The X-Files - 3.

French title: Le Seigneur Du Magma
translation: The Lord Of Magma

Italian title: Dov'e' la verita

US Airdate: March 12, 1996

writer: Darin Morgan

director: Rob Bowman

STARRING:

David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder

Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully

Guest Cast:

CHARLES NELSON REILLY as Jose Chung

WILLIAM LUCKING as Roky

JASON GAFFNEY as Harold

SARAH SAWATSKY as Chrissy

JESSE VENTURE as 1st Man in Black

LARRY MUSSER as Detective Manners

ALEX DIAKUN as Dr. Fingers

TERRY ARROWSMITH as Air Force Man

ANDREW TURNER as CIA Man

MINA MINA as Dr. Hand

ALLAN ZINYK as Blaine

MICHAEL DOBSON as Lt. Schaeffer

JAAP BROEKER as Yappi

A WRITER'S ATTEMPT TO GET AT THE TRUTH OF AN ALIEN ABDUCTION LEADS HIM INTO A MAZE OF CONFLICTING STORIES, WHERE EVEN SCULLY AND MULDER FIND THEMSELVES DUPED.

When writer Jose Chung interviews Dana Scully for a book about alien abductions, he asks her about a case involving two teenagers who claim to have been abducted while out on a date. Were they really abducted, or are they lying? If they were carried off, who took them: extraterrestrials or very human conspirators? The victims' and witnesses' stories grow increasingly confused, as even hypnosis reveals deeper and deeper layers of deceit and manipulation. Is the Air Force engaged in an ongoing coverup of covert intelligence operations, using UFOs as camouflage? Or is that yet another elaborate lie told to discredit witnesses of real abductions? Who are the mysterious Men In Black who warn witnesses against spreading the word--and why do they look so familiar? One of the most bizarre X-Files of all twists and turns as witnesses contradict one another, Mulder discovers strange visitors in Scully's bedroom, and Scully dissects an alien body. In the end, it is up to writer Jose Chung to reveal it all in his book--unless he, too, is part of an elaborate conspiracy on the part of the military-industrial-entertainment complex...

The opening shot certainly looked like the "Imperial Star Cruiser" opening of "Star Wars", but then we find out it's not alien at all. Just the beginning of our lesson in perceived realities.

The "alien" Lord Kinbote's name comes from the character David Kinbote in Vladimir Nabokov's book "Pale Fire." The book is supposedly about how reality depends upon who is perceiving it.

The town Klass County, is named for UFO debunker Philip J. Klass, whose book "UFOs Explained" states that "No single object has been misinterpreted as a 'flying saucer' more often than the planet Venus."

Robert Vallee, Jack Schaffer and Sergeant Hynek all share their names with authors who have written books on UFOs, Robert Schaffer, Jaques Vallee, and Allen Hynek. The last two worked together on the book "The Edge of Reality: A Progress Report on UFO's".

One of Mr. Chung's earlier works, "The Caligari Candidate", is a reference to two different movies on mind control. "The Manchurian Candidate", where a brainwashed soldier is manipulated into believing in alternate versions of reality by political enemies and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", a German silent movie also dealing with mind control and an evil hypnotist.

Jose shows Scully an alien autopsy movie "Dead Alien: Truth or Humbug" which sounds a lot like "Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction", a Fox TV broadcast that The X-Files has made references to before. And of course the word humbug must refer to the episode "Humbug". The music that plays during the video is also a different, lighter version of the familiar X-Files theme by Mark Snow.

Roky Crickenson, the witness to the kids' abduction, seems to be named for Roky Erickson, the psychedelic lead singer for the 13th Floor Elevators who later formed a band called 'Roky Erickson and the Aliens'.

Another "Space: Above and Beyond" reference with Blaine wearing the show's t-shirt. This episode aired the same night that David Duchovny made a guest appearance on "Space.." and is a nod to writer Darin Morgan's brother, Glen Morgan, who co-created the show. This same episode of "Space.." has a reference to Clyde Bruckman as a character watches an old movie of his, but that's another show!

Blaine has an 'I Want to Believe' poster just like Mulder's, but the words 'Want to' have been covered, leaving just the words 'I Believe'.

The pseudonym Jose uses for Mulder, Reynard Muldrake, is taken from the French word for "fox", "renard".

Detective Manners is named for producer Kim Manners, with the other joke being, of course, he has no manners, bleeping all over the place!

Two other references we picked up on: the mashed potatoes mountain in the diner looks just like the one from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and all that pie just has to be a reference to "Twin Peaks". As you may know, Duchovny played a transvestite on the show.

