The X Files - The Jersey Devil

I really, really like The Jersey Devil. I’m more of a fan of the alien-government-military-coverup series arc, but of the many MOWs (Monster of the Weeks), The Jersey Devil is towards the top. It is also one of my favorite episodes of the first season altogether. After a rather highly emotional episode in Conduit, Mulder has since recovered somewhat, learning of the cannibalism of a homeless man on the outskirts of Atlantic City from Scully. In an X file he has, Mulder relates to Scully the case of a family patriarch being snatched away into the woods just outside of Atlantic City while fixing the tire on his car. Seeing this case as possibly related to the local New Jersey Devil myth, Mulder urges Scully to accompany him on a trip to investigate, encountering a lead detective not interested in their presence in his jurisdiction. But as Scully heads home to attend her friend’s child’s birthday party, Mulder remains behind to do some “research”. With Atlantic City, a tourist town, threatened, the law enforcement obviously wants Mulder’s snooping for a human monster acting animal in its behavior to stop and not draw publicity.

While the plot might serve as a mere investigation for a primitive human that eats from her own species (her mate found dead in the woods) and those involved in local law enforcement attempting to put a kibosh on Mulder’s investigation, I think the little details included are what make this special to me. Like the introduced subplot involving Scully’s desire for a relationship and life outside of the job. Her friend sets her up with a divorcee (with kids) real estate agent and she attends a dinner with him while Mulder spends the night in an alley pretending to be a homeless unfortunate living in cardboard box. She does her best act trying to hide her utter boredom, clearly dying to be in New Jersey with Mulder. His energy, enthusiasm, and spirit for his work does appear to be infectious, and the very end (for which I so adore) does seem to indicate she’s unable to separate herself from him. Her friend does mention how good Scully is with children (it is a nice scene showing her with a crying kid at the party after bumping his head), mentioning Mulder as a candidate for a potential romance, and in the dialogue she did say he was cute to her. But it is beyond that. Over the last few episodes, Scully clearly has seen Mulder’s passion, drive, and open-minded nature. He’s endearing and courageous, bold and willing to accept an onslaught of resistance without giving up because of his experience as a kid with the loss of Samantha. He’s interesting, funny, charming, and empathetic. So many qualities, not to mention, their repartee. Let’s face it: if you find someone you face so much with, spend such time with, and invest emotionally in, a bond inevitably develops. This episode initiates the idea of romance between them, but I think that it was more of a planted seed that would gradually develop instead of immediate. I don’t think we needed anything immediate, quite frankly. I do like that the writers addressed what happens beyond just the work. Mulder is heavily involved in his work to the point that very little often seems to indicate he gives himself “time off”. Scully tells him at the end he should, but then at the chance to further develop a relationship with real estate guy, she caves and goes off with him to the Smithsonian to talk about their “beast woman” discovery.

I think Scully sees Mulder as special because he isn’t just going after aliens. He is passionate about scientific discovery and that is something of particular interest to her as well. He’s introduced to a professor of anthropology (Gregory Sierra) by her, and when Mulder engages in conversation about the existence of a close relation to Neanderthal, this is obviously a scientific possibility all three would find incredible. Scully realizes that Mulder might be open to something few typically are but his scientific curiosity is right up her alley. When the two debate, he approaches her often from a scientific point of few, and being on her level intellectually is an obviously attractive quality. So as she goes off with him at the end, deciding to disengage and jettison an opportunity for an actual life away from “the job”, and Mulder provokes a witty exchange that perfectly conveys just why he’s the man she’d choose to be with, it all makes sense.

The case itself I like primarily because Chris Carter moves Mulder and Scully into the dark of Atlantic City’s deteriorating side, the garbage alleys and abandoned warehouses where the beast woman searches for food and scurry into to escape detection. Mulder even faces danger when he encounters the naked, filthy scavenger, and she pounces on him, clearly at the advantage. Scully isn’t the one threatened this go-around. I think Gillian Anderson’s moments away from Mulder are good fun because you see Scully contemplating her position in life. At that time she was still quite young out of college and in her career. She was talented enough that if her Scully wanted to do something else, she could. Mulder’s influence on her, though, is elaborated. I think going after something anthropologically unique was alluring, sure, but Mulder’s own enthusiasm rubbed off in a way that real estate guy and his “normality” just couldn’t. She chose. Was it the right decision?

Wayne Tippit, as the Atlantic City detective not happy with Mulder’s constant involvement in his case, is the typical asshole local “get out of my city” lead cop with little patience for FBI “interference”. Mulder, though, is not easily budged. Even after the beast woman attacked him, leaving a bloody wound, Mulder was not about to just sit idly by in an ambulance. Of course, the beast woman was a threat to tourism, and so Tippit had to make sure she wouldn’t be.

Mulder and his smut