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The X-Files Season 1 Episode 12

Fire

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8.0

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AIRED: 12/17/93

When an old Oxford girlfriend of Mulder's asks for his help in an international case concerning the unexplainable execution of several British dignitaries they encounter an assassin who can produce fire from his bare hands.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (24)

A man who can control fire and Mulder overcomes his fear.

8.5

By 7dixob, Aug 22, 2012

This was an episode that showed a bit about Mulder's past and a woman from his past helps him in a case where a man is burning his victims alive.Throughout the episode it shows the man is a painter for a family and he shows people all sorts of tricks and shows off his abilities but is a very dangerous man especially at the end when he tries to kill the whole family and Mulder has to save the kids caught in the fire.The arsonist sets himself on fire in the end after having water thrown on him and the shocking part was he could make a full recovery.moreless
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Fire.

6.0

By arkanitoo, Jul 08, 2012

The pyrokinesis is the main subject of this good episode of "The X Files", which decided to address issues such as psychopathic personality and coping with fears to develop, but was a mixture of light comedy and some special effects to hide a weak script. Among the double Scully-Mulder, I do not know for what reason, but decided to put the ex Mulder in the game (one flat and without any charisma), Scully just to stay with their first signs of jealousy, something quite unnecessary. I honestly thought it would be a game of 45 minutes a mutant "X-Men," however, I just fooling myself and seeing that the series addressed the pyrokinesis as a metaphor for the psychopath, the cover misuse of your character and difficulty of living in society and frustration for their sexual desires and primitive unmatched, making the act of burning people a reassuring attitude of pure guilty pleasure. The killer is well characterized and really convincing, but his preference for killing members of the British aristocracy was badly explained, if it even has an explanation. It is an episode that also allows a good amount of jokes, but the most boring of all was the end, that besides not having any sense, was something quite ridiculous. A few minutes of moralism also come just to mess with those old lessons "do not talk to strangers" and "do not use drugs," but even that fits well in the context of the scene in what is happening. Finally, an episode that has nothing to do with the show's mythology, not shown as smart or scary, ending a temporary amusement well conducted and even funny.moreless
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Fire was a good episode!

8.5

By TrueTvWatcher, May 26, 2012

Fire was a great episode of The X-Files. I enjoyed watching the episode as Mulder is contacted by a friend from his past for help on a bizarre case. Phoebe was quite a character as was Cecil. It was awesome seeing guest star Mark Sheppard in a great and very fitting role. The story was pretty good but the execution wasn't the best. I liked the episode but it didn't feel like a must watch. There were some good character moments though which definitely helped. The ending was funny as Cecil requested a cigarette. I look forward to watching the next episode!!!!!!!!!moreless
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Fire and some wordplay.

3.2

By Aly358, Jul 23, 2010

Yeah so basically a guy is setting people on fire with his mind and moves with his target from England to the states so that the woman investigating his case (an old girlfriend of Mulder) can show up.

There's so much wrong with this plot I don't even know where to start! First off: the motive. Okay so he likes the women of the guys he sets on fire. But why no follow-through? Why doesn't he ever approach one of these women?

This Phoebe character. Is she the only one on the case? Why does she need Mulder's help, when all he does is duck from the fire? If the man really had to be scared for his life than why plan such a trip with so many safety risks? What exactely did she do to Mulder that was soooo horrible? What is it with her mouth in that scene by the car where she suddenly speaks as though she had a cotton ball in her mouth? At first she comes on to Mulder rather strongly but the goodbye is more than cold.

The family is unconvincing. What parent would ask with that little interest about their sons, when the house is on fire. And then they walk slowly out, as if going home from a party when Mulder says rather weak: I'll get the boys. Yeah made me feel all secure and such...

Scully (and Mulder most of the time) only gets to stand around and look annoyed to jealous. Only upside here is GA using her british accent and the fire effects are beautiful. But that's really it for this episode.moreless
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An old British friend of Fox asks for the agents help in protecting a visiting dignatry and his family, which forces Fox to deal with his fear of fire.

