The X-Files - Roland

Jet propulsion research (Icarus Project) for the Mach 15 project is close to being a success but the main genius behind it is killed. His twin brother, Roland, has what I believe is a form of autism (I have two children who are autistic and he appears on the severity of the spectrum), and he’s the janitor working in the research facility occupied by a trio of scientists trying to “crack the code”, close to solving a complex formula that Arthur (Roland’s bearded, chunky brother) had the answer to. When one of the scientists is shut in the chamber containing a “prototype jet engine” (which looked like a spinning fan to me) by Roland, seemingly not himself, he uses the computer to cut the machine on, punching in code that runs it at a high speed, sucking Dr. Surnow into it. The engine tore him apart. The second scientist on the project, Dr. Keats, is busy conducting tests, not knowing Roland was behind him. Roland pushes Keats’ head into liquid nitrogen and dumps him to the ground (you can hear the frozen head break apart in a nifty sound effect, with frozen bits and pieces, like an ear, strewn over the lab floor! Only one left, Dr. Nollette (James Sloyan), Mulder and Scully arrive to investigate. The one person available that night Surnow was killed was Roland, so they have an interest in interviewing him, perhaps getting a close inspection of if he could be capable of such a murder (and using the computer to shut Surnow in the prototype jet chamber). It is noticeable by Mulder that he seems to have a knack for math but to develop formulas on a whiteboard, enter code on a computer, and have the wherewithal to murder two people seems beyond him.

This episode is quite a bit surreal but I totally went with it. It does ask a lot of us. Arthur’s head in a “preservation pod” supposedly because the future might have the science that would re-attach him to a new cloned body! And Mulder believes the violent dreams that overcome Roland are the work of a psychic connection between him and Arthur. That Arthur’s consciousness is in control of Roland, causing him to kill the scientists he holds responsible for his death, continue to contribute to the Mach 15 project, and finish the formula that only he could ultimately solve. Scully has this moment where she is attentive to Mulder’s theory although she sighs and just follows him. To her credit, Scully humors Mulder even if it’s clear she just can’t bring herself to believe Arthur is possessing Roland (I think she uses “popsicle” to describe his head in the pod). Mulder believes that as identical twins, one of Arthur’s “damaged cells” while in the womb with Roland caused the mental  defects burdening him. He thinks that psychic connection is real and stands firm on his belief that Arthur is “calling the shots”.

Nollette reveals himself to be a heel looking to capitalize on Arthur’s genius and claim all the glory. He has sabotaged Arthur’s pod so he’d die. Arthur knows his time could be limited so he uses Roland to work steadfastly to get all the work done before he dies. Nollette, like the first two scientists, threatens to take all the credit and Arthur won’t stand for it. Turning on the engine, once again locking the chamber, if Nollette is to survive Mulder and Scully will need to convince Roland to cut it off.

This episode has one of the best performances of a guest star on the series during its long run from Željko Ivanek. Ivanek is just brilliant. He embodies that autistic young man, challenged directly during his stay in the womb and once he left it, and removed from his family. He’s adapted to the care of Micole Mercurio and developed a loving relationship with another “foster kid”, Tracy (Kerry Sandomirsky). His craft project with stars and numbers does come in handy as it leads to Mulder getting into the password-protected work of Arthur. He’s clearly a method actor and yet this doesn’t feel like some Rain Man performance but Ivanek really loses himself in Roland. It is quite an incredible piece of acting, no doubt. I absolutely loved one key scene where Mulder affectionately speaks to Roland about his dreams, hoping to coax something about Arthur out of him, doing so not as much as an agent desperate for clues but as someone who realizes that he’s a victim. Mulder pulls from his own agonizing dream about his father, hoping that Roland realizes that he is a friend who wants to help him. In order to stop Arthur he needs Roland to open up to him. Eventually the vision of choking Tracy is too much for Roland.

It is the subtle emergence of Arthur, too, that further illustrates just how astonishing Ivanek is. That closing shot with the brush: wow. The mannerisms, tilting of the head, manner of speech, unable to really look people in the eyes; it is clear Ivanek done his research and cared a great deal about conveying this character correctly.

Something I've noticed and appreciated more as I go back through the first seasons of the show is how, as a pair, they interact with victims of dark influences. Scully and Mulder aren't the cold agents just trying to solve a case. They listen. They have affection. They care. Like the student claiming she was molested in Die Hand Die Verletzt and Roland here, they want answers and do wish to help. And often they are powerless.