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The X-Files

Bad Blood

Season 5, Episode 12, Aired Feb 22, 1998

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9.2

EPISODE RATING: Superb

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After Mulder chases down and kills a young man whom he believes to be a vampire, Scully realizes that his fangs are fake. The agents then return to DC, aware of the mistake they just made. Faced with a lawsuit from the family of the man, they recount each of their sides to the story leading up to the event.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR Forbes Angus

Funeral Director
GUEST STAR Brent Butt

Coroner
GUEST STAR Luke Wilson

Sheriff Lucius ...

David Duchovny

Special Agent F...
Gillian Anderson

Special Agent D...

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Fan Episode Reviews (44)

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A series classic

10

"Perfect"

By OnePerCentClub, Dec 21, 2011

Why a series classic? Because comedy done here was flawless. It was the perfect combination of comedy and a little bit of suspense of an X-files case.
The first time I watched I didn't like it. I thought "bay day in the X-files". But I really enjoyed it after the second time and then on. Now it's one of my favorites.
The whole he said she said it's just amazing. The way Mulder and Scully see each other in this case just to get their stories straight and save or justify themselves is very original. Also, very entertaining episode without the whole conspiracy or mithology arc. This proves two things: how versatile Gillian and David can be and that the show has amazing and creative writers which led the show to become one of the best in the history of television.moreless
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This epsoide is bout Mulder,Scully going to a small town n Texas because of 6 dead cows.The epsodie its Mulder killing someone(a vampire)They go back to work and share both sides of how there trip went.Little things r changed n both sides of the story.moreless

10

"Perfect"

By Charmed4827, Oct 11, 2011

This is the funniest epsoide i have ever seen in the x-files. Because when you hear Scully sory it's funny but then when you hear Mulder story some things have changed and I love the way it's written. Especially the one part where Scully says that when Mulder was unconsiocs and he was out of it so he started singing shaft. I was dying on the part. Then When Mulder said that the sherif had big buck teeth. There is this one part that always gets me it's on Mulder story when Mulder comes into scully's room tho ask her to do another autopsy and she start complaing about how she's been on her feet all day long and how she does it all for Mluder. This is probley my favorite epsoides of the x-files in the world.moreless
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The X-Files does a mini-version of Rashomon.. with vampires!

9.3

"Superb"

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Jun 20, 2011

Rashomon is one of those movies that has gone on to influence the way numerous movies and television shows (perhaps even plays) tell a story. Rashomon was known for the way it presented four different ideas of how a specific story happened, and by the end of the movie, we still don't know exactly what happened. All we know is the result. In a way, The X-Files does a lesser version of this story, but it's in no way a lesser X-Files episode. In fact, it could be right up here as one of the best X-Files episode ever.

The episode begins with us witnessing Mulder murder a boy in cold blood as if he were a vampire, even though Scully proves that he wasn't a vampire. With Mulder and Scully's job on the line, they both tell their versions of the story to each other in order to make sure that they don't make each other look bad. For me, the story is less important than the character interaction, and we get some of the funniest and most ridiculous X-Files moments here since the Jose Chung episode from Season 3. Mulder and Scully clearly have very different ideas about each other, so watching Scully's version of Mulder and Mulder's version of Scully was laugh-out-loud hilarious. For instance, Scully sees Mulder as this over-excited little boy who has a slew of jokes up his sleeve and acts sort of like a corny detective you see in movies, with exaggerated pauses in between answers and exaggerated responses to the smallest clue.

Meanwhile, we see that Mulder sees Scully as way more of a skeptic than she actually is. His version of her is extremely pessimistic and appearently only excited by the appearance of a nice looking Sheriff (who may or may not have had buck teeth). The episode somewhat comes to a conclusion, but it does leave one too many plot threads hanging, which keeps the episode from being rated higher. For instance, if these vampires truly did exist, why didn't they kill Mulder and Scully? They had Mulder by rights and instead moved him into his car? It doesn't make sense. The idea is interesting but the conclusion is unsatisfactory.

