"Darkness is our enemy." – Doug Spinney Episode 20, 'Darkness Falls', original air date April 15th, 1994. Written by Chris Carter and directed by Joe Napolitano. Monster of the week episode count, 15. Chris Carter's last MOTW show for season 1 is often compared to Morgan & Wong's 'Ice', a bottle episode with solid character development and a strong horror focus. Perhaps it was the late night solitary viewing experience, but when I first watched the series this episode stood out as a genuinely scary entry that affirmed for me the brilliance and originality of the series and had me convinced that this was a television show worth investing in. The comparisons to 'Ice' are justified, both episodes feature memorable and well developed characters, an intriguing, unpredictable story and a general creepy atmosphere that's deeply immersive. The feeling of isolation that comes from the foreboding ambiance of the British Columbia forest and the minimal cast draws the audience in to the drama and we feel personally invested and a part of the action. This is first time in the series that the two agents are placed in mortal danger, and for a brief moment before the episodes open-ended conclusion, their fate is unknown. Though they do ultimately survive, they're both worse for wear, with Scully still in an unconscious and weakened state. It's great to see that the writers and producers are not afraid of letting their stars get battered and bruised. Although due to the nature of television it's always assured that a series' main actors will turn up generally unscathed, it's still nonetheless exciting to see them pushed to their limits. Placing Mulder and Scully in potentially dire situations is something that the series will do more and more, and so they should. Considering the nature of their work it would quickly become stale and tiresome to see them effortlessly overcoming the odds time and time again no sense of threat of vulnerability.
The episode revolves around the unexplained disappearance of a group of loggers in the Pacific Northwest. During the opening sequence we witness a pair of loggers being attacked by a swarm of green glowing bugs that seem to appear only at night. Mulder and Scully travel with Forest Ranger Larry Moore (Jason Beghe) and logging company representative Steve Humphrey's (Tom O'Rourke) to investigate the situation. Upon reaching their destination they encounter environmental activist Doug Spinney (Titus Welliver) who warns them of the creatures imminent return, come nightfall. They discover a several hundred year old tree, illegally cut down by the loggers which has exposed the ancient insects we saw earlier. Humphrey's however is dismissive of these claims, certain that the fate of the loggers is due to foul play from the 'monkey wrenches' and is determined to see them tried for murder. Naturally he winds up dead, cocooned in a spider-like web, not unlike one that they discovered earlier, proving definitively that the impending threat is most certainly real. The episode's final act sees the agents and Moore taking refuge in a cabin, counting down the hours till sunrise as their only generator consumes through the last of the gasoline. In a last effort attempt to escape the forest, Spinney returns with a Jeep and they make their way down the mountain. In a twist of poetic justice, one of Spinney's caltrops damages the vehicle and he is attacked by the bugs outside the car while the remaining three are encased in webbing, saved at the last minute by a quarantine team.
The episode received both praise and criticism for appearing to have a strong environmental agenda. Some argue that the writing was overly preachy, using the character of Spinney to voice Carter's personal attack against logging companies. Others believe that this element helped to ground the episode in reality, giving the story more depth. I agree with the latter, feeling that the interactions between Spinney, Humphrey's and Moore were presented realistically and provided an effective sub-plot that makes the episode more than just a simple horror story like the previous entry, 'Shapes'. The actors are well cast, Jason Beghe will work with Duchovny again much later in Californication and Titus Welliver has become a well known face in both film and television. Interestingly, Mulder and Scully are uncharacteristically congruent in their opinions throughout the episode and Humphrey's acts as the necessary voice of scepticism to counteract the agents. The progression and pacing of the plot is handled with care and the looming danger gradually ramps up to a thrilling conclusion. The setting of the forest is a welcome contrast to the urban jungle of Washington D.C and plays a integral role in drawing us in to the story. Once again, like 'Ice' there are no weak links in this standalone episode. It's difficult to pinpoint any one particular feature that makes 'Darkness Falls' such a successful season 1 MOTW, suffice to say that it's thoroughly enjoyable in it's character interactions, storyline, and setting. Mulder and Scully share a nice moment towards the end as they watch their only light-source flicker in and out, awaiting their impending demise. Mulder also feels somewhat responsible for dragging Scully in to a potentially life threatening situation. "I told her it would be a nice trip to the forest," he laments as he looks upon Scully's unconscious form. It's the icing on the cake to a solid accomplishment for Carter, most definitely his finest standalone show thus far.
The episode revolves around the unexplained disappearance of a group of loggers in the Pacific Northwest. During the opening sequence we witness a pair of loggers being attacked by a swarm of green glowing bugs that seem to appear only at night. Mulder and Scully travel with Forest Ranger Larry Moore (Jason Beghe) and logging company representative Steve Humphrey's (Tom O'Rourke) to investigate the situation. Upon reaching their destination they encounter environmental activist Doug Spinney (Titus Welliver) who warns them of the creatures imminent return, come nightfall. They discover a several hundred year old tree, illegally cut down by the loggers which has exposed the ancient insects we saw earlier. Humphrey's however is dismissive of these claims, certain that the fate of the loggers is due to foul play from the 'monkey wrenches' and is determined to see them tried for murder. Naturally he winds up dead, cocooned in a spider-like web, not unlike one that they discovered earlier, proving definitively that the impending threat is most certainly real. The episode's final act sees the agents and Moore taking refuge in a cabin, counting down the hours till sunrise as their only generator consumes through the last of the gasoline. In a last effort attempt to escape the forest, Spinney returns with a Jeep and they make their way down the mountain. In a twist of poetic justice, one of Spinney's caltrops damages the vehicle and he is attacked by the bugs outside the car while the remaining three are encased in webbing, saved at the last minute by a quarantine team.
The episode received both praise and criticism for appearing to have a strong environmental agenda. Some argue that the writing was overly preachy, using the character of Spinney to voice Carter's personal attack against logging companies. Others believe that this element helped to ground the episode in reality, giving the story more depth. I agree with the latter, feeling that the interactions between Spinney, Humphrey's and Moore were presented realistically and provided an effective sub-plot that makes the episode more than just a simple horror story like the previous entry, 'Shapes'. The actors are well cast, Jason Beghe will work with Duchovny again much later in Californication and Titus Welliver has become a well known face in both film and television. Interestingly, Mulder and Scully are uncharacteristically congruent in their opinions throughout the episode and Humphrey's acts as the necessary voice of scepticism to counteract the agents. The progression and pacing of the plot is handled with care and the looming danger gradually ramps up to a thrilling conclusion. The setting of the forest is a welcome contrast to the urban jungle of Washington D.C and plays a integral role in drawing us in to the story. Once again, like 'Ice' there are no weak links in this standalone episode. It's difficult to pinpoint any one particular feature that makes 'Darkness Falls' such a successful season 1 MOTW, suffice to say that it's thoroughly enjoyable in it's character interactions, storyline, and setting. Mulder and Scully share a nice moment towards the end as they watch their only light-source flicker in and out, awaiting their impending demise. Mulder also feels somewhat responsible for dragging Scully in to a potentially life threatening situation. "I told her it would be a nice trip to the forest," he laments as he looks upon Scully's unconscious form. It's the icing on the cake to a solid accomplishment for Carter, most definitely his finest standalone show thus far.