Revisiting The X-Files: season 1 episode 5

5. The Jersey Devil

For those unfamiliar with this legend, the Jersey Devil is a cannibal man-beast that stalks the woods of New Jersey and drags people away from their cars before eating them. This, coupled with the fact that the episode begins in typical horror-film fashion with a man who has nothing to do with the rest of the episode being snatched from his family on a deserted stretch of road, makes for a promising entry. That promise proves hollow, however, when the true identity of the supposed “Jersey Devil” is revealed.

As usual, Mulder and Scully spend the bulk of the episode chasing false shadows while being intercepted by a stiff-lipped cop who doesn’t want them muscling in on his territory. Solving the mystery behind the actual paranormal element is only ever half the battle in The X-Files, as human beings and their pride and secrets inevitably come between Mulder and the truth. A local sheriff tells Mulder the story of a time he was out in the woods when he glimpsed a large, naked man coming towards him through the undergrowth. The man paused, sniffed the air, and bolted away into the shadows. Intrigued, Mulder decides to stick around and see what he can dig up. The news of a homeless man being found partially eaten drives him to spend a night in a tramp’s den in hopes of catching the monster.

Up until now, our central characters have remained relatively 2D; they are strong, fully-realized episodes, to be sure, but they’re both lacking a fully-rounded back story. The question of Mulder and Scully’s relationship is broached here; while Mulder is out sleeping rough on the streets, Scully attends her god-son’s birthday party and is quizzed (by her sister?) as to whether she fancies Mulder. Her initial response is that he’s a jerk, while her more considered response is that he’s too involved with his job. A more likely explanation is that Mulder is weirdly asexual and probably has no interest in dating.

A slight twist occurs, as we discover it is not a beast stalking the streets, as such, but rather a prehistoric woman, who is later hunted down and shot by police, much to Mulder’s consternation. I can’t say this episode was too thrilling, in all honesty. The opening segment looked very promising, however what started out as something mysterious, violent and terrifying soon became a dazzlingly attractive, slightly dirty woman. And that’s not too scary is it, really? Or interesting, for that matter. Still, it was nice to have Scully, at least, made more human in this episode, as a little of her family life is revealed and she goes on a date. A little fleshing out of these characters proves a good thing, although Mulder remains as mysterious as the X-Files themselves.

Check out Matt's revisit to episode 4 here.