2.3 Blood
US Airdate: September 30, 1994
writers: Glen Morgan & James Wong
story: Darin Morgan
director: David Nutter
STARRING:
David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully
Guest Cast:
Frohike ........................ Tom Braidwood
Sheriff Spencer ................ John Cygan
Harry McNally .................. Andre Daniels
Bonnie McRoberts ............... Kimberly Ashlyn Gere
Langly ......................... Dean Haglund
Taber .......................... John Harris
Byers .......................... Bruce Harwood
Edward Funsch .................. William Sanderson
County Supervisor Larry Winter ....... George Touliatos
MASS MURDERS COMMITTED BY SOLID CITIZENS OF FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA, DRAW MULDER AND SCULLY INTO A BAFFLING CASE, WHERE THE ONLY CLUES ARE SMASHED ELECTRONIC APPLIANCES.
A rash of killing sprees by otherwise tame citizens leads Mulder and Scully to a town whose off-the-scale murder rate may be the result of a toxic conspiracy. Mulder cannot fit these otherwise nondescript perpetrators into any serial killer profile he has ever known before. Meanwhile, Scully turns her attention to the bodies, discovering abnormally high levels of adrenaline. Mulder begins to suspect a massive deception when he links the murders to a string of smashed electronic appliances and a new pesticide program. A visit to the Lone Gunman conspiracy experts alerts him to the possibility of government involvement in a bizzare chemical experiment. But in tracking down the next potential mass murderer, Mulder risks his own life in a standoff with a real lone
gunman.
Notes
The title refers to Edward Funsch's aversion to blood, the thing that caused his paranoia.
This episode, one of my favorites, started for the writers as a simple concept, "Postal Workers", that grew to include the concern at the time of Southern California residents regarding malithion spraying (pesticide to kill fruit flies being dropped from helicopters, supposedly harmless to humans but deadly to the paint on people's cars...hmmm). Between viewing a segment on TV's "20/20" about DDT in the 50's (the news footage in this episode IS real, very scary stuff) and an idea Chris Carter wanted to work on about digital readouts and relatively new technology like fax machines and cellular phones, this classic episode was born. According to one of the writers, they
have no idea as to who may have been behind the messages in this ep, and leave it up to you to decide.
The last message - "ALL DONE, BYE BYE" - is used as the final shot in the much-talked about, hard to find, X-Files blooper reel.
The bell tower scene was shot at the University of British Columbia.
That annoying buzz the nurse punches out on Funsch's doorbell is in fact the Morse Code for "Kill".
Quotes
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1st Message on machine: KILL | KILL | KILL 'EM | KILL 'EM ALL
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Elevator Message: NO AIR | CAN'T BREATHE | KILL 'EM ALL | KILL 'EM
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Spencer: "Things like this aren't supposed to happen here."
Mulder: "42 year old real estate agent murders 4 strangers with his bare hands. That's not supposed to happen anywhere."
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(to himself & Sheriff while examining dead suspect)
Spencer: "Played softball with this guy over Labor Day. He was one of those nice guys. Couldn't play and didn't bitch about being stuck in right field..."
Mulder: "What's wrong with right field?"
Spencer: "Always the first to shake hands at the end of the game ...didn't matter whether he won or lost."
Mulder: "You've gotta have an arm to play right field."
Spencer: "Bought a round of beer afterwards even though he didn't drink."
Mulder: "I played right field."
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(Ed Funsch at bank ATM)
Message on ATM screen: SECURITY GUARD | TAKE HIS GUN | KILL 'EM ALL
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(Mulder's field report and Scully's reaction to it)
Mulder: "There have been reported abductee paranoia in UFO mass abduction cases."
Scully: "I was wondering when you'd get to that."
Mulder: "I find no evidence of this to be the case."
____________________________________________________________
Winter: "Agent Mulder? Larry Winter, county supervisor."
Mulder: (shows gloved hand) "Pardon my rubber."
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(Mrs McRoberts at auto-repair place)
Message on screen: LIAR | HE'S A LIAR | HE'LL RAPE YOU | HE'LL KILL YOU | KILL HIM FIRST
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Mrs McRoberts: "Ok if I have my breakfast?"
Mulder: "It's the day's most important meal."
____________________________________________________________
Message on microwave screen: HE KNOWS | KILL 'EM BOTH
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(Ed Funsch at department store, gun dept. behind him)
Pictures on TV monitor: Manson, LA riot, gang kicking man, riot, OJ Bronco.
Message on screen: BEHIND YOU | DO IT!
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Frohike: "Hmm..."
Byers: "In our April edition of The Lone Gunman we ran an article on the CIA's new CCD-TH 2138 fiber-optic lens micro video camera."
Langly: "Small enough to be placed on the back of a fly."
Mulder: "Imagine being one of those flies on the wall of the Oval Office..."
Frohike: "Been there... Done that..."
Byers: "That is an Eurasian Cluster Fly. They infest vegetation like, uh, apples or cherries and can inflict a great deal of damage to crops."
Langly: "This one's probably been irradiated to control propagation."
Byers: "Or, agents of competing South American agricultural corporations posing as Franklin City employees are releasing fertile flies to destroy the crop."
Frohike: (dunks fly in petrie dish, fly fries) "Nope. This bug's been nuked."
Mulder: (patting Byers on back) "It was a fine effort, though. Have you ever come across this chemical compound?"
Langly: "LSDM. Obviously you haven't read our August edition of TLG?"
Mulder: "Oh, I'm sorry, boys. It arrived the same day as my subscription to Celebrity Skin."
Byers: "Come over here."
Frohike: (playing with night goggles) "So, Mulder? Where's your little partner?"
Mulder: "She wouldn't come... She's afraid of her love for you."
Frohike: "She's tasty."
Mulder: "You know, Frohike, it's men like you that give perversion a bad name..."
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(asking for night vision binoculars)
Mulder: "Hey Frohike. Can I borrow those?"
Frohike: "If I can have Scully's phone number."
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(speaking to Mulder after he explains his theory about pesticide)
County Supervisor: "You have a penchant for "SPOOKY" evidence."
Mulder: "Don't start that tired crap. Don't start diverting blame."
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(when sheriff walks out of hospital room)
Mulder: "He's probably one of those people that thinks Elvis is dead."
Scully: "Mulder, I was wrong. ..... Exposure to the insecticide does induce paranoia."
Mulder: "I think this area is being subjected to a controlled experiment."
Scully: "Controlled by who? By the government, by a corporation, by Reticulans?"
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Mulder: "Scully, are you familiar with subliminal messages?"
Scully: "You mean like sex in ice cubes in liquor ads? That's paranoia."
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Scully: "Why would they......."
Mulder: "Fear. It's the oldest tool of power. If you're distracted by fear of those around you, it keeps you from seeing the actions of those above."
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(looking at broken doorbell)
Scully: "This is odd."
Mulder: "Frustrated Jehovah's Witness?"
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(Ed Funsch on bus going to blood drive)
Message on screen: THEY'RE WAITING | GET OFF
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Message on Mulder's cellular phone: ALL DONE | BYE BYE
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Season Two Episodes / Next Episode: Sleepless
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