UNCUT - The X-Files S2E11 - Excelsis Dei

Oh yes, Alex... I've seen you sleep plenty. This episode isn't very good, although it doesn't offend me. I love ending monologues, feels like trying to wrap up a case file & receiving tidbits on the state of the narrator's thoughts and feelings about what they went through, if it's Scully or Mulder. Professional. Expansive of the universe of X-files. But really just preference at the end of the day.

Hey Josh, would you consider adding X-Files Journey Numbers to your reactions? It doesn’t much matter now, but, if you guys are planning to watch the two spin-off shows, plus movies, it might make sense to start numbering these…. could call them “investigations” or "case numbers" instead of “journeys” or something. For example, this one would be Investigation #35 or Case #35.

Teryl Rothery gives a great performance in this (She's great in another show). But it's not a great episode.

So, regarding the deep, heavy subject matters (like rape or Alzheimer's) and taking that seriously / giving it its proper weight, you guys aren't the first to have those feelings, so this isn't directed specifically at you, it's just... it's been my observation over the years that nobody ever seems to feel the need to say that when it's about a murder, or even someone getting maimed, and yet you'd think those would also qualify, but somehow they never get taken that seriously, at least by comparison, by critics or audience members. When I stop and think about it, there is something odd about that IMO. This isn't exactly the same thing, but it partially reminds me of how on cable TV they won't show naked boobs, and they won't have people dropping F bombs, yet the Walking Dead and other shows can simultaneously show very R-rated levels of violence and gore. Just one of those things that never really made full sense to me.

Yeah this one is....weird. It's not as boring as a couple others so far, but it's a mess of an episode with a bunch of questionable writing choices. Mulder so casually dismissing the rape as made up never sat right. If he had said they had nothing more to go on, fair enough, but that seemed pretty callous given the injuries she suffered. I did laugh though at the end when the room is filling with water and Mulder just kept saying "just hold on", because I kept imagining him following that up with "there's only 2 minutes of runtime left". Very checked out acting. Being familiar with Teryl Rothery from her other work, she's the one bright spot in the episode for me, but the ep is still pretty bad.

Also, imagine if you could help fight dementia.

Among many other things, old folk can be scary.

I liked this, always stuck with me. If it makes you uneasy, well that can be the X Files

The episode i'm waiting is #13.

yeah this one feels like it was done in a pinch - thrown together in one night. they just mashed a bunch of ideas together to fill up time and barfed something out on the page so they could shoot it. might be a good episode in here somewhere in more capable hands.

I don't have anything to add about the quality of the episode that hasn't already been said by you or everyone else, so I'll comment on the "stock score" by Mark Snow - the entire music track isn't stock, but he definitely makes extensive use of short stock samples that have probably been used by other Hollywood composers for other TV series including the one you mentioned, so the riffs rightly seem familiar. He also tends to use a wide variety of short snippets from various orchestral/classical works, which as a classical music nerd I've kept an extensive spreadsheet of, trying to keep track of what pieces he sneaks into what episodes (Bach, Stravinsky, Rimsky Korsakov etc) but you've heard the music from THIS episode before, because it was recycled extensively from previous episodes of this series, specifically Season 1's Shadows, the OTHER ghost episode! (I will confess a guilty pleasure in revisiting Born Again, but I know that's not an objective take, just a personal one)

Mulder says to guy hanging on ledge. Come on Lazy bones i am not reaching another 6 inches to grab your hand and stopping you from falling, you grab my hand!

The kind of movie you're describing at the end, in my mind, would fall in the category of Ed Wood films - not intending to make a bad film, but they are ... and so bad, they are hysterical.

I think mulder wasn’t denying she was raped he was saying that ghost rapes are hard to prove

this one was a bit all over the place

The scene with all the ghosts surrounding Scully is creepy.

Apparently the DVD I ripped from was scratched on this episode. Reading the comments, I'm not even upset

From imdb, I think this might explain it: "Paul Brown's script came in two days before filming was due to start and was found to be too ambitious and too unwieldy. Chris Carter set about rewriting it and continued doing so while filming took place." <--it shows

With all of the negative feedback, I actually liked this episode, it had a similar style as an Outer Limits episode. I also found this episode more memorable because the actress who played the nurse who was raped also played Dr. Fraser in Stargate SG-1.

I do agree that overall it's a mess, but I can still appreciate it much more than some other episodes. Either way, you guys make several great points that I haven't thought about before. Now, in terms of what really went on in that place, unfortunately it leaves us not knowing 100%. Sometimes that lack of resolution can be a good thing, whereas here it is counterproductive. My guess is that the residents taking Gung's mushroom pills somehow made them acquire several abilities, and part of that could have been something like a side effect, allowing spirits to awaken, so to speak. The end of the episode with Scully talking is just showing us a part of her logs for this specific X-File. After all, that's part of her assignment since joining Mulder. I guess a case could be made that not every single episode should have a monologue at the end, but as long as it's executed well I see no issue. Sometimes it adds a bit of depth to the story, and sometimes it might seem unnecessary. I didn't have a problem with it here. And the episode title ("Excelsis Dei") is the name of the nursing home. Definitely not one of my favorites, but definitely also not bad. Great reaction / analysis either way. Enjoyed it very much. :)

Nobody I know wants to go in a nursing home. My dad didn‘t want to either. But when I had to make the descition he did‘t even realize it. Sad but true you also may not be able to decide for yourself, Alex.

Rancid episode imo, the only X-Files ep so far I genuinely hate!

I think you both cover the feelings I have towards this episode, now. There's lots, idea wise, to like, with some good scenes, but the execution, overall, is not great. It's been a few years since I've watched this and before we went into this time round I was expecting to enjoy it more than I did. Odd episode.

Would have made the episode worse if you watched it on your birthday

Also, I understand the importance of the message. My family and I took care of my grandmother for 6 years at home when she got dementia, because we would not put her in those death-trap facilities. However, I never saw X-Files at a "message show", and just a personal preference, but I kinda don't want it to be one. Not everything needs a lesson or moral. It doesn't work in The X-Files. Just my 2 cents.

I can't say I was too "GUNG-ho" about this episode. It was a snoozefest, and oh my god...talk about the entire cast sleepwalking through it as well. I really don't have much to say other than that it was boring, the plot was rediculously convoluted, and it's not one I would ever go back to short of reaction videos. PASS!

I think Mulder smoked a huge bowl before this investigation. The residents weren't the only ones high AF!

As a guy who's been accused of speaking in a monotone manner, let me just say on behalf of Mulder: do not mistake our monotone for apathy!

I'm setting Mulder's monotone "Come on, you gotta get up" as my alarm sound. Great motivation to face the work day.

PS you gotta love how ridiculously incompetent that Commedore was in the Deadly Years. Took him about 20 seconds to fly the Enterprise into a Romulan death trap over everyone's objections. A complete unforced error which would have gotten the Enterprise captured and everyone else killed... and why? To save a hour of travel time or something.

Good discussion about this weird icky episode. What the hell do you even do with this? It's not really a fun watch and I still don't know what the fuck happened or what this was about.

DEI? X-Files has gone woke...