Ice

A true stand out episode from season 1 is what Ice is.An artic location,claustrophobic conditions and a general feel of paranoia looming in the freezing air makes this is a must see episode from season one.The previous occupants of the artic station Mulder,Scully and four others go to have either killed each other or killed themselves.A virus is bringing out murderous aggression and is responsible for bringing out deadly paranoia and fear.Mulder and Scully actually begin to question each others sanity.Tension is that high.The writers have to receive great credit for creating that sort of scenario where the atmosphere is so tense Mulder and Scully come into conflict in such a direct manner

"Ice" is Glen Morgan and James Wong's take on "The Thing", and is a wonderfully executed homage (right down to the production of and sets in the episode and the cinematography, there are several shout-outs to John Carpenter's 1982 classic). It never feels too dependent on the well-known story, however, thanks to a unique X-Files spin on the situation through Mulder and Scully.

As is always expected there are a couple of hilarious lines ("Before anyone passes judgment, may I remind you, we are in the Arctic."), and the supporting characters are excellent here (as is the cast, featuring the guy who played Bania on "Seinfeld" and Felicity Huffman). "Ice" is one of few season one episodes which looks just as good as later episodes on the show. The photography is quite sophisticated (although nowhere near what Bartley would accomplish with, say, season 3's "Grotesque"), and the direction from relatively frequent X-Files director David Nutter is excellent, keeping the atmosphere as claustrophobic as possible. In addition, Mark Snow's score here is better than anything he had done previously on the show, and the special effects work is excellent.

Although "Squeeze" is excellent, "Ice" was the show's first great episode, an all-around triumph of mood and atmosphere, and with a fine script by X-Files regulars James Wong and Glen Morgan.

9/10

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!

A team varied between Scully and Mulder, two other scientists, a pilot, and the guy who plays Bana on Seinfeld, go up to an Arctic research post where all members have died off by either killing each other or killing themselves. They discover there's a worm- a virus- that is parasitic to the point of madness and death. The problem is, after a certain dog lashes out, anyone could be infected, but who? This is not just my favorite episode of season 1, but also one of my favorites from the show. The Arctic environment encloses the characters and, of course like Carpenter's the Thing, it's a lot of fun watching these even-tempered characters suddenly start to flip out in dramatic scenes. And the visual effects of the worm and its effects under the skin are cheesy, I didn't mind them at all. The drama between the characters ends up working more than it would usually because of the tension and because all of the actors (including the Bana guy) understand what's going on in the story. And, as usual, I loved the ambiguity of the ending. Highly recommended.

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"