The X-Files - 4.

French title: Tunguska I

US Airdate: November 24, 1996

writers: Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz

director: Kim Manners

STARRING:

David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder

Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully

Guest Cast:

MITCH PILEGGI as Assistant Director Skinner

WILLIAM B. DAVIS as The Cigarette-Smoking Man

NICK LEA as Krycek

CAMPBELL LANE as Committee Chairman

FRITZ WEAVER as Senator Sorenson

JOHN HAINSWORTH as Gaunt Man

OLESKY SHOSTAK as Bundled Man

JAN RUBES as Vassily Peskow

STEFAN ARNGRIM as the prisoner

ROBIN MOSSLEY as Dr. Kingsley Looker

BRENDAN BEISER as Agent Pendrell

JOHN NEVILLE as Well-Manicured Man

MALCOLM STEWART as Dr. Sacks

JESSICA SCHREIER as Dr. Bonita Sayre

BRENT STAIT as Terry Edward Mayhew

EILEEN PEDDE as Angie

DAVID BLOOM as Stress Man

LEE SERPA as Swarthy Man

LAURIE HOLDEN as Marita Covarrubias

SCULLY RISKS CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS WHEN SHE REFUSES TO DIVULGE MULDER'S WHEREABOUTS TO A SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE.

While performing a random search of a suitcase being carried by a man claiming to have diplomatic immunity, an airport customs agent is attacked by a black oil that congeals into tiny worms which penetrate his skin. An anonymous tipster warns Mulder about a right-wing militia organization planning a bombing which could be the next Oklahoma City. The informant turns out to be Alex Krycek, the traitor Mulder blames for his father's murder. Left trapped in an abandoned missile silo by the Cigarette-Smoking Man, Krycek says he was freed by the militia group during a salvage operation. Claiming he wants revenge on the Cigarette-Smoking Man, Krycek promises Mulder that he can help expose the Cigarette-Smoking Man and the Shadowy Syndicate. Despite his hatred for Krycek, Mulder reluctantly believes him.

Krycek leads Mulder and Scully to intercept a Russian courier at the airport. The courier escapes, but the diplomatic pouch he is carrying is recovered. The pouch contains a four-billion-year-old rock of extraterrestrial origin. Dr. Sacks, a government exobiologist, drills into the rock. The same black worms which killed the customs agent emerge from the rock and attack him. Scully and Pendrell investigate this deadly enigma. Mulder's possession of the artifact alarms the Well-Manicured Man, who orders the Cigarette-Smoking Man to take care of the problem.

Mulder seeks out his UN contact, Marita Covarrubias, who finds out the origin of the Russian courier's flight. Mulder learns the flight originated near Tunguska, Siberia and instantly recognizes the significance. In 1908, a fireball crashed to earth in Tunguska, igniting a series of cataclysmic explosions. It was the most massive and most mysterious event of its kind in history. Until now, no one had been able to discover what really happened. Maybe someone has finally found out the truth...

Part 1 of 2 (continues with "Terma")

Nice effects as the oil breaks up into worm-like creatures that slither along the floor, up the pants leg of the nosy guard and next, right up under his skin! The tell-tale sign that we're dealing with the same oily alien from before, his eyes begin to cloud over.

Some people were disturbed by the repeated attacks on Krycek in this ep, to which I say, lighten up, it's just a TV show! The man has betrayed Mulder and Scully over and over again and, whether by orders from Cancer Man or not, has definately killed someone over the years, maybe Mulder's

Dad, possibly Scully's sister, as well as getting his "kicks" in on Skinner, so he had it coming, period. If you think his treatment was bad in this ep, wait 'till you see what happens in the next one! I had the pleasure of watching these two together, without the week long wait between episodes. It was torture to have to wait two weeks, saving all the messages (at least the ones that bothered to say "spoiler" in the header, I already knew about Krycek's return thanks to the non-spoiler postings), but it was pure pleasure at the end of the long wait.

A lot of us xphiles with WAY too much time on our hands, saw a great deal of what's come to be known as UST, or Unresolved Sexual Tension, between Mulder and Krycek in this episode. I know, just indulge us okay? Watch the ep again with this in mind and you'll see what we mean. The closeness, the fits of anger (which may be overwhelming desire to NOT be attracted to someone) and the way they take care of each other even when you're not sure whose side Krycek is on. Whatever you think, we enjoyed it!

Are we being nitpicky again or did the opening Senate scene seem to be a dig at all the off-screen negotiations going on between Gillian Anderson and 1013 Productions?! Job security huh? Let's face it, there would be no X-Files without Gillian, just my humble opinion, but there ya go.

Agent Pendrell, our usually love-sick puppy-dog, finally got a chance to prove he's no dummy as he and Scully worked together on the doctor. Not one ounce of sexual tension here, just pure professionalism.

