Teso Dos Bichos

Season 3, Episode 18, Aired
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Episode Summary

When a series of deaths occur immediately after an ancient artefact is brought to Boston from an excavation site in South America, Scully believes the deaths appear to be the result of political terrorism, but Mulder suspects something more improbable. He thinks that the deaths are linked to a shaman spirit released by the Ecuadorian Amaru urn.moreless
6.6
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EPISODE RATING: Fair
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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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  • Absolutely the worst X=Files Episode I've Seen So Far.

    1.0
    "Abysmal"
    By AgentMuIder, May 08, 2011 Report Abuse
    Absolutely the worst X=Files Episode I've Seen So Far. The Episode Space was better than this by a longshot. You would assume it would be a decent episode as it revolves around a Shaman burial considered to be sacred. However, the "spirit/antagonist/once shown as possibly a jaguar as the murderer in two murders/insane cats at the end" was shallow. Then the whole cat eye Shaman guy at the end to make you think maybe he was resposible for some of those murders was far-fetched. Like hes going to travel to the United States and then randomly attack from trees in a huge city without being noticed. This has to be on Gillian Anderson/David Duchovnys why did we do this episode.moreless

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  • The person below me who said "Lame" = right on the money

    6.5
    "Fair"
    By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Apr 24, 2011 Report Abuse
    Reading some of the other reviews, there's not really too much else I can say about this episode that people haven't already said better than me. This was a disappointing episode that felt rushed and lazy, as if the writers suddenly decided they needed an episode to meet the quota and the end result was pretty bad.

    I suppose looking back on the episode after the show is over, it won't be as bad as I thought, but so far, Season 3 has been great, and this episode felt like a damper on what was a great streak of episodes.

    The problem, for me, was the plot. It started off about a vase that was taken from an ancient area and contained the spirit of a shaman that was killing people as punishment (at least I think so...) What gets me is that the spirit appeared at first as a jaguar and then as a rat and then as cats? I'm not sure I even understand what the spirit's actual form was supposed to be, and I don't think I really care at this point. The case was solved in the end, and this isn't the first time I finish an X-Files episode without fully understanding everything.moreless

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  • Well, it is the X-files, so I want to say I was marginally entertained. But when I say marginally I mean, I would like to disown this episode on behalf of the series.moreless

    6.5
    "Fair"
    By ilovemulder, Feb 23, 2011 Report Abuse
    First, we have 30 minutes or so without anything interesting happening, and without any snappy Mulder-Scully dialog. Then some other stuff happens that made no sense, then there were some rats- er some cats- or a jaguar... maybe. Then Scully (who is allergic to cats) was attacked by a puppet, and the cats mysteriously disappeared. "Go with it Scully" -- Yes, go with it, the actors knew this episode was going to be completely and totally uninteresting, so they had to convince the audience the series was still good with snappy catch phrases... apparently.

    I don't know how they managed to make this episode so unentertaining. Actually, I do know: They ignored all the charms of the show. Mulder and Scully hardly interacted (except that hilarious line, Ladies first). Mulder hardly seemed to believe in the curse himself. Scully hardly protested when he put forth that theory. And the creature didn't seem to have any form, and manifested itself differently every time there was a new death, so there was nothing to be afraid of. Even the greatest shows can take an episode off . . .moreless

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    1 0

  • If the cats ate the rats and the dog ate the cat, what ate the dog?

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By Anon67683, Feb 23, 2011 Report Abuse
    Oh my, this is Season Three's version of "Space" (the worst episode of Season One, perhaps the worst episode of X-Files ever). This episode is easily the worst of Season Three. It is a total mess, funny at times, but not necessarily intended to be a spoof like the brilliant "Coprophages."

    The episode opens with all these men wearing goofy looking knit caps, you know, because we are in Ecuador, get it? A decidely unscary "artifact" is unearthed and a scientist is attacked by a scary looking jaguar in his tent.

    Now, if they had used the jaguar for the rest of the killings in the US, the episode might have been attained "average" status. Instead, they use cats (I think) or was it the rats? I laughed out loud when all the little feral kitties jumped out of their boxes in the sewer. It was very, very stupid, but kinda cool in a surreal way.

    Anyway, the problem here is that it makes no sense for cats (or rats, or dogs, or whatever) to have dragged off all the victims so abruptly. It just seemed like a cheat from the writers, who probably didn't know what killed the victims either.

    The only saving grace in this episode are some of the hilarious one-liners by Mulder and the stunned, disgusted looks given by Scully, especially as Mulder goes to lift the toilet lids and when he starts to descend into the sewer.moreless

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  • Totally lame

    7.0
    "Good"
    By OnePerCentClub, Feb 23, 2011 Report Abuse
    When I read that even the cast and crew of the show hadn't liked the final result of this episode, I didn't have to think hard for the obvious reason. It may have started strong but the whole cat thing it's so far-fetched it makes this episode lame and a waste.

    The only thing I believe can be rescued from this episode in the 'physical' language between Mulder and Scully. He's constantly putting his hand on her back, grabbing her by the arms to help her stand up and teasing her with his 'Ladies first' line. Their relationship changed a while ago and these littles details makes us shippers crying for more.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • When Scully is talking to Mulder about Dr. Lewton's autopsy she says that she found sunflower seeds in his intestine. Mulder then says 'A man of taste', referring to his own fondness for that snack. Edit
    • Principal Setting: Boston, Massachusetts Edit
    • If this episode is observed closely, the words 'One Second of Music Goes Here' appears between scenes. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Gillian Anderson is very allergic to cats, so makeup effects artist Toby Lindala had to create a cat puppet with rabbit fur that attacks Scully. Edit
    • Mona Wustner is named after writer John Shiban's mother. Edit
    • After the episode aired, the network found out that 'bichos' also means 'balls' in Colombia and Venezuela. John Shiban, the writer, didn't know that when he wrote the episode. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • (Pulls out a rat's body from the engine of the car) Scully: Label that. Officer: As what? Scully: Partial rat body part. (smirks) Edit
    • Scully: Cat ate a rat. Mulder: And the dog ate the cat! Edit
    • Mulder: There are forces in this world we can't begin to comprehend. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Character Name: Dr. Lewton The doctor's name is a nod to Val Lewton, probably the greatest low-budget producer of horror in the 1940's including Cat People and The Leopard Man. Lewton suffered from ailurophobia, an irrational fear of cats. Edit
    • Scully: Have you been drinking Yaje, Mulder? Yaje (also called ayahuasca) is a kind of drink made from a psychoactive jungle vine and is used in shamanic healing rituals, where people have 'visions', supposedly in order to be able to diagnose diseases etc. The drink, which is mixed with other herbs, is an hallucinogen. Edit
    • "Teso Dos Bichos" is a site of archaeological interest in the Southern Amazon, in Brazil, and the writers apparently used the name because its translation is somewhat appropriate for this episode ("animal burial ground"). This explains why the episode's title is in Portuguese, even though Spanish and indigenous languages are spoken in Ecuador, where the episode takes place. Edit

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