"The X Files" Medusa (2001)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Richard Compton

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
Frank Spotnitz (written by)

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

11 February 2001 (Season 8, Episode 12)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Doggett takes to the Boston subways to try to figure out where a deadly virus that is killing citizens is coming from. |

Plot Keywords:

Title Spoken By Character | FBI | FBI Agent | Alien | X Files

Cast

Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Robert Patrick	...	John Doggett
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mary Kathleen Gordon	...	Woman
Christopher Graves	...	Kid
Kevin Graves	...	Kid
Bill Jacobson	...	Thug
Ken Jenkins	...	Deputy Chief Karras
Penny Johnson	...	Dr. Hellura Lyle
Adam Lieberman	...	Officer Philbrick (as Adam Gordon)
Vyto Ruginis	...	Lt. Bianco
Judith Scott	...	Dr. Kai Bowe
Brent Sexton	...	Steven Melnick

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Don't sweat the small stuff.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Frank Spotnitz goes from writing a great mystery in "The Gift" to a floundering, plot hole-filled story with "Medusa".

Medusa has a beginning reminiscent of 'Ice', where the agents are introduced to a team of varied "experts" who will go down with them into the empty subway tunnels to find a killer. As is the case quite often, the local authorities are less than helpful toward Scully and Doggett, even being downright mean to them, threatening to start the subway again while they are in the tunnel.

I know that this subway guy has a job to do, but he is just way over the top in this episode, willing to put the lives of thousands of people at risk just so they can ride on the subway. If there was a strong possibility of a contagion infecting the population through the subway, there's no way he would be this casual with their lives.

The biggest problem with this episode is the inconsistencies of this green organism that is eating away people's flesh. Scully figures out that sweating causes the chemical-electrical reaction. Doggett and

three others are down in these tunnels where the ventilation has been turned off. It is very hot and Doggett never sweats and gets his flesh eaten the entire time? You actually can see sweat on Doggett's face early on in the episode, though nothing happens to him. Of course the big guy is going to sweat first and cause the reaction, but as long as Doggett was down there, surely he would have sweated. Also, if nothing happens to you if you're covered with this green organism unless you sweat, like the boy, then why does the transit cop in the teaser die? If he was attacked by the fare-jumper and the fare-jumper spread the organism to him, when did he sweat? The fare-jumper apparently knocked him out. The cop wouldn't sweat while he is unconscious.

As soon as Melnick had his flesh eaten away, all of the them should have left and the subway should have been quarantined. But Doggett insists on staying, saying he has a man to find. This is very irrational on Doggett's part.

At the end, Doggett destroys the organism by conducting an electrical current into the pool of water containing the organism. If the electrical current killed the organism, how did it kill the organism on Doggett without electrocuting him? Because, after it is destroyed, it shows that Doggett no longer has the green organism on him. Also, Scully tells Doggett that Karras, the subway chief, is not in trouble, even though he resumed subway operations with Doggett and Bianco still in the tunnels. That's just not realistic.

Medusa has a great set and a good, creepy atmosphere. However, all of the inconsistencies of this green flesh-eating organism detract from the viewing experience and sour the taste of an x-file that had good potential.