User Reviews

Warning don't read unless you've seen episode This is an "X-Files" episode I really like, it's not quite one of my favorites but it's close.

What I really like about this episode was the fact that Mulder and Skully had a different villain to deal with other than the Cigerate Smoking Man and his shadow squad. Modeel (a.k.a. Pusher) he's a solid villain that you really love to dislike, he sort of reminds me of The Purple Man in the TV series "Jessica Jones" so you could say this episode is Mulder and Skully vs. The Purple Man.

Like the Purple Man, Modell he has the power to bend peoples wills to do whatever he wants, and of course he's a sociopath and egocentric. I really like the way it is handled as we see Modell utilize his gift of power of suggestion onto others, my favorite moment with this was when he was able to sneak into the F.B.I. headquarters from hanging a peace of paper that says pass and it would of course seem like a pass from anyone he talks to. Though I'll admit the only inconsistence with the scheme is despite putting the whamming on the guard, wouldn't anyone walking down the same hallway as Modell notice he has a fake id because Modell couldn't possible put the Whammy on everyone he passes by. Oh well I just rolled with it.

One really unique thing about his is how much he is really into the Way of the Samurai subculture. Which really tells a lot about his motives, in once scene he even mentioned Bushido philosophy. He not so much doing what he does to feed his ego but like with every Samurai warrior he need a worthy opponent in order to hone his skill and maintain and strengthen his honor (at least what Modell considers honor)and of course Mulder is that opponent.

This is really suspenseful because despite Mulder and Skully tracking him down, were also wondering how the heck their going to beat Modell, this is literally a guy with super powers, a guy that could kill you by just mere sentences.

It then comes down to a final conflict which I'll admit I thought was very suspenseful where both Mulder and Modell play Russian Rollette. I won't say who wins but lets just say like in all Bushido confrontations sometimes it is always the one with true honor that survives.

Rating: 3 and a half stars

Pusher is indeed a very solid piece of work.The episode deals with Robert "Pusher" Modell,so known because he has the ability to push or impose others to do his will using his mind.He has been taunting the police,claiming convincingly to have been responsible for a number of deaths which appear to have been suicides.M&S move in after the FBI attempt to arrest Pusher only for him to escape after the car he's travelling in suffers an accident in very suspicious circumstances and an officer dies.But Pusher is unlikely to be brought down easily.His gift is the only thing that prevents him from being an ordinary guy and he enjoys all the attention it can generate. The episode is very taut,tense and very well directed.Indeed its hard to point out any mistakes or improvements that could have been made.Robert Wisden is great in the title role.Hes evil for sure,but he gives Pusher a cocky,rogueish charm that rubs off slightly on the viewer.The occasions where he "pushes" people are the best sequences of the episode.The tense precredit scene and his hospital showdown with M&S at the end are also exciting,the latter in particular.Two other things of note I should mention.A guest appearance from Dave Grohl(You cant see his face clearly but hes there)and Skinner cops a beating..and you wont believe who dishes it out!

A mentalist named Pusher suggests

A heart attack in a detective's chest

He's very convincing

And Mulder is wincing

As he points a gun at Scully's vest

Pusher is a great episode brought to us by writer Vince Gilligan who has proved himself to be one of the better episode writers. The main character is a man who can get people to do what he wants by the power of suggestion. It is all very Jedi mind trickish. "Pusher" as he is called learned this skill by studying Japanese martial arts techniques and also apparently has a neurological condition which, while killing him, also gives him the ability to perfect this skill. Unfortunately the man is a sociopath and views other individuals as objects. As such he gets entertainment from willing people to kill themselves in terrible ways. He even wills his way out of trial in which he is obviously guilty. The teaser for this episode is another of my favorites as simple as it is. Pusher is grocery shopping and unbeknownst to the viewer but knownst to Pusher he is about to undergo an FBI bust. I love the arrest sequence how he just casually reaches out and pulls down the flap on the guys jacket revealing that he is FBI. Other specific ways Pusher uses his skill in the episode are getting Agent Collins to light himself on fire, sneaking into FBI Headquarters by putting a paper that says "pass" on his jacket, getting Holly to kick the crud out of AD Skinner (poor Skinner has been attacked in the past two episodes I have reviewed consecutively and both times by co-workers), making Frank Burst have a heart attack, and getting Mulder to play Russian roulette not only on himself but on Scully. Trivia for the die-hards, look for Dave Grohl, lead singer and front man for the Foo Fighters and ex-drummer for Nirvana, in this episode walking behind Pusher as he enters the metal detector at the FBI. This is a great stand alone episode and I give it a 10.

