Ice

This is one of the best episodes from the entire X-Files series, creepy beyond words. The tension and suspense in this episode is very well executed, in its entire 45 minutes it managed to be almost as scary as an entire movie. This episode joins the ranks of best episodes with such greats as "Home", "Humbug" "Bad Blood" and "Milagro" for being the best in their respective season.

Mulder and Scully's growing relationship is put to the test in this episode: Can they really trust each other? This episode also contains a tiny scene that will leave romantic viewers smiling.

Mulder: "Bring your mittens"

This episode is another of my honorable mentions, it's pretty much "The X-Files" doing "The Thing" which is cool since that's one of my favorate films of all time and it's obvious that Chris Carter is a fan of that film so this is kinda his homage to that film.

I really like the use of the bunker, you really feel the small space and you even feel the old from both inside and out. Even love that red lighting in places, which reminds me of the Argento films, in a way it ads to the fear as it reflects the heat (or cold) tenchion and paranoia building up by the minute.

There is just a palpable feeling of isolation and paranoia thoughout this episode as we are just in constant suspense from the fact that there is some viral strain of unknown origin loose in the bunker which means anyone can get it and be a carrier. And to make matters worse even if your not a carrier you can't really run away because the bunker is located in the middle of the artic, with sub zero tempitures on all sides; so yeah Mulder and Skully are trapped in a deathtrap.

I really love the psychological aspect of this episode as we see each of the characters are just loosing it, mainly Mulder and Skully which is surreal as both are usually people that keep their cool. Mulder we see already is heated up with tencion as he smells already something rotten is going on in Denmark. Skully despite keeping her usual cool icy demineor we see is cracking a little herself. Thoughout the ordeal she is struggling to keep things and herself together which is about as hard as trying to keep chunks of ice drifting away from each other.

I also really like the who dunnit aspect as throughout the episode we are never really sure who is really infected, whether it be one or all. Throughout it I was just constantly guessing, as there is no real way to deduce who it could be which just turns up the degrees of danger to a record high.

In the words of John Carpenter "Man is the warmest place to hide."

Rating: 4 stars

"Ice" was an episode that aired way back when The X-Files was still a fledgling series, and perhaps more so than any other episode at that time, proved what a powerhouse of actors and writers 1013 had in their arsenal. After a rather average stretch of standalones, "Ice" delves into the paranoia and un-solidified trust between Mulder and Scully. Paranoia had always been a driving force behind the scripts of early episodes, but not until this one did it really hit home run. In a script that puts Mulder and Scully at each other's gunpoint, the intensity of its scenes are thicker than the crystalline phase of water it's named after.

Morgan and Wong's premise is straightforward: a research team in Alaska is found dead, ostensibly having done each other in, and the FBI is called in to investigate, with the assistance of a doctor, toxicologist, professor and pilot. When a vicious dog attacks the pilot (Jeff Kober, who I always forget isn't actually Steven Tyler), and causes him to behave in a quarrelsome manner, it's clear that something out of the ordinary is going on.

Although the basic plot of "Ice" is not far removed from John Carpenter's classic horror film "The Thing," the addition of Mulder and Scully and the first real test of their partnership make for some memorable moments. The real crux of the dilemma is that everyone is a potential candidate for infection (of an acetylcholine-hungry arctic worm that coincidentally bears similar qualities to the black oil from later seasons). Scully's barely masked horror and Mulder's instinctive inclinations do not keep them from being potential suspects; they realize this. Ironically it is the team of Hodge (Xander Berkeley of 24) and Da Silva (Felicity Huffman of Desperate Housewives and Transamerica) who falter in their unquestioning trust.

Perhaps even more so than the web of mythology arcs that dominated the show's later years, "Ice" is really what the heart of The X-Files is all about. Trust, vulnerability, friction, the fear of the outsider on the inside. This script would serve as an archetype for a countless number of subsequent episodes ("Darkness Falls," "Firewalker," "Dod Kalm," "Agua Mala" and so on and so forth). All of those varied in quality, but it can be confidently stated that none matched the cutting intensity of this seminal predecessor. This is widely regarded as one of the series's finest hours, and with a plot that still provides chills (pardon the pun) some seventeen years later, it's not hard to comprehend why. 10 out of 10.

This was truly a tense and dark episode. Excellently executed, wonderful acting and atmospheric directing, 'Ice' is one of my favorite episodes. Along with 'Pusher' 'Grotesque' 'Wetwired' and 'Home' (these are quite good in dark atmosphere in my case) It seem quite realistic to me, their paranoia, their suspicion and their ever growing rage was perfectly executed by the great actors. However, 'Ice' had a problem that I got over after a few watches: IT WAS TOO SHORT! I WANTED MORE!

Overall, 'ice' had what 98% of all X Files episodes have: Excellent acting, Intense story-writing, gritty directing. All the works.

10 out of 10

Wow! It's hard to put into words my feelings for this episode. Ice is one of the best episodes of season one for sure. It's my favorite of the season. Six people and a dog in a claustrophobic structure isolated in the middle of the arctic with an unknown organism that causes murderous aggression, the drama can't get any better than that. Paranoia reigns supreme as even Mulder and Scully have doubts about each other's sanity. I've heard people complain about this episode's similarities to the movie 'The Thing'. I haven't seen it, so I wouldn't know. Ice is more than worth watching just to see Mulder and Scully truly testing their still developing trust of one another. This episode is intense and suspenseful to the end. You won't be disappointed!