The biggest surprise cameo had to be Alex Trebek and there's a good chance he was on to torment Duchovny yet again about his Jeopardy appearance.

At the end, we're told that Roky has relocated to El Cajon, California, which is where Darin and Glen Morgan were born and raised.

Personal notes: If you've read through this episode guide, you'll note that I'm a HUGE Darin Morgan fan, the man can do no wrong in my book, so keep this in mind as you read my comments. The story, such as it is, is told from various points of view and left some viewers completely lost and frustrated, but not this xphile, I loved it. The group I watched with could barely hold down our drinks, we were laughing too much.

When the credits were leaked to the press before this ep aired, we all went, "Charles Nelson Reilly?! Isn't he dead?!" But what a delight he turned out to be, sheer joy exuded from him on-screen and this appearance apparently woke up the rest of Hollywood, 'cause he's now hot stuff. This is a classic episode and another personal favorite.

(after Scully gives him a compliment on his books)

Chung: "And here I was thinking you were just some ... brainy beauty. Now I find out that you also have ... good taste."

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Scully: "What made you decide to write a book about an alien abduction if you're not that interested in the subject yourself?"

Chung: "Actually? It was my publisher's idea. At first I was reluctant, until I realized that I had an opportunity here to create an entirely new literary genre ... a non-fiction science fiction. Now, see, that gimmick alone will guarantee it's landing on the best-seller list. In short, to answer your question? Money."

Scully: "Ok, just as long as you're attempting to record the truth ..."

Chung: "Dear God, no! How can I possibly do that?"

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Scully: "She was suffering from what my partner calls "missing time". She recalled nothing of the previous night nor how she had arrived at her present whereabouts. Her body exhibited signs of physical abuse and all of her clothes were on inside out and backwards."

Chung : "Have I had my share of mornings like THAT! But, these are the characteristics of someone who has ... do you prefer the term "abductee" or "experiencer"?

Scully: "Actually I prefer neither, but my partner uses abductee."

Chung: "My preference is for the other. I've just had a ... little alien experience, as opposed to, I've just been abducted!"

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Det. Manners: "'Cause I don't need no lie detector test to see the only thing you were abducted by were your rampaging hormones, you punk!"

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Mulder: "Would you be willing to take a lie detector test to prove that you raped her?"

Harold Lamb: "No, I'm not."

Mulder: "Well, that's too bad. Because the next rape you experience will probably be your own ... in prison."

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Chung:"When I was doing research for my book "The Caligarian Candidate ..."

Scully: "One of the greatest thrillers ever written."

Chung: "Oh ... (he chuckles) Thank you. I was, uh ... interested in how the C.I.A., when conducting their MK-Ultra mind control experiments back in the '50s, had no idea how hypnosis worked."

Scully: "Hmm."

Chung: "Or what it was."

Scully: "No one still knows."

Chung: "Still, as a storyteller, I'm fascinated how a person's sense of consciousness can be ... so transformed by nothing more magical than listening to words. Mere words."

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Det. Manners: "Well, thanks a lot! You really BLEEPED up this case!"

Scully: "Well, of course he didn't actually say 'bleeped', he said ..."

Chung: "I'm familiar with Det. Manners' ... colorful phraseology."

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Mulder: "You still gonna hold the boy?"

Det. Manners: "Oh, you bet your blankety-blank bleep I am!"

Mulder: "But the victim seems to confirm his alibi."

Det. Manners: "The hell she did! Those kids' stories couldn't be more bleeping different!"

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(During his interrogation, Harold recalls being trapped in a small cell, Chrissy passed out at his feet ... and an alien in the next cell)

Harold Lamb: "What do you want with us?!"

Mulder: "How did the alien respond?"

Harold: "Well ... all he did was ..."

(we see the grey alien in Harold's flashback. He raises his hand to his mouth ... and starts smoking a cigarette. Harold stares at him in amazement. Chrissy awakens and looks over at the Smoking Alien)

Chrissy: "What, what's happening?"

Harold: "Don't worry, it'll be okay. I'm here to protect you. I'll never let anything happen to you."

(The roof of the cell suddenly slides open, a bright light illuminates the cell and we hear the tremendous roar of Lord Kinbote in the background. Chrissy screams as she's "sucked" out of the cell through the roof. The door snaps shut, her screams drift off and we cut back to the interrogation room)

Mulder: "What was the other alien, the gray, what was it doing during all this?"

Harold: "He was just ... talking."

Mulder: "Telepathically?"

Harold: "No. In english. He just kept saying the same thing over and over again."