However, Vince Gilligan, who is already responsible for some of the show's more interesting episodes, as well as some of the funnier ones (Small Potatoes, Unusual Suspects), does a great job of creating an episode that mixes horror, comedy and the unknown into one episode.moreless
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Hilarious episode! love the two different accounts of the case by Scully and Mulder, always makes me laugh out loud.

10

"Perfect"

By elziebean100, May 08, 2010

this episode is a classic x-files episode. Hilarious but still able to make you wonder what really happened.

the two accounts of the case are both similar and different at the same time with each story taking on the personalities of the person who is telling it eg when scully is telling it, the account is more serious, when mulder is telling it, the account seems more juvenile and tongue-in-cheek.

luke wilson was great as lucius hartwell, its not the type of role that i would expect an actor like wilson to do but he pulls it off.

definitely one of my favourite x-files episodes of all time.moreless
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This is one on my favourite episodes.

9.8

"Superb"

By hanpuusi, May 08, 2010

This is one of my favourite episodes. There is no complicated goverment conspiracy but a town full of vampires. First we get to see everything through Scullys eyes where Mulder is "characteristically
exuberant" and doesnt listen to Scullys opinnions about the matter at hand. She ofcourse seems professional and stuff even though the whole thing looks to her like a big waste of time.

In Mulders version Scully is ofcourse "characteristically less than exuberant" and whiny. Now Mulder seems to give Scully every chance to speak her mind and he takes every theory under consideration. During the investigation Mulder is now the professional when Scully is lusting after the town sheriff (who now has big buck teeth that he dindt have in Scullys version). Obviously after his story is over there is no doubt that what they saw was a real vampire and not just a wannabe. I like this episode because its very funny and it really shows what kind of realationship Mulder and Scully have. In a show like X-files which is mostly very dark and spooky its nice to have a lighter episode like this here and there.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- The runaway RV doing circles in the lot is running in reverse, yet while the red tail lights appear functional, there are no white "backup lights" visible.
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- In a lot of episodes Scully hangs up on Mulder and Mulder has to say "Scully?" at least two times. In this episode when Scully is kidnapped and Mulder gets hung up on we can clearly hear dial tone. Why then does Mulder ask if Scully is still there?
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- Reportedly one of Gillian Anderson's favorite episodes.
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Quotes
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- Mulder:Ok now your scaring me I want to hear exactly what your going to tell Skinner. Scully:Oh you want our stories straight. Mulder:No no I didn't say that, I just want to hear it the way you saw it. Scully: I don't feel comfortable with that. Mulder: Prison, Scully. Your cellmates nickname is going to be "Large Marge", she is going to read a lot of Gertrude Stein.. Scully: All right.
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- (Hartwell walks into the room) Scully: (Quietly) Hooo, boy.
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- Scully: Skinner wants our report in one hour. What are you going to tell him? Mulder: What do you mean what am I going to tell him? I'm going to tell him exactly what I saw. What are you going to tell him? Scully: I'll tell him exactly what I saw. Mulder: Now, how is that different? (Scully gives him an exasperated look) Look, Scully, I'm the one who may wind up going to prison here. I got to know if you're going to back me up or what. Scully: (indignantly) First of all, if the family of Ronnie Strickland does indeed decide to sue the FBI for -- I think the figure is $446 million -- then you and I both will most certainly be co-defendants and second of all ... I don't even have a second of all, Mulder. $446 million. I'm in this as deep as you are and I'm not even the one that overreacted! I didn't do the ... (she makes a stabbing motion) with the thing!
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Notes
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- "The Ride of the Valkyries" composed by Richard Wagner is heard in the background shortly after Mulder's futile attempt to stop the runaway RV, which eventually rolled to a halt on its own anyway.
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- To shoot inside Ronnie Strickland's lair, crewmen cut an entire side wall out of a brand-new motor home. Afterwards they realised that they hadn't bought the thing, but only rented it.
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- This episode was inspired by an episode of the old "Dick Van Dyke Show", titled "The Night the Roof Fell In", in which Rob and Laura Petrie have a fight and then each tell their neighbor their version of what led up to it.
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