Detour

Season 5, Episode 4, Aired
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Episode Summary

Stopped by a roadblock on their way to an FBI convention in Florida, Mulder and Scully find themselves stranded in the woods with a deadly predator, who seems to be responsible for the disappearance of three men. While investigating the case Mulder and Scully find themselves in greater danger when they run low on bullets forcing them to fear their every move because it could be their lastmoreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (17)

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  • Scully singing "Joy to the World" to Mulder was not only one of Gillian Anderson's favorite X-Files moments, but mine as well.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By MattMTRUSTNO1, Sep 01, 2011 Report Abuse
    I loved everything about this episode. I'm a sucker for a lost in the woods story, what can I say. Along with Post Modern Prometheus and Quagmire, this is one of my favorite monster of the week episodes. And those three episodes have a lot in common. Post Modern Prometheus gave us the slow dance between Mulder and Scully to the tune of Cher's walking in memphis, Quagmire gave us the fantastic conversation on the rock, and now Detour gives us Scully singing joy to the world to Mulder as they huddle for warmth in the woods.
    I loved the setting for this episode. The woods of British Columbia were wonderfully shot, and I especially loved the night time scenes where Scully's trying to light a fire.
    I wonder if the "Detour" title has more to do with Scully and Mulder taking a detour from there usual work related conversations to the off the wall conversation they have in the woods while lost at night, which concludes with Scully singing to Mulder, and less to do with the more obvious detour they encounter at the beginning of the episode. Or perhaps it has to do with the episode taking a much needed Detour from the conspiracy arc that had been dominating the show up to this point. When Mulder got out of the car and said "thank you jesus", I was saying the same thing only I was thankful that this wasn't going to be another conspiracy arc episode. I like the mytharch storyline in the X-Files, in fact those are where the majority of the best episodes stem from, but every once in a while a more light hearted detour is in order. And this episode delivered.
    Overall, it's just a very enjoyable episode that even a casual fan can appreciate.moreless

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  • Mulder and Scully get lost in the woods

    8.7
    "Great"
    By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Feb 19, 2011 Report Abuse
    For a little while, I was inclined to call this episode "Darkness Falls Part 2." Everything leading up to it was making me believe that it was going to be another episode that resembles an episode that came before it, right down to the scares, the resolution and the conversations. However, the writers seem to have grown a bit in this new season. Mulder and Scully get lost in the woods while tracking down a seemingly invisible being. They seem to be able to camouflage themselves with their surroundings and they're extremely fast.

    A simple investigation turns into a fight for their life after they get trapped in the woods with the beings circling them. There's really not too much going on in the episode, but the heart of it comes from when Mulder and Scully are alone in the woods, nothing to do but talk to each other. From the little mini-flirting that they do with each other ("The only way to cool down from shock is to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with someone else who's naked...") to Scully singing Jeremiah was a Bullfrog to help Mulder sleep, there was some touching moments between the characters that made the episode so much better than just a "Darkness Falls" rehash.

    So far, Season 5 has been great.. the myth-arc was good, the episode before this was an interesting way of showing us what happened to some of the supporting characters before Mulder joined the X-Files and this episode was just a fun-filled and creepy installment.moreless

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  • good episode

    10
    "Perfect"
    By KennyRogersLove, Jun 29, 2010 Report Abuse
    Detour continues with the strong start that season five has. Mulder & Scully hit the deep woods again, searching for "invisible" creatures. Frank Spotnitz wrote this stand-alone episode by himself. He usually sticks to mythology episodes or writes stand-alones in a threesome. He borrows the concept of the story from the movie "Predator", but the story is still exciting and engaging. Frank Spotnitz is excellent with dialogue, and Mulder and Scully deliver some classic lines. He really has the Mulder/Scully chemistry down pat. In this episode, the boy is watching "The Invisible Man". You can always bet that any TV show or movie being watched in the x-files is related to the theme of the show somehow. They're not just random shows. The special effects of the chameleon-like moth men is very good. The only flaw in the episode hearkens back to the teaser when the two surveyors each see the moth men in the ground. It's a nice special effect of their faces in the ground, but if they are evolved humans like Mulder says, then they wouldn't be part of the ground, like it shows, but just blend in with it. And, the moth man just laid there, allowing the surveyor to stick a stake in him? If the teaser had been consistent with the rest of the episode, I would give Detour full marks. But, as it is, Detour still is an excellent episode, with wonderful Mulder/Scully moments.