The testosterone was really flowing in this one gals (and guys I guess, it IS the 90's after all!). I can only speak for myself here, but WOW!!! For strictly personal reasons, my fave scene is when Mulder takes Krycek to Skinner's apartment, and Krycek is beaten, punched and otherwise

knocked senseless by our shirtless hero...ahhhh! Delightful. He is then handcuffed to Skinner's balcony, to be dealt with later. "He'll be safe here, relatively safe." He, he, he, you naughty boy Skinner! I'm not going to go on and on here, the ladies out there will already know my stand...get yourself a good VCR, slow it down, rewind, pause, and please for the love of Skinner, scan these pics onto the net!!! I never tire of seeing Krycek get the crap beaten out of him anyway, it happens so rarely, but the added bonus of a half-naked Skinner doing the deed was just too much for my hormones here! Forgive me for a moment, but hubba-hubba and rowr rowr!!

On another Skinner note, he has a new apartment, no wife in sight and is not wearing his wedding ring, so obviously the divorce went through right? No other clues, so that's my theory and I'm sticking to it!

When Cancer Man is telling the Well-Manicured Man (gee I wish these folks would get some real names! No I don't really, I love the nicknames) about the unknown agent going to Tunguska, there was the slightest hesitation on CM's part before saying "Fox Mulder". He looks to the ground before saying his name, almost like a child afraid to tell his parent he's done something wrong. Even more fuel for the fire being built up around CM's real attachment to Mulder.

We all got a kick out of Krycek saying, "You go underground, you gotta learn to live with the rats." as his nickname among the newsgroup fans has been Ratboy for quite some time. Thanks Chris Carter, we appreciate the nod in our general direction!

According to the newsgroup, people with closed-captioning on their TVs saw the word "Bambi?" on screen when Mulder pulled the cockroach out of his soup. His lips on screen don't move, so if it's true, this was a cute joke for the closed-captioned fans. The reference is to Doctor Bambi from the ep with all the cockroaches, "War Of The Coprophrages".

Far too many people want to believe that Mulder and the UNblonde, Marita, did the nasty, but, sorry fans, it didn't happen. There were some looks and comments made between the two that should satisfy some folks who worry about Mulder's lack of a social life, but the guy slept in all his clothes, in the chair, while Marita made the phone calls she had to make to obtain Mulder's special papers. No nooky going on with Mulder, awww!

Just how much help is this UNblonde, Marita? Sure, she helped Mulder get to Russia, but did she actually set him up with the Ruskies? And why the heck was Krycek left in the car right outside her apartment for the hours Mulder was there?! Pretty trusting on Mulder's part, don't you think? Krycek now has the informant's address, how handy will that info be in the future? Or did he know already because he's working with Marita to set up Mulder?! And did Krycek set the whole thing up? When he was being chased in the truck, he could have easily gotten away, but he shoots the driver and is captured by Mulder and Scully, too easy. And was a "look" and nod exchanged between one of the militia guys and Krycek as the guy's being taken away? And how darn convenient that all of a sudden we learn that Krycek can speak Russian right before Mulder is set to go there? So many questions...

Personal Favorite Header On The Newsgroup (lost the original posting):

"Tunguska: Big Spoilers! Small Spoilers! Come and Get 'em! What are ya, yellah?"

When Skinner calls Mulder and orders him to get to his place and help explain to the police why there's a dead man right under his balcony (ya just knew this would cause trouble!), off goes Mulder as Scully heads over to NASA to investigate the rock, as he orders her to do (Mr. All High and Mighty all of a sudden isn't he?) he dumps her once again!

The last scene in this episode should not be viewed by anyone with claustraphobic feelings, it's a doozy! We see Mulder in a room full of people all strung up with chicken wire, hanging suspended from metal bedframes, a bandaid covering what looks to be a smallpox vaccination on his left arm. Think of the movie "Coma" and add some wire to keep everyone stable. We end with an extreme close-up of Mulder's face, squeezed against the wire, terror in his eyes as a spout above his face

starts dropping oil on him, the oily alien enters Mulder, worms crawling up his nose, his eyes cloud over and....To Be Continued...argggghhhh!!!!!

Scully: (reading from her prepared statement) "I left behind a career in medicine to become an FBI agent four years ago, because I believed in this country. Because I wanted to uphold its laws, to punish the guilty and to protect the innocent. I still believe in this country, but I believe there are powerful men in the government who do not. Men who have no respect for the law and who flout it with disparity. I have come to the conclusion that it is no longer possible for me to carry out my duties as an FBI agent."

Senator: "Are you tendering your resignation Agent Scully? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Scully: "No sir. What I AM saying is that there is a culture of lawlessness that has prevented me from doing my job. That the real target of this commitee's investigation should be the men who are beyond prosecution and punishment. The men whose secret policies are behind the crimes that you are investigating."

Senator: "Either you tell us what you know about Agent Mulder's whereabouts or you will be held in contempt of congress......Agent Scully?"

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Krycek: "I handed you this bust Mulder!"

Mulder: "Oh come on Krycek!"

Krycek: "Who do you think sent you those receipts?"

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Krycek: "They found me in North Dakota. They liberated me on a salvage hunt... You go underground, you gotta learn to live with the rats."

Mulder: "Sure you had no trouble adapting?"

Krycek: "These men are pathetic revolutionaries who would kill innocent Americans for their bone-head ideologies."