(cut back to the Smoking Alien, rocking back and forth with his head in his hands)

Smoking Alien: "This is not happening. This is not happening. This is not happening. This is not happening ..."

Harold: "Would you shut up already? (the roof of his cell suddenly slides open again, he's sucked out as we hear Lord Kinbote roar) No! No!" (the doors slam shut)

Smoking Alien: "This is not happening. This is not happening."

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Scully: "Harold ... did you and Chrissy engage in consensual sexual intercourse that night?"

Harold (looking away nervously): "If her father finds out, I'm a dead man."

(it's now later, Harold's gone)

Mulder: "He said it happened before the abduction. So what if they had sex?"

Scully: "So we know that it wasn't an alien who probed her. Mulder, you've got two kids having sex before they're mature enough to know how to handle it."

Mulder: "So you're saying that all this is just a case of sexual trauma?"

Scully: "It's a lot more plausible than an alien abduction, especially in light of their contradictory stories."

(Det. Manners shoves the door open and bursts in)

Det. Manners: "Hey! I just got a call from some crazy bleep-head saying he was an eyewitness to this alien abduction. Do you feel like talking to this blank-hole?"

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(Roky Crikenson is relating his tale to Mulder and Scully. A mysterious visit from a man dressed in black ... looking a lot like Jessie Ventura)

First Man In Black: "No other object as been misidentified as a flying saucer more often than the planet Venus."

Roky Crikenson: "Really? (oddly, we are now in the present, Roky in the same position at his desk, Mulder and Scully back in the room) That was when I realized something was weird."

Scully: "At which point?"

Roky: "See, normally, if two strangers drive into my garage, I tell them to get the hell off the property. But this time, I didn't! It was like I was in a trance or something."

Mulder: "What did these men look like?"

Roky: "Usually, I'm really good with faces, but this time, all I can remember is how they were dressed. They were ..."

Mulder: "All in black?"

(Roky stares at him, looks over at Scully, then slumps in his seat, disappointed, staring at Mulder)

Roky: "How'd you know that?!"

Mulder: "Since the '50s, people who have had close encounters have reported subsequent visits by these unearthly men in black."

(Scully looks as if this is all totally ridiculous. We hear Jose Chung's voice talking)

Jose Chung: "But you know, myths about men in black garments ... (the scene cuts to the X-Files office, present day) ... have been recorded throughout history in many different cultures. The Celtic legends are filled with trickster men in black and how anyone who encounters them becomes enchanted."

Scully: "Unfortunately, I'm not sure that modern reconstruction of ancient fairy tales lends any more credence to Roky's testimony."

(scene cuts back to Roky's garage as the MIB steps out of the car and starts to walk slowly towards Roky, very menacing)

1st MIB: "Even the former leader of your United States of America, James Earl Carter Jr., thought he saw a UFO once ... (he looks down at Roky's document, titled "The Truth About Aliens by Roky Crikenson") But it's been proven he only saw the planet Venus."

(Roky grabs the document, clutching it to his chest and leaning his chair back, as far away from the MIB as he can get)

Roky: "I'm a Republican."

1st MIB: "Venus was at its peak brilliance last night. You probably thought you saw something up in the sky other than Venus, but I assure you, it was Venus."

Roky: "I know ... (Roky sits up, the MIB shoves him back down) ... what I saw." (The MIB leans in towards Roky as he talks, scaring the heck outta him)

1st MIB: "Your scientists have yet to discover how neural networks create self-consciousness, let alone how the human brain processes two-dimensional retinal images into the three-dimensional phenomenon known as perception. (The MIB stands and holds his arms up in disbelief) Yet you somehow brazenly declare seeing is believing? (The 2nd MIB now walks over to Roky, his face shaded from the audience) Mr. Crikenson, your scientific illiteracy makes me shudder, and I wouldn't flaunt your ignorance by telling anyone that you saw anything last night other than the planet Venus, because if you do, you're a dead man." (He gets in the car, somehow the 2nd MIB is already in the passenger seat)

Roky: "You ... can't threaten me."

1st MIB: "I just did."

(He rolls up the car window, the garage door opens and the car whips out of the garage backwards the same way it arrived, far too quickly for a normal car. Roky stares in disbelief. Then, it seems as if no time has passed, but we're back to Mulder and Scully in Roky's room. He hands the document to Mulder)

Roky: "This is what they wanted me not to show anyone. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pack." (Roky gets up from his chair)

Mulder: "If we have any more questions, where can we find you?"

Roky: "You won't find me."

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Scully: "In short, Roky showed signs of being what is known as a fantasy-prone personality."

