"Synchrony"

"Well if he's already dead, then he's got nothing to lose."
Originally Aired 4/6/97

Scully has a lot of great facial expressions this season.

I've only watched this once before, in fact, it was one of the very first episodes that I watched after I bought the complete series box in 2007. I thought that an X-File about time travel would be pretty neat, yet time-travel is used as the basis for the story, its not about time-traveling. I guess it just sets the story into motion. The how and why is just assumed by the viewer.

At this point in the series they never have what you would call a bad episode, just a dull episode, which is what "Synchrony" is. David and Gillian know their characters; the directors and the rest of the crew are always creating first-rate visuals either through camera angles, set pieces, or effects work; so what makes for a bad episode either falls on the guests that week or the writing staff. I think "Synchrony" is a bit of both. I felt it was only interesting when someone was becoming an icicle or bursting into flames. At the beginning of the episode a man is accused of pushing a colleague in front of a bus, however he was just running over to save him. Yet when we see a close-up of his face, I can't tell if the actor is supposed to be stunned when he realized the old man was right or if he actually did push him to make the old man's prediction come true. Then he makes the same face later, so I think the guy is only capable of one expression.

Mulder seems equally intrigued by fire. In a first season episode he had a fear of fire, yet here when two people are set on fire, he actually looks like he wants to sit back and roast marshmallows. Oh, Mulder.

"I wonder if I can fit a hot dog on a stick through this hole."