A MURDER WITH RITUALISTIC TRAPPINGS BRINGS MULDER AND SCULLY INTO A SMALL TOWN WHOSE
OCCULT SECRETS DATE BACK SEVEN GENERATIONS.
The school board of a small New Hampshire town closes a routine meeting with an
invocation to the Lords of Darkness; a teenager is killed in a ritualistic manner. Mulder
and Scully check out the local sheriff's fears of a "cult" operating in the
vicinity, and discover that the town and high school are the focus of rumors of witchcraft
and devil-worship going back seven generations. Meanwhile, the hysterical confessions of
abuse and intimidation from several students lead them to the town's most upstanding and
conservative citizens. A weird substitute teacher, a troubled teenager and a basement
painted the color of blood all figure in their search for a demonic killer. Mulder and
Scully are taken by surprise, and are led to slaughter in the school gymnasium.
Notes
The title translates as "The hand, the wound."
Writers Glen Morgan and James Wong left the show after this episode to develop and
produce "Space: Above and Beyond". The line "It's been nice working with
you" was a parting gift to the cast and crew.
The opening credits contain a reference to Super Bowl XXIX, with the producers, both
longtime Chargers fans, listed as James "Chargers" Wong and Glen "Bolts,
Baby" Morgan. The Chargers were humiliated two days later, but no one believes these
credits jinxed them.
"Crowley" High School is named for British ceremonialist Aleister Crowley,
whose theories on "magick" shocked his contemporaries and heavily influenced the
development of modern Wicca.
More lucky real-life xphiles mentioned in this episode: Characters Paula Vitaris and
Deborah Brown, The Ausbury family (named for Jill Ausbury), Jerry (the boy who is killed)
is named after Jerry Jones, host of the AOL X-Files forum. And school pscychologist Pete
Calcagni is named after the husband of another AOL fan.
The satanic substitute teacher, Mrs. Paddock, is suitably named, since an Old English
definition of 'paddock' is 'toad'.
Quotes
____________________
Paul: "Well if he wants to be young I have no problems with Grease or Annie
or.."