It is sad to say, but after yesterday’s excellent Reyes-centric episode, Doggett gets gypped when he is central to the story. I am still having a time swallowing it all. The script is rather bland. Doggett, who is supposedly tormented over the release of a murderer cleared by DNA evidence after thirteen years, has been more intense in previous episodes with less at stake emotionally for him. Reyes serves as an incidental character who pops into the fourth act in order to jump to the paranormal explanation with no logical way of getting there. “underneath” is not firing on all cylinders.
The point that really jumps out at me is how much “Underneath” is a Doggett and Scully episode It feels like a script that was left over from the eighth season now re-written so the sidekick actions could be split between Scully and Reyes. It feels like a leftover script for two reasons. One, Doggett’s days with the NYPD are featured more prominently than in any other episode. It could have served as an early fleshing out of his back story from when he was a new character. Two, Reyes has little more than a cameo until the final two acts, she relates catholic theology in relation to explaining the killer and eventually stopping him. Scully is the devout Catholic who has utilized her faith during cases in times passed. Here, she has little to no response when Reyes brings up the faith. Why not? If I had to guess, I would bet it is because Reyes was never intended to be part of the episode. Scully could have done all her lines and actions without anyone blinking. Reyes is conspicuous.
The story revolves around Doggett arresting a murderer thirteen years ago at the scene of the crime. An entire family is stabbed to death with a screwdriver. The crime left an impression on Doggett because he can still feel the blood squishing under his shoes. In 2002, Doggett is convinced he got the right man even after DNA evidence exonerates the alleged murderer. Doggett enlists Scully definitely and Reyes kinda sorta in order to prove the guy really is guilty.
There is a brief time in which we are lead to wonder if Doggett is determined to keep him from killing again, or just feels guilty about sending an innocent man to prison. The conflict does not last long, as more people are killed in the same manner as the family in 1989. By this point, we are aware the exonerated killer has some sort of charles Manson look alike entity hounding him and committing the murders.
Reyes shows up after her brief cameo in the first act to explain it all. The exonerated man, a devoutly religious man, is a shape shifter who becomes the Manson guy in order to kill while alleviating his guilty conscience. They are two distinct people, therefore they have different DNA. Not that it matters, because Doggett's old partner framed him anyway.
Wait...what? yes, that was completely unnecessary, but there you go. The corrupt partner is supposed to emphasize that Doggett is a straight arrow or something. I do not know. Maybe the script ran short, so they added in a pointless extra scene. The episode hit rock bottom long before this, so it is not like things could have been made worse by introducing the twist.
otherwise, he DNA evidence cleared the guy originally. Reyes compares the change to the Transfiguration--bread and wine turning into the body and blood of Christ--and distracts the killer enough accusing him of being a sinner to allow Doggett to escape his clutches before she kills him. All that would have sounded better coming from Catholic Scully than the New Age Reyes. Just saying.
I am not terribly impressed with “Underneath.” the script feels cobbled together. There are not a whole lot of new elements here, either. Shape shifters and reluctant killers have been a staple of The X-Files from the first season. The characterizations are way off. Doggett is not himself, but Reyes is scully, so I guess that balances out. A pretty big disappointment in total.
Rating: * (out of 5)
It is sad to say, but after yesterday’s excellent Reyes-centric episode, Doggett gets gypped when he is central to the story. I am still having a time swallowing it all. The script is rather bland. Doggett, who is supposedly tormented over the release of a murderer cleared by DNA evidence after thirteen years, has been more intense in previous episodes with less at stake emotionally for him. Reyes serves as an incidental character who pops into the fourth act in order to jump to the paranormal explanation with no logical way of getting there. “underneath” is not firing on all cylinders.