8.5

By johndoe70, Jul 19, 2010

OK, this episode does not really add much to the story involving the vast government conspiracy and thus most of the plot developments and sci-fi elments are meant to be quickly forgotten once the episode is over. However, this is still an above average episode, largely due to the steller writing and cast -- fans of Josh Whedon's "Firefly" series should recognize the firery villian --.

A working class British man gets jobs working for various upper class families, where he proceeds to use his special gift to get away with murder. This brings an old friend back into Fox's life, who asks the X-Files agents to help protect an important British family from being the next target.

I did wish that the episode was a bit more creative with the villian's motivation and -- in sign of the times -- it should be noted that the firey villian not only smokes, but offer some cigs to his target's kids, which probably would not be allowed on network television day.

The main problem I had with these type of episodes is that they were almost always totally divorced from the storyline involving the government conspiracy. While I appreciate the reasoning behind this, it did always bug me how the vast government plot to hide the existence of the supernatural had little or no interst in the various unexplained events and creatures that Fox and Scully would meet in these type of episodes.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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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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Amanda Pays	Inspector Phoebe Green	Guest Star
Mark Sheppard	Cecil L'ively/Bob	Guest Star
Dan Lett	Sir Malcolm Marsden	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (8)
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- Principal setting: Boston, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
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- 40:05 As Mulder dives for the floor in the hallway there is a hole in the center of a painting that has yet to burn.
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- Revealing Mistake: Towards the end of this episode, everyone gathers into the attic room where the drapes have caught fire. They continue to stand in the room watching as the whole place goes up in flames before finally racing out. Why did they wait so long?
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- Continuity: When Cecil L'ively sets the ceiling of the Marsden family on fire, you can see him duck away from the fire in one shot. In the next, he is still standing up however.
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- Factual Errors: Scully claims that L'ively's name appeared on a list of recent visas issued by the British government. However, the country of destination should have issued the visa. In this case the visa should have been issued by the USA.
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- Factual Errors: It is true that water dissociates at 7000 degrees. However, the addition of water to a fire of 7000 degrees wouldn't make any difference. It wouldn't extinguish it nor add fuel to it.
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- Factual Errors: You would only get a magnesium residue after an exothermic reaction if there was magnesium present to begin with.
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- Plot Hole: The Marsdens said that they don't know where their driver is but if they bothered to check his room surely they would have found his burned corpse in the bathroom?
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QUOTES (16)
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- Mulder: There's something else I haven't told you about myself, Scully. I hate fire. Hate it. Scared to death of it.
  Scully: Mulder? Are you sure you don't want me to help you out on this one?
  Mulder: Sooner or later, a man's got to face his demons.
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- Mulder: But there have been cases of pyrokinetics, people who can control and conduct fire.
  Beatty: Well, I've seen fire bend around corners, seen it bounce like a rubber ball. Fire's got a certain genius, you know? A certain demon poetry. It's like it's got a mind of it's own. But I've never seen one that can defy the laws of physics, not when you figure it out.
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- Beatty: There have been some arson fires in Seattle lately and, uh, Pennsylvania that burn so hot that the firemen can't put them out. 7,000 degrees. I mean, hosing that down just makes it worse.
  Mulder: How's that?
  Beatty: Uh, the, uh, reaction is so intense that it splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen. Just adds fuel to the fire.
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- Phoebe: Oh, come on, don't tell me you left your sense of humour in Oxford ten years ago.
  Mulder: No, actually. It's one of the few things you didn't drive a stake through.
  Phoebe: You know, some mistakes are quite worth making twice.
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- Mulder: Ten years it's taken me to forget about this woman and she shows up in my life with a case like this.
  Scully: So she shows up knowing the power she has over you and then she makes you walk through fire, is that it?
  Mulder: Phoebe is fire.
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- Scully: Mulder, you just keep unfolding like a flower.
