"The X Files" Underneath (2002)

Director:

John Shiban

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
John Shiban (written by)

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

31 March 2002 (Season 9, Episode 12)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

After thirteen years in prison, a man named Fassl is released and cleared of murder charges when DNA evidence proves he had nothing to do with the murder of an entire family though he was present on the scene. Doggett, who made the arrest, refuses to accept Fassl's innocence and pursues the case again. |

Plot Keywords:

FBI | FBI Agent | Alien | X Files | Conspiracy

Cast

Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Robert Patrick	...	John Doggett
Annabeth Gish	...	Monica Reyes
W. Earl Brown	...	Robert M. Fassl
Lisa Darr	...	Attorney Jana Fain
Alan Davidson	...	Bearded Man
Robert Curtis Brown	...	Assistant D.A. Damon Kaylor
Paul Vincent O'Connor	...	Warden Brian Hutchinson
Arthur J. Nascarella	...	Duke Tomasick (as Arthur Nascarella)
Kelly McNair	...	Teenage Girl
Carol Kiernan	...	Mom
Michael Patterson	...	Dad
Mary Margaret Lewis	...	Mrs. Dowdy (as Mary-Margaret Lewis)
Rick Garcia	...	Reporter #1
Pamela Kay Davis	...	Reporter #2

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Assistant D.A. Damon Kaylor is murdered, Fassl kneels down over the body. As the camera pulls up above the scene, you can see the base of the camera hoist roll into view from the left.

Quotes:

Duke Tomasick: I'm sorry, John.
John Doggett: You framed Fassl.
Duke Tomasick: You saw how it was going down. We arrested him at the scene, but he left no prints, no hair, no fibre. Nothing to actually tie him to the murders.
John Doggett: How did you do it?
Duke Tomasick: It took a... part of a hair sample that was found at a previous murder and I put it in with the evidence from our crime scene. Johnny... it was the one and only time I ever did anything like that. I was scared Fassl would walk. I couldn't let that happen. Not when I knew that... I knew he was guilty. Guilty. God almighty.
[...]

D-O-G-G-E-T-T. Two Gs and two Ts.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

In Underneath, John Shiban takes a couple of old X-Files episodes and puts them together to make a new one, with enough originality to make it an interesting episode. The two episodes from which Underneath draws some of its ideas are 'Tooms' and 'Chimera'. 'Tooms', because like Mulder was upset about Eugene Tooms release and was determined to see him go back to jail, we see Doggett determined to return Robert Fassl to jail. In 'Chimera', we saw where this lady couldn't face her 'evil' side, so it physically manifested itself in another being. A similar thing happens here in Underneath, with Robert Fassl unable to admit sin to himself, and thus manifests an entity that houses his 'evil' side. The remarkable similarity to 'Chimera' is what hinders Underneath for me. Plus, it was done less than two seasons ago, so the viewers are more likely to see the similarities.

I found it interesting that when Doggett goes to investigate this case in New York, it's Scully that goes with him, and not Reyes, his partner. Though Reyes does show up later to help.

Fassl tells the district attorney that he wants to go back to jail, but then he proceeds to cover up the murder of the district attorney. All I can think is that his 'evil' side convinces him to cover up the murder, otherwise it doesn't make much sense.

Attorneys. Ugh. Here, Fassl is about to spill the beans about the bearded man and his attorney pulls him away and gets him to leave. This episode perpetuates the notion that attorneys will do anything to defend their clients, even at the expense of discovering the truth.

Doggett is so desperate to return Robert Fassl to jail that he is even willing to play along with Reyes' crazy idea about Fassl manifesting a separate entity. He doesn't do that too often.

As well as writing this episode, John Shiban also directs it. Nothing about his direction really jumps out except for the scene when Fassl is released from prison and sees the bearded man across the street standing still with everyone passing around him in fast-forward. It's a cool-looking scene though I don't know exactly what it signifies.

If it weren't for this episode being so similar to season seven's 'Chimera', I would rate it higher. As it is, Underneath is still an entertaining episode to watch while pondering what evil may lie in each of us "underneath" the surface.