“Via Negativa,” loosely translated from Latin as “Path of Darkness,” is Doggett’s first experience being completely immersed in an X-File without help from Scully’s instincts honed by years of working with the paranormal. While I still find Scully’s newfound acceptance of the unexplained as a reasonable explanation, I buy it here because of how far out of his normal element Doggett is. He is a straight laced lawman, not someone to explore strange fantasy worlds he would just as soon pretend exist only in horror movies.
“Via Negativa” also refers to a philosophical concept that the only way to know what god is is to define what he is not. For example, God is not a jelly donut. Nor is God a single drop of rain. Iy sounds like a long way to go in order to reach a working definition of god through the process of near unlimited options, but Eastern philosophy digs pointless exercises like that. The more pointless, the more enlightened, in fact. Gillian Anderson is bound to be enough of an existentialist to eat this stuff up.
As with quite a few recent episodes, Scully is mostly absent. This time around, she is off tending to unknown medical issues related to her pregnancy, not serving as a cardboard cut out of herself as she has been all too often recently. She does play into the resolution, but still comes across as a very haunted shell of her former self. Up until now, I figured her demeanor was grief over Mulder. Now it is likely fear over a unborn child. Yet, like the not really an introduction introduction of Luke Doggett, we are not given enough to build up proper tension. What is the deal with that. Frank Spotnitz has been one of the best writers for The X-Files. I expect more skill from him.
Doggett is paired with Skinner to investigate the mysterious deaths of two FBI agents who were conducting surveillance on a religious cult. The agents were bludgeoned in the foreheads, but there is no forensic evidence to as to how someone got into their locked car in order to commit the murders. All twenty cult members are murdered in the same manner.
The main suspect is Anthony Tippet, a convicted murderer who founded a pseudo-far Eastern cult upon his release from prison. Tippit discovered how to open his third eye in a quest to find god by exploring the dark recesses of one’s mind. What he discovered is that those dark images can kill, so he goes about murdering his cult members and eventually commits suicide himself rather than cause the dreams of those around them to kill the dreamers in their sleep.
Doggett has a tough time from the beginning investigating the case because of the unorthodox manner in which X-Files are cracked. He even accepts help from the Lone Gunmen, something I imagine he would be unlikely to do under any other circumstances on just about any other case. But it is two-thirds of the way in where he really gets lost. The final two acts take place in his dreams as Tippit, who is in the hospital in a coma slowly dying from his suicide attempt, invades his mind to kill Doggett by what he fears most.
At first, it appears to be terrified of being in a situation he cannot understand. The surreal aspects of his experience--think Cabinet of Dr. Caligari-- visibly shake him. But subsequently, his fear turns to a compulsion to murder Scully. Where does that come from? Does she represent the helpless innocent he is afraid he cannot protect, or does he have a fear of failing her specifically? Considering their icy working relationship, the latter is hard to believe. Considering her behavior lately, he is probably fantasizing about killing her. The real Scully saves his life by waking him up before he can kill the dream version of her to tell him Tippit is dead. Announce it in her now typical disinterested manner.
“Via Negativa” has flaws, but for a episode from the final two seasons, is quite good. I am starting to feel sorry for Doggett. He is on permanent assignment to the x-Files, which is essentially a demotion, he has to deal with a severely emotionally damaged Scully and his frequent dishonesty with him, and now he has been forced to explore the darkest side of himself he did not know was there. It is all preparing him for a deeper journey into paranormal weirdness, but it is certainly breaking him down harshly.
Rating: *** (out of 5)
“Via Negativa,” loosely translated from Latin as “Path of Darkness,” is Doggett’s first experience being completely immersed in an X-File without help from Scully’s instincts honed by years of working with the paranormal. While I still find Scully’s newfound acceptance of the unexplained as a reasonable explanation, I buy it here because of how far out of his normal element Doggett is. He is a straight laced lawman, not someone to explore strange fantasy worlds he would just as soon pretend exist only in horror movies.
