"Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'"
Written by Darin Morgan
Directed by Rob Bowman


In which a popular author named Jose Chung, writing a book on a case of apparent alien abduction, tries to get the truth out of Scully...

Status Report - Memorable Quotes - Final Analysis





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Status Report

While the series would ultimately attempt self-parody on a regular basis, the most successful episodes of that kind were written by Darin Morgan. Indeed, as many fans would agree, efforts to replicate Darin Morgan’s style seldom worked; the results typically fell short in terms of humor or subtlety. Morgan also excelled at twisting the premise and elements of the series while also remaining within continuity or safely stepping out of it.

This episode is often regarded as the epitome of Morgan’s contribution to the series, on the same level as “Humbug”, despite the difference in tone and approach. “Humbug” was very much an episode in continuity, directly addressing a case in a manner that allowed for commentary on the main characters and the assumptions of the audience. This episode, however, amounts to the “X-Files” version of “Roshomon”. As a result, the case in question might as well have never happened; in fact, the episode is that much better when taken from that point of view.

The basic premise is a matter of debate, but based on the series mythology, one can come up with an interesting interpretation. At this point in the series, it was more or less established that the conspiracy was behind the majority of “alien abductions”, using this as a smokescreen to conduct experiments related to the various phases of the “super-soldier” program.

In later seasons, of course, it was revealed that there were three groups staging abductions: the conspiracy in the present, the conspiracy in the future (when controlled by Purity), and the so-called Rebels from the future. Taking this into account, it seems that the teens in this episode were about to be abducted by the conspiracy, when the Rebels came along and abducted both the teens and the military personnel working for the conspiracy!

When the teens returned, they were run through the same mind-scrubbing treatment shown in “Deep Throat”. Efforts were taken to convince any witnesses that they were mistaken about any alien involvement. When the military personnel were returned, they were questioned and subsequently eliminated.

Ultimately, all of that “reality” is meaningless; this is an episode that focuses on how the events are perceived through the filter of some truly disturbed individuals. Even Mulder and Scully are just left of center, because they are being characterized through the filter of the narrator, Jose Chung. The brilliance of the writing is such that Scully’s portrayal seems almost normal until enough scenes pile up to communicate that her words and actions in the basement office are all colored with Chung’s interpretation.

Beginning the episode with a teaser that seems to blend “Star Wars” with “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, there’s no doubt that this is a less-than-flattering look of the “abduction phenomenon”. Morgan points out something that Scully likely notes on a daily basis: much of the anecdotal evidence of alien abduction is so bizarre and self-contradictory that any attempt to make sense of it ultimately undermines any claim of validity. Ironically, it’s not the actual abduction that’s in question; rather, it’s everything artificially built around it.

Scully, through the filter of Chung’s self-important point of view, becomes a fawning admirer of his work, such as it is. Scully’s skepticism remains intact, if a bit more exasperated than typically depicted. It’s to Gillian’s credit that she can play Scully with such nuance that the character is only marginally different; this is definitively Scully, but not as the audience usually sees her.

Through her point of view, as expressed by Chung, Scully has little patience for Mulder and his instant subscription to theories of alien abduction. Indeed, any investigative prowess that Mulder would normally possess is wiped away, leaving only a crackpot with a litany of leading questions and an almost fetishistic reliance on hypnosis.

As depicted, Chrissy’s first hypnosis session is a combination of altered perception (the figures in the room becoming the aliens in her “memory”) and the product of Mulder’s suggested alien abduction. What makes this scene work so well is the unknown extent of outside influence; how much of reality has been co-opted by this combination of external information and suggestion? When Chrissy says that the aliens are “stealing her memories”, one begins to wonder if she’s describing the effect of the investigative process more than the actual abduction.

Before the episode can become too serious, the usual self-referential style returns to the fore. Detective Manners, a nice nod to Kim Manners and his notable use of colorful language, is a great example of a character that serves the plot while being little more than a caricature, twisted into a cardboard cutout. This is an example of how a person’s point of view can take a complex individual and reduce them to a stereotype.

