There once was an alien named Exley. On one visit to earth, he was taken out to a ball game. Like most of the crowd, he was taken in by the game. So, he bought some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, and really didn't care if he ever got back. Now they root, root, root for his home team. Though it rarely happens, when they don't win it's a shame. For it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the old ball game.

"What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life-- the Rosetta Stone, if you will. If you just understood baseball better all your other questions your, your... the, uh... the aliens, the conspiracies they would all, in their way be answered by the baseball gods."

It was a good weekend for David Duchovny. Just as the season was ending, he was presented with a new life, as a writer, a director, and a father. For during those two days his two babies were born, Madelaine West, and her more mischievous brother, "The Unnatural." In a episode reminiscent of "Jose Chung's ‘From Outer Space'", David paid tribute to baseball, humanity, and the power of a dream...a "Field of Dreams" with fake cacti and alien home run hitters. I'm not really a baseball fan, but "The Unnatural" showed me the joy of the game, a joy which can transform an alien, intrigue Mulder, and make an uptight G-Woman smile. If you looked closely enough, subtle links were visible throughout the episode, connections to writer Darin Morgan's "girly screams," a tip of the hat to Scully's namesake Vin Scully, the voice of the LA Dodgers who opened the episode, and a homage to the classic baseball movie "The Natural," all pulled off in a tasteful, seemingly effortless manner. In this way, "The Unnatural" became a tribute to David himself. He may have teased himself remorselessly throughout the episode ("It's official. I am a horse's ass."), belittled his script and his attempt at directing, but he could not hide the fact that this was an altogether enjoyable episode. Good job David.

"What you may find is you concentrate on hitting that little ball, the rest of the world just fades away..."

I've never been thrilled by flashback episodes, but with "The Unnatural," David was able to pull it off. He didn't forget Mulder and Scully as past shows have done, and included interludes to break up the somewhat corny aspects of the main story, express what we as an audience are thinking ("You seriously want me to believe that Josh Exley was an alien?"), and bring us momentarily back to reality. Throw in some jokes and a few aliens, and you've got a fascinating show. And "In the Big Inning," what fascinates us is by definition true. "The X-Files" may not be an actual representation of the truth (with a capital "T"), but for an hour every week, it becomes our reality. We are drawn into its tangled web, a world where aliens and government conspiracies exist, a place where little green men dream of the big leagues. At 10:02pm we may shape-shift back to our respective forms, but for those 60 minutes, we are believers.

"Trust the tale, Agent MacGyver, not the teller. That which fascinates us is by definition true...speaking metaphorically, of course."

"The Unnatural" made use of many characters, some new, some old, and some in between. We were introduced to the new Arthur Dales in the same way as his predecessor - a suspicious, hostile greeting behind a chain-locked door. I guess their name isn't the only thing that runs in the family. Nevertheless, a great rapport, albeit one based mostly on insults, was soon established between Mulder and Dales, adding some comic relief to what could at times become a somewhat sentimental narrative. David's attention in the continuity department did not go unnoticed here, with Fred Lane, the actor who played the Young Dales in "Travelers", reprising his role in "The Unnatural." However, I did find it odd that he and his brother looked exactly the same in their younger years, if that really was Arthur #2 down in Roswell. I guess they could have been twins, or maybe even alien shape-shifters... But I digress. Arthur wasn't the only alumni character to show up in this episode. Our old friend the Alien Bounty Hunter also made an appearance. For the first time we got to see his true face...that of a cute little bug-eyed alien. I've never thought of him that way - it makes it kind of hard to take him seriously now, doesn't it? No wonder he likes the Arnold Schwarzenegger look. New characters abounded too, from an outfielder who looked suspiciously like one lanky, large-nosed FBI agent, to a team of gospel singing baseball players. The poignant spiritual music and the double meanings found in every line ("You don't know nothing ‘bout my race.") interwoven into the theme of the universality of humanity showed just how intelligent this story was. Do you think it could count as a Ph. D. thesis? Maybe David can get that doctorate after all...

"Did you bring enough ice cream to share with the rest of the class?"
"It's not ice cream. It's a nonfat tofutti rice dreamsicle."

I didn't think he had it in him. I know David is a very intelligent, eloquent man, but I've never gotten the impression that he knew the characters of Mulder and Scully that well. Apparently, I was wrong. He was bang on with their characterizations in the episode, playing out the intricate relationship between Mulder and Scully as well as Morgan or Gilligan could have. Heck, he even had the guts to make Scully a goof and Mulder a baseball fan, to give them personalities, and have them laugh for once. Though they only shared two scenes together, those moments elicited some of the best dialogue found in the episode. I would include some of his ingenious work here for you to read, but there's simply too much! Besides, you probably wouldn't sit idly by as I hurled cliches at you, so I'll let sleeping dogs lie. ;) Of course, nothing could top the final scene. That moonlit baseball lesson is in my opinion the ‘shippiest ending yet, similar to "Post-Modern Prometheus" in its fairy-tale like qualities. Very rarely have Mulder and Scully been so close, so carefree, so happy. I don't think Scully has truly laughed since "The Pilot," six years ago, and then only in a desperate, maniacal sort of way. After last week's episode, I can't think of a better birthday present than a laugh, an opportunity to loosen up and forget about all her everyday, nagging concerns...how she probably couldn't afford that nice, new suede coat on a G-Woman's salary...how she threw away a promising career in medicine to hunt aliens with a crackpot, albeit brilliant, partner... A great present, though I did wonder how two people would be able to hit a baseball. Personally, I think Mulder just wanted to grope her. But then again, she didn't look like she minded the attention... I guess slapping a piece of horsehide with a stick can be useful after all. ;)

"The bat - I'm talking about the bat. Now, don't strangle it. You just want to shake hands with it. ‘Hello, Mr. Bat. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.' ‘Oh, no, no, Ms. Scully. The pleasure's all mine.'"

With "The Unnatural," David Duchovny has accomplished something few actors dare - he's created his own masterpiece. He has contributed to story ideas before, getting on the credits for it in the cases of "Colony," "Anasazi," "Avatar," and "Talitha Cumi," but these were just warm ups, a jog around the baseball diamond. "The Unnatural" was the culmination of this work, the realization of six years of silent observation and contemplation. And not surprisingly, it was a really good episode, better than those of some of the staff writers. Why? Because it was able to tap into a vein most of the audience probably forgot this series had - fun. Episodes such as "Milagro," while deep and suspenseful, leave me drained by the end. In comparison, I left "The Unnatural" with a big grin on face and a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Very few X-Files have had that power, especially now with Darin Morgan gone. For that, I'd like to thank you David. You're welcome back any time.

"Shut up, Mulder. I'm playing baseball."

A little song excerpt for your reading pleasure...

Take Me Out To the Ball Game
By: Albert von Tilzer and Jack Norworth

Take me out to the Ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and crack-er-jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win its a shame,
For it's one, two, three strikes,
You're out at the old Ball game.