X-Files Episode Guide: Herrenvolk

Written by Chris Carter

Directed by R.W. Goodwin

Most of the conspiracy episodes are filled with long deathless monologues of purple prose in place of action. Herrenvolk takes the fairly unique approach of having long stretches of action--- the opening chase sequence where Jeremiah Smith, Mulder and Scully run from the Alien Bounty Hunter goes on for nearly four minutes with almost no dialogue at all. It's certainly a refreshing change of pace from what we normally get with the mytharc episodes. But refreshing doesn't necessarily make it much of an improvement.

At this point in the series, we know that whenever someone talks about 'revealing the truth' that we're going to get lots of explanation and nothing lasting. Herrenvolk takes that same approach, only this time without the benefit of the explanation. Mulder goes on an overnight trip to Canada based on the explanation that Jeremiah will explain 'the project to him' and yet somehow manages to empty the tank of his car without having that conversation. Just when Mulder gets as frustrated as we are, the Alien Bounty Hunter emerges from the highway determined to kill Smith and they start running again. In one of his rare speeches,  the Bounty Hunter taunts Mulder by telling him that Smith 'only tells him pieces' and 'he knows nothing of the whole'. I hate to be the one to say this, but this alien was telling more of the truth than Smith did.

What makes it so galling is that this foretells a major shift in the characters. Up until now, when either Mulder and Scully have the chance to either learn more abut the truth or be by the person they love in the hospital bed, they have invariably chosen the latter. This time, knowing that he has the man who can get his mother off the respirator, Mulder instead elects to go on the midnight train to Canada. This can't help but be considered a step in the wrong direction, particular since Mulder walks away from the experience with no real more knowledge about colonization. Oh, there are some interesting fact--- we've got a lot of clones around, one of whom seems to be the child Samantha Mulder--- but most of what we know seems to deal mostly with bees. Now I'm not saying the bees part of the mythology isn't any more gimmicky than anything else we've learned about so far, but trying to figure out why Chris Carter, rather than sticking with the mythology he has decides to devote an episode to killer bees, doesn't seem to make much sense

What's going on with Scully, as is so frequently the case in these mytharc episodes, is far more interesting. Trying to go through the data that the Smiths have been collecting at the various Social Security office leads to some more interesting ideas. With the help of X, she manages to narrow down that through the Smallpox Eradication Program, the government is finding a way to tag and catalog is fairly more  unnerving than watching Mulder and Jeremiah Smith climb through an apiary (and frankly, would be more fitting in with the realness of the mytharc we explored last year).

But all of this is ultimately frustrating when the Bounty Hunter removes Smith from the equation, and, to all intents and purposes, from the series. Apparently, Carter takes the position that this series isn't big enough for two groups of aliens, and just like he did with the Gregors in Colony, there's almost no sign of Smith for the remainder of the series. Given what we learn about the Bounty Hunters healing touch, one could see why he  might have found having another alien superfluous, but considering that he seems to be eliminating the more interesting characters in favor of black oil and bees, one can sort of see why we now begin to realize Carter's stretching out the mythology without much regard for the viewer. It's starting to get irritating

This episode is also fairly depressing because X falls for the conspiracy's manipulations and is eliminated by one of the Syndicate's triggermen. It does, however, lead to one of the standout death sequences, where X uses his lifeblood to point Mulder in the right direction for his next informant, Marita Covarrubias. There's also something fairly shocking in seeing the CSM managing to get a favor out of the Bounty Hunter to heal Mrs. Mulder, using an argument so false sounding, one would have to be inhuman to not ferret out the lies. There's also a certain irony that the creature that seems to put an end to any home of saving her turns out to be the means to her  eventual recovery.

Herrenvolk isn't a terrible episode by any means, but given the level of the season openers we've had so far, its something of a disappointment. Still, it does feature one of  Duchovny's better performances so far, which is something of a first for him. There's also a fairly good valedictory performance by Steven  Williams as X  and continued good work by Roy Thinnes. However, like an increasing amount of the mytharc, it seems in the end like a wasted opportunity. There were so many good elements of the mythos that could be well utilized so far. To add new ones, and to just have sequences that comes as teasers rather than actual promises---- well, even those getting perturbed with the mythology at this stage in the series would've begun to have their patience worn out. I wasn't worn down yet, but the creaks in the mytharc are starting to show.

My score: 3.25 stars.