The X-Files is my favorite show of all-time. It never fails to draw me in through the combination of nostalgia and overall quality. I consider this Sixth Season to be the apex of the entire show, and I'm also an enormous baseball fan. All of those factors converge into an utterly perfect 42 minutes of television drama.
For a very basic overview, "The Unnatural" tells the story--through flashbacks told to Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) by former FBI agent Arthur Dales (M. Emmet Walsh)--of Josh Exley (Jesse L. Martin), a pre-integration black baseball player whose origins may not be from this particular sphere.
The key to the greatness of this entire episode might be the tag "written & directed by David Duchovny". At the time, he was "just" Mulder--only the most iconic character on weekly network TV. But since X-Files, Duchovny has proven himself a remarkable comic, author, and even musician. A man absolutely brimming with creative talents, and they all show here. The way he is able to weave traditional X-Files elements in with baseball themes is remarkable.
Even if you don't consider yourself an X-Files fan, this episode can still be enjoyed if you have a heart for the national pastime whatsoever. In other words, it is very much a stand-alone hour. Sure, nuanced fans can and will appreciate an appearance from the alien bounty hunter (Brian Thompson) and some of the extraterrestrial stuff, but baseball fans will easily be drawn in by Duchovny's--and show creator Chris Carter's--obvious love for the sport.
If all the above isn't enough, the final scene of the episode is as perfect a moment as anything I've ever seen reflected out from a television screen. As Mulder & Scully (Gillian Anderson) take some batting practice, quite literally everything that made the show such a rousing success is showcased: Mulder's witty banter, a hint of the supernatural, and even the subtlest of romantic overtures. Simply perfection.
This is an episode I watch every year before the start of the baseball season. Each viewing I pick up something new and marvel at the elements that make this installment stand out about the rest even within a show that usually utilizes much darker alien, UFO, or conspiracy fare.
For a very basic overview, "The Unnatural" tells the story--through flashbacks told to Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) by former FBI agent Arthur Dales (M. Emmet Walsh)--of Josh Exley (Jesse L. Martin), a pre-integration black baseball player whose origins may not be from this particular sphere.
The key to the greatness of this entire episode might be the tag "written & directed by David Duchovny". At the time, he was "just" Mulder--only the most iconic character on weekly network TV. But since X-Files, Duchovny has proven himself a remarkable comic, author, and even musician. A man absolutely brimming with creative talents, and they all show here. The way he is able to weave traditional X-Files elements in with baseball themes is remarkable.
Even if you don't consider yourself an X-Files fan, this episode can still be enjoyed if you have a heart for the national pastime whatsoever. In other words, it is very much a stand-alone hour. Sure, nuanced fans can and will appreciate an appearance from the alien bounty hunter (Brian Thompson) and some of the extraterrestrial stuff, but baseball fans will easily be drawn in by Duchovny's--and show creator Chris Carter's--obvious love for the sport.
If all the above isn't enough, the final scene of the episode is as perfect a moment as anything I've ever seen reflected out from a television screen. As Mulder & Scully (Gillian Anderson) take some batting practice, quite literally everything that made the show such a rousing success is showcased: Mulder's witty banter, a hint of the supernatural, and even the subtlest of romantic overtures. Simply perfection.
This is an episode I watch every year before the start of the baseball season. Each viewing I pick up something new and marvel at the elements that make this installment stand out about the rest even within a show that usually utilizes much darker alien, UFO, or conspiracy fare.