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"The X Files" Signs & Wonders (2000)


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6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Snakes In a Church, 29 May 2007
8/10
Author: Muldernsanta from Washington Terrace, Utah

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

All this episode needed was a little Samuel L. Jackson, and it would've been perfect. Signs & Wonders is a good religious-themed episode from season seven. It's the first religious-themed episode since 'All Souls' from season five. They do have one distinct parallel. That is, that the audience is misdirected into believing that the bad guy is really the good guy, and vice-versa. It's still a nice twist, because I still wasn't expecting it. It's interesting to see Mulder remark about the absence of a light switch in O'Connor's church, considering that there have been numerous times in the series that Mulder and Scully never bothered to even try available light switches. And, of course, they have their flashlights ready this time. Michael Childers does a fine job as Reverend Enoch O'Connor. I liked the parallel of the two different churches that are reading the same scripture but the atmosphere is completely opposite at the two places. The staple remover turning into a snake was a cool effect. I don't think I can look at a staple remover quite the same way again. Iris Finster's hairdo bugs like nothing else. What is up with her stylist? David Duchovny does some fine acting with the snakes. He looked to show a genuine repugnance and/or fear to them. One thing I found odd about the music was the "Dod Kalm-like" hollow pinging sound that was used throughout the episode. It doesn't seem to fit in the show. Signs & Wonders is a good, classic, dark x-file that is one of the better efforts of season seven.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Snake charming...?, 10 July 2008
7/10
Author: mattressman_pdl from Iowa, United States

A man's body is found in a locked car...covered in snake bites. Even as Mulder and Scully dig deeper into the religious mania that holds the town, the snakes seem to choose more victims...but are the victims random or is this some kind of righteous cleansing? stay tuned.

A decent stand-alone episode, although the inclusion of religious mythology and of the relevance of snakes to theology should have come off more enjoyable and a little more entertaining. Mulder and Scully give the episode their best, dead-panning it all the way though, but it is the signature X-files twist that elevates the episode as the truth becomes skewered...and the true evil is revealed.

Overall, could have been better but most certainly could have been a lot worse.

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12 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
TOTALLY Unexpected Twist, 24 October 2006
10/10
Author: (andyetris@yahoo.com) from Philadelphia, PA

When a young man is found dead of a hundred snakebites Mulder and Scully follow a trail leading to an Evangelical cult of rattlesnake handlers. But when the dead man's wife turns out to be the cult leader's daughter, the question of paternity leads Mulder to a confrontation with someone who may be the devil himself!

It BAFFLES me that this episode gets such low marks!?! I never saw the twist coming, and when it arrives the theme of the entire episode is revealed - some of the best plotting of the entire series!!! The gross-out effects are good, the acting is perfect - what more can I say?!? The final scene caps the plot adroitly... I would rate this episode the best of season 7 - maybe the best of the past three seasons!

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Reverend, do something about these snakes, please., 28 May 2009
7/10
Author: Sanpaco13 from Sandy, UT, United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is an interesting episode. I don't really quite know what I think about it. Just for the sake of synopsis, a guy appears to be running from something and gets into to his car to find multiple poisonous snakes which bite him and kill him. Mulder and Scully come to investigate and find out about a sort of feud going on between two churches, one traditional catholic (baptist?), and one some sort of new age snake charming Christian Pentecostals or something like that. The feud appears to be over just which church is evil or not. The main suspect in the boy's murder is of course the man who runs the snake charmer church and who is also somewhat of a religious nut. The girlfriend of the boy who was killed is a member of the baptist congregation and for whatever reason Mulder and Scully don't find out until late in the episode that she is actually the nut's daughter and she and her boyfriend had recently left snake charmer's anonymous. Why they wouldn't have known that she was snake nut's daughter much sooner I don't know. So all the evidence and fingers and signs and wonders are pointing to snake nut as the murderer. So he is arrested after attacking Scully and forcing her hand into a box with poisonous snakes in it. Man he was sure asking for all the false accusations wasn't he? If you're not guilty then why would you attack an FBI agent and threaten her life with the same mode that was used in the murders you are suspected of? Stupid guy. Anyway so then he is attacked by snakes and later escapes from the hospital with his pregnant daughter and the go to the church and she is purged of baby snakes from her womb. So I guess... she had an affair with the other reverend and her boyfriend found out so he was killed then as everyone else found out they got killed too? And then when Mulder confronts baptist sinister minister (I always wanted to say that hehe) a bunch of snakes show up and attack him too. In the end sinister minister gets away and eats a rat with his snake tongue.

Interesting episode with some strange twists and turns. The twists are pretty text book but they are executed nicely so that you still fall for it the first time you see it. I wouldn't list it as a favorite episode but I have to give credit to whoever came up with the original idea and story. I'll rate this one 7 out of 10.

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