Miracle Man

To get back at Mulder for all those slideshows, Scully shows Mulder some kind of snuff film starring the guy who later is the lead in Harsh Realm.
Chris Cater must have really liked him in this role.



He plays a miracle performer whose miracles are going awry and killing people. He believes this is punishment; and if God sees fit to punish him, then he must deserve it! So this poor guys spends most of his time trying to stay in prison, looking for atonement.



He actually makes this a very interesting episode. And I would probably have enjoyed this one even more if they hadn't tacked on the whole Samantha Mulder apparition thing. That seemed totally irrelevant.

However, it did allow a somewhat tender scene between M & S in which they speak in that low, private tone they generally reserve for one another. They are surprisingly... gentle... in this scene, though you wouldn't know just to look at the script. This is where David and Gillian's acting is clearly the source of the show's strength.

S: I was raised a Catholic, and I have a certain familiarity with the scripture. And God never lets the Devil steal the show.
M: (smiling) You must have really liked 'The Exorcist'
S: (also smiling) One of my favorite movies.



S: That boy really has you going, doesn't he?
M: Why do you say that?
S: In the bar, Samuel mentioned your sister. Is it your sister you keep thinking you're seeing?
M: I've seen her twice now.
S: Maybe you just want to see her.
M: Oh ... I'm not delusional, Scully.

Not the last time we will hear him say that.



I think it's cute that even though Scully is outed as a Catholic, Mulder feels the need to read to her from the Bible. Really, she can probably recite it backwards, but...

Overall, I actually really enjoyed this episode- a lot more than I remembered. The agents do seem a little detached from the investigation, but the character makes up for it.