... along with "Home" from Season 4, and I guess that's strange because it does nothing to advance any of the story arcs on X-Files, it is just a very smartly done episode.
In this episode Scully and Mulder run across Clyde Bruckman (Peter Boyle) who can see how everyone dies, but can't seem to do anything about it. He has no where and when and how details that will stop things. Even Mulder mentions that Bruckman's gift is a rather useless one when he and Scully are alone.
One particular poignant moment is when Scully is alone with Bruckman and he tells her of one premonition that involve the two of them. He says the two are in bed together and she is gently wiping a tear from his eye. Scully smiles, and tries to diplomatically tell him that's just not going to happen. But you know it does happen, but not the way that you think and not the way that Scully thinks. Check it out, I think you'll like this standalone episode of X-Files. When the X-Files came up with inventive episodes, nobody could beat them.
Just a note, and maybe somebody else mentioned it - Clyde Bruckman was an actual person. In his prime he was a writer for Buster Keaton and spent many a night making hamburgers in Keaton's mansion in the 20's coming up with ideas for his films when Keaton was still an independent artist. After Keaton went to MGM, Bruckman wrote for Harold Lloyd and then other comedy teams including the Three Stooges. Problem is, Bruckman's ideas began to dry up and he began to recycle material. No problem until he recycled Lloyd's material who sued Bruckman and his studio ... every...single...time. The end result? In 1955 Bruckman had a bad rep in Hollywood for being a lawsuit magnet, he was 60 years old, and nobody would hire him. He borrowed his old friend Buster Keaton's gun saying he was going on a hunting trip to Montana, went to his favorite restaurant down the street, ate his last meal for which he could not pay - he was that broke, and shot himself in the men's room, leaving a note apologizing for the mess. So to me, just say the name "Clyde Bruckman" in an episode title and I know you are not going to have a happy ending.
In this episode Scully and Mulder run across Clyde Bruckman (Peter Boyle) who can see how everyone dies, but can't seem to do anything about it. He has no where and when and how details that will stop things. Even Mulder mentions that Bruckman's gift is a rather useless one when he and Scully are alone.
One particular poignant moment is when Scully is alone with Bruckman and he tells her of one premonition that involve the two of them. He says the two are in bed together and she is gently wiping a tear from his eye. Scully smiles, and tries to diplomatically tell him that's just not going to happen. But you know it does happen, but not the way that you think and not the way that Scully thinks. Check it out, I think you'll like this standalone episode of X-Files. When the X-Files came up with inventive episodes, nobody could beat them.
Just a note, and maybe somebody else mentioned it - Clyde Bruckman was an actual person. In his prime he was a writer for Buster Keaton and spent many a night making hamburgers in Keaton's mansion in the 20's coming up with ideas for his films when Keaton was still an independent artist. After Keaton went to MGM, Bruckman wrote for Harold Lloyd and then other comedy teams including the Three Stooges. Problem is, Bruckman's ideas began to dry up and he began to recycle material. No problem until he recycled Lloyd's material who sued Bruckman and his studio ... every...single...time. The end result? In 1955 Bruckman had a bad rep in Hollywood for being a lawsuit magnet, he was 60 years old, and nobody would hire him. He borrowed his old friend Buster Keaton's gun saying he was going on a hunting trip to Montana, went to his favorite restaurant down the street, ate his last meal for which he could not pay - he was that broke, and shot himself in the men's room, leaving a note apologizing for the mess. So to me, just say the name "Clyde Bruckman" in an episode title and I know you are not going to have a happy ending.