Written by Darin Morgan
Directed by Kim Manners
It's always
difficult for any X-phile to decide which is their favorite Darin Morgan
episode; it's like forcing a mother to say which of her four children, each
equally literate, talented and humorous, she considers her favorite. But if I
was ever forced to, I would have to say that this episode is by far the most
entertaining. It doesn't have the same depth of subject as Clyde Bruckman, or
as many great one-liners as Humbug, or try to do as much as--- well, we'll get
there soon enough, but what it does is perhaps come up with the most marvelous
combination of subject matter, tongue-in-cheek reference to the mythology, and
outstanding technical aspects that make for an incredible hour of television.
Morgan's first
two episode basically looked at Mulder and Scully from the outside, comparing
to them to the bizarre oddities around them. This one is more inclined to look
inward as it does outward, and as it does, it basically rips apart the
mythology as well as some of the more brilliant aspects of the agents
themselves. Our heroes can't get out of the way of work even on the weekends,
and despite what Scully told us once, she doesn't have a life. Her weekend is
spent cleaning her gun, bathing her dog (who we last saw in the last Darin
Morgan helmed episode) and reading, all the while waiting for Mulder to get
back to her. Mulder in the meantime heads down to a small town in Massachusetts
that basically seems to be filled with attacks by cockroaches. In one of the
more exquisite running gags, Mulder keeps calling for Scully's assistance, but
every time he calls her she has a scientific explanation for everything, and
for once, all of the logical reasons behind the suspicious deaths during out to
be the correct one. Our heroes spend almost the entire episode separated, but
the conversations they have on the phones are some the of the most brilliant
ones ever written, varying personal experiences with deflating bon mot--- until
Mulder encounters a government employment entomologist with the unlikely name
of Bambi, and then Mulder can't blow Scully off fast enough. Scully has no
problem diagnosing suspicious deaths across state lines, but have a fellow
smart pretty face dare to rival her, and she can't wait to drive on scene
And of course,
what makes the episode even funnier is how Mulder finds himself investigating
an alien invasion that flies squarely in the face of everything he's seen.
(When the Sheriff almost as a joke brings up killer bees as part of a larger
conspiracy, I bet Morgan never thought that Carter would take it seriously.)
The way that he deals with this new knowledge, and the way that Dr. Berenbaum
and the Dr. Ivanov tell him there theories on alien life with a look that is
equal part agony and resignation is hysterically funny. Of course, all of this
may be perfectly straight-forward, as once again the entire show closes with no
proof one way or the other. But for once, the ambiguity is part of the point,
and part of the fun. As the deaths by cockroach spread, and the media tends
whips the town into a frenzy, the hysteria may be in fact part of a larger
theme that was explored in Nisei/731--- that behind all of the alien talk,
there may be something harder and more human behind all this. Indeed, Mulder's
presence may help bring the kind of cover the
government is looking for.
Of course, all
of this assumes you're taking the episode seriously, when it actuality it's
swarming with good jokes. And many of
them are the work of the director and cinematographer instead. The shots of
cockroaches crawling over a dead body in the teaser. A rogue insect scuttling
down the sink. A robotic model of an insect scuttling by, and sweeping away the
subtitles as it goes. The bugs eyes view when Mulder catches an insect. The
subtle gag that the powder Scully uses to deflea her dog, and the major bug
spray are made by the same company. And of course, the most remarkable shot,
when a cockroach appears to actually be crawling over the screen.. Not to
mention all of the marvelous throwaway
gags including the Alt-fuel slogan 'Waste is a terrible thing to waste."
This is Morgan writ large and small. As well as the numerous brilliant in-jokes
referring to sci-fi movies and real life people. (Star Trek: The Next
Generation could get the actual Stephen Hawking. The X-Files settled for a pisstake, and in my opinion, they so got
the better deal.) Not to mention the fact that this an episode where our heroes
find themselves covered with exploding manure. And Mulder's perfect line when he's hit.
There is
nothing about War of the Coprophages that doesn't sing. Even the pontification
that the characters often spot is very nicely punctured throughout the episode.
It's never done more perfectly than the last scene where Mulder sums up through Morgan's words. It's a rare gift that
makes you wish Morgan had stuck around with the show at least a little longer.
Given his insight into the mundane, he might have been able to be a voice that
grounded writers like Spotnitz and
Carter, into realizing: 'if you're going to have long stretches of voiceovers,
at least make them funny as well as profound.' Unfortunately, no one took him
up on it.
Frankly, there
are no real flaws in this episode. Superbly written, directed, acted and
edited, it is one of the standout episodes of the series. But for Darin Morgan,
it was literally just another day at the office. With each episode, he set the
bar higher for what the show could do. And as each succeeding episode proves,
he could throw pretty far.
My score: 5 stars.
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