Rate "Grotesque"

[maurisap]

Agents Mulder and Scully join Mulder’s former mentor, the FBI’s chief profiler, on a case involving a serial killer who claims to be possessed by a demonic force. The case gets even more mysterious when the suspect is apprehended and the murders continue. Mulder gets involved more deeply than expected and Scully as well as Skinner are deeply concerned.

Rate the episode and write a review.

[maurisap]

This episode features some of Duchovny's best acting in the entire series (You deserved an Emmy for this David!) but the story itself brings this down to a "3."

[Salome]

I'm with you Maurisa. I appreciate the plot and the concept and while it's mostly successful, I feel slightly disengaged when I watch it. It's sort of Mulder's answer to the Scully-centered episode Irresistible but it's psychological rather than emotional. Good, and admirably ambitious, but not great.

[HristinaB]

4/5

I absolutely LOVED how dark this episode was. Profiler!Mulder was so intense, I wish we could have seen more of him (although poor Mulder definitely suffers whenever he ventures into the minds of monsters).

The first time I watched that episode was in 1997: first year of univeristy, in my very first tiny apartment, 880 km away from home, in an *ancient* black and white TV set. It was a winter night, I was draped with a blanket and watched mesmerised. Although I couldn't see even a drop of red blood, I was consumed by the powerful cinematography and the haunting story. My only complaint is that we didn't get to see a lot of Scully in this one, but DD nails it, as Mulder seems to slowly descend into madness.

We work in the dark. We do what we can to battle the evil that would otherwise destroy us. But if a man's character is his faith, this fight is not a choice but a calling. Yet, sometimes the weight of this burden causes us to falter, breaching the fragile fortress of our mind. Allowing the monsters without to turn within. And we are left alone, staring into the abyss -- into the laughing face of madness.

[Apocrypha21]

I absolutely LOVED how dark this episode was.

Exactly! Great atmosphere and cinematography. "Grotesque" doesn't appear in many favorite-episodes lists, but it's such a dark and unique episode. I love it. Check out this episode video tribute, it's nicely done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHXaCB8IPgY

I also watched the episode in 1997 on greek tv I was in high school at that time. It was truly amazing and so exciting to watch a new XF episode for the first time!

It's great to see another greek Phile in the forum.. It's a late welcome, nevertheless welcome Hristina!