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The X-Files Season 8 Episode 17

Empedocles

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8.0

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AIRED: 4/15/01

Agent Reyes enlists Mulder's help investigating a killer's connection to the unsolved murder of Doggett's son. They investigate but find no connection, Reyes continues to believe that a thread of evil is linking all the murders together.

Fan Episode Reviews (7)

Empedocles

10

By TrueTvWatcher, Sep 11, 2012

Empedocles was another perfect and very entertaining episode of The X-Files. I really enjoyed watching because the story had to do with Doggett's past as agent Reyes asks for Mulder's help. Scully looked very motherly throughout the episode as she was kind of relaxing and not really a big part of the investigation. I liked how Reyes was linking the cases together and it was horrifying to see some of the scenes where the supposed evil took action. Every thing played out nicely and Doggett was more or less forced to acknowledge the truth. The scene at the end with Mulder and Scully was awesome. I look forward to watching what happens next!!!!!!!!!moreless
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Scully's affair with the pizza guy and doggett's son story!

9.1

By BrunaC, Apr 17, 2011

Mulder and scully are just adorable!! I love how Mulder and Scully play with words and feelings, because they love eatch other but they still haven't admited that to eatch other! I enjoyed very much seeing how scully admites that she 'believes' and that she was affraid to believe, before! I think we all like how mulder changed her and made her open her mind! The story about Doggett's son death it's great... we see a lot of feelings being showend by Doggett... and Reyes concern with Doggett is a great thing! Great episode, it's the sweetest thing between mulder and scully!moreless
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It Was The Pizza Guy

6.5

By Anon67683, Apr 04, 2011

With Season Eight rapidly skidding to a close, the producers decide to throw Doggett a bone and present us with an episode purporting to deal with his murdered son. Unfortunately, this episode gives short shrift to the circumstances surrounding Doggett's tragedy and instead devolves into a rather blah MOTW episode.

What is even worse, Agent Reyes returns to go all Dr. Phil on everyone, especially Doggett, in a cool, measured tone of voice that reminds me of nothing so much as a grade-school counselor. Really, she is T-E-D-I-O-U-S and I can't fathom how anyone appreciates her inclusion into the series.

Then there are the kissy-face shenanigans between Mulder and Scully. This "cutesy" ambivalence as to whether or not they are a couple or whether or not Mulder is the father of Scully's baby is getting old. It's become a self-conscious tease that the producers seemingly have no intent to resolve. The shippers among you love it but I resent the blatant manipulation and the way the producers seem to want their cake and eat it too. In the immortal words of John Lydon, "Ever feel like you've been cheated?"moreless
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Great situation wasted from bad writing

7.0

By Hexsins, Jul 06, 2010

The previous few episodes of season 8 had actually started building some good momentum up, at least for me, and then the writing in this episode really stinks that momentum up.

First off, and maybe this is more of a directing/editing issue, but when Doggett confronts Mulder it's unclear how he found Mulder/Reyes and even worse, where all this action is happening. One minute we are in the hospital, then some dark place filled with files, whether the FBI or hospital who knows, and then Doggett is screaming in Mulder's face simply for standing there in the dark place with files -- Doggett has no idea what Mulder has seen or done, and it just feels really illogical.

Then we also have the terrible lines coming out of Doggett and Reye's mouths, as though the writers can only have them repeat the same cliches over and over again: "I have a feeling." "I think it's evil." "I'm going to do everything I can to solve this." Bleh.

Even Mulder can barely get these terrible generalities about evil out; it's just all so vague. Evil is just a virus that gets its opportunity to invade a person when they're down? Well, then nearly everyone would be possessed in the very same way. Silly supernatural fluff.

The only saving grace of this episode is the Mulder-Scully relationship stuff, which, unfortunately, feels as though it's been spliced out of place into this episode.moreless
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When a new set of murder echoes the killing of Doggett's son, Monica Reyes returns to enlist Mulder's aid. Doggett must come to terms with his desire to turn a blind eye to the impossible.moreless

8.4

By grifter78, May 20, 2010

A clear turning point for Doggett as a character. We finally get to see the backstory on his son's death, as well as the past between he and Reyes. Monica really shines in this episode, coming off as the spunky female version of Mulder. Mulder's inability to deal with Reyes shows that he's grown too used to relating with people who are his opposites. Interesting to see him falter when confronted with someone more like himself. The Mulder/Scully pizza boy and gift-giving scenes are perfect examples of the tremendous chemistry between these two actors, and you can't help but smile amidst their banter.

