Piper Maru introduces us to the Black Oil, the alien substance that will play a major part throughout the rest of the mythology episodes. Scully's speech about interest in the opening teaser sets the tone for the rest of the episode. Great dramatic acting by Gillian Anderson. The black oil in the eyes of an infected person is such an iconic shot of the x-files. I think why I like this episode so much is the new direction that the series takes with the introduction of the Black Oil. It adds a new and sometimes confusing dimension to the already established conspiracy involving alien colonization and alien/human hybrids. When Mulder first meets Krycek toward the end of the episode, Krycek appears sweaty and very nervous, and I'm not exactly sure why. It's not explained at all. The model sub used to begin the flashback is probably one of the worst special effects I've ever seen on the show. It looks like something out of Godzilla. It's just a very minor flaw in an otherwise spectacular episode. And Piper Maru's final shot works very well for a cliffhanger; a very cool shot.
Review of Piper Maru
