Plot; Mulder and Scully investigate the disappearance of a test pilot who may have been involved in a project that reverse engineered alien technology.
In a manor that is simple but effective, this second episode both tells a standalone story and begins to build its universe. We're introduced early on to a shadowy character (Deep Throat, though never named so on screen) without a specific connection to the story at hand. He warns Mulder about the danger of investigating the rash of elite test pilots who have gone missing or suffered severe trauma at an Air Force base in South Dakota and then falls out of the story until the very end. In a wraparound, he meets with Mulder in a bit of an "I told ya so" moment and tells him that "they" (aliens) have been on Earth for a long time. This Deep Throat, whose motivations and background are never revealed, would seem to be the first of many such characters to populate this paranoia soaked world.
The episode itself is reasonably solid, with the Mulder/Scully dynamic firmly in place and both actors already having a pretty good handle on their characters. We once again see Mulder and Scully separated at the "See! See! Alien stuff!" moment, but honestly it's far too early for there to be fissures in Scully's world view, so I give it a pass.
In a manor that is simple but effective, this second episode both tells a standalone story and begins to build its universe. We're introduced early on to a shadowy character (Deep Throat, though never named so on screen) without a specific connection to the story at hand. He warns Mulder about the danger of investigating the rash of elite test pilots who have gone missing or suffered severe trauma at an Air Force base in South Dakota and then falls out of the story until the very end. In a wraparound, he meets with Mulder in a bit of an "I told ya so" moment and tells him that "they" (aliens) have been on Earth for a long time. This Deep Throat, whose motivations and background are never revealed, would seem to be the first of many such characters to populate this paranoia soaked world.
The episode itself is reasonably solid, with the Mulder/Scully dynamic firmly in place and both actors already having a pretty good handle on their characters. We once again see Mulder and Scully separated at the "See! See! Alien stuff!" moment, but honestly it's far too early for there to be fissures in Scully's world view, so I give it a pass.
- A very young Seth Green has a small role as a stoner who regularly sneaks onto the base with his girlfriend and has seen the strange goings on.