Oubliette
- Episode aired Nov 17, 1995
- TV-14
- 45m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
5.1K
YOUR RATING
A woman experiences a psychic connection with a teenager held captive by a deranged man.A woman experiences a psychic connection with a teenager held captive by a deranged man.A woman experiences a psychic connection with a teenager held captive by a deranged man.
David James Lewis
- Young Agent
- (as David Lewis)
Eryn Collins
- Young Lucy Householder
- (uncredited)
Alexa Mardon
- Sadie Jacobs
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
Oubliette follows the story of a girl who was abducted and a woman across town who collapsed and muttered the exact same words the abductor says at the exact time of the abduction. Mulder and Scully investigate this bizarre connection. A poignant line towards the beginning of the episode is when Mulder is talking to the mother of the abducted girl, Amy. Mulder says, "I know you must be feeling..." When the mother interrupts Mulder and exclaims, "I'm sorry
but how could you really know how I feel?" Mulder says nothing in reply. It's powerful because Mulder does know the feeling of having someone close to him abducted. Mulder separates the events of his sister's abduction from this case and manages to make a connection with Lucy, the woman who has the bizarre connection to Amy. However, when the police and Scully suspect that Lucy was involved in the abduction, Scully accuses Mulder of allowing his sister's abduction to cloud his judgement. Mulder responds by telling Scully, "And not everything I do, say, think, and feel goes back to my sister." And this is what made this episode special to me, Mulder's emotional connection to Lucy. He truly wanted to help Amy AND Lucy to "escape". Scully finally realizes this at the end. "Mulder, whatever there was between them, you were part of that connection." David Duchovny gives a great performance that you shouldn't miss.
I was so proud of myself when I saw the title of this episode and said, "I know what that word means!" I wanted to write a review to tell you guys because I find it so ironic that the episode is called this, but the word is never even mentioned nor explained. But it completely fits the episode!
"Oubliette" is French for 'dungeon' and can also be connected to another French word, "Oublier," which means 'forget.' In other words...forgotten dungeon. An Oubliette was a Medieval torture chamber in which prisoners were thrown into a room below the floor. This room had no windows and the only way out was by a door high in the ceiling, the very door in which they were cast into. The prisoners in there were then intentionally forgotten about and many of them died from starvation or from going mad.
I love that the writers did their research and I absolutely LOVE this episode! A wonderful Mulder-centered episode and if that wasn't enough, it is also beautifully written.
(PS: I'm sorry if I got some of the French definitions wrong. I don't speak French, but I know all of that through research)
"Oubliette" is French for 'dungeon' and can also be connected to another French word, "Oublier," which means 'forget.' In other words...forgotten dungeon. An Oubliette was a Medieval torture chamber in which prisoners were thrown into a room below the floor. This room had no windows and the only way out was by a door high in the ceiling, the very door in which they were cast into. The prisoners in there were then intentionally forgotten about and many of them died from starvation or from going mad.
I love that the writers did their research and I absolutely LOVE this episode! A wonderful Mulder-centered episode and if that wasn't enough, it is also beautifully written.
(PS: I'm sorry if I got some of the French definitions wrong. I don't speak French, but I know all of that through research)
I recently bought Season 3 on DVD and am currently working my way through the episodes, enjoying every minute so far. However, none of them has affected me as much as this one. Whether it's because the subject matter of child abduction is made all the more poignant due to recent news items, I'm not sure, but I think part of it is down to the connection between Mulder's character and his own personal experience with the disappearance of his sister. David Duchovny gives a very good performance here, and his character's sympathetic approach to handling the troubled soul of Lucy is at times very touching. The abductor Carl Wade is suitably creepy, and the scenes between him and Amy Jacobs are sometimes difficult to watch, but then, this is always likely when you're handling topics such as this.
For Firefly fans (such as me) there's the added bonus in that the present-day abductee is played by none other than a young Jewel Staite!
For Firefly fans (such as me) there's the added bonus in that the present-day abductee is played by none other than a young Jewel Staite!
How on Earth can someone feel the exact feelings experienced by a kidnap victim?
This is very good, it's a chilling episode, it holds up well in this very strong third series. Nice to see the human side of Mulder, Scully is very matter of fact, he is showing a very nurturing side, great episode for Duchovny.
Scenes worthy of a great thriller/horror movie, this was a real change in direction for this series.
Michael Chieffo is very, very good as Cark Wade, menacing in a very human, disturbing way.
Very good, 8/10.
This is very good, it's a chilling episode, it holds up well in this very strong third series. Nice to see the human side of Mulder, Scully is very matter of fact, he is showing a very nurturing side, great episode for Duchovny.
Scenes worthy of a great thriller/horror movie, this was a real change in direction for this series.
Michael Chieffo is very, very good as Cark Wade, menacing in a very human, disturbing way.
Very good, 8/10.
Currently watching all x files episodes for the first time. This was the first episode that made me cry.
Great acting, especially the character Lucy. Don't understand why this episode dousnt have 9 stars.
Great acting, especially the character Lucy. Don't understand why this episode dousnt have 9 stars.
Did you know
- TriviaAn oubliette is a secret dungeon with access only through a trapdoor in its ceiling. The word is derived from the French word for forgetting.
- GoofsWhen the tow truck driver gives the location where he tried to help Carl Wade on the side of the road, Mulder identifies the position using Interstate 12 and Highway 903 on the map. However, Interstate 12 is not near the setting of the Seattle, Washington region. It is located entirely in South Louisiana.
- Quotes
Fox Mulder: [referring to Lucy's seizure and incoherent speech] Whether she knew it or not, she's was repeating the exact words spoken by Amy's abductor at the exact same time, twenty miles across town.
Dana Scully: That's spooky.
Fox Mulder: [with a wry smile] That's my name, isn't it?
- SoundtracksKyrie (Eleison)
Performed by Mr. Mister
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