"Mulder and Scully Meet The Were-Monster"

"First thing we need to do though... check out of this motel."
Aired 2/1/16

When The X-Files revival was announced last spring, I was excited to learn that Chris Carter would reunite with a trio of writers that have not been involved with his series since 1997- brothers Darin and Glen Morgan, and writer/director James Wong. (Technically it could be 1998, since those 3 were all involved with sister series Millennium.) Those three men are collectively responsible for my absolute favorite episodes from both series- Glen Morgan & James Wong's "One Breath, and Darin Morgan's "Clyde Bruckman" and "Jose Chung" episodes of The X-Files; along with Morgan & Wong's "The Cure Of Frank Black" and Darin Morgan's "Jose Chung" episodes of Millennium. Thus far with this revival, both James Wong and Darin Morgan have stepped up to the plate, with both men knocking it out of the park.

Last week, James Wong contributed a dark episode about genetic mutations that also touched on the lives of Mulder and Scully, while this episode from Darin Morgan was a fantastic return to form for the series. Not only was it chock full of references for the keen fans, the episode used it's monster to poke fun at the every day lives of humans. What seem commonplace for us, like getting a job, are outrageous activities to this "were-man." Morgan summed up human existence in the span of one seven-minute segment of the series- get a job so you can have a mortgage, eat bad food, and then do it all over again the next day. The were-man was played exceptionally well by guest actor, Rhys Darby, whom I wish could be in every episode! I also noticed a returning guest actor, Alex Diakun, who was also in Morgan's first X-Files episode titled "Humbug" as well as the second movie.

"Mulder and Scully Meet The Were-Monster" actually had it's origin in 2005 as an unfilmed script for X-Files collaborator Frank Spotnitz's revival of the Night Stalker series. It was originally titled, "The M Word", and I came across the script when it was included as a DVD extra in text form. The plot remains mostly the same, with exception to Mulder and Scully now being the investigators, rather than the main characters on Night Stalker. In a twist of fate that could only happen in an "x-file", this script was not only filmed as part of this mini-series, but improves upon the original version. The many references to past episodes make this episode a treasure-trove and an "instant classic" among the series' greatest episodes. For starters, the pair of stoners returned from Season 3's "War of the Coprophages"; Mulder was seen in bed wearing a red speedo; Mulder also peered through the face of a fox that was hanging on the wall at a seedy motel; Scully referenced her old dog, Queeqeg; and later Scully referenced being immortal, which has always been a conversation point for longtime fans. Much like Darin Morgan's past episode "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" that featured many gags I only noticed through rewatches, I'm sure I'll spot more visual gags later. In fact, I didn't even catch that a fast-food joint was named "Andy's" until a friend sent me a text about it.

Not only was this episode full of comedic moments, I also liked the way it was filmed during the night-time sequences. The title of "Mulder and Scully Meet The Were-Monster" seemed really silly to me, and I preferred the ambiguous original title, "The M Word." But after seeing it's campy atmosphere, the new title was a better fit. It was an obvious nod to the movies when Abbot and Costello met Frankenstein and other Hollywood movie monsters. Those night scenes featured an eerie, foggy atmosphere which looked a lot like the Creature From The Black Lagoon movies, too. With that said, now I'm off to go commit a murder.... I'm hungry for a burger.