3.20 Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'
US Airdate: March 12, 1996
writer: Darin Morgan
director: Rob Bowman
STARRING:
David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully
Guest Cast:
CHARLES NELSON REILLY as Jose Chung
WILLIAM LUCKING as Roky
JASON GAFFNEY as Harold
SARAH SAWATSKY as Chrissy
JESSE VENTURE as 1st Man in Black
LARRY MUSSER as Detective Manners
ALEX DIAKUN as Dr. Fingers
TERRY ARROWSMITH as Air Force Man
ANDREW TURNER as CIA Man
MINA MINA as Dr. Hand
ALLAN ZINYK as Blaine
MICHAEL DOBSON as Lt. Schaeffer
JAAP BROEKER as Yappi
A WRITER'S ATTEMPT TO GET AT THE TRUTH OF AN ALIEN ABDUCTION LEADS HIM INTO A MAZE OF CONFLICTING STORIES, WHERE EVEN SCULLY AND MULDER FIND
THEMSELVES DUPED.
When writer Jose Chung interviews Dana Scully for a book about alien abductions, he asks her about a case involving two teenagers who claim to have been abducted while out on a date. Were they really abducted, or are they lying? If they were carried off, who took them: extraterrestrials or very human conspirators? The victims' and witnesses' stories grow increasingly confused, as even hypnosis reveals deeper and deeper layers of deceit and manipulation. Is the Air Force
engaged in an ongoing coverup of covert intelligence operations, using UFOs as camouflage? Or is that yet another elaborate lie told to discredit witnesses of real abductions? Who are the mysterious Men In Black who warn witnesses against spreading the word--and why do they look so familiar? One of the most bizarre X-Files of all twists and turns as witnesses contradict one another, Mulder discovers strange visitors in Scully's bedroom, and Scully dissects an alien body. In the end, it is up to writer Jose Chung to reveal it all in his book--unless he, too, is part of an elaborate conspiracy on the part of the military-industrial-entertainment complex...
Notes
Where to begin with this Darin Morgan gem?! Okay, the title refers to the book that author Jose Chung is writing, "From Outer Space". Now where do we go? :-) Reports have it that the original title was to be "Eth Snafu" with the first word being a purposeful misspelling of the word "the". I think it was confusing enough as is right?
The opening shot certainly looked like the "Imperial Star Cruiser" opening of "Star Wars", but then we find out it's not alien at all. Just the beginning of our lesson in perceived realities.
The "alien" Lord Kinbote's name comes from the character David Kinbote in Vladimir Nabokov's book "Pale Fire." The book is supposedly about how reality depends upon who is perceiving it.
The town Klass County, is named for UFO debunker Philip J. Klass, whose book "UFOs Explained" states that "No single object has been misinterpreted as a 'flying saucer' more often than the planet Venus."
Robert Vallee, Jack Schaffer and Sergeant Hynek all share their names with authors who have written books on UFOs, Robert Schaffer, Jaques Vallee, and Allen Hynek. The last two worked together on the book "The Edge of Reality: A Progress Report on UFO's".
One of Mr. Chung's earlier works, "The Caligari Candidate", is a reference to two different movies on mind control. "The Manchurian Candidate", where a brainwashed soldier is manipulated into believing in alternate versions of reality by political enemies and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", a German silent movie also dealing with mind control and an evil hypnotist.
Jose shows Scully an alien autopsy movie "Dead Alien: Truth or Humbug" which sounds a lot like
"Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction", a Fox TV broadcast that The X-Files has made references to before. And of course the word humbug must refer to the episode "Humbug". The music that plays during the video is also a different, lighter version of the familiar X-Files theme by Mark Snow.
Roky Crickenson, the witness to the kids' abduction, seems to be named for Roky Erickson, the psychedelic lead singer for the 13th Floor Elevators who later formed a band called 'Roky Erickson and the Aliens'.
Another "Space: Above and Beyond" reference with Blaine wearing the show's t-shirt. This episode aired the same night that David Duchovny made a guest appearance on "Space.." and is a nod to writer Darin Morgan's brother, Glen Morgan, who co-created the show. This same episode of "Space.." has a reference to Clyde Bruckman as a character watches an old movie of his, but that's another show!
Blaine has an 'I Want to Believe' poster just like Mulder's, but the words 'Want to' have been covered, leaving just the words 'I Believe'.
