Beyond the Sea

'Beyond the Sea' is the first time where Mulder and Scully reverse their roles as believer and skeptic. But the most amazing part is the role of Brad Dourif as serial killer Luther Boggs - deep, emotional and intense. Played with nuance and bravura and without feeling one bit hammy. Probably one of the best performances great Brad Dourif has ever given. We also see other side of agent Dana Scully whose father died at the beginning of the episode. Her inner fighting and on the edge of falling apart under the pressure of psychopath Boggs who claims to own psychic powers. Tense psychological play between the two characters reminds little bit Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter in 'The Silence of the Lambs'. The intensity is there in both occasions. One of the best episodes and definitely the most haunting one from the season one.

Little bit of trivia - there is a cap of NICAP in the Mulder's office.

I become an X-files fan after the show had been on awhile. So just now, I'm starting over.

The episodes go by: okay, so-so, good, okay, okay, pretty good... and then WHAM! comes this episode, as if from another series.

Knowing what an amazing actress Gillian Anderson is, I'd noted how subdued she's been, not really given the opportunity to do much. But come this episode, amigo, there it is. I don't know whether it was the material, or whether it was partly Brad Dourif's stand-out performance challenging her to come up a notch (as David Duchovny's anemic metro-sexual character couldn't), but wow.

I'll leave it at "wow." That says it. That Gillian Anderson hasn't gone on to take her place by Meryl Streep remains a mystery to me.

Wow! I cant put into words my feelings towards this amazing episode. When i first watched this i had just recently lost a loved one and upon watching this it touched me so deeply. Brad Dourif's performance is at the heart of this episode, it is awe-inspiring. He is such an underrated actor. I don't believe in "channeling" but he certainly made it look real! As a Scully centered episode it serves to showcase Gillian Anderson's talent. She amazed me in this, the emotion she portrays is so real you can almost grasp it. Glenn Morgan and James Wong wrote another masterpiece here.

It is easily the best episode of season one. Heck! One of the best episodes in the entire series run.

Scully: Im afraid to believe...

James Wong and Glen Morgan wrote some brilliant episodes for "The X-Files", but mostly just straightforward standalone thrillers. "Beyond the Sea" differs in that it is really where Scully's character comes to the forefront and where Gillian Anderson first gets a real chance to shine. It's a wonderful, intelligent, wistful, dramatic, thrilling 45 minutes of television that holds a rare degree of power and resonance.

The complexity and depth of characterization here is especially impressive, as Scully is dealing with her father's death and questioning her skeptical ways as she is confronted with an emotional connection through supposed psychic Luther Lee Boggs, played brilliantly by Brad Dourif. The questions of faith, of life and death, of moral consequences raised by this episode are legitimate and display a surprising amount of depth for a first season episode.

Thank heavens David Nutter got the directing job here. His visuals are excellent as usual and I'm sure he had something to do with Dourif's spectacular performance. What a classic episode, one I never tire of watching, and one that grows in my estimation just about every time I see it. "Ice" may have been a taut thriller of an episode, but this is the first sign of brilliance on "The X-Files".

10/10

The pair are called in to help with two missing students, Mulder believes a Serial killer is to blame. Scully had to deal with a personal tragedy.

This is a terrific episode, no wonder it's so highly rated, and such a fan favourite. This first series has given us multiple styles, even genres. This fits into the psychological thriller bracket.

Very much a Scully central episode, she had a big story here, she's forced to admit to things against the backdrop of her father's death. Anderson is terrific.

Brad Dourif is sensational as Luther Lee Boggs, he is truly brilliant here.

It's great, 9/10.