X-Files Rerun "Firewalker"

"Look, I know what you're thinking, but you have to get past that. We both do. I'm back, and I'm not going anywhere."
Originally Aired 11/18/94

"Eww, what's that thing popping out of his neck?!"

I feel like much of what I have to say about this episode is exactly the same thing I said in 2010. Possibly the only things I can add to it four years later would be that I didn't realize Shawnee Smith is that old, and that I've noticed Brad Whitford in more acting roles.

"Firewalker" is just a very odd episode, not only because it's the first case with Scully following her abduction, but it has a bad feeling of "been there, done that." In this episode, Mulder and Scully are trapped inside of a remote area with a small crew of scientists; see also "Ice" and "Darkness Falls." I feel like it also borrows from an episode of the classic 1960's Outer Limits TV series called "The Mutant." Unlike this episode repeating earlier material, I don't mind that this episode borrows from an earlier series because it seems like many Season One episodes drew inspiration from sources like The Thing and The Silence of The Lambs. That particular episode featured a man commanding a research crew through fear, and "Firewalker" is similar, only it flips that episode by revealing that the man is actually in fear of his former crew. Unknown to them, they've been infected by a silicon-based spore, and now Mulder and Scully could be infected as well due to their close contact with the crew. The spore, or "throat penis" as I called in my original Facebook review, looks exactly like a penis popping out of the host's throat. It's strange.

The only interesting moments in the episode are a few appearances from that mysterious man, Daniel Trepkos, played by Brad Whitford, who you might recognize from such films as RoboCop 3 and The Cabin In The Woods. I feel like I just inadvertently did a "Troy McClure"-like introduction for him. He has a unique look- like he was nearly burned, his head is bandaged, and his clothes are tattered. In his first scene he snaps someone's neck, then later he sets a guy on fire with a flare.

Perhaps I didn't say more than I did in my original review, but hopefully after four years of writing reviews that I've actually phrased it better. Though I don't think you can really fault me for not adding anything new to my review of "Firewalker", since this episode didn't add anything new to the series.