Chung: "Agent Scully, you are so kind ... He's a nut! I read his manifesto!"

Scully: "How did you get a copy?" (He pulls out the document)

Chung: "One was sent to my publishers. I don't know what was more disturbing ... his description of the inner core reincarnated souls sex orgy ... or the fact that the whole thing is written in screenplay format."

Scully: "It definitely was peculiar."

Chung: "Well, surely, your partner didn't believe any of it?"

Scully: "Wh, wh, well, Mulder's had his share of peculiar notions. He's not inclined to dismiss anything outright. (cut to the motel room, Scully's cross-legged on the bed and Mulder's in the chair) Mulder, you're nuts!"

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Det. Manners: "Hey, I just got a call from some crazy blankety-blank claiming he found a real live dead alien body."

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Blaine Faulkner: "I know how crazy this is going to sound, but ... I want to be abducted by aliens."

Jose Chung: "Why? Whatever for?"

Blaine: "I hate this town. I hate ... people. I just want to be taken away to someplace where I ... I don't have to worry about finding a job."

Chung: "So you were out in the field that night?"

Blaine: "Looking for UFOs. (scene cuts to a wooded area. Blaine walks through the tall underbrush, carrying a flashlight. Blaine and Chung talk over the scene) There had been some recent sightings in that area, so I was just hoping to stumble across one. (Blaine yells and falls flat on his face as he trips over something) Now, I've read every book ever written about UFOs and aliens, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. (Blaine looks back at what he tripped over, puts on his glasses and shines his flashlight on it. He gasps, tries to struggle to his feet and crawls off backwards) I should've known to just go get my video camera then instead of notifying the proper authorities." (He runs off. Later, he watches as a black car, very similar to the MIB's one, pulls up next to a police car)

Chung: "What was wrong with doing that?"

Blaine: "Because the proper authorities showed up with a couple of men in black. (The MIBs, actually Mulder and Scully, get out of their car, carrying flashlights, and slowly walk towards him) One of them was disguised as a woman, but wasn't pulling it off. Like, her hair was red but it was a little too red, you know? And the other one ... the tall, lanky one ... his face was so blank and expressionless. He didn't even seem human. I, I think he was a mandroid. (Blaine turns around, frightened. Mulder indeed shows no emotion as they approach the dead grey alien's body) The only time he reacted was when he saw the dead body."

Mulder: "Whooooeee!" (a "girlie", high-pitched shriek)

Det. Manners: "Yeah, that's a bleeping dead alien body if I ever bleeping saw one."

Scully: "Wrap it up."

Officer (to another officer): "You got him?"

(They start to wrap him up. Det. Manners, Mulder and another officer walk away. Scully looks at Blaine, then grabs him by the collar. Blaine gasps as the flashlight is shone in his face)

Scully (threateningly): "You never saw this. This didn't happen. You tell anyone, you're a dead man."

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Blaine: "Well, hey, I didn't spend all those years playing Dungeons and Dragons and not learn a little something about courage."

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Schaefer: "Y'ever flown a flying saucer? Afterwards, sex seems trite."

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(in the diner, Mulder talks to the cook behind the counter and eats a heck of a lot of sweet potato pie!)

Mulder: "You ever experienced a period of "missing time?" (he takes a big bite of pie. Later, the cook replaces the empty plate with another piece of pie on a plate) You ever had the suspicion that you've been abducted by aliens? (another piece of pie arrives) Have you ever found a metal implant in your body? (the cook shakes his head, Mulder digs into another piece of pie) Have you checked everywhere?"

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Scully: "That was Detective Manners. He said they just found your bleepin' UFO."

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Scully: "I know it probably doesn't have the sense of closure that you want. .. but it has more than some of our other cases."

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(Mulder finally comes to Jose Chung's office to talk to him)

Mulder: "Don't write this book. You'll perform a disservice through a field of inquiry that has always struggled for respectability. You're a gifted writer, but no amount of talent could describe the events that occurred in any realistic vein because they deal with alternative realities that we're yet to comprehend. And when presented in the wrong way, in the wrong context, the incidents and the people involved in them can appear foolish, if not downright psychotic. I also know that your publishing house is owned by Warden White, Incorporated ... a subsidiary of MacDougall-Kesler, which makes me suspect a covert agenda for your book on the part of the military-industrial-entertainment complex."

Jose Chung: "Agent Mulder, this book will be written. But it can only benefit if you can explain something to me."

Mulder: "What's that?"

Jose Chung: "What really happened to those kids on that night?"

Mulder: "How the hell should I know?"

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Jose Chung's closing monologue: