The X-Files Recap: Episode 3 - Squeeze

Posted by Brian Cramer on 04.22.2008

TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMS. It's not little green men this week - I promise.

Cast:
David Duchovny - Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson - Dana Scully
Doug Hutchison - Eugene Victor Tooms
Donal Logue - Agent Tom Colton
Henry Beckman - Detective Frank Briggs
Kevin McNulty - Agent Fuller
Terence Kelly - George Usher
Colleen Winton - Lie Detector Technician
James Bell - Johnson
Gary Hetherington - Kennedy
Rob Morton - Kramer
Paul Joyce - Thomas Werner

Well, we’ve made it to week three of this shindig (which, oddly enough, must be a legitimate word, since Word isn’t trying to get me to correct it) and it’s looking like we’re going to be taking another new approach to the column. Or at the very least, tweaking the last new approach. It seems more style and less substance is the popular formula for a column of this sort; that is to say, more wacky writer commentary, less actual recapping. So, we’re going to try this. If it’s an epic fail, I apologize and will revert back to…something for next week.

And again – opinions, opinions, opinions. Tell me what you think. That’s the only way I’ll be able to find my groove. Tell me you love it or tell me it sucks. I’ll respect you either way as long as you tell me the truth. After all, apparently the truth is out there.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

Generic-character-doomed-to-death (GCDTD™) makes his way into an office building and to his office. As he’s walking outside, we get a shot of the yellow-eyed demon a creepy set of eyes in a sewer grate. Once comfy, GCDTD™ calls his wife and leaves a message saying he’s going to be at work late. Yep – he’s screwed. We get a shot of a screw being loosened from the inside of an extremely small air vent in the wall. This will be something of a running theme throughout the episode. After getting coffee, GCDTD™ walks back into his office…and immediately gets killed. Our last shot is of the vent being pulled back on the wall and the screw being retightened.

*cue The X-Files introduction credits and theme song*
“THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE”

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Scully is…on a date. Unfortunately, we get the immediate impression that the guy (who’s also an F.B.I. agent) is a giant tool. He’s on the case from the intro scene and hasn’t a clue how to solve it. All the murders are taking place in locked areas (meaning no apparent point-of-entry) and the victims livers are being ripped out, Celebrity Deathmatch style. He requests Scully and Mulder’s assistance, while all but saying that he wants them to do all the work while he reaps all the benefits. Douchebag.

CRIME SCENE
GEORGE USHER’S OFFICE
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

Wow. The GCDTD™ gets a name and an on-screen acknowledgement. Oh well. He’s still generic. After introductions, Colton (Scully’s date) asks Mulder if he thinks it’s the work of little green men, to which Mulder replies with an (obviously fabricated, yet completely deadpanned) explanation about the little men being gray and not green. He goes on to inform Colton that Reticulans are notorious for extracting human livers due to iron depletion in the Reticulan galaxy and punctuates it by asking Colton if he has any idea what liver and onions go for on Reticula. Ha. That was tremendous. Some iron shavings on the floor direct Mulder’s attention to the vent, which he dusts to find an elongated fingerprint. Colton’s not buying it, but we all know Colton’s an idiot, so it’s forgivable.

Back in the X-Files office, Mulder shows Scully five other prints from the 1960s and the 1930s. They’re identical to the one lifted at from the vent. After Scully appears apprehensive about getting involved in Colton’s investigation, Mulder suggests that they can investigate it on their own. Scully’s look tells us she begrudgingly agrees.

Flash to Scully typing up a criminal profile. She does her best, bless her heart, but gets pretty much everything wrong except for “male.” Damn conventional wisdom. Her voiceover segues into her actually speaking these things at a briefing, where she also mentions the liver’s regenerative qualities. Remember that for later. She nailed a key point there and didn’t even realize it. They all agree to stake out the previous crime scenes. Scully is invited by the lead detective, if she doesn’t mind working in an area that’s more “down-to-earth.” Asshole.

CRIME SCENE, 7:15 PM

Scully’s staking out a parking garage. Yea – I don’t know, either. Mulder pops in, almost gets shot by his own partner and goes to leave before hearing a noise in a ventilation shaft. Scully calls for backup and Tooms comes crawling out. He…gets arrested? Well, okay. Considering the episode isn’t even half-way over yet, we can probably safely expect a plot twist.

F.B.I. BUREAU
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

A polygraph test is being administered to Tooms. Mulder had a question tossed in about Tooms being over 100-years-old. As you can probably imagine, he aced the test – except for Mulder’s question. Everyone thinks he’s crazy, Scully politely removes herself from Colton’s investigation and the agents go on their way. In the hallway, Mulder tells Scully he won’t hold it against her if she continues working with Colton on the investigation. His sincerity and understanding seem to affirm her devotion to him and the X-Files and she sticks to her guns. They return to the X-Files office, where Mulder shows Scully a stretched out, elongated version of Tooms’ fingerprint which – you guessed it – matches identically the one from the vent (and the other murders). D’oh.

