Five years ago, Donnie Pfaster invaded our homes and our subconscious. A creature hardly able to bear the name human, yet stubbornly resistant to the label of paranormal, one could not help but be shaken by his morbid fantasies and creepy disregard for human life. We fooled ourselves into thinking we had left that horror behind, but still his presence lingered, tucked in the untouched alleyways of the mind. Now, he has returned, unchanged in purpose and as determined as ever. We may not admit it, but we always knew this day would come. For he is a part of us, a part that refuses to die. Time goes on, but evil remains.

"No Reverend, I cry for you. You cannot kill me."

In "Irresistible," Donnie Pfaster represented Scully's vision of evil. A sequel to that classic episode from season two, "Orison" took that idea one step farther. Expanding the threads begun in "Irresistible," Chip Johannessen decided to look further by incorporating the universal theme of good versus evil into the episode. An idea not unfamiliar to this Millennium alumnus, "Orison" was a natural challenge for him to take on. After all, Chris Carter's concept for Millennium came after writing "Irresistible," a story with no real paranormal aspect to it, just the terror of a disturbed and twisted, but entirely human, killer. Despite this previous experience, however, "Orison" had problems. It was about religion, hypnotic priests, the ability to stop time, good, evil, a bad guy from season two, and Scully's feelings - far too much for one episode. Someone must have decided an X-File about a reverend with supernatural powers would be a perfect occasion to bring back ‘ol Donnie, but unfortunately, the result of this "opportunity" was an episode that didn't have enough time to properly deal with any of its themes. It was an episode within an episode, an X-File within a sequel. In this way, Mulder was correct in stating that the X-File was over with Orison's death. The supernatural aspect of the case had ended, but unfortunately for Scully, the episode had not. The human devil still lurked, awaiting his final showdown.

"Donnie Pfaster is just plain evil."

In "Orison," Nick Chinlund reprised the role of Donnie Pfaster, an intensely quiet delivery man with an unnatural passion for cuticles and tresses. It would be a euphemism to call this character disturbing, but what I found more eerie than the man himself was how little he had changed since we last saw him. The penetrating face with its smirking half-smile and the soft yet grating voice has been without deviance, and the evil in him as invariant as his pick-up lines ("Is your hair chemically treated?"). If anything has changed, it's his courage. His time in prison seems to have made him much less inhibited in his feelings and much more willing to act them out. His craft has also become more refined, with Ziplock bags and ice replacing the frozen brussels sprouts previously used for his, um, storage. Unfortunately, the years he spent behind bars have also made him completely fixated on one particular victim. No matter how many prostitutes he "dates," it is only Scully he craves.

"Donnie Pfaster did a number on your head like I've never seen. It's okay to walk away. You've got nothing to prove to me."
"Mulder, this man does things to people no one should ever have to think about. It's not a question of if I should be here or not. I don't have a choice."

Scully is a very strong person. Even though she is confronted with death and gruesome crime scenes on a weekly basis, it rarely seems to ruffle her. So when it's obvious that she's uncomfortable with a case, it makes one sit up and take notice. "Irresistible" was such a case, affecting her in a way previous episodes had not. This was not simply because it threatened her well-being, but because the crimes she encountered contradicted all the ideals she had held about the human race. In "Orison," as in "Irresistible," Scully claimed she was not bothered by the case. Again, her looks betrayed her words, the impact evident in her grave features and the way she flinched every time Donnie's name was mentioned. The thought of working on this case a second time obviously shook her, but her morals and work ethic compelled her to stay on and solve it. It was the only way she could prevent Donnie from hurting others the way he had hurt her and in the process so damaged her faith in humanity. Personally, I think she would have been better avoiding the case, but I understand her reluctance to turn away from it. Such a case used to be just horribly disquieting to her. Now, it was personal.

"So let's get to work."

