Episode #002
Deep Throat

Reviewed:
22nd November, 2005

5-Point Plot:

• A military test-pilot, Budahas, experienced an unexplained psychotic episode and was taken away for treatment by the military but has not been heard of for four months since, prompting his wife to file a kidnapping report to the FBI.

• After being warned to stay away for the airbase by an unnamed source, the agents stakeout the perimeter of the air base and witness unexplained lights in the sky appearing to be aircraft.

• Mulder informs Scully that Ellen’s airbase is apparently a site to which pieces from the UFO crash at Roswell were taken. He surmises that the military is testing new planes using that UFO technology.

• Budahas mysteriously arrives back at his home but has apparently been brainwashed with parts of his memory missing.

• Mulder returns to the airbase once again, witnesses more UFO activity but is then apprehended by base security. After Scully gets Mulder released, it is clear that Mulder's memory has also been erased. After returning back to Washington, Mulder is approached by the source again and warned that his life is now in danger.

Opinion:
Apart from the fact that pretty much nothing happened, this episode is still pretty nice. It’s a messy finish with Mulder’s memory getting conveniently erased, but there is a certain mood created by this episode which lets us look past this bodgy ending. It's an exciting episode. After seeing the light of a ship in the pilot, we now get to see some of the crafts in action. Twelve years on, and these shots still hold up well, probably because it is so dark. The paranoid conspiracy feeling of the series is established very well in this episode, where we get the feeling that it's Mulder and Scully versus the world.
Something which annoyed me were two separate moments in the scene where Scully is sleeping in the car while Mulder waits to see if he will see any activity. First the windscreen smashes, but the next time we see the car, it's fixed, yet it's only a couple of hours later. Did they find a 24-hour windscreen repairman? Also, Mulder comes flying down the hill to tell Scully to "come quick!", but when he gets her to the hill he tells her he's been watching the lights for the past half hour. Why the sudden urgency?
A young Seth Green makes a nice appearance as the UFO-watching stoner and boosts the guest star rating for sure with a seamless supporting performance. While not an awesome episode, it’s not bad, and if I was back in September ’93, I’d be tuning in again next week.

Oops:
When Mulder and Scully are driven off the road by the Men In Black, you can CLEARLY see that there are stunt doubles in the car.

Ratings: