James Wong and Glen Morgan wrote some brilliant episodes for "The X-Files", but mostly just straightforward standalone thrillers. "Beyond the Sea" differs in that it is really where Scully's character comes to the forefront and where Gillian Anderson first gets a real chance to shine. It's a wonderful, intelligent, wistful, dramatic, thrilling 45 minutes of television that holds a rare degree of power and resonance.
The complexity and depth of characterization here is especially impressive, as Scully is dealing with her father's death and questioning her skeptical ways as she is confronted with an emotional connection through supposed psychic Luther Lee Boggs, played brilliantly by Brad Dourif. The questions of faith, of life and death, of moral consequences raised by this episode are legitimate and display a surprising amount of depth for a first season episode.
Thank heavens David Nutter got the directing job here. His visuals are excellent as usual and I'm sure he had something to do with Dourif's spectacular performance. What a classic episode, one I never tire of watching, and one that grows in my estimation just about every time I see it. "Ice" may have been a taut thriller of an episode, but this is the first sign of brilliance on "The X-Files".
10/10