I Saw Elvis In A Potato Chip Once 15 - The X-Files 1.15 - Lazarus

This is a bit more like it...

The X-Files 1.15 - Lazarus

Thankfully it's a more solid episode this week, The problem is that I can't say it was particularly exciting to watch and consequently I don't have a lot to say about it. However, along with lots of real detective work, there were a couple of nice touches:

Firstly we have the revelation that Dana Scully definitely has a thing for older men, having dated her teacher at some point. While we can question the appropriateness of this and the "daddy issues" that it might suggest, at least it adds further nuance to Scully's character - that's if it is part of her persona and not just a convenient hook dreamt up to hang the plot off of.

The second thing I liked was the professor and his lovely story about the airline pilot who supposedly became possessed by the dead husband of his lover and later strangled her with an extension cord. It's the almost gleeful way that he smiles and walks away after telling this tall tale that endeared him to me. "That's a nice story" says Mulder after a long pause...

Things really do hinge on the performance of Christopher Allport in the role of Willis / Dupre-in Willis' body, and he does some great work here. He's particularly convincing as the multiple murder back from the dead and Dupre's infatuation with Lulu is mirrored is Willis's own intense obsession with the homicidal psychopaths. They are clearly meant to be a take on the Bonnie and Clyde outlaw couple trope, and both guest actors do well in portraying the viciousness of the duo. Nice skull mask too.

I'm less happy with Scully's continued resistance to believe in *any* of Mulder's theories even in the face of some solid evidence to the contrary. I get that this is her ex lover who is being "possessed", so she's more defensive than usual, but her stubbornness to even consider alternative explanations is bordering on stupidity. Surely she should be at least considering that Willis might be ill or unstable after being technically dead for so long - but no, she seems totally okay with things, blindly accepting that "Willis" passed his FBI evaluations and has been cleared to return to duty. Speaking of which, there is no way that Dupre would pass the FBI tests  - he's not a trained agent and has no access to Willis' memories (he can't recall Scully's birthday). It's a tiny step too far.

Other thoughts and facts:

• The whole bit with Dupre's tattoo felt like the writers needed to hammer home the point that Willis had been possessed. It would have been far better to make it more ambiguous and leave viewers in the dark somewhat about if it had really happened, or if Willis's preoccupation with Dupree and Lulu had pushed him off the deep end. 
• Why did "Willis" cut off three fingers from Dupre's hand? He only wanted the ring so surely one would have been enough.
• Can you really estimate the height of a plane from the noise of the engine? Apparently so.
• Someone seems to have Mark Snow's soundtrack generator on autopilot. The "creepy music" riff pops up in the most unusual and inappropriate places in this episode.

In conclusion, while the whole idea of a vengeful "soul" possessing another persons body after death is not a new idea, and the execution might be a tad pedestrian, there are a number of little moments within the episode that lift it above the mere humdrum.