Revelations (The X-Files)
It was written by Kim Newton and directed by David Nutter, and featured guest appearances by R. Lee Ermey, Kevin Zegers, Sam Bottoms, and Kenneth Welsh.
The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files.
When a boy shows signs of being a real stigmatic, Mulder and Scully attempt to protect him, fearing that he will be the latest victim.
A minister named Reverend Patrick Findley (R. Lee Ermey) in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania fakes stigmatic injuries to his hands during a sermon.
Afterwards, Reverend Findley is visited by a white-haired man named Simon Gates, who strangles him—his hands smoking while he does so.
Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate the case.
Meanwhile, at an elementary school in Loveland, Ohio, a boy, Kevin Kryder starts bleeding from the palms of his hands.
Kevin's mother recognizes the man's description as that of Owen Jarvis (Michael Berryman), who had done yard work for the family in the past.
The priest advises her "Sometimes we must come full circle to find the truth" (unconsciously echoing the recycling symbol Scully has seen several times earlier in the episode) and ask her if she is starting to doubt her own judgment.
[3] Nutter decided that, after the episode, he wished to pursue different things and that the series was in excellent hands with fellow directors Rob Bowman and Kim Manners.
[4] Actor Kenneth Welsh, who appears in the episode as the demonic Simon Gates, had previously portrayed a chief antagonist in the critically acclaimed 1990 serial drama Twin Peaks, alongside Duchovny.
[5] The episode contains a role reversal with Dana Scully the believer and Fox Mulder the skeptic, which David Duchovny called "a refreshing change of pace.
These changes required actor Kevin Zegers to fly back to Vancouver and film reshoots and additional scenes.
[2] A scene with Kevin's father speaking in tongues, quoting the famous "Klaatu barada nikto" line from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), was cut in the final edit of the episode.
"[10] However, Handlen was critical of some of the religious aspects of the episode, noting that "If there's a Christian God in the X-Files universe, doesn't that trump just about everything else that Mulder and Scully have spent their time on? ...
The spiritual war at the foundation of the series mythology is reflected in a situation that speaks directly to Scully and her upbringing, and though some of the religious metaphors are heavy-handed, it works well enough.
[12] Paula Vitaris from Cinefantastique gave the episode a moderately positive review and awarded it two-and-a-half stars out of four.
[13] She noted that "Scully's search to reconcile her religious beliefs and her scientific training makes for powerful drama, and Gillian Anderson is up to the challenge.
