Own the rights?
9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :- Murder and mayhem, 6 December 2007 Author: Edgewalker from Tuxford, England
Christmas Carol is full of darkness and light, twists and turns. Vince Gilligan's confident and assured writing makes an unbelievable story oddly believable, but this was '97 after all and the X Files could get away with things that would leave other TV shows dead in the water. Peter Markle makes a good job of mixing the jollities of the season with murder and mayhem. Anderson carries the episode well and Duchovny's cameo is a nice little touch. Pat Skipper is dour, grumpy and brilliant as Bill Scully Jr and Melinda McGraw turns in a typically radiant portrayal of Melissa. John Pyper-Ferguson shows what a versatile and hard-working actor he is with a great performance as Detective Kresge, he makes the most of every second of screen time. The final surprise is a real shocker that doesn't lose it's power even when you know it's coming...
9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :- A Surprise Gift For Scully, 20 October 2006 Author: Muldernsanta from Washington Terrace, Utah
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Christmas Carol takes us back to the storyline of Scully's cancer, but takes it a step more personal. Scully carries the episode as Mulder barely makes a cameo. So gone is Mulder's wry humor, but it is replaced by some excellent dramatic acting by Gillian Anderson. When Scully receives the first mysterious phone call, she immediately dials a number that connects her to the San Diego FBI field office. I am impressed that Scully has their phone number memorized. Although this episode takes place around Christmas time, it is still odd to hear Christmas music in the soundtrack, being the x-files. I like the contrast it makes between a dark murder investigation and light holiday music. Even though Scully knows that her ova were taken, it's interesting that during the episode she only suspects Melissa of being Emily's mother and not herself. I really liked the dream sequences in this episode, especially how the shots transitioned to the dream from reality. They added a depth to the episode. I also like the guest character of Detective Kresge. He did a credible job. Christmas Carol is a good mystery that Gillian Anderson pulls off well without David Duchovny. Her pain at being barren feels so real, you'll be sympathizing with Scully.
Dana... she needs your help. She needs you, Dana. Go to her., 7 July 2009 Author: Sanpaco13 from Sandy, UT, United States
This is a very interesting little two-parter. I always seem to forget about it after I watch and I think its because rarely is Scully's pseudo-daughter Emily ever mentioned again. Christmas Carol starts off with a very eerie phone call for Scully right as she arrives at her brother's house for Christmas. A woman's voice simply says, "She needs your help!" or something like that. Scully traces the call and begins to follow a trail of clues that lead us to believing first the this little girl is Melissa Scully's daughter and then later to find out that the little girl is special and has been receiving very top secret treatment at a clinic. I think the suspense and mystery in this episode is top of the line for X-Files and the cliff-hanger where we find out that Emily is actually Scully's daughter is great. One of the most memorable cliff-hangers in my opinion. Everything leads up to a point where it is looking like Scully is suddenly going to have a child to look after. Great episode to an exciting two parter. I give the episode a 9 out of 10.
Add another comment
