"I'd like to know why this policewoman would suddenly drive her car into a field the size of Rhode Island, and for no rhyme or reason, dig up the bones of a man who's been missing for 50 years."
Originally Aired 1/6/95
This episode is much better than the previous three episodes ("Firewalker", "Red Museum", and "Excelsis Dei"), and it's a fine attempt at trying to dig
The X-Files out of its slump. Typically when it's a writer outside of the core group, it's a red flag as to the quality of the episode, but Sara B. Charno crafted a unique murder mystery; rumor has it that the script had a bit of help from Glen Morgan & James Wong.
In the titular town of Aubrey, MO, recent murders match the markings on an unearthed corpse, there's also a bit of a soap opera-like love affair, and Mulder and Scully seemingly switch roles all within this episode. I noticed the slight role reversal during this rewatch, which is something I don't believe I picked up on before. Scully's womanly intuition tells her that B.J. Morrow (Deborah Strang) is having affair with her coworker Lt. Tillman (Terry O'Quinn), which is what put her out near a motel in the middle of the night when she discovered a 50 year old body. Mulder can always pick up on subtle connections or makes great leaps of faith, yet he failed to notice something between the two detectives. We've also witnessed Scully in harms way several times, ranging from "Beyond the Sea" to the recent home invasion by Duane Barry. This is the second episode in a row that's placed Mulder in danger, which is the slight role reversal that I noted earlier.
The plot is somewhat interesting, although its not above the typical television contrivances. Those such moments would be when Mulder and Scully realize who the next victim will be just as the attempted murder is about to take place, while they also travel across town faster than humanly possible and somehow managed to avoid every traffic light along the way. The character of B.J. being revealed as the killer due to a genetic transfer from family members is an interesting wrinkle to the story, though it also seems contrived that the link is broken once the family member she inherited it from passed away. I think if the genetic material transferred to her was dormant and only triggered once she became pregnant, then I would think the link would break when the baby is removed. That could be what the writers were also hinting at when the episode ends on an eerie note with B.J. under suicide watch.
Where the story lacks, that's actually when Director Rob Bowman picks up the slack. The camera angles used by Bowman make for some neat visuals, enhanced by the series' cinematographer John Bartley. Also notable are the references to Mulder's sunflower seed habit as well as his FBI "go-to-guy" Danny. I remember not caring too much for this episode several years ago but time has been a bit kinder to "Aubrey." Or it could just appear to be better if it's viewed immediately after "Excelsis Dei."
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