Mulder and Scully investigate sudden outbreaks of violence in Kansas City that can be traced to two identical women.
At last Chris Carter shows that he’s still got it with this wonderfully off-kilter and frequently hilarious episode that sees Mulder and Scully really seriously in the wrong place at the wrong time. When two missionarys have at each other, as do two familiar-looking FBI agents, Mulder and Scully go to find out why.
The idea that two identical people meeting can cause all-out war is so out there that it works perfectly for The X-Files. It’s also treated with a more comedic attitude than normal, an aspect which has been sorely lacking in this season of the show. The early scene where Mulder and Scully’s doubles turn up is absolutely inspired, as is the scene where Scully tries to guess what details Mulder is leaving out of what he is telling her.
After this, things get a little more serious, but Mulder being sucked into a storm drain and Scully meeting the cause of the girl’s problems provoke some laughs too. On top of this, you have no idea where the story is going and the wrap-up solves nothing, which is just what the story needs and throws the viewer off-balance once it seems a method has been found to stop the bad vibes. It’s nice to see Carter using modern science as a basis for what’s happening. The final scene with Mulder and Scully is priceless and shows that sometimes they can just get in the middle of something they’re unable to control.
It’s good to see that after this season’s surfeit of wrestling-related episodes on US TV, at least one show has managed to use the idea effectively. Not that I’m encouraging more along these lines…
*****
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