118 MIRACLE MAN

"I didn't know too much
and then I felt your touch
and now I've learned
I can return, the magic touch."
(You've Got) The Magic Touch The Platters1956

SYNOPSIS

KENWOOD, TN
A young man has the power to heal with the Lord's help... but then, why are so many of his followers dying?

SCULLYVISION

You've got to hand it to Scully, she is not amused by Mulder's quips. Even his Elvis line drew only a sullen look and Scully uses that sullen 'non-look' to perfection. In fact, we haven't seen a classic look like that since the old Honeymooner's show when Alice would nail Ralph with a similar look.

In this episode Scully remains quite calm, never flinching whether the subject is murder, faith or Samantha. In fact, Scully at times looked and even sounded rather dreamy, almost in slow motion. She stands firm in her skepticism of Mulder and his theories and firm in her faith. She doesn't even flinch when Samuel asks "do you doubt the power of God, Ma'am?" He must have seen the necklace around her neck and made the leap. Scully later tells us "I was raised a Catholic. I have a certain familiarity with the scripture, and God never lets the devil steal the show." Another insight, the Exorcist is one of her favorite movies.

Scully's faith banter with Samuel especially her response to his, "God has given me a special gift," line with, "Did he buy you all that jewelry too?" This shows us that the faithful Scully who diligently wears her cross necklace questions the messenger who lines his pockets.

Scully shows great respect for others in this episode, including her acknowledgment of the Preacher's grief over the death of his son. Scully will halt not only a scene, but our own childish impulses to be callous, to show compassion.

This is a good "partner" episode where it is Dr.-FBI Agent Scully who received the case and introduced it to Mulder but he eagerly agrees to bringing it on. In this episode, Scully is quite diligent about stopping a conversation that Samantha creeps into because of what it would do to Mulder, personally and professionally, but she also threw out a Jessica Hahn line that was quite fitting.

Physician Scully was having a bad doctor day. She quickly pronounces the woman with MS dead without so much as a thought about CPR. It might bring on a medical malpractice suit in the real world but for this ep, I guess we really didn't want to watch a failed CPR attempt. Dr. S sharpening her autopsy machete was kind of cool but don't they use scalpels down in Yahooville?

At the end of the episode Scully concludes that it is doubtful that any miracles occurred in Kenwood. Nothing seems to provide any evidence contrary to the already mentioned "physician-documented" cases of recovery that Scully seems to gloss over.

OH COME ON!

Mulder, those people who went to the Miracle Ministry didn't look like they had gone to Woodstock, they looked like they were at a John Deere convention.

If you're going to legally have a body exhumed, would it really be done at night?

A bunch of believers have more authority than a court order for the exhumation?

If Samuel's a healer and can rise from the dead, why couldn't he heal his facial scars after the bar fight?

That was a pretty BIG knife Dr. Scully used during the autopsy.

Why did Leonard wait ten years to get his revenge from Samuel for saving his life?

THINGS LEARNED

or All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned From the X Files

Watching the movie "Woodstock" makes one feel as if they were actually there.

JOHN'S SAMANTHAVISION

It is quite jarring when Samuel identifies Mulder's pain over the loss of his sister. It is out of left field and riveting to Mulder. So much so, in fact, that Scully calls the sheriff over to stop the interaction. Samuel's description of Mulder's pain tells us volumes. It's "old" pain that has "never healed." Indeed, it still festers.

We are jarred again at Mulder's sightings of Samantha. Jarred in part because of the impact on Mulder, but also shook up because it doesn't seem to fit the plot. Even though out of place, it is intriguing as to whether these are visions, ghostly apparitions or hallucinations. We "see" Samantha first on the lawn of the preacher's mansion, again during the tent revival and a third time in the reflection of the car window. All of this convinces Mulder, who has been scoffing at these holy rollers, that Samuel just might have some gift.

It is curious, however, that after seeing a very young Samantha, Mulder asks Samuel if Samantha is still alive. If she was still alive she wouldn't be that young anymore. But then again, maybe he sees her because he wants to and he certainly wants her to be alive and not some channeled spirit. In the end, Mulder seems to have returned to his skeptical self but still sees Samantha again. We've heard Mulder tell of his grief and guilt and passion but now we see it for ourselves. How beautifully sad that he carries a framed picture of her when he travels.

Samantha's absence which drives Mulder and the overall plot of the X-Files has now become a presence. Samantha, Mulder's Holy Grail, now has a face and has become even more real. Scully is supportive of Mulder and yet doesn't back down or give in to his apparent illusions. As much as she understands and respects Mulder's Samantha issues, she nevertheless confronts him about its interfering with the case.

SFX

Leonard Vance's burned hand
Locus attack
Samuel's return to Vance
Vance's burned flesh ten years later

WRITER
Howard Gordon/Chris Carter

Reintroduced Samantha into a storyline to show that Mulder is still affected by her abduction and to solidify for the audience that it's the quest he's leading. He goes to the case even though Scully said it wasn't an X File, then finds more than he bargained for. Packed full of one liners about religion used as a money making proposition. Did enjoy that it was Scully who did most of the investigation in the episode.

DIRECTOR
Michael LangeAnother episode along with Young at Heart that examines the demons that lie inside Mulder's psyche, not shooting to kill Burnett and Samantha's disappearance. Lots of uses of shadows and Samuel as a Christ figure as he was being beaten in his cell.

RUNNING TALLIES
Wow! Stop the Presses! No Flashlights or Guns in this episode!
Sunflower Seeds
Slide Projector - TV/VCR
Scully does an autopsy
Scully types out a report
Raining
11:21 - time of the autopsy
Necklace

Side note: Samuel is the first stigmata on the show. It's also the first gist that Samantha's not alive anymore. Kevin Barstow who played Samuel was the lead on Harsh Realm, another show that took a lot of CC's attention from the X Files.

