The X-Files Season 1, Episode 13: Beyond The Sea

While there have been other episodes I've thought were good, this is the first one I consider truly great.

When Scully's father appeared in the chair at night, I knew something was wrong, and it kind of surprised me that they'd kill off her father so early in the series. I didn't find his death as affecting as I've found others on TV because I never got a chance to know the character. But this was all about Dana Scully, anyway, not her father.



I enjoyed the character development in this one, and the hint that Scully may be starting to open her mind to extreme possibilities. But in this case, she's right at the end - the extreme possibilities don't matter, and it doesn't matter whether or not Boggs was psychic. Her father loved her and was proud of her, and that's all she needs to move on.

The subtlety with which Gillian Anderson acts in this episode is incredible, especially in contrast with the one scene where Scully loses control and screams at and threatens Boggs. We've never seen her like that before, as most of the emotion she's shown up to this point in the series is exasperation with Mulder and his willingness to believe anything. But here we get her grief over her father and her attempts at stoicism, until one sudden outburst that reveals a more passionate side to her than we'd previously seen.

And while we're on the subject of acting, let's talk about Boggs. And Brad Dourif. Because seriously, that guy can act. Boggs was so unsettling, and whether or not he actually knew what was happening outside the prison walls, he certainly gave that impression, meaning he was an incredible actor, as well. He knew exactly what to say (and how to say it) that would both upset and intrigue Scully at the same time. He wanted her to lose control. Like Mulder said, he killed because he liked it, so it's not a stretch to think he liked mind games, too.

But I think Mulder did believe Boggs, and he lied about it both to protect Scully and because in the end, he basically didn't care. He felt Boggs deserved his punishment, and wasn't prepared to do something that might prevent justice from being done. Overzealous, to be sure, but then, he is an FBI agent.

I don't know what the rest of the series holds, but I wouldn't be surprised if this remains one of my favourite episodes even after I'm done with all 202 episodes and both feature films.