I know, I know, it’s been awhile. With my ever-mounting pile of current shows to review, my rewatch reviews of The X-Files have largely fallen on the back-burner. However, determined to keep pace with FOX’s “binge” effort, I have renewed my commitment to the show. I aim to keep my reviews coming consistently until the end of the first season, and if I do not, please keep me accountable with your tweets. That being said, the last few episodes I reviewed were duds (speaking in relative terms, of course, because it’s a great show), but every great story has to find its sea legs. Rarely can you have a network series without a few bad episodes. I’m happy to report, however, that “Ice” does not fall into that category. I quite enjoyed it.
On this episode of The X-Files: Mulder and Scully investigate the mysterious deaths of a team of scientists working on a project in Northern Alaska. They are paired with a pilot and some other scientists. When they arrive, they realize that the victims have all been “infected” by a worm-like creature, which Mulder believes is alien.
I liked this episode a lot. Unlike a few of its predecessors, the plot was easy to follow, coherent, and smoothly executed. One of the biggest things I liked was Mulder and Scully’s relationship not feeling rushed or forced. The direction of some of the previous episodes hinted at Mulder and Scully’s romance (which I’m still not feeling), or even just at their relationship moving further than six-eight episodes should take it. Directed by David Nutter, this episode seemed perfectly natural and well-executed. Mulder and Scully seemed to be at the perfect juncture. While some of the scientists were mistrustful of Mulder and Scully being partners, they still showed each other the proper mix of skepticism and trust. For Episode 8, it just felt so right.
I really liked the Clue feel to this episode. I know that’s a bit of a cheesy, exaggerated example, but bear with me. In large part, this was a bottle episode. They rarely left the confines of the research facility. In close quarters, tensions run high, and there is an added mystery of “who’s the killer?” It was so well-executed, that I actually found myself wondering if Mulder killed that guy. There was a good use of confined space to create dramatic tension among the confined beings, and the realistic approach made the episode truly terrifying. I won’t be going near worms anytime soon.
Mulder and Scully are always wonderful, so there are a lot of times when the quality of an episode of The X-Files directly correlates to the talent of the guest actors on the show, and how prominently said actors are featured. Looking at this show through a 2015 lens, I’ve noticed a correlation between actors who are still working and recognizable, and the quality of episodes. Of course, I’m only eight episodes in so who knows how that’ll hold up? But, this episode is a perfect supplement to my hypothesis. Among the guest stars are Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives) and Jeff Kober (Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead) both of whom I immediately recognized. Keep track of my guest star theory right here on TVOvermind.
All in all, this was a quality episode of The X-Files. The direction was great, the stars were ever solid, and the production was just all around quality. I’m really excited to get back on track with my viewing, and hope that you’ll all join!
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy “Ice”? Let us know!
[Photo via FOX]
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I quite liked Ice. Fair warning though, if I had to pick a single worst episode in the entire series, it would probably be “Space” which I believe is coming up next.