Musings of an X-Phile - Unusual Suspects

[Salome]

Unusual Suspects 5×1: Sure, baby. My kung fu is the best.

I have to say, as fond as I was of the Lone Gunmen, coming off of the emotional rollercoaster that was the “Gethsemene”/”Redux”/”Redux II” trilogy, I was not looking forward to sitting through an episode sans the Mulder/Scully dynamic.

It’s not that it wasn’t high time the Lone Gunmen got their own episode. Who didn’t look forward to their brief, two minute guest spots of comic delight? No, it’s just that I was dying to see what life was like now that the threat of Scully’s cancer had passed. What I wanted was a real meat and potatoes X-File and a good heart to heart between our leads a la the “conversation on the rock” scene in “Quagmire” (3×22).

Unrealistic expectations notwithstanding, I wasn’t disappointed in this episode. I was feeling impatient, yes, slightly irritated even. But that’s not “Unusual Suspects” fault. In retrospect, probably the wisest thing the 1013 Productions crew could have done was to give us a little comic fluff, a slight departure from the series’ norm in the wake of the drama that just went on. There’s no sense in trying to compete with the unrelenting tension of the previous episode.

Now we’ve covered why “Unusual Suspects” starts off as an underdog even before it airs, much like the Lone Gunmen themselves. So what does this episode have going for it?

1. The Lone Gunmen (Duh): Fans had been clamoring for a while to see the nerdy trio get their own episode. Skinner had one. Even Cigarette-Smoking Man had one. Surely the Gunmen had it coming. Honestly, their characterizations don’t disappoint. Byers was seemingly the least likely to be the focus of an episode, considering the popularity of Langly and Frohike especially, but that was a clever move from writer Vince Gilligan. Byers is the most normal of the bunch and watching him of all people turn paranoiac is satisfying and it grounds the events of the episode. In fact, it reminds me of how The X-Files is originally told from Scully’s decidedly normal point of view. That’s precisely where its sense of wonder came/comes from.

2. That Retro Swag: Maybe the desire not to compete with the emotional impact of “Redux II’ is part of why “Unusual Suspects” is not only a departure in content, it’s a departure in time. Off we go back to the days before Mulder opened is precious X-Files, back to the dark ages of 1989, when cellular phones were larger than the heads that cradled them. We even get to see Mulder whip one out in an understated moment of pure comedy. Truly this is where the Gunmen belong, surrounded by impossibly bulky and outdated computer equipment.

3. X: After just a full season, X is back. As Chris Carter famously said, “No one ever really dies on The X-Files.” X has returned to do what he does best, clean up a leak and protect a potentially dangerous advancement in science to make sure the government is the only one to profit by it. Isn’t that how we learned to love him in episodes like “Soft Light” (2×23) and “Wetwired” (3×23)? And I have to say, corny though it may seem to some, I enjoy the tie-in to the mythology here. I love that X knew Mulder long before Mulder knew him, that we get to see him when he already must have been working for Cigarette-Smoking Man, and most of all, I love that he indirectly names the Lone Gunmen.

4. Mulder’s Innocence: It seems clear from their introduction in “EBE” (1×16), though it is never directly stated, that Mulder knew the Lone Gunmen long before he met Scully. We never did question how or why. I guess I just assumed that he met them somewhere along the way, maybe in a MUFON meeting somewhere. We also knew that Mulder’s search for Samantha and his belief that she was taken by aliens was the foundation of his start on the X-Files, (You’ll note how Gilligan cleverly has Mulder make his way to the “Alien Life” themed booth), but we also knew that Mulder didn’t always believe in aliens, neither was he always such a pain in the backside of the establishment. So his hypnotic regression therapy sessions with Dr. Werber weren’t solely responsible for his mental and social downfall after all.

And the Verdict is…

Checks in the plus column aside, I’m not sure this episode is a resounding success. It’s fun, to be sure, but Susanne Modeski’s paranoia, the paranoia that was the catalyst for all the rest, is a bit of a hard sell in the end. It’s a little over the top… except for that part about not being able to trust your dentist.

Speaking of Miss Modeski, perhaps the issue is more akin to what went on in “The Field Where I Died” (4×5). We have an outsider in a stand-alone episode who the audience is suddenly required to accept as an intricate piece of the mythology puzzle. Here it works better because Susanne Modeski only inspires the X-Files in an indirect way and only has the briefest contact with Mulder himself – no eternal soul pact required.

Lastly, the Modeski character brings in some fun elements of Film Noir. Even though she turns out to be one of the good guys, she still plays The Femme Fatale by leading an otherwise law-abiding man down a dangerous and morally ambiguous path. Poor Byers never had a chance.

In the end, I enjoy it and I probably enjoy it more in retrospect just to relish as much of the Lone Gunmen as I can get.

B+

For more random musings on this episode, quotes, and commentary from your fellow Philes, you can follow up at: http://musingsofanxphile.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/unusual-suspects-5x1-sure-baby-my-kung-fu-is-the-best/

Or you can keep things simple and share your own responses below!

[TruthIsOutThere]

Another good review! I really enjoy your reviews, Salome, as you dig a bit beneath the surface and really explore some of the depth of the individual tales!

I would end up giving this pretty close to the same grade, perhaps even an A-. Unlike you, I wasn't disappointed to see this episode coming, as I just love the Lone Gunmen. It was fun to see them spotlighted, and the addition of X (another favorite) was the cherry on top for me. I found Modeski just a bit annoying, and to be completely shallow, for such a femme fatale I would have preferred they get somebody drop-dead gorgeous. She's not ugly, by any means, but for such a femme fatale it would have been nice to have a bombshell that completely turned heads (and been even more out of Byers' league!).

Loved your comment about the cell phones, too!

Another noteworthy prop is the ring (that DD really telegraphed with big hair sweeps); IIRC everyone was wondering about whether Mulder was married back in '89 (now what are we to learn from that; was he engaged to Fowley or something?)

And I too loved the way that X (indirectly) named the Lone Gunmen!

[Salome]

Wait, wasn't the ring thing in Travelers? I didn't remember he'd pulled that stunt in this one too.

I love, love, love the fact that X shows up AND is indirectly responsible for bringing these three unlikely friends together. It's a very clever move on the part of Vince Gilligan. No wonder he went on to have such a passion for these characters.

[TruthIsOutThere]

Oh, I think you're right. I was thinking it was this one (since it was one that showed Mulder in his past). Should have double-checked first.

You're right about Gilligan. He "gets" how to do characters so well. Did you know that he wrote the movie "Hancock" (the superhero movie with Will Smith and Charlize Theron)?

[AbsoluteKnave]

Yeah, actually in this one, when Byers and Frohike briefly hack into Mulder's FBI profile, they specifically comment, on the fact that it says he's single.

Good review,Salome. I just put one of my own in the Non-Fiction Writing section. My rating ends up being approximate to yours, or maybe a little lower: 2 1/2 out of 4, for me. You're definitely right that X is the greatest pleasure in the episode.