The pseudonym Jose uses for Mulder, Reynard Muldrake, is taken from the French word for "fox", "renard".
Detective Manners is named for producer Kim Manners, with the other joke being, of course, he has no manners, bleeping all over the place!
Two other references we picked up on: the mashed potatoes mountain in the diner looks just like the one from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and all that pie just has to be a reference to "Twin Peaks". As you may know, Duchovny played a transvestite on the show.
The biggest surprise cameo had to be Alex Trebek and there's a good chance he was on to torment Duchovny yet again about his Jeopardy appearance.
At the end, we're told that Roky has relocated to El Cajon, California, which is where Darin and Glen Morgan were born and raised.
Personal notes: If you've read through this episode guide, you'll note that I'm a HUGE Darin Morgan fan, the man can do no wrong in my book, so keep this in mind as you read my comments. The story, such as it is, is told from various points of view and left some viewers completely lost and frustrated, but not this xphile, I loved it. The group I watched with could barely hold down our drinks, we were laughing too much.
When the credits were leaked to the press before this ep aired, we all went, "Charles Nelson Reilly?! Isn't he dead?!" But what a delight he turned out to be, sheer joy exuded from him on-screen and this appearance apparently woke up the rest of Hollywood, 'cause he's now hot stuff. This is a classic episode and another personal favorite. Now if someone would just write the script out for me :-)
Quotes
____________________
(after Scully gives him a compliment on his books)
Chung: "And here I was thinking you were just some... brainy beauty. Now I find out that you also have... good taste."
____________________________________________________________
Scully: "Ok, just as long as you're attempting to record the truth..."
Chung: "Dear god no! How could I possibly do that?"
____________________________________________________________
Scully: "She was suffering from what my partner calls "missing time". She recalled nothing of the previous night nor how she had arrived at her present whereabouts. Her body exhibited
signs of physical abuse and her clothes were on inside out and backwards."
Chung : "Have I had my share of mornings like THAT!"
____________________________________________________________
Cop: "Cuz I don't need no lie detector test to see the only thing you were abducted by were your rampaging hormones, you punk!"
____________________________________________________________
Det. Manners: "Well, thanks a lot! You really BLEEPED up this case!"
Scully: "Well, of course he didn't actually say 'bleeped', he said..."
Chung: "No need to elaborate. I'm quite familiar with law enforcement... vernacular."
____________________________________________________________
Mulder: "You still gonna hold the boy?"
Det. Manners: "Oh, you bet your blankety-blank bleep I am!"
____________________________________________________________
Mulder: "Well, so what if they had sex?"
Scully: "So we know it wasn't an alien that probed her."
____________________________________________________________
Chung: "Agent Scully, you are so kind... He's a nut! I read his manifest-o..."
____________________________________________________________
Blaine: "I just want to be taken away to some place where I don't have to worry about... finding a job."
____________________________________________________________
Roky: "I knew I should have gone for my video camera then, instead of notifying the proper authorities..."
Jose: "What was wrong with doing that?"
Roky: "Because the "proper authorities" showed up with a couple of Men In Black--one of them was disguised as a woman, but wasn't pulling it off--like her hair was red, but it was a little *too red*, you know? And the other one, the tall, lanky one, his face was so blank and expressionless, he didn't even seem human. I think he was a mandroid. The only time he reacted was when he saw the dead alien body..."
Mulder: "WHOOOOO!!" (a girly scream)
Det. Manners: "Yep, that's a bleeping dead alien body if I ever bleeping saw one."
Scully: "Wrap it up."
____________________________________________________________
Blaine: "Well, hey, I didn't spend all those years playing Dungeons and Dragons and not learn a little something about courage."
____________________________________________________________
Schaefer: "Y'ever flown a flying saucer? Afterwords, sex seems trite."
(eating at restaurant called 'OVALTINE')
____________________________________________________________
(while Mulder eats a heck of a lot of sweet potato pie!)
Mulder: "Have you ever found a metal implant in your body?"
Cook: (shakes his head)
Mulder: "Have you checked everywhere?"
____________________________________________________________
Scully: "That was Detective Manners. He said they just found your bleepin' UFO."
____________________________________________________________
Chrissy: "Love... is that all you men think about?"
______________________________________________
Season Three Episodes / Next Episode: Avatar
Back to Main
Menu