The idea of evil as a disease isn't very consistant with other themes in the series history, but it's an interesting idea.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Robert Patrick	Special Agent John Doggett
David Duchovny	Special Agent Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	Special Agent Dana Scully

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Annabeth Gish	Special Agent Monica Reyes	Guest Star
Jay Underwood	Jeb Dukes	Guest Star
Wendy Gazelle	Kathy Dukes	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (13)
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- (The doorbell rings, Mulder answers the door, and sees that it's the pizza guy. Mulder looks at Scully with an exceptionally jealous look.)
  Scully: (To the pizza guy) Just give it to the guy with the funny look on his face.
  Pizza Guy: (To Mulder) That'll be $28.09.
  Mulder: What do you get with that? A tank of gas?
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- Mulder: You miss your regular pizza man, don't you?
  Scully: Yes. That's okay. He's coming by later.
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- Doggett: It's over. It's over now.
  Reyes: It's never over.
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- Scully: So this is a case you're working on?
  Mulder: Yeah. Actually, one that involves Agent Doggett's son, the son who died.
  Scully: Yeah, he's never talked to me about him, but I know something. Are you able to help him at all?
  Mulder: You can't help a man who can't help himself.
  Scully: He's worth the effort, Mulder.
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- Mulder: I've actually been out in the field with Agent Doggett and this, um, female Agent from New Orleans.
  Scully: Agent Reyes.
  Mulder: Yeah.
  Scully: I like her.
  Mulder: You're nothing at all alike.
  Scully: Well, then neither are you and I.
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- Mulder: I think that's a coincidence. I think that life is full of them.
  Reyes: And full of patterns, things we see, but can't comprehend. You believe that. Why can't you believe this?
  Mulder: I think there's an opening coming up in this office soon. You might want to apply.
  Reyes: Is that why you won't help him?
  Mulder: I have a, uh, sick friend in the hospital and, uh, I think I should go see her.
  Reyes: I hope she gets well. This office down here needs at least one person with an open mind.
  Mulder: You'll say anything, won't you?
  Reyes: Only when I think I'm right.
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- Scully: What's wrong, Agent Doggett? You don't seem too good yourself.
  Doggett: You worked with Agent Mulder for how long? A long time.
  Scully: Mm-hmm.
  Doggett: You never believed in any of this stuff. This paranormal or whatever you call it. So, what changed your mind?
  Scully: I realized it was me, that I was afraid. Afraid to believe.
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- Reyes: You're taller than I thought.
  Mulder: You keep on alluding to a time that we've met and I don't remember.
  Reyes: I was there when they found you in the woods. You were... Uh... Yeah. I'm not surprised you don't remember.
  Mulder: Yeah. Um, I-I have somewhere I have to be … if we could cut to the chase.
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- Nurse: Who are you? The husband?
  Mulder: No.
  Nurse: Then you wait outside.
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- Scully: Mulder?
  Mulder: What?
  Scully: I was just about to jump in the shower but I was waiting for the pizza man.
  Mulder: You got something going on with the pizza man I should know about?
  Scully: The pizza man?
  Mulder: Well, correct me if I'm wrong but you just said you were waiting for the pizza man to jump in the shower.
  Scully: No, what I mean was the pizza man's usually late, and so...
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- Dogett: I gotta believe I did everything to find my son.
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- (Doggett grabs Mulder and slams him against the wall)
  Mulder: Hey! Hey! H...
  Doggett: (screaming) Stay out of my life!
  Mulder: Take it eas...
  Doggett: You stay out of my business!
  Mulder: Take it ea...
  Doggett: You want something about me... You ask for it first! You hear me! I don't want to be getting calls about you going behind my back!
  Mulder: I didn't want anything on you...
  Doggett: Who asked you?!?!?
  Reyes: (appears) Agent Doggett, what the hell you doing?
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- Scully: Nice Package!
  Mulder: Thank you.
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NOTES (1)
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- The doll that Mulder gives Scully is an old Mulder-family keepsake.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Title: Empedocles
  "Empedocles" is the name of a Greek scientist-philosopher-poet circa 450 BC. He was known for his belief in the "four-element" theory - that all things are composed of four basic elements: earth, air, fire, and water. He believed that opposing forces (love and hate) acted upon these elements to combine and separate them into their varied forms (hate separates them, love combines them). He also formulated a primitive theory of evolution in which he claimed that humans and animals evolved from antecedent forms.
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