Amongst this show's greatest writers is - in my opinion - Darin Morgan, who wrote some of the most tonally different episodes of the show and leaned into the comedic chops of the actors and the overall comedic undertones of the show. However, before him, his brother Glen Morgan would write some of the most memorable episodes of the show with James Wong, a lot of them influenced by horror. They knew how to tap into the show's scary elements and made some episodes that were genuinely terrifying or had undertones of the absurd and occult. They eventually came back to the show for its fourth season, having left it after season two, and immediately went to work on one of the most gruesome episodes of television history; an episode that would be so controversial that some fans of the show even questioned their desire to continue watching. Others praised the show for going in darker directions, and personally, this episode doesn't feel like anything else the show has produced before. It is profoundly messed up and features some of the show's most gruesome imagery, but all of it is quite brilliant, primarily because of its unique nature and how it couldn't have ever been made today.
There's nothing like a show that commits itself to telling a darker story. While this certainly still features the unique camaraderie between Mulder and Scully, there's no doubt that the severity of this case influences their relationship throughout the episode and makes them approach it with a more serious tone. The episode never relies heavily on scare tactics, but is purely able to horrify because of its imagery, with certain shots being amongst some of the scariest I've ever seen committed to film. A big shoutout to Jon Joffin and Ron Stannett for their amazingly creepy cinematography throughout the episode.
It brilliantly captures the idea of the idyllic small town with a dark secret that either no one knows about, or no one wants to admit to knowing about. It doesn't pull any punches in its depiction of the macabre and the theme of incest will always be a theme that a lot of people will immediately feel a disdain towards, so in many ways, this episode was not a difficult sell as a piece of horrific "X-Files." I'm just amazed that the people behind the show actually went for it and got away with some of these things ultimately.
It also ends on a very difficult note. It's not the usual semi-happy "X-Files" ending that leaves you with questions, but a feeling of positive thinking inside. This is fully dedicated to making you feel like you're watching something awful. There's no resolution to the story, and it seems to indicate larger things at stake. However, it also comments on the fact that this is an issue that we'll never fully understand or get rid of. We'd have to put ourselves into this mindset, and that is something that a lot of people cannot and will not do to themselves.
"Home" is an hour of television that I will not soon forget, nor will I want to revisit when I do the eventual series rewatch. However, as a piece of horror, this episode may be one of the most effective things that has ever been committed to television and it will probably never be surpassed.
There's nothing like a show that commits itself to telling a darker story. While this certainly still features the unique camaraderie between Mulder and Scully, there's no doubt that the severity of this case influences their relationship throughout the episode and makes them approach it with a more serious tone. The episode never relies heavily on scare tactics, but is purely able to horrify because of its imagery, with certain shots being amongst some of the scariest I've ever seen committed to film. A big shoutout to Jon Joffin and Ron Stannett for their amazingly creepy cinematography throughout the episode.
It brilliantly captures the idea of the idyllic small town with a dark secret that either no one knows about, or no one wants to admit to knowing about. It doesn't pull any punches in its depiction of the macabre and the theme of incest will always be a theme that a lot of people will immediately feel a disdain towards, so in many ways, this episode was not a difficult sell as a piece of horrific "X-Files." I'm just amazed that the people behind the show actually went for it and got away with some of these things ultimately.
It also ends on a very difficult note. It's not the usual semi-happy "X-Files" ending that leaves you with questions, but a feeling of positive thinking inside. This is fully dedicated to making you feel like you're watching something awful. There's no resolution to the story, and it seems to indicate larger things at stake. However, it also comments on the fact that this is an issue that we'll never fully understand or get rid of. We'd have to put ourselves into this mindset, and that is something that a lot of people cannot and will not do to themselves.
"Home" is an hour of television that I will not soon forget, nor will I want to revisit when I do the eventual series rewatch. However, as a piece of horror, this episode may be one of the most effective things that has ever been committed to television and it will probably never be surpassed.