We cut to a random neighborhood at night, where Tooms can be seen stalking a GCDTD™. He walks around the house before deciding on the chimney. Along with being a contortionist, he’s apparently also Spiderman, as he scales a brick wall to the roof. Wait – he’s also Mr. Fantastic, as he stretches his arm and fingers down the chimney. Hm. Identity crisis’ aside, he gets in the house and offs the GCDTD™.

The agents arrive at the scene, only to have Colton try to cock-block them (or more specifically, Mulder). Scully points out that obstructing another agent’s investigation wouldn’t look too great on Colton’s personnel file. He puts on emo and slits his wrists. Mulder finds a fingerprint and markings on the mantle where something was sitting, indicating that Tooms took a souvenir.

Mulder is looking through public records and finds Tooms’ name on a census from 1903. Scully arrives and tries to explain things as with a genetic theory (to which Mulder pointedly asks if they’re dealing with the anti-Waltons). He says they only have one victim to go until they lose him again until 2023, by which Scully will be head of the bureau, so they’d better get crackin’.

After a montage of Mulder and Scully searching records, they both admit they came up with nothing. Scully did, however, find the current address of the investigating officer of the murders back in 1933.

LYNNE ACRES RETIREMENT HOME
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

The old officer gives a fantastic monologue about how the murders were pure evil and working in references to the death camps in 1945. He turns over his box of evidence he had collected (“officially and unofficially”) and we get a smooth cut from a photograph of the apartment Tooms lived in then to a live action shot of it today. Nice.

The agents enter the apartment in the infamous scene of them walking through the door with guns and flashlights from the opening credits. They find a hole in the wall behind a mattress and descend to find an old coal cellar. There’s a small stand set up with all the souvenirs from the murders and a nest built into the wall. Scully goes to get a surveillance team together while Mulder keeps watch. As they’re leaving, she gets snagged on something. After walking away, we see Tooms on the ceiling, looking down and holding Scully’s necklace.

66 EXETER ST., 11:30 AM

Mulder’s relief shows up and calls him Spooky.

Colton barges into the office Scully is in and cries like a bitch about the stake-out. He tells Scully he had it called off and insists she let him call Mulder and tell him. When she asks if this is what it takes to get to the top and he replies with “all the way to the top” – she tells him that she can’t wait until he falls off and lands on his ass. See, even Scully realizes he’s a douchebag now.

We get a shot of Tooms staking out Scully’s place as she pulls up and goes inside. Uh-oh, spaghetti-os!

66 EXETER ST., 7:25 PM

Mulder arrives on scene to find…no one. Because the stake-off was called off, remember? For some reason, his phone is off and he never got Colton’s message.

Scully is also trying to call Mulder from her house and leaves him a message suggesting they file a complaint and for him to call her. She draws a bath as we see Tooms outside her bathroom window.

Mulder finds Scully’s necklace on the souvenir table and realizes she’s in danger.

Scully gets dripped on from a vent in her ceiling, which prompts her to run and grab her gun. Meanwhile, Mulder is trying to call her (so now his phone’s on?) but can’t get through because we’re shown that Tooms cut the wires to her phone. She walks through her house, pointing the gun at every vent she sees. After turning away from one on the floor, Tooms hand shoots through and grabs her ankle. She pulls free, which causes him to launch himself into her apartment whole. He throws her to the ground and pins her hands above her head, giving us a gratuitous shot of her midriff. About this point, Mulder busts in and amidst the struggle, Scully (kinky as she is) handcuffs Tooms to the bathtub spigot.

We cut to the old officer from the case in the ‘30s, who sees the article in the paper about Tooms being caught. He weeps, presumably out of relief.

Tooms is in a holding cell and has somehow got his hands on newspaper, which he’s using to build a new nest. Mulder is standing outside of the door, watching him. Scully walks up and tells him that she ordered genetic tests due to abnormal metabolic test results. He barely hears her, as he comments that all the protection people have on their homes to feel safe – he looks at Tooms and thinks, “it ain’t enough.”

We get a closing shot of Tooms eying the slot in the door that his meal tray was slid through. He gets a shit-eating grin on his face, obviously seeing a potential way out.

*cue credits*

I’m going to keep the outro narrative short here, in order to leave focus on the review. I’ve managed to cut it in half again, so hopefully it’ll be easier to maneuver through and enjoy. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

The 411: Excellent episode. They successfully veered away from the alien abductions for a story and didn't fall flat on their faces. We got the introduction to an interesting character (Tooms) who will be back later in the season and we got more bonding by Mulder and Scully, as you can practically see their relationship blooming.

Three episodes in and so far, so good. Let's see how long this trend lasts.

Final Score:  9.5   [  Amazing ]