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Five Thoughts On The X-Files‘s “Tooms”

By | October 17th, 2017
Posted in Television | % Comments

Summer is long gone and that means the Multiversity 2017 Summer TV Binge is winding down. I’ve spent the last couple of months looking at the first season of The X-Files and we’re getting close to the big finale. This week, I’m looking at “Tooms,” a sequel to the excellent “Squeeze.” It’s

1. The Premise

“Tooms” is a direct sequel to an episode earlier this season. In “Squeeze” we were introduced to Eugene Victor Tooms, a sort of human/creature thing that needs to feed on human livers to sustain itself. Every 30 years, Tooms needs to feed on five human livers before he hibernates for another 30 years. In “Squeeze,” he was captured and placed in a sanitarium. In “Tooms,” we see his release because according to the sanitarium, he doesn’t pose a risk and as far as anything legal goes, there isn’t enough evidence to actually convict him of any crimes. Now released, Tooms aims to finish his feasting but with Mulder watching his every move, that won’t be easy. As all this is happening, Mulder and Scully are now being closely watched by their superiors.

2. Hello, Assistant Director Walter Skinner

FINALLY

Assistant Director Walter Skinner is the final piece that’s missing from this show. He’s so important to The X-Files and has a very loyal fanbase all his own. He’s the person who keeps Scully and Mulder honest and in time, he becomes entwined in their fate. Walter Skinner is such a different character than the two of them as well. Scully was the skeptic but she was pretty much forced into working with Mulder, but Skinner provides a much different arc. He’s a man in power who eventually comes to be a part of the later investigations as a believer. However, I am getting ahead of myself here. In “Tooms,” Skinner shows up to put our favorite duo on blast. Their success rate is above the bureau’s average but they are not doing things by the book and that’s becoming a problem for the higher ups. Skinner tells Scully that she’s got to get back in line with Mulder and do things right. Also in the room is the Cigarette Smoking Man and we’re starting to see just how integral he is to all that’s going on. Mulder is getting too good at his job and that’s alarming to someone who works in the shadows like the Cigarette Smoking Man.

3. Chemistry Watch

So, as we know, Mulder and Scully are my OTP and nothing will ever change that. We are still a ways off from where I think the two of them become an actual pair but “Tooms” is a real highlight of their natural chemistry. The thing about this episode that makes it so different than “Squeeze” is that there really isn’t a case to solve. “Tooms” is more like wrapping up loose ends with this character so the episode has to be filled with something else and that something else is the threat of the possible breakup of this duo. Scully and Mulder exchange some great back and forths in this episode and in a heart to heart, Scully talks about how she trusts him and wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his work. She’s become a believer in the work and on the flipside, Mulder has found someone to trust his most bizarre beliefs to. He has found someone who believes in him like no one else had but Scully also pushes him to do his work correctly so it matters. “Tooms” is all about this as Scully gets to also take some of the finer investigative points into her own hands while Mulder keeps his eye on Tooms. I love this relationship and I love when it gets to shine in so many different ways in an episode like this.

4. A Truly Memorable Villain

The thing with this show is that it did run about a decade and with 24 episodes each season, it is hard to make a one off character truly memorable. Eugene Victor Tooms is a high standard for the one off villains who will follow him. Doug Hutchinson is fantastic in the role and absolutely unforgettable. His stare is fantastic and extremely creepy and he’s able to do so much with very little words. He brings something so quietly menacing to this role and even though he gets a little lost in this story, he commands every scene he’s in.

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5. Change Is Coming

At the very end of this episode, Skinner looks at the report that Scully and Mulder filed on this case and asks the Cigarette Smoking Man if he believes it. He replies that he does. Outside, Mulder tells Scully that something is coming and that a change is coming soon and he couldn’t be more right. Season one of The X-Files  is rough at times and we still have one of the worst episodes coming up soon (it’s “Roland”) but this season ends in a way that does in fact change everything. It’s very obvious foreshadowing but Mulder isn’t lying, however not even the two of them can imagine what kind of chaos is coming their way. I know, cause I’ve seen the show, but they don’t, and maybe you don’t and that’s exciting.

 


//TAGS | 2017 Summer TV Binge

Jess Camacho

Jess is from New Jersey. She loves comic books, pizza, wrestling and the Mets. She can be seen talking comics here and at Geeked Out Nation. Follow her on Twitter @JessCamNJ for the hottest pro wrestling takes.

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