    I give Detour a 10 out of 10.moreless

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  • Mulder and Scully "learn" to work as a team

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By OnePerCentClub, Apr 24, 2010 Report Abuse
    I love this episode. I dont know if its the forest, the fact that Scully had gone into remission and is back to work or the closeness between Mulder and Scully after having gone through Scullys illness.

    The story is very interesting. Could it be true, that there are creatures out there that have survived centuries and have mutated to be invisible? Who can chase you after youve invaded their territory? Who knows. But it was better than that.

    There are many of great moments between my number one TV couple. When theyre in the back seat. When Scully comes into Mulders room (and all he can think of is the case, please!) and that conversation in the woods, very personal. I never understood why we couldnt see a moment in which they talked about the cancer, about their fears. The way they worry about each other but especially Mulder is lovely. Always keeping an eye on her and that last scene where he runs to the motel to see if shes safe only tells me how much he needs her and how much he missed having her by her side.

    LGmoreless

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  • Jeremiah was a bullfrog...

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Emmma, Apr 24, 2010 Report Abuse
    Detour is a great episode and a good start to Season 5. I think what made this episode a stand-out one was the dialogue. Mulder and Scully had some good lines, some of the funniest of the season. My favourite being 'I don't wanna wrestle' and the hillarious scenes with Agent Kinsley XD
    I liked the 'Moth men' creatures. They looked quite spooky but not in a gory way. The music that was used for the chase scenes and where Scully fell down the hole worked well and really gave me the creeps! My favourite scene of the episode was of course where Scully sang Joy to the World to Mulder. Couldn't stop laughing!moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • While trying to get a fire started, Scully manages to pry apart a bullet with her bare hands in an attempt to use the gunpowder inside the casing. In the real world this would be quite impossible as the brass of the casing is crimped around the bullet, forming a seal so tight that it would require the use of cutting tools to actually remove the bullet. Edit
    • Scully's hair goes from being rather straight to curly and back between scenes. The production crew was aware of the problem when they were shooting the episode, but couldn't do anything about it as the heavy rain brought out the natural curl in Anderson's hair. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • The actor who plays Jeff Glaser is Anthony Rapp, of Rent fame. He was in the Original Broadway Cast of Rent, as well as reprising his role of Mark in the movie version. Edit
    • Singing "Joy to the World" to Mulder was one of Gillian Anderson's favorite X-Files moments. Edit
    • The actress that plays Michele in this episode can also be seen in the seventh season episode "All Things." Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Scully: Mulder, we're in Western Florida. The closest thing to primitive down here is living in a beachfront retirement condo. Edit
    • (Scully walks into the motel room with wine and cheese) Mulder: (Grinning) Who cut the cheese? Edit
    • Scully: Where are you going? Mulder: I'm gonna check something out. Scully: You know Mulder, sometimes I think some work on your communication skills wouldn't be such a bad idea. Mulder: I'll be back soon, and we can build a tower of furniture. Okay? (Cheeky grin, and exits) Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • TV reference: The Flintstones Mulder: Who did you identify with as a kid, Wilma or Betty? Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble being Fred and Barney's wives in the cartoon show The Flintstones. Edit
    • Cultural Reference: Mothman A being with piercing red eyes that menaced an area around Point Pleasant, West Virginia 30 years previously. Between 1966 & 1967 a strange winged creature was apparently seen in that area. The creature has come to be known as the Mothman. Its appearance is said to foretell disasters. There is even a statue of the creature in Point Pleasant. Edit
    • Musical Reference: Joy To The World Scully sings the song to Mulder in the woods. This song was originally performed by Three Dog Night, and ironically, the expression 'Three Dog Night' supposedly means a night so cold that one needs to sleep while embracing three dogs. Mulder had been telling Scully how cold he was just before she started singing - was this song chosen for the band's name or was it totally coincidental? Edit

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