The X-Files: Signs and Wonders (7.9)

If you had never watched The X-Files but thought you had a decent idea of what to expect, Signs and Wonders is probably the hypothetical X-Files episode you would come up with. It's gross, there's a ton of strange supernatural phenomena, features women in peril as well as a reliably ambiguous ending -- but it's also this show running entirely on autopilot, and besides a couple of decent scares, feels a little too gratuitous to truly work.

Don't get me wrong, I like getting squicked out. Season four's inbred cannibal happy hour Home, for instance, ranks up their among my favorites of this show. But this one stumbles into that awkward area of almost being too ugly to watch. Jeffrey Bell's script already grabs from a reality that is naturally kind of gross and sleazy, in this case religious snake charming ceremonies in the deep south, and quickly runs the scenario into the most horrific corners imaginable. There's a woman giving birth to a litter of snakes, cult rituals, Scully abuse, and snakes wriggling out of people's mouths to snap up dangling white mice. It's all a little nuts, and only succeeded in turning me off.

There's obviously a lot happening here, and Signs and Wonders lurches from one of these elaborate set pieces to another with a ton of conviction. Mulder and Scully don't have a whole lot to do, but the mystery unfolds nicely, and there are a couple of intriguing twists towards the back-end of the hour. Beth Grant is entirely wasted in a thin role as a (what else?) gossipy religious nut, but generally the episode succeeds in what it appears to be aiming for. That doesn't necessarily mean its enjoyable in the slightest, though, and all the grossness kind of dented my enjoyment. But that's just me. I'm not into this type of horror, but I'm sure one of you snake-baitin' freaks out there would love the damn thing. D+

Credits
Guest stars Randy Oglesby (Reverend Samuel Mackey); Tracy Middendorf (Gracie O'Connor); Michael Childers (Reverend Enoch O'Connor); Eric Nenninger (Jared Chirp); Beth Grant (Iris Finster)
Writer Jeffrey Bell Director Kim Manners