X-Files Episode Guide: Sunshine Days

Written & Directed by Vince Gilligan

With the exception of Darin Morgan (whose level of genius and talented was only limited by the number of scripts he wrote for Ten-Thirteen), by far the most extraordinary talent to come out of the X-Files was Vince Gilligan. He has been a master of creating villains who are remarkable mainly by their ordinariness, and being able to satirize the series with an insight that was extraordinary at the time, and still seems remarkable now. (One could also make the argument that by working with Chris Carter, he carefully harvested so many of the actors, writers and directors that would make Breaking Bad the remarkable force it was. And considering how much of that series, as well as Better Call Saul, was based on a singular overriding story, and the mythology leading up to it, and argument could made that what he learned from Carter was what not to do.)

Two years ago, in Je Souhaite, Gilligan wrote what many people thought would stand as the penultimate episode of the series, a story that simultaneously provided proof of the paranormal, and demonstrated that it was never about the huge world changing events, but rather the human element that were the most important thing. It was a note of pure comic bliss that the series has never really been able to equal ever again.Now, in Sunshine Days, the actual penultimate episode, he tries to do something similar, and if its not nearly as immaculate or entertaining story, it still sings a great deal, and provides us with a marvelous way to leave.

If anything, this episode gives Gilligan his chance to satirize a lot of elements of the series that has been so good to him the past eight years. The story involves a man who has been living in a house that everyone considers 'the Brady Bunch house', and has even named himself after a character who joined the series after it 'jumped the shark'.  And this case is being investigated by Doggett and Reyes. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see what Gilligan is gently trying to satirize. As the episode goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that Oliver  is the proof of the paranormal that Scully in particular has been seeking for the past nine years. She ends up recruiting one of the professionals, Dr. John Reitz (very well played by John Aylward) and they end up finding out that Oliver is indeed what they are looking for, and everybody in the X-Files unit - including Scully! - sees it. Skinner is left to observe, and in another delightful sequence, literally turns cartwheels in mid-air when he sees. "With this, the X-Files can go on forever!" he says ecstatically.  And then, Oliver collapses. And Doggett of all people, makes the connection to realize that his life can only be saved if he never uses his power again. And the fact that Reyes now says Doggett is getting the hang of this job, and Scully finally admitting that she's had proof of the paranormal all along, emphasizes the bittersweet of the end that is nearly upon us.

One could also make the argument that Gilligan is, Morgan-like, taking potshots at some of the failed aspects of Season 9. Oliver is supposed to be the one who will change everything, who will serve as a beacon to the entire world. Sound familiar? But Gilligan is gentle enough never to mention William by name, and points out that what it really took to change the savior of humanity was something that has almost never been whispered on this series: real love. Genuine care is what saves Oliver in the end, not some ridiculous shot of some kind of metal.

Admittedly, Sunshine Days isn't one of Gilligan's greatest scripts, but that's mainly because (and you have to have noticed if you've read by guide for this long) the standard he put forth was so high. Perhaps the biggest flaw is the fact of Oliver himself. What draws Doggett and Reyes to the crime in the first place is the fact that Oliver ends up killing somebody, and before the first act is over, he kills someone else. Once its decided that Oliver is the proof of the paranormal, the fact that he's killed two people gets kind of pushed back into the background. You could make the argument that's not exactly an inconsistency with the X-Files writing, even with Gilligan himself (Eddie Van Blundht, rapist, anyone?) but it is kind of strange to see him give it short shrift. Michael Emerson is one of the most gifted actors in TV today (his performance as Ben Linus was one of the great strengths of the next big cult phenomena Lost), but he doesn't quite have the ambiguity to play it this time.

But the fact remains it is one of the most wondrous scripts in Gilligan's entire time on the series. The imagery that he uses, from the Brady bunch kids paralleling The Shining to the incredible moment when the X-Files unit is transported to a Pacific Coast, are remarkable for any episode in the show, much less the next-to-last one. You know that its all probably the work of a green screen, but Gilligan has done enough with the series that you just don't care.

Sunshine Days may be a final statement on the X-Files itself, better than any mythology episode ever could be. At its peak, like The Brady Bunch, it was a show that has became part of the lexicon, that was one of the last real series to draw the masses together before TV turned a lot narrower in its focus. I don't if we'll ever see another Gilligan story for the series again (its not outside the realm of extreme possibilities) but for his final statement on the show, its still rather fitting.

My score: 4 stars.