Harold’s memory of the abduction is absolutely hilarious, from his vow to “protect” Chrissy to the smoking “alien”. The fact that he basically slept with Chrissy on their first date leads to Scully’s rather cynical view of the real story behind the “abduction”. Things get even worse when Roky gets involved, with his apparent encounter with Men in Black, both of which appear to be celebrities.

Imagine that the reality is quite simple: everyone notices when a person resembles a celebrity or famous figure, and especially in times of stress, that’s the easiest way to describe someone. If agents of the conspiracy were to warn Roky to remain silent, how else would they be remembered? Roky’s bizarre frame of reference turns them into Batmobile-driving menaces. The truly genius extension of this concept is the layering of perception: first Roky, then Mulder, then Scully, and finally Jose Chung. Who knows what Roky actually saw!

Mulder, of course, shifts in character depending on the point of view of whatever person’s testimony is being given. Take, for instance, Mulder’s reading of Roky’s story (in screenplay format!); even through Scully’s eyes, Mulder gives the words a certain dubious spin. And yet, in the same moment, Scully underscores how Mulder instantly tries to find something substantial in the madness. In part, of course, Mulder is right; in every self-delusion there is a seed of reality. But quite often, even in “normal” episodes, Scully must emphasize the scientific or “common sense” point of view.

When Chrissy is put under hypnosis again, it’s hard to know how the scene should be interpreted. Is this the real memory, or merely the next iteration of the self-censoring mechanism that Chrissy experiences? The episode suggests that this is closer to reality than “Lord Kinbote”, but that’s part of the fun. It’s impossible to know what is and is not real.

Enter Blaine, who takes Roky’s particular form of madness and takes it to the next level. If Roky is obsessed with justifying his own pseudo-religious notions, Blaine is clearly trapped in his own desire to escape the real world. It’s not at all wrong to say that Blaine is a take on some of the more extreme elements of the fandom, in the same fashion that certain scenes in “War of the Coprophages” tweaked the shipper faction.

Even through Blaine’s warped point of view, of course, there are familiar perceptions: the seeming lack of standard femininity in Scully’s work persona, Mulder’s supposed wooden expression. It’s through Blaine’s eyes and ears that the infamous “girly scream” is spawned. This, of course, leads to Scully’s own starring role in an alien autopsy video, hosted by none other than the Stupendous Yappi.

Hints of the truth come through in Scully’s description of the encounter with Air Force personnel. They seem eager to find the two abduction military men, if only to perform their own tests and evaluations before wiping out the evidence. Mulder’s evasions are practically textbook, and it’s interesting to see Scully’s perception of how easily the smokescreen of the conspiracy is unveiled.

Scully sees Mulder’s interview with Schaffer as “odd”, but it’s the closest thing to normal “X-Files” fare in the entire episode. Schaffer’s comments about the nature of reality and memory, especially in light of Chrissy’s multiple hypnosis sessions, are at the core of the episode’s theme. It’s all about how easily events become twisted within the filters of our own perception and then rendered unrecognizable by the additive interpretations of others. When everyone becomes a character in someone else’s mind, reduced to something very different from who and what they are, what is real?

Of course, as if to underscore the point of the scene, Mulder’s entire account is thrown into question when the owner of the diner (the name of which changes from story to story) recalls a very different version. By then, even the audience is pulled into the proceedings, as Mulder flashes his badge to the camera. On the one hand, it’s damned funny, and on the other, it’s a reminder that everything being seen is also passing through the viewer’s internal filter.

Soon enough, Mulder is remembering an encounter with Alex Trebek in Black, Scully is waking up with Mulder in her room, and the two military men who were supposedly abducted are found dead at the site of a plane crash. The only thing that everyone can agree on is that something happened. Everything else is up for grabs.

Chung’s description of his final encounter with Mulder is typically skewed, with Mulder sounding almost sincere in his desire to keep abductees and their peers from appearing insane. The episode ends with a litany of Chung’s observations about the various “characters” in his “non-fiction fictional account”. Scully comes across as the typical government employee, while Mulder is a “ticking timebomb of insanity”. But the finishing touch is that the names, of course, have been changed to protect the real agents!

