Squeeze

Squeeze marks the inauguration of the traditional "standalone" or "Monster of the Week" episode format, which complemented the mythology storyline. It is also the first episode written by Glen Morgan and James Wong (the writer/director of Final Destination), who began their tenure on the show with one the most memorable and scariest stories ever conceived for the series.

It all starts as a regular murder case, the twist being that all the victims were killed in closed spaces, with the doors and windows locked from the inside. Because of this, Mulder and Svully are brought in, and Mulder immediately notices similarities between this recent string of murders and other cases that date as far as a hundred years before. This would imply three things: prime suspect Eugene Victor Tooms (Doug Hutchison) is over a century old; he can squeeze into the tightest spaces; and he harvests human livers. Of course, this being The X-Files, the most far-fetched theory is more often than not spot-on.

More than the previous two episodes, Squeeze really allows the writers to pinpoint the sharp contrast between Scully's pragmatic rationalism and Mulder's enthusiastic belief in the supernatural, with half of the running time devoted to the duo comparing their ideas in a very witty way. The other half is where the scarier aspect kicks in, thanks to careful work on the general atmosphere of the episode (lighting, editing, music) and Hutchison's sincerely creepy turn as Tooms, still fondly remembered as one of the show's best "monsters".

With the pilot and Deep Throat, Chris Carter and his writing team produced a hybrid of science-fiction and political thriller. Here they introduced another template, namely a supernatural spin on the traditional whodunit structure. Together, they went on to define The X-Files as one of the essential shows of the '90s.

Wow. I remember the first I watched this episode (I was around 12 back then), I thought X Files was just a show about a guy trying to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. I was so not ready or prepare for this. After watching it, I just couldn't sleep alone for 3 days. This is such a great episode. So scary and really violent. I still can't believe they aired that on national television. Back then, it was revolutionary (especially in France where french TVseries are just crap). This is the first episode written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, my favorite writers on the show. We see for the first time that Mulder is not appreciate by his colleagues. Ther are some nice moments too between Mulder and Scully; and the end is really really disturbing, especially if you are a 12 years old. One of the best episode ever. A must see.

Thisbwas that kicked of "The monster of the week" trend that this show would follow, when the episode weren't heavy on mythology like the two first episodes!

Here we see the first actual scary episode as Mulder and Scully tricks down a killer capable of squeezing through.. anything?

The episode has a lot of creepy scary atmosphere and plays on our fear of someone entering places where we thought we would be safe! The monster itself also remains iconic and one of the best of the show!

The addition of the other agents further adds to the feeling of Mulder being the outsider and excluded in the FBI!

This is X files at its finnest and most creepy and scary!

Not one of my favorites, but still a legendary episode from season 1 and not just because of it being the first MOTW episode. Doug Hutchison (best known for his performance in The Green Mile, a Stephen King adaptation) is an absolutely brilliant actor. He raises the creep factor up to 11 -- you really get a sense that he loved this script/character and wanted to give it his all. I love how much of a cult following this episode has. It deserves it!

Squeeze is the first Monster of the Week (MOTW) episode, meaning it doesn't have anything to do with the conspiracy of aliens here on Earth. It is a very strong episode that showed that the series would be be able to survive without talking about aliens every episode.

Doug Hutchison gives a memorable performance as Eugene Victor Tooms, a mutated man who kills and eats the livers of people every 30 years before going back to hibernation. Eugene Tooms kind of has that Droopy Dog look about him that makes it seem like he couldn't hurt a fly.

Duchuvny's delivery of his lines seems very dry. It just seems odd to hear how different he sounded in the beginning. I also noticed that Scully's hair is up for part of this episode. She rarely has it styled in this manner.

This episode illustrates well how others around the FBI view Mulder and his outlandish ideas. Colton uses the term 'Spooky' to describe Mulder as was used in the 'Pilot'.

In the previous episode, Scully got to rescue Mulder. In Squeeze, the tables are turned as Mulder gets his turn to rescue Scully from a perilous situation. There is even a cheesy shot showing that Scully's line has been cut by Tooms.

Obviously, Duchovny and Anderson are still finding their characters, as are the writers. The filming of the episode is still in the learning stages as well. However, Squeeze sets the precedent for all of the excellent MOTWs to come.