When Scully sets her mind on something, persuading her to walk away from it is not an easy thing to do. This Mulder knows. So as the episode progressed and it became clear that Scully was not as fine as she claimed to be, he did the only thing he could - he supported her decision, protected her in his subtle way, and stood by her in this time of emotional vulnerability. His non-overt method of protection may come across as uncaring to some, but if you add up all the comments, worried expressions, and touches, his concern was more than evident. Mulder cares for Scully deeply, and knew the affect this case would have on her. He urged her not to look any further, but ultimately, it was Scully's choice to make, and he respected that just as she respected his choice to pursue the investigations in "Oubliette" and "Paper Hearts," cases that so resembled his sister's abduction. I just wish Scully would open up to his support more in these situations instead of focusing on work and stubbornly blocking out her feelings. She did seem slightly more receptive to Mulder's offerings of protectiveness as time went on, but always with her emotional wall intact. Yet she's only human, despite the allusions of past episodes. And everyone has a breaking point, as this episode proved.

"Who was at work in me, or what...what made me pull that trigger?"
"You mean God?"
"I mean what if it wasn't."

Ever since "Orison" aired, the final scene has haunted me. Scully, a rigidly moral FBI agent, killed a man when her life was no longer in danger, and didn't seem to feel sorry for it. She was disturbed by her actions, shaken both mentally and spiritually - that I don't argue - but whether she regretted them is open to question. It was a powerful scene, full of drama and suspense, but it shocked me, being such an un- Scully thing to do. She has always believed in the value of life, even that of murderers, and for her to kill Donnie without impunity is completely out of character. It's true Donnie may not have given her a choice, and her sanity may have been questionable at that point. However, her decision afterwards to go along with Mulder's version of the story when she was in possession of her senses proved to be a huge mistake. That easy plot device just completely undermined six years of character growth. She told us that she had asked the judge to spare Donnie's life after he attacked her five years ago. Now placed in the same situation, she chose death. Why? The case can be made that we're all evil in some way, I suppose. We may hide or repress it, but when pushed, a primordial power takes over, concerned only with revenge, anger, or the need for self-preservation. But this is Scully, someone who's always been directed by God. Why would this change? Why did this change?

"Believe in the Lord, Agent Scully. He believes in you."
"That's nice."

These concerns about a higher power controlling our actions ushered in Mulder and Scully's old debate about religion. Writing that just now, it hit me that it's never been much of a debate. The words may differ, but the form is always the same. Scully expresses her views about religion, catechism, and faith, and Mulder completely rejects her beliefs with a look or a flippant comeback. I almost thought Mulder was about to take Scully seriously for a moment as they discussed the issue in the hospital, but he soon dispelled that notion with a, "Come with me, Scout. I'll show you how the Reverend talks to God." Though I think he had moment to pause when the prophetic song "Don't Look Any Further" just happened to be playing on his radio the night of Scully's attack. If God is speaking, perhaps Mulder's finally listening.

"How do you prove someone is not being directed by God?"

On the grand scale of X-Files episode, "Orison" was good. It held my interest, and effectively used the actors in their roles. Compared with "Irresistible," however, there is no comparison. "Orison" lacked the simplicity and integrity of predessor, and disturbed me for more reasons than they intended. It shattered the foundation laid for Scully's character in "Irresistible," a sin greater than the crime itself. For if I can't believe the characters, how can I believe this already fantastic series? I'm sad to say it, but The X-Files just lost some of its credibility.

"Maybe this was meant for you. Don't look any further."

Notes:

--Proof #5465 that Scully is psychic - she knew exactly when Donnie escaped from prison. So either she's psychic or her clock has some supernatural connections.

--Scully's extrasensory abilities now seem to be beginning to rub off on Mulder. The telekinetic bond they share is quite useful, however, as it allows Mulder to burst in and save her just in the nick of time. Though again, Scully managed to save herself without his help.

--When Donnie was leaving the prison during the moment of trance, I almost thought he might pick up the other prisoners' fingers on his way out!

--Interesting background information they provided regarding the murder of Scully's Sunday school teacher. That first realization of evil must have been an revelation for her.

--"He's chosen you Donnie." Let me get this straight - God has chosen Donnie Pfaster, the death fetishist, the lover of women's follicles and fingernails, to be his messenger of goodness? There are hits....and then there are misses.

--Don't you love the way they manage to destroy songs for us (not to mention relaxing candlelit baths)? Is anything safe anymore?

--In the final fight scene, Scully demonstrates the newest weapon in the FBI arsenol - the shelf! Who needs a gun when you have seven feet of metal, books, and nicknacks to throw around.

--In every sequel The X-Files has ever made, the bad guy gets out of prison, wreaks havoc, then promptly dies. I think I'm sensing a trend...