In "Trevor," Pinker Rawls encountered a tornado. Whisked away from his shameful station in life by this mass of wind and debris, he was taken to a better place, much like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz." Here he found a land of second chances, redemption...and electron-parting, matter-moving supermen. Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

"What did he want?"
"Maybe another chance."

One of my X-Phile friends just introduced me to a new expression, and I think I fit it quite well. Hi, my name's Katie, and I'm an X-Files whore. This delicate idiom refers to those fans who love anything and everything the X-Crew churns out. With the exception of a few episodes (notably "Hell Money" and those unfortunate tales of killer kitties and goat suckers), that's true of me. That's why it should be no surprise to you that I liked "Trevor." No, it wasn't the greatest episode ever made, but it still had merit. An episode can be good for several reasons. It can excel because of its humour, its script, its characters, its suspense, or its horror. And if nothing else, "Trevor" was pretty gruesome. With all its burned, decapitated, flaking bodies, this episode was a special effects person's dream. Since it was written by a crew member from "Millennium," that's not too surprising. Not surprising, but still grotesque. *dry heaves* The gross-out factor was obvious from the beginning. In the initial prison setting (and we knew it was a prison because everyone was wearing those unflattering stripes), with a warden who had a knack of dying in the most macabre way, I had visions of "The List," "Trevor's" gory, maggoty brother. Though it featured no creepy crawlies, "Trevor" still managed to gross me out. And in a monster of the week episode, that's what I love the most.

"Should we arrest David Copperfield?"
"Yes we should...but not for this."

An episode can't ride on its gore alone, however. Such a morbid show needs something to lighten the suspenseful load put on the viewer, something to add spirit and comedy, if only in a bittersweet kind of way. In "Trevor," this was accomplished through humour. Skillfully brought to the surface by the two leads, this subtle wit could be found in Mulder and Scully's mannerisms, especially when faced with a multitude of mutilation (only Mulder would simply deadpan "Gesuntheit" in response to a man with no face), the unspoken communication between them, and the dialogue. When put in their capable hands, this came to life. One such exchange took place (where else?) over the warden's bisected body, and brought humour and affection to an otherwise grisly scene. Let's listen:

Scully: Spontaneous human combustion.
Mulder (smiling): Scully?
Scully: Well, isn't that where you're going with this?
Mulder: Dear Diary: Today my heart leapt when Agent Scully suggested spontaneous human combustion.
Scully: Mulder, there are one or two somewhat well documented cases.
Mulder rolls his eyes.
[pause]
Scully: Mulder, shut up.

It's obvious David and Gillian are doing their best to find new ways to make fun of the show, each other, and themselves in a most delightfully dry way. Though you do wonder how they keep so cool in the midst of all this blood and gore. If I were in their position, I'd be doing more than just gagging. I guess six years of witnessing such carnage might make you kind of cynical.

"I'm not saying that it can't be explained scientifically. Maybe it's the tornado. You suggested it yourself. Unusual climatic conditions... high electrical potential..."
"I'm sorry I even brought it up."

While the science may not have been perfect (a wall's just as much an insulator as glass...), it was still fun to see Mulder and Scully battle over the validity of their theories, and do real detective work to find the truth. Neither seemed certain they were right, but Scully appeared more defensive than usual of her beliefs, probably because she was delving into that uncharted territory of paranormality. Her little theory on spontaneous human combustion would later come back to haunt her, as Mulder took up her cause with a vigor only he possesses. You'd think she'd know not to plant an idea like that in Mulder's capricious little mind. And what a potty mouth! First she told Mulder to shut up, and then (gasp!) said the "S" word when she thought we weren't listening. Tisk, tisk. ;) Unfortunately, moments like this proved fleeting as Mulder and Scully were noticeably missing by the end of this episode. This wasn't too upsetting as most of the other characters turned out to be well-developed and three-dimensional, but just when you thought it had turned into The Pinky and Trevor Show, our two avengers arrived on the scene, saving the day with rubber bullets and glass telephone booths. Wow.

"The guy's like Houdini. Turned my back and he was gone."

Revisiting the concept of a human monster, "The X-Files" gave us an episode not only of terror and violence, but of heart. In Pinker we were given a glimpse of a real person, not an ogre, so desperate to find love he would kill. An interesting paradox, superimposed over a tight, suspenseful script - a classic X-File written, interestingly enough, by two newcomers. (Perhaps the outside world knows more about XF than its own creators...) I fear "Trevor" may be soon forgotten, however, as fans look for something new and different to grace their television scenes. The tried and true monster show, along with all its subtleties and nuances, might not be able to cut it anymore. The X-Files we used to know may have already been swept away in a tornado of shock value and big screen ambitions.

"I just wanted another chance."