Another strong hour of the X-Files, this time we get to meet Pusher, he can push his will onto others. The reason why this episode works so well is due the acting and the great tension throughout the episode.

I do not love this episode as much as many people do. it's not really a favorite. But I can clearly see why people like it so much. My only real problem with the episode was the death of Frank. It made no sense to why he kept listening and to why the other agents didn't let Mulder or Scully stop the conversation.

But that scene is forgiven by many other ones. like, the SWAT agent that put himself on fire. That was intense. And of course, the Modell/Mulder show-down. Some great acting from Duchovny in that particular scene.

I'm giving this episode FOUR stars, another strong Season 3 entry.

This episode offers X-Files fans one of the best villains, not just in season 3 but out of the whole show. 'Pusher' introduces us to "Monster of the Week" character Robert Modell who is able to control people with the power of his voice. This episode basically revolves around a game of 'cat and mouse' between Modell and Mulder. There are some great scenes in this episode and one particularly good one is when Modell induces a heart attack in one of the police officers whilst talking to him over the phone. Robert Wisden is superb as Modell and creates a character who we all love to hate. This is a brilliant episode which has plenty of tension (the ending in particular is very tense) and certainly warrants a watch.

One would think with a title like 'Pusher', this episode of the X-Files might have something to do with a criminal drug gang or a dealer working the streets to ensnare new customers. Instead, the word is used here to describe someone who's using a mind control power to force individuals to do something against their will or induce pain in the intended victim. Robert Patrick Modell (Robert Wisden) is the 'pusher' in the story, and fancies himself a Ronin of sorts, a Samurai without a master searching for a worthy adversary in his quest to take out as many people as he can before he falls victim to a life threatening disease.

You know, it was one thing for Assistant Director Skinner to get blindsided by three thugs to get hold of a secret digital tape, but here he has to suffer the indignity of getting kicked around by a government file clerk. OK, the Pusher helped, but it did look sort of embarrassing for the guy. In the melee, Modell grabs Mulder's FBI file to learn more about his principal nemesis, though it won't be much help in the final showdown.

The tense game of Russian Roulette engineered by Modell was reminiscent of 1978's "The Deer Hunter", and could have ended badly for Mulder or Scully or both. Mulder proves as resilient as Captain Kirk in the original 'Star Trek' series when he managed to overcome the Pusher's programming and deal him a blow to break his concentration. While all throughout the story, one can't help but notice the increasing frequency of personal contacts between the FBI partners. With the gestures, looks, and hand caresses, one can only wonder how long it will take before a real romance ensues.

Robert Patrick Modell is one of the best human villains with the absolute best supernatural ability in all of the X-Files. This first installment is definitely the better of the two 'Pusher' episodes. Vince Gillian did an amazing job with this one and it seems like he knew it too. He told management it was the best work he'd do for them.

Ok, I've watched the X-Files since they were first on TV. I've rewatched the entire series many times. I've seen this episode far too many times to want to actually tell you a number. The Dave Groll cameo? I had no idea. It's quick but if you watch right after he puts the 'PASS' in his pocket and heads towards the guard, Dave is right behind him walking with a woman. He's so young!

Now on to the titular Rachel Miner. I loaded up this episode specifically because I saw Rachel credited in it. I couldn't remember seeing her at all and I've mentioned that I've seen the X-Files too many times. So I rewatched it looking specifically for her and I can't find her anywhere. She's credited as "Injured FBI Analyst" but the only injured FBI woman is the petite brunette, Holly, that beat up Skinner.

