The X-Files “Little Green Men”

Well, back for season two, and oh hey!  Character actor Raymond J Barry as a Senator who may or may not be all that helpful?  I mean sure, he looks helpful now, but you know that won’t last on this show.  Why does Mulder keep trusting authority figures?

The Case:  A Returned Phone Call!

The Rest:  Barry’s Senator character is Richard Matheson, named for the sci-fi and horror writer, and if Wikipedia tells me right, the producers wanted Darren McGavin because his old one season wonder Kolchak: The Night Stalker was an obvious influence on The X-Files.  McGavin would eventually appear, but not before turning down the roles of both Matheson and Mulder’s father.

Too bad about that Mulder’s father thing.

Anyway, since disbanding the X-Files, Mulder is listening in on wiretapped conversations while Scully is teaching autopsies at the Academy.  I dunno.  Scully seems OK with that.  She’s more concerned about Mulder because Scully is awesome that way that she actually can find a work-life balance, and when she and Mulder do meet up, he confesses that he needs more evidence in the future, something she taught him.

That’s sweet.  A lawman who needs evidence.

However, word comes to Mulder from Senator Matheson that the Voyager space probe’s gold record just got someone to call back, and the only place that might have a recording of the message is in Puerto Rico.  Sure, Mulder can just ditch an investigation and…wait, no he can’t.  He does anyway.  Apparently, military like forces are coming to clean the place out soon, so he’d better hurry.  Scully doesn’t know where he went, and even Skinner and the Smoking Man get that, but they are smart enough to follow Scully.

Another sign this is an early episode:  Skinner appears to be the Smoking Man’s boss.

So, between flashbacks to the night Samantha Mulder disappeared, a scene made ridiculous by the slowed down audio at the end as Teenage Mulder calls out for his sister, and man, that must have been one awkward conversation for him when his parents came home, Mulder does get down to the radio receiver way out in the middle of nowhere, his only company being a terrified local named Jorge.  Jorge speaks no English.  Mulder speaks no Spanish.  About all Mulder can figure is Jorge has seen some stuff.

The actor playing Jorge also played a couple Ferengi on some Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, so I like to think he got spooked by himself.

Then again, Jorge ends up dead of unknown causes when he runs outside during a storm.  No marks on him.  Possibly frightened to death.

But even as Mulder digs for evidence he’s never going to find because this is only the start of season two, Scully figures out how to find him and ditch the undercover agents following her because, once again, Scully is awesome.  I mean, she even finds Mulder while still in what looks like her standard professional attire while he looks all sweaty and gross in 90s era casual clothes.  But bad news:  those soldiers are coming by, and Mulder’s evidence is Jorge’s corpse and a tape recording.  Scully is awesome and convinces him they can’t just take a corpse with them, but the tape would work…if the storm from the night before hadn’t erased it.

Oh, and Skinner just sends Mulder back to his boring job.  So, despite his general hostility to Mulder, he also doesn’t punish him.  Skinner may just be misunderstood.

Or they’re making it up as they went along which is my first guess.

Up next, something in the sewers.