Mulder: "You're full of crap, Krycek. You're an invertebrate scum sucker whose moral dipstick is about two drops short of bone dry."

Krycek: "I love this country."

Scully: "What do you want Krycek?"

Krycek: "Same thing you do...to find the man who tried to kill me... (looks at Mulder) the same man who's responsible for your father's death... (looks at Scully) your sister's."

Scully: "You want this man brought to justice?"

Krycek: "You can't bring these men to justice! Protect...the laws of this country protect these men under the name of national security! They know no law!"

Mulder: "Then why don't you put a bullet in his head like you did that man out there?"

Krycek: "These men fear one thing, exposure. You expose him, expose his crimes, you destroy the destroyers ability to destroy."

Mulder: "The only thing that will destroy this man is the truth."

Krycek: "The truth? The truth? There is no truth, these men, they make it up as they go along! They're the engineers of the future. They...they are the real revolutionaries. I can get them for you too."

Mulder: "We can't help you Krycek."

Krycek: "Mulder! This is just one bomb I'm sitting on here, you didn't ask me how many more I knew about."

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Scully: "Is this some kind of joke?"

Krycek: "What?"

Mulder: "Show him."

Krycek: "What is it?"

Mulder: "Expose it for him, Scully. (opens pouch, shows him rock) What did you get for Halloween, Charlie Brown?"

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Skinner: "He'll be safe here... (punches Krycek in the stomach) ... relatively safe. We're not even yet, boy! That's a start!"

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Krycek: "You can't...if you leave me out here I'm going to freeze to death!"

Skinner: "Just think warm thoughts."

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Mulder: "I think we'd all like to know what's in that rock."

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Cancer Man: "As a friend, I should advise you, Mr. Skinner, that withholding information on matters of national security is punishable under this country's laws of treason and sedition."

Skinner: "Thank you, I'll consider myself advised...as a friend."

Cancer Man: "I need that pouch Mr. Skinner. And I need to know who gave them the order to intercept it."

Skinner: "I'll get back to you."

Cancer Man: "Wars have broken out over far less Mr. Skinner, far far less."

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Mulder: "I think that what Alex Krycek has given us is the pivotal piece to an even larger plot."

Scully: "What he's given us Mulder is a rock. Alex Krycek is a liar and a murderer."

Mulder: "Who wants to expose the same men that we do, and will go to any lengths to succeed."

Scully: "What I'm worried about is you Mulder, how far you'll go... and how far I can follow you."

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Mulder: "Stupid ass haircut!" (another punch to Krycek)

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Marita: "I can help you, Agent Mulder."

Mulder: "Find my cell phone?"

Marita: "No, with cover credentials, a diplomatic passport, visa."

Mulder: "Why, why are you helping me?"

Marita: "Because I can. Because there are those of us who believe in you. Believe in your search for the truth."

Mulder: "How long will it take?"

Marita: "How long do you have?"

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Krycek: "Where have you been?"

Mulder: "Making travel arrangements."

Krycek: "To go where?"

Mulder: "Follow the pouch."

Krycek: "You're gonna keep me in the dark."

Mulder: (after a punch to Krycek's face) "Yeah."

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Mulder: "(mumbled) I'll leave the window rolled down. If I'm not back in a week, I'll call Agent Scully to come and bring you a bowl of water."

Krycek: "Mulder! Mulder you're not gonna leave me here!" (yells from behind the glass)

Mulder: "What did you say to me?"

Krycek: "What?!"

Mulder: "You called me a bad name. (Krycek says something in Russian) You speak Russian,

Krycek?"

Krycek: "My parents were cold war immigrants, what's it to you?"

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Well-Manicured Man: "Can this expose us?"

Cancer Man: "No, of course not. Our neccessary implausible denial is intact."

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Well-Manicured Man: "You fool! You stupid fool, this must be corrected, this must be handled!"

Cancer Man: "Well of course it can be. You know my capabilities in a crisis."

Well-Manicured Man: "I don't think you realize what's at stake here. What level this has been carried to. This will take more than just a good aim."

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Mulder: "I think somebody found that evidence and the explanation is something nobody ever dreamed of."

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Krycek: "They were questioning me, trying to get me to confess."

Mulder: "To what?"

Krycek: "To being a spy."

Mulder: (throwing him against the wall) "What did you tell them?!"

Krycek: "That we were stupid Americans lost in the woods! Mulder, you're gonna need me in here. (Mulder lets him go) Don't touch me again."

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(Russian translations from the newsgroup, I've lost the original postings)

The prisoner in the next cell, as Mulder wakes up: "Are you awake? Do you hear me? Speak to me. Speak, it's the only path to sanity. You'll see what I mean."

Krychek: "I wanna get out of here!"

Guard: "And who told you that you'll never get out of here?"

Krycek: "I wanna get out of here none the less. Take me to your boss, he'll want to talk to me."

Guard: "Okay, you can talk to him. But if he doesn't want to listen to you--"

Krycek: "Yeah, yeah, I'll answer for it."

Guard: "--you will answer to me."