perhaps David Amann had big shoes to fill, stepping in as a new writer during The X-Files at it's peak.

"Terms of Endearment" begins as an episode that would feel at home in the earlier seasons, with a deformed infant and a nightmarish sequence with a demon, which is the kind of terrifying standalone that we haven't seen in some time. The episode reveals itself later on to be a dark comedy, with Wayne actually being a demon with multiple wives so that he can finally father a normal child. It seems to shift back to being a terrifying episode when Wayne attempts to kill one of those wives. It's as if each act shifts from one tone to the other. Despite that, there are several moments here to enjoy and I really appreciate the dark scenes around the Weinsider's creepy house. Even with the California setting, the series is still creating fine visuals so that the transition between locations isn't even noticeable. The special effects used to create the demon are effective and I like the use of what looks to be prosthetic make-up, which actually looks better than some monsters I've seen created on a movie's budget.

Any episode where a guy has an alias of "Gordy Boytano" is a welcome addition to the series. "Terms of Endearment" is worthy of it's place in the series, and though I said the frightening demon may have felt at home in an earlier season, the episode as a whole could only have worked in this season. It's just more proof how far this series has expanded it's scope and is continuing to do so.