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Die Hand Die Verletzt

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"Die Hand Die Verletzt"

"Die Hand Die Verletzt" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on January 27, 1995. It was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, directed by Kim Manners, and featured guest appearances by Susan Blommaert, Dan Butler, and