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- Mulder: That's no problem. You can come down to the field office and work with somebody there. I'll give you a minute to think about it, okay?
  Green: Deftly done, Agent Mulder. Casually disregard her indiscretion. A firm but polite manner until she accedes to cooperate.
  Mulder: It's a technique I refined in my relationship with you.
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- Mulder: Remember those reports I told you about? About people who could control and conduct fire: pyrokinetics?
  Phoebe: Vaguely.
  Mulder: I think this guy sent us a message that he's far more exotic.
  Phoebe: I should say so, I mean, if he can set himself afire . . . (Mulder laughs) What?
  Mulder: I'm just not used to someone so quick to agree with me.
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- Arson Specialist: (examining the evidence photos) Was there any kind of incendiary device used?
  Phoebe: Yes, actually. The victim's body.
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- Scully: Where is Phoebe?
  Mulder: I don't know.
  Scully: You don't know? She didn't call?
  Mulder: No. She did messenger this to me last night though. (holding up audio tape)
  Scully: Did you play it?
  Mulder: No.
  Scully: Why not? Aren't you curious what's on it?
  Mulder: Ten-to-one, you can't dance to it.
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- Scully: (Imitating Pheobe's British accent) Care to take me to lunch?... (In her normal voice) Scare you?
  Mulder: You have no idea.
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- Phoebe: Enjoying yourself?
  Mulder: It's good food, witty conversation, I'm having the time of my life.
  Phoebe: I wondered if you think it's safe enough to indulge ourselves in a dance?
  Mulder: Doesn't look like your arsonist is gonna make an appearance.
  Phoebe: That doesn't mean there won't be any fires to put out.
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- Scully: So Sherlock, is the game afoot
  Mulder: I'm afraid so, Watson.
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- Scully: [about the car] It's open.
  Mulder: What?
  Scully: It's unlocked.
  Mulder: That's weird. I'm sure I locked it.
  Scully: Must be an X-File.
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- Scully: I forgot what it was like to spend a day in court.
  Mulder: That's one of the luxuries to hunting down aliens and genetic mutants. You rarely get to press charges.
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- Mulder: I was merely extending her a professional courtesy.
  Scully: Oh, is that what you were extending?
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NOTES (5)
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- This episode originally included the following line of dialogue towards the end:
  Scully: Never let it be said that you wouldn't walk through fire for a woman, Mulder.
  Mulder: And never let it be said that I wouldn't do it for you again, Scully.
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- While shooting this episode, David Duchovny suffered a burn severe enough to leave a scar on his hand. It is clearly visible on the outside of his left hand in the scene where he is waiting outside the ballroom and he wipes his forehead. It was not there earlier, in the opening scene between Mulder and Scully. The scene where Mulder is crouched in the hallway, the ceiling on fire, is where he got the burn. If you watch closely, as he walks down the hallway, with his hands on the walls, he yells in pain and grabs his left hand - exactly where the burn later surfaces.
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- The famous "black silk boxer shorts" scene was originally a "jockey underwear" scene.
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- The character of Malcolm Marsden is named after the show's hairstylist.
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- This is the second episode to provide character development as we learn a bit about Mulder's past: His rocky relationship with fellow Oxford student Phoebe Green (where they shared a certain 'youthful indiscretion atop the tomb of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle'), and that Mulder is deathly afraid of fire.
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- Character Name: Phoebe Green
  
  The name "Phoebe" is a Greek name, meaning "the shining one", an appropriate title for a woman sending Mulder into fire. This is also reinforced by Mulder's assertion that "Phoebe is fire." It is the feminine form of "Phoebus", another name for Apollo, the fiery sun god.
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- Dialogue References: Sherlock Holmes
  
  This episode contains a number of references to Sherlock Holmes: (a) Phoebe Green reminds Mulder of the fact that they once made out on the tombstone of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle is the creator of the character of Sherlock Holmes; (b) Phoebe makes a reference to a 'three-pipe problem'. This is an expression used in in the novel The Red-Headed League which featured Sherlock Holmes. It refers to the fact that one has to sit and smoke at least three pipes in order to solve a case with the information one has gathered; (c) Scully asks Mulder if 'the game is afoot'. An expression used many times in the Sherlock Holmes novels; (d) Scully calls Mulder "Sherlock" and he calls her "Watson". Watson was the faithful friend and colleague of Holmes.
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