With summer quickly approaching, pretty much every show worth watching is coming to an end. That makes the summer the perfect time to binge watch what you missed along with some old classics. That’s where the Multiversity Summer TV Binge comes from. One of my personal favorite shows ever is The X-Files, and it is my mission in life to make everyone ever watch it. This summer, I’ll be looking back at season one. This week we look at “Fallen Angel,” a mythology episode that introduces Max Fenig, a relatively important character in the early seasons.
1. The Premise
“Fallen Angel” is a mythology episode. What that means is that it ties to the ongoing alien conspiracies that Mulder believes in and investigates. These episodes usually have big implications and this episode is one of those, at least in the early seasons. The episode takes place in a small town in Wisconsin where a UFO crashes. The alien escapes and the military descends upon this town to catch it. Mulder talks with Deep Throat, who tells him a little of what’s going on and he takes off to investigate on his own. The episode follows the search for that alien life form, the UFO and the lengths the government will go to cover it up.
2. Max Fenig
Max Fenig is a young man who believes in aliens and multiple government conspiracies. When Mulder is captured by the military, he meets him as they share adjoining cells. Fenig is part of a group that’s kind of obsessed with these things and after he meets Mulder, he’s released and then breaks into his hotel room to learn more. Mulder and Fenig immediately hit it off and as the episode goes on, we learn through Mulder’s investigation that Fenig is an abductee. Max Fenig will appear later on and within this episode he’s a very sympathetic character. One of the things The X-Files does well is how it frames alien abductions. These people who are typically looked at as kooks, are treated very kindly in how they are framed. They are seen as victims, even when they get mixed up in worse things later on (Duane Barry) and they way they relate to Mulder is even more interesting. Mulder is kind of a folk hero to these kinds of guys who believe in this stuff. “Fallen Angel” is where we really see that and helps to make Mulder’s headstrong ways a bit more believable and grounded in something. He’s not alone.
3. This Is All Really Happening
One of my favorite things about The X-Files is that we are never really strung along about whether these supernatural and paranormal things are actually happening. This stuff is real and it exists in this show’s universe. What isn’t clear is why it’s happening or what part the government has in it. “Fallen Angel” is one of those episodes that takes us for a ride and starts to very gently peel away at some of the bigger conspiracy stuff. We know what Mulder knows (usually) and that makes this show much less aggravating than it could be. “Fallen Angel” gets really weird in the tail end as the alien lifeform possesses Max and it’s the first time we see a real display of power from aliens.
4. The Enigmatic Dr. Scully
Scully is in this episode but she’s not the focus because this is really Mulder’s story. Until the season finale, the mythology stuff in season one is very focused on Mulder. However, Scully gets a moment to shine when many soldiers are burned by the alien lifeform. In case you forgot, Scully is a medical doctor and she takes charge here and gets hands on with trying to save as many lives as she can. This whole episode, she acts as the voice of reason with Mulder’s need to pursue the truth but she’s still involved in a meaningful sense. She tries to help Mulder see reason but she also wants to help Max and the people in this situation. She’s not a babysitter and it’s really important to look at in an episode like this.
5. Keep Your Enemies Closer
When all this is over, Mulder and Scully are called in for review because of how many rules Mulder broke to go further with this investigation. This is at the tail end of the episode but it’s a big part of what’s to come later on. Mulder is able to escape any real disciplinary action because Deep Throat steps in. What is revealed is that Deep Throat keeps Mulder around and basically controls the message that he gets. Mulder is curious but Deep Throat is aware at this point that if he didn’t keep him close, there could be consequences. Mulder could become more dangerous. This is only the 10th episode of the series but this will be something that comes up a bunch later on. Mulder’s place in the F.B.I. often becomes an asset for him but also hurts him. Is Mulder every really in control?