ATHENAEUM

"It is doubtful there have ever been any miracles in Kenwood."

When Scully typed that into her final report on the Miracle Man case, she instantly felt a twinge of good old fashioned Catholic guilt. As strong as her faith was, she realized that she could not give the exact definition of a miracle. Sure it was an act that could not be attributed to anything but the hand of God, but she wanted to know more so she finished her report and headed for the last place that she had found the Athenaeum.

She was looking forward to the ever changing Curator. Just as long as it wasn't that Mengele creep she would be okay. But Father Karras? Instantly she regretted acknowledging that the Exorcist was one of her favorite movies.

"Hello Faddah," Scully spoke. "I mean Father."

"This is no laughing matter Agent Scully," the Curator in the guise of the Exorcist padre testily yet solemnly replied. "The Catholic Church takes the matter of miracles very seriously."

"Sorry, but how did you know that I was going to ask about..."

The Curator shook his head. They will never learn.... He said, "Never mind that. Here is the official definition. Miracles are observable events or effects in the physical or moral order of things, with reference to salvation, which cannot be explained by the ordinary operation of laws of nature and which, therefore, are attributed to the direct action of God." Father Karras paused. "Notice the phrases 'observable events' and 'reference to salvation' and 'direct action of God.' These are important."

Father Karras continued. "The most striking miracles were those worked by Christ. He performed about 35 of them including raising three people from the dead."

"Three? I knew about Lazarus but that's all."

"He also raised the daughter of Jairus and the son of the widow of Naim."

"So how does an event qualify as a miracle?"

"They are deemed miracles only after every possible natural explanation has been tried and found wanting. The Church is relentless in not jumping to conclusions. In fact, Agent Scully, even the conversion of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is not officially a miracle because it is not an observable event."

"I never realized that."

"The Church is quite strict and extremely conscientious about all of its laws and rulings. Never pay attention to rumor, popular belief or worse Hollywood for information about the Church, Agent Scully." He stopped to put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You were right. God never lets the devil steal the show, not even in Hollywood."

With that, he ushered her to the door. As Scully ascended the stairs to leave she heard voices arguing but she didn't dare turn around to look.

"I did steal the show."

"You did not! I won't allow it."

"My greatest trick is making people think that you won't allow me to steal the show when all along, I'm stealing it. It's my show."

"You're dreaming."

"Damn you! It's my show!"

"You can't damn me!"

"It's my show."

"No it is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is."

"Not."

And so on it went for an eternity.

POINT/COUNTERPOINT

When Scully got home from her visit to the Athenaeum, she quickly put on her sky blue silk pjs and got into bed, then the phone rang...

Mulder: Scully? I need to tell you something. It's kind of weird, but I really need to know what you think about it.

Scully: Shoot.

Mulder: Have you ever received an old crumbling piece of parchment paper?

Scully didn't answer, she just sat up in bed.

Mulder: I guess you haven't. Look. I have, and it's told me to go to this place, this cavernous place that's just how I usually like it. Dark, dusty and spooky. I see people there. Richard Nixon, Jack Torrance, you know, from the Shining, and his wife, what was her name? Anyway, they tell me stuff about what's been in my head after we solve a case... well, not solve a case, but investigate a case, you know. Well, I went back to the warehouse tonight to get an answer about Samantha? To see if she's still alive, and how Samuel was able to conjure her for me, and hey! Samuel, Samantha... you think there's a correlation there? Anyway, um, it wasn't there. The warehouse. Where that deal called the Athenaeum had been before. Not even the building was there. Do you know anything about what I'm talking about?... Scully?

Scully: Mrs. Torrance.

Mulder: What?

Scully: Jack Torrance's wife was called Mrs. Torrance.

Mulder: Oh come on, Scully. This is no laughing matter.

Scully: Okay, I'll be serious. Her name was Wendy. All right, all right. Well, I'm kidding around because I don't know exactly what to say. I um, have received parchments calling me to an odd place called the Athenaeum and I also have met some strange people down there. I don't know how to explain those people Mulder but I do know one thing, they aren't aliens. I know that's what you're thinking.

QUOTES

MULDER: I think I saw some of these same people at Woodstock.
SCULLY: Mulder, you weren't at Woodstock.
MULDER: I saw the movie.

MULDER: This is the part where they bring out Elvis.

SAMUEL: The pain you have regarding a brother or a sister. It's an old pain. It's never been healed.

SAMUEL: How much more will it take for you to believe? The Lord has testified against me. Does the serpent have to bite you all on the ass til you understand?

SCULLY: A few thousand grasshoppers does not constitute a plague

SCULLY: Apparently miracles don't come cheap.

SCULLY: I'm a doctor.

SCULLY: I was raised a Catholic, and I have a certain familiarity with the scripture. And God never lets the Devil steal the show.
MULDER: You must have really liked 'The Exorcist'?
SCULLY: One of my favorite movies.

MULDER: I'm not delusional, Scully.

SCULLY: (while performing an autopsy) Mulder, take a look at this.
MULDER: Do I have to?

SCULLY: You've got that look on your face, Mulder.
MULDER: What look is that?
SCULLY: The kind when you've forgotten your keys and you're trying to figure out how to get back in the house.

SCULLY: Tell me again what we're looking for.
MULDER: Clues.

SCULLY: Sundays will probably never be the same again in these parts.

MULDER: Samuel did rise from the dead. That sort of thing only happens every two thousand years or so.

MULDER: I think people are looking hard for miracles ... so hard that maybe they make themselves see what they want to see. (Just before he sees Samantha's reflection in the car window)