The black and white treatment given this episode of the X-Files was just perfect, seeing as how it was an homage to one of the great horror films of all time, 1931's "Frankenstein". There are even scenes that appear to be lifted from that Boris Karloff classic, like when the villagers storm the elder Pollidori (Lloyd Berry) farm and inadvertently torch the barn. And given the subject matter of a severely deformed human, the story brought to mind the 1932 film "Freaks", with a newspaper reporter character (Dana Grahame) who reminded me of the Bird Girl from that early picture. If you're not up on your classic horror, both films are recommended.
But it's not all about misshapen creatures and horror elements. The writers put a clever spin on the story with it's treatment of the Mutato (Chris Owens) character, who lives a hidden life on the Pollidori farm after he was rejected by the man who 'created' him. What might have been a tragic ending is redeemed by the sympathetic treatment given the boy who admires the singer Cher and her movie "Mask" which carries a similar theme. The way things all come together at the end makes for a heartwarming story about those who are different from the rest of us, inspiring in it's vision of treating all God's creatures as unique and worthy of life.
What the episode never answers however are the mysterious pregnancies that are revealed over the course of the story. One would be hard pressed to make the case that it was Mutato responsible, and pointing the finger at Dr. Pollidori (John O'Hurley) would be a considerable stretch. The founder of the homeotic gene didn't want a baby himself as opposed to a much desired Nobel Prize, so we're left with one of the few stories the X-Files gives us that ends with a real question mark. Along with Scully and Mulder in that cozy clench at the very end of the episode.
But it's not all about misshapen creatures and horror elements. The writers put a clever spin on the story with it's treatment of the Mutato (Chris Owens) character, who lives a hidden life on the Pollidori farm after he was rejected by the man who 'created' him. What might have been a tragic ending is redeemed by the sympathetic treatment given the boy who admires the singer Cher and her movie "Mask" which carries a similar theme. The way things all come together at the end makes for a heartwarming story about those who are different from the rest of us, inspiring in it's vision of treating all God's creatures as unique and worthy of life.
What the episode never answers however are the mysterious pregnancies that are revealed over the course of the story. One would be hard pressed to make the case that it was Mutato responsible, and pointing the finger at Dr. Pollidori (John O'Hurley) would be a considerable stretch. The founder of the homeotic gene didn't want a baby himself as opposed to a much desired Nobel Prize, so we're left with one of the few stories the X-Files gives us that ends with a real question mark. Along with Scully and Mulder in that cozy clench at the very end of the episode.