The X-Files: Orison (7.7)

This is another episode about spiritual faith and the sometimes blurry distinction between good and evil. It marks the return of Donnie Pfaster, one of the squickier X-Files antagonists, and on that front the episode is fine if a little too familiar to entirely work. What makes Orison atypical to regular 'Scully gets terrorized' hours is the insight into spirituality and the acts men commit in response to what they believe is God's will. It's a theme present in Reverend Orison's mission to exterminate incarcerated felons, and it's also in the final coda with Scully. Both are presented powerfully, and raise the bar for what could have been a pretty mundane episode.

Reverend Orison is a fascinating character, somebody who believes he's doing God's work since the prison system can't possibly punish enough. It's an interesting approach, with allusions to capital punishment and our own deep-seated feelings about the jail system and the treatment of inmates. Scott Wilson never descends into parody, either, which is no easy task when you're playing a nutty preacher with hypnotic powers.

That final scene is also wonderfully presented, with Scully questioning whether it was her own good conscience that killed Pfaster, or if it was something far darker that she had no control over. It's an absorbing closer to the hour, and a natural response to committing an act so brutal and different to your normal behavior. Not that we can blame the girl for plugging the hell out of him...

I loved Irresistible in season two, and Chip Johannessen must have loved it too considering everything Pfaster does here is essentially a remake of his actions in his first appearance. There's the hooker murder victims, the fetishism of nails and hair, and that final Scully attack in her home. It's all kind of gnarly and cool (especially Scully's initial kick-ass fight with her attacker) but feels a little hollow, the script struggling to find some new ground with the character beyond that great reveal of Pfaster's 'demon face'. Regardless, Nick Chinlund is still terrifying in the role, and ranks up there among the X-Files' greatest ghouls.

Orison isn't perfect, but the themes at work are mightily intriguing, while the visuals for the hypnosis sequences are stunning. Thinking about it, there's a dream-like feel to a lot of the episode, cementing the disquieting tone the show seems to be reaching for. B

Credits
Guest stars Scott Wilson (Reverend Robert Gailen Orison); Nick Chinlund (Donnie Pfaster); Steve Rankin (Joe Daddo); Emilio Rivera (Brigham); Lisa Kushell (Call Girl)
Writer Chip Johannessen Director Rob Bowman