7x14 Theef

[tree]

Dirt and flesh-eating diseases and microwaves, oh my!





Writer: Vince Gilligan, John Shiban & Frank Spotnitz
Director: Kim Manners
Originally aired: March 12th, 2000

Synopsis: A doctor is found murdered in his home with the word THEEF painted on the wall. Mulder thinks it's hexcraft; Scully thinks it's not. Enter creepy Oral Peattie, conforming to all of the stereotypes of Appalachia. Turns out the son of the dead doc who's also a doctor treated Peattie's daughter after she was involved in an accident. She died. Now Peattie is killing Dr Wieder's family one by one.

Most Memorable Quote
SCULLY: I'll always keep you guessing.

Links
Transcript at Inside the X

Fanfiction
Above Minnesota by Cecily Sasserbaum - (author's summary) After the events of Theef, Mulder and Scully take a San Francisco-Washington DC flight home. It's all about conversation, kids.

Comments

[wendelah1]

Though this episode aggravates me a little (more about that when I'm feeling better), I do like this little post-ep for it; though it's part of Khyber v. Season Seven. I think it works fine as a standalone.

Weret-hekau

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

I'm commenting mainly because I really like the actor--Billy Drago, that's the guy--who has a uniquely terrifying face that was also put to good use in The Untouchables. Geez, he really doesn't even have to ACT, although I thought his Appalachian accent was effective. And I second the rec of Khyber's Weret-hekau, of *anything* by Khyber, as well as the Cecily Sasserbaum. CS wrote a wonderful little mock-episode about magical hair. Well, I don't know how else to say it and can't remember the title. Worth looking up for the laughs.

[wendelah1]

Sorry tree, I'd forgotten how much I disliked this episode. I have seen it four times now, during various rewatches. I think this is it for me.

My dislikes:

Of the all times to have Scully open her mind to extreme possibilities. She's a physician and a scientist. I'd love to see that ignorant asshole try to fix massive trauma with a home-brewed poultice. Even if that accident had happened half a mile from home, his daughter would have died. To imply otherwise, to have Scully imply otherwise, was simply infuriating.

You notice the offhand reference to his refusal to let his daughter get the polio vaccine? ARGH!

Plot hole: How on earth could someone this ignorant of conventional medicine conjure up diseases that even experienced infectious disease doctors rarely, if ever, see?

Plot hole: If his magic is real, why wasn't his daughter protected with a strong charm, one that would insure her survival?

Episodes like this make me think my husband is right: the show (and others like it) encouraged scientific ignorance and superstition. I felt ashamed for being a fan by the end of it.

One final thing: this episode felt like fan service for all of the Scully-haters who don't understand her character. "I know, let's blind her! She'll have to believe then!"

My likes:

Scully looks pretty.