"The X Files" Theef (2000)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Kim Manners

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
Vince Gilligan (written by) ...

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

12 March 2000 (Season 7, Episode 14)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Voodoo appears to be involved in the murder of a prominent doctor's father-in-law. Mulder and Scully work to stop the killer who uses hex-craft to exact his revenge on the doctor's family. |

Plot Keywords:

Title Appears In Writing | Title Spoken By Character | FBI | FBI Agent | Alien

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sage Allen	...	Landlady
Aaron Braxton	...	Radiology Technician
Tom Dahlgren	...	Dr. Irving Thalbro
Billy Drago	...	Orel Peattie
Pamela Gordon	...	Owner
Cara Jedell	...	Lucy Wieder
Dylan Kussman	...	Med Student
Kate McNeil	...	Nan Wieder
James Morrison	...	Dr. Robert Wieder
Leah Sanders	...	Reporter #1
Michael Sidney	...	Security Guard
Matthew Sutherland	...	Records Clerk
Mark Thompson	...	John Gillnitz - Reporter #2

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

USA:TV-14 | Argentina:13

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

"Theef", is dedicated to the memory of Rick Jacobson (president of Twentieth Television) who died of cancer in 2000.

Stinky's good.

Theef is a solid episode with plenty of creepiness. The teaser reminds me of The Sixth Sense opening, where the doctor comes home after receiving a prestigious award, then something bad happens to him. Another thing that is similar to the beginning of the Sixth Sense is that the offended person asks the doctor about a patient that he can't recall at first. Very slight similarities, but they could have inspired the teaser. Mulder and Scully, as was common in seasons 6 & 7, poke fun at themselves. This time with Mulder mocking Scully saying, "Mulder, why are we here?" Also, they do a running theme throughout the episode of Mulder telling Scully, "You keep me guessing." I liked the shot of the voodoo doll hanging, showing that Peattie used voodoo to have the father-in-law hang himself. The deleted scene was quite interesting, with Peattie gathering a token. It also shows the excellent guest acting on the part of Billy Drago. He's excellent in the rest of the episode, but it really shows in the deleted scene. It was as if he was made for the part. Special effects have come a long way. Nan's face instantly showing the disease was cool. It was interesting seeing the sales lady talk so matter-of-fact about voodoo, as if it's an everyday occurrence. Of course, Scully doesn't believe a word of it, and Mulder is a sucker for all of it. Umbrellas make a very rare post-Vancouver appearance in this episode. It's very interesting to see how Scully doesn't believe in voodoo or black magic, yet she goes along with Mulder and his theory for helping the family, because she trusts him to know what he's doing. And even though Mulder believes in the voodoo, he alters his words to say, "well, the murderer believes in it. So we'll play along with his belief." So that Mulder doesn't sound like a complete crackpot. Scully was made blind, and Mulder shows her the voodoo doll with its eyes poked out. Scully doesn't answer Mulder definitely about being able to save Peattie's daughter, leaving you wondering if Scully believes in the voodoo now. Mulder remarks by saying, "You keep me guessing, Scully." Theef is a great episode. It was creepy throughout and very well-acted, except for the few lines by the daughter. But other than that, it's a solid contribution to the X-Files catalog that "keeps you watching".