"The X Files" Gethsemane (1997)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

R.W. Goodwin

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator)
Chris Carter (written by)

TV Series:

"The X Files" (1993)

Original Air Date:

18 May 1997 (Season 4, Episode 24)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Mulder is given an opportunity to obtain irrefutable proof of the existence of extra-terrestrial beings...

Plot Keywords:

Male Female Relationship | FBI | FBI Agent | Alien | X Files

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
John Finn	...	Michael Kritschgau
Matthew Walker	...	Arlinsky
James Sutorius	...	Babcock
Sheila Larken	...	Margaret Scully
Pat Skipper	...	Bill Scully Jr.
John Oliver	...	Rolston
Charles Cioffi	...	Section Chief Scott Blevins
Steve Makaj	...	Scott Ostelhoff
Nancy Kerr	...	Agent Hedin
Barry W. Levy	...	Dr. Vitagliano
Arnie Walters	...	Father McCue
Rob Freeman	...	Detective Rempulski
Craig Bruhnanski	...	Saw Operator (as Craig Brunanski)

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Mulder tells Scully to meet him at "The Smithsonian". She can't do this, because The Smithsonian Institute is actually a series of buildings - 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo, to be exact - not just one museum or building. She could not know where because Mulder did not specify one museum or building, and they aren't all in the same place; there are several on the Mall, but not all of them are there. The screen also says that they are at "The Smithsonian".

Quotes:

Scully: It just means proving to the world the existence of alien life is not my last dying wish.
Mulder: What about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny?

Season Four Review

*this is a review of season four. The rating you see above is for Gethsemane. Season rating follows after the review.

Season Four of The X Files is a slight drop in quality from the exhilarating season three, but it's still simply incredible television which is consistently enthralling.

One thing I missed in season four was consistently interesting mythology plots. I've said it before and I'll say it again: other than the super soldiers, the 'black oil' section of the mytharc is by far the weakest. I really enjoyed the 'abduction' and the later 'colonization' sections. There are still some great mythology arc episodes to enjoy in this season but overall I felt the quality decreased.

The monster of the week episodes are not lacking in typical X Files creativity, wit, and energy, however, delivering on both the horror/suspense and humor angles with series-defining classics like "Home" and "Small Potatoes".

I thought the best season four episodes were: "Home"- Peacocks. Bed. Inbred. Mutant. Brutal. Violent. Really, really creepy. About 10X more effective than most horror movies.

"Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man"- exactly what I look for in The X Files- intelligent, creative, witty writing.

"Paper Hearts"- one of the best X Files from an emotional viewpoint.

"Small Potatoes"- Babies with tails, shapeshifters, hilarity, frustrated Jehovah's Witnesses.

"Gethsemane"- A brilliant season finale with one of the most effective cliffhangers ever on TV.

Out of all the rated episodes, the average rating for season four is 7.9/10, a bit of a drop from the exhilarating high of 8.25/10 for season three, but still enthralling TV and better than most shows could dream of managing.