Wine and an X-Phile #X-01001: Pilot

“The answers are there, you just have to know where to look.”

Air Date: September 10, 1993
Directed by: Robert Mandel
Written by: Chris Carter

Filed Under: Mythology/Monster of the Week

Synopsis:

Scully is assigned to work on the X-Files project and to report what is going on with the project and what is happening during investigations. Mulder and Scully’s first investigation takes them to Bellflower Oregon to try to find the truth the unexplained deaths and disappearances behind graduates from the same high school class.

Review:

I think one of the things that I found most engaging about this first episode is that right off the bat we are in the story, there isn’t much time spent setting up what’s going on. I suppose the intention was to mirror the journey that Scully takes, as she is immediately given this position right out of medical school and then thrown into her first case without much of a hesitation nor real guidance or acclamation. I really enjoyed that we didn’t spend much time on the setup and really got into what the show would end up essentially being about: Mulder and Scully’s great relationship and the weird cases they had to investigate with the government constantly trying to cover it all up. It’s actually a good summary of the entire series in that respect and you get a good glimpse of the journey you are going to take before it even happened.

I don’t think I ever truly grasped how many things in the episode so clearly define who the characters are and their relationship with each other from the get-go. From little things like Mulder taking the time to read her thesis before her coming, with the knowledge that she would probably not stay for long like the rest, to asking her point blank about aliens knowing that the instant he said that she could be out. Even just knowing what position she was actually hired for, and why she was placed with him, and still not hesitating to include her the minute she stepped foot into that office. From day one they just clicked, you know? And sure, it could have been his “initiation” for her, but to me it’s because he had already felt something more with her that he was willing to include and listen to her side. He was also desperate for a partner to share things with and he chose to trust her.

It’s also what made me click with the drama. You didn’t have to get me with the subject material. The creepy and spooky thing that they had going was already an instant sell. I really hate the trope that most of these crime/medical shows do where they introduce characters and we have to spend all that annoying time with them getting used to each other in this “enemies to co-workers” game. We don’t have to spend that exhaustion with Mulder and Scully. They just fell into place from the very beginning, allowing us to vibe with their relationship and focus on the wacky stories. There’s an instant trust. He even goes as far as being comfortable enough with her to tell his sister’s story within days of knowing her. Scully shows that she can match him at all points. She takes the time to listen to what he has to say, and even when things are bat shit crazy (like doing an autopsy on an ape that was found in a graveyard) she does so with care and the want to find the truth and to help the victims.

Yes, The X-Files is aliens and monsters and weird unexplained things, but in the end it’s mostly character driven and driven by the relationship between Mulder and Scully and we get to see that very clearly in this fist episode. David and Gillian make this show what it is and from day one bounced off each other in a way that was - and still is - captivating. They don’t feel awkward when they are on screen together, they just fit and I think that was what set this episode apart as a pilot, the exploration of their relationship.

I did feel that the execution of the central story got a bit muddled at times, and that’s mostly to do with the amount of things that happen in such a short time that overloads the information given. It is a bit too much, especially for a pilot and one that was doing something different. I think the show falters on this a bit, as it is both a character driven and plot driven show and those are competing for time. I would have liked for them to have tightened up the story with Billy Miles a bit more, or maybe focus more on the mysterious spots that kept appearing. It’s a lot of weird things thrown into the show at once and no answers are provided, nor enough time was spent.

This episode was also the only one with the title screen “The following story is inspired by actual documented accounts”. Chris Carter used bits and pieces from real documented abduction cases in the episode, most notably the implant and the marks, but with the lack of any of these sorts of things common knowledge they became buried in the plot and were not given enough time to explain why they were so important. I like and appreciate that the nod is there and do respect the want to have the story come from a place of research and truth, I just feel that maybe some of our unanswered questions and confusion would have been alleviated if the time went to other points in the story.

Extras:

This is the only episode where the whistle intro is not used. Carter still had some issues with what they had and they were still tweaking it after the episode aired. We also get the first introduction to one of the most known Easter Eggs in the series, specific time readings. 11:21 when Mulder calls Scully (11/21 being Carter’s wife’s birthday and will be heavily used from now on), and during the autopsy scene the time is 10:56, a nod to Carter’s birthday (10/13/56).

Favorite Prop(s):

I thought it would be fun to point out my favorite prop from each of the episodes. Props are my thing (in non-pandemic times) and it just feels like a very me thing to do. This episode had a lot of contenders, but in the end it has to go to the mammalian corpse that was found in Ray Soames’ casket. It’s weird and creepy and was not expected, but also it just looks like it was a fun prop to create.

Another honorable mention goes to the nose bleed scene, which I remember very clearly the head of makeup talking about it on a behind the scenes video and in some of the books about all the logistics and problems it faced since they wanted it to be a practical effect. It would later help me out in my job in props with the knowledge of how to do those things onstage. Not only is The X-Files entertaining, but also an educational experience that helped me on the job.

Rating:

4.5/5 wine glasses. A solid start to the series, and an episode I can watch over and over (and obviously have considering I know pretty much the entire thing by heart). It makes me reminisce about my enjoyment of the series as a whole, and we get enough bits and pieces that indicate what future episodes will hold that it makes me excited. While there were some issues with the plot and story pacing, the setup for the characters and the essence of the show was spot on from the beginning.

+++