Rachel Miner does have a passing resemblance to Julia Arkos, the actress that plays Holly Patton, but she was only 15 or 16 at the time this episode was being filmed. There's no way Rachel would be playing an FBI agent in '95 or '96.

Pusher is about Mulder and Scully's pursuit of Robert Modell, the suspect of a series of murders deemed suicide.

An enjoyable episode, with humour and heightened tension. To the point one would be about to "burst." Not quite on the level of John Barnett in "Young at Heart," however. Scully intervening, pulling the fire alarm releasing Mulder from Modell's control.

Very thrilling episode, that really Pushes you to the limit with a perfect antagonist. His bitterness and charisma makes him one of the most dangerous villains ever.his mental capabilities far outweigh many of the villains seen in comic book stories and other tv shows.

Mulder could have died many times during the x files episodes but this brush with death was Russian roulette level, luckily scully used quick thinking and came to his rescue whilst the villain was at his utmost limit.

The antagonist didn't fear death and mulder clearly doesn't too. Making him the most worth adversary.

My favourite part of the episode was when mulder used him own mind games on the mentalist.

A lot of my initial interest in watching "The X-Files," while certainly stemming from my appreciation and love for the sci-fi genre, actually came from Vince Gilligan's involvement. In many ways, this was the show that actually gave him his big break and made him a big name, which then made AMC turn to him and make the show that really made him a household name. His first credit was in the second season of this show, and while that episode was certainly one of the season's more interesting outputs as it would often retort back to the same schtick, it wasn't the big debut that I expected it to be. It was certainly a good episode, but it didn't remind me of his bigger achievements in terms of his writing career. However, a lot of people were saying that it was actually his next effort that became his big break, and that came in the form of the third season episode "Pusher," which features a cat-and-mouse game between Mulder and a killer with the ability to bend people to do what he wants them to. A very interesting premise and something that could definitely prove to be one of the show's best efforts yet. And while I can't say that it definitely is, it's certainly one of the most interesting ideas that the show has tackled in a while, and it features some expertly crafted scenes of tension, especially the film's climactic scene featuring Mulder, the killer, and an intense game of Russian roulette.

This episode feels like it gets more into the emotions than previous ones. It's not really based on the detective work as the reason for Mulder and Scully's inevitable handling of the case, but the simple fact that Mulder bears a huge grudge against a man who doesn't take human lives seriously. It's a great new approach to the detective story and it makes the cat-and-mouse game a lot more fun to watch, because you know that it's not going to go the way that it should, which leads to a genuinely surprising and effective climax.

That also makes room for the bond between the lead characters to grow a little bit, which feels like a nice sentiment given the fact that they've been at odds with each other for the last few episodes. This show works best when they complement the best parts of each other, and this episode fully embraces that idea again, not putting them on opposite sides of each other, and actually granting them a piece of emotional connection in a scene where Scully finally acknowledges that Mulder has had a point in his investigation, which rarely happens, but when it does, it truly means something.

It's one of the best single antagonists that we've gotten, and the idea of someone being able to control your will is scary enough on its own, but they manage to make it even creepier through an intense performance that Robert Wisden gives. He is truly terrifying and perfectly portrays a man who has nothing left to lose, so the only thing for him is just to cause havoc with these new abilities he acquired. It puts him right on the line with Mulder, and his back-and-forth with David Duchovny is truly one of the highlights of this episode.

It's nice to see the humble beginnings of some people. It's annoying when those humble beginnings are excellent, so I'll take this time to shout out Vince Gilligan who is just one of the most impressive creators out there. Not just because of his immense talent, but also because of his diverse approach to everything he does. This episode has a lot of familiar elements to his other works, but it still feels so unique because of how it's all set in this universe. I'm glad that he's not handling the mythology episodes, and hope that his future is bright with this kind of episodes.

"Pusher" is a brilliantly constructed episode that goes deep in the emotional state of the characters, pushing Mulder to his limit with this week's antagonist. It's a great concept that really fulfills all of its promise through excellent writing, brilliant performances, and a climax that is one of the best this show has produced.