Aubrey had a lot of ideas. Subjects covered include motherhood, adultery, genetic reincarnation and psychic visions, but there's also a clear sense of a script unsure how to balance them all. As with many of the weaker episodes, Mulder and Scully are left as mere observers to the action, substantial screentime given to the lead guest star. In this case, it's Detective B.J. Morrow (hate the name). Despite some notable scares along the way, the episode quickly derails.I enjoyed Scully's feminine intuition helping the case more than Mulder's by-the-book approach, in particular her quick realization of B.J.'s real motives at the beginning of the episode. B.J., while not particularly interesting, is at least played with genuine conviction by Deborah Strang, but a mildly sympathetic character is spoiled by the sudden decision to have her become a crazed monster at the end. It makes sense in plot terms, but it was disappointing that a story that's mostly played straight throughout suddenly becomes melodramatic during the final act.
Elsewhere, I was sure Terry O'Quinn's Lieutenant would have something to do with the mystery, but that turned out to be unfounded, which was a waste of such a great actor.
Aubrey has some decent scares (in particular B.J. waking up and discovering the message scarred onto her chest), but the episode itself is a little flat. Which isn't unexpected, considering it's written by a short-lived staff writer. Eh. Rating C+
Credits
Guest stars Terry O'Quinn (Brian Tillman); Deborah Strang (B.J. Morrow); Morgan Woodward (Old Harry Cokely); Joy Coghill (Linda Thibedeaux)
Writer Sara B. Charno Director Rob Bowman
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