Chung’s final observation, that everyone is ultimately alone in the universe, is interesting if only because this is the flaw of human perception. Indeed, the series mythology, at its heart, demonstrates that lack of communication and commonality within the human race is the most dangerous facet of modern existence. Transcending that isolation and finding a common level of understanding is the key to ending the threats caused by secrets and outright deception.

Darin Morgan always attempted to insert a message into his episodes, giving the hilarity and self-parody an intellectual edge that was generally lacking in the inferior copycat efforts of later seasons. “Humbug” was about the definition of normal. “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” was about hope and how ignorance truly is bliss. “War of the Coprophages” lacked any deep message, and as a result, it was the weakest of Morgan’s efforts. This episode is all about perception and the fleeting nature of memory, and how truth is a relative concept.

There is also the less obvious theme of the value in storytelling. Storytellers have become as manufactured, in many respects, as everything else in the modern culture. Chung puts it best when he describes the similarity between hypnosis and storytelling: the best of both involve pulling the audience into another frame of reference. The art of telling a story is somewhat diminished in these days of watered-down content; authors are now name brands, and the most popular shows recycle the same old clichés.

Morgan, however, was a master storyteller. It’s not just a question of pulling Mulder and Scully into an absurd situation. Too often, other writers on the series would make the mistake of interpreting Morgan’s popularity in that way. Morgan’s gift was understanding: he knew that the series was already absurd, from the point of view of the “real world”; the real trick was taking it one equal step further. This episode is a perfect example of that talent.


Memorable Quotes

SCULLY: “Well... just as long as you’re attempting to record the truth.”
JOSE CHUNG: “Oh, God, no! How can I possibly do that?”

JOSE CHUNG: “Do you prefer the term ‘abductee’ or ‘experiencer’?”
SCULLY: “Actually, I prefer neither, but my partner uses ‘abductee’.”
JOSE CHUNG: “My preference is for the other. ‘I’ve just had a little alien experience.’ As opposed to, ‘I’ve just been abducted’...”

MULDER: “You still going to hold the boy?”
MANNERS: “Oh, you bet your blankety-blank bleep I am!”

SMOKING ALIEN: “This is not happening...this is not happening...this is not happening...”
HAROLD: “Would you shut up already!”

MULDER: “So what if they had sex?”
SCULLY: “So we know that it wasn’t an alien who probed her!”

ROKY: “That was when I realized something was weird.”
SCULLY: “At which point?”

MIB #1: “Your scientists have yet to discover how neural networks create self-consciousness, let alone how the human brain processes two-dimensional images into the three-dimensional phenomenon known as perception. Yet you somehow brazenly declare ‘seeing is believing’?”

MULDER: “’...before I knew it, I was aboard the hover vessel and was not heading into outer space, but inner space, heading towards the Earth’s molten core. For that is the domain of the third alien, whose name, he soon told me...was Lord Kinbote...’”

JOSE CHUNG: “I don’t know what was more disturbing...his description of the inner core reincarnated souls sex orgy, or the fact that the whole thing is written in screenplay format.”

BLAINE: “One of them was disguised as a woman, but wasn’t pulling it off. Like, her hair was red, but it was a little too red, you know? And the other one...the tall, lanky one...his face was so blank and expressionless...he didn’t even seem human. I think he was a mandroid. The only time he reacted was when he saw the dead body.”
MULDER: “EEK!”

BLAINE: “You can’t suppress the truth! The people have a right to know! Roswell! Roswell!”

SCULLY: “This is so embarrassing...”

JOSE CHUNG: “Aren’t you nervous telling me all this after receiving all those death threats?”
BLAINE: “Well, I didn’t spend all those years playing Dungeons and Dragons and not learn a little something about courage.”

SCULLY: “That was Detective Manners. He said they just found your bleeping UFO...”

CHRISSY: “Love! Is that all you men think about?”


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is another masterpiece by Darin Morgan. Riffing on the idea of the fluid nature of memory and perception, Morgan takes on the concept of alien abduction and its place in popular culture. This is an episode of many layers, each more bizarre than the next, until Men in Black that look like Alex Trebek are perfectly normal. One of the best, if most atypical, episodes of the series.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 4/4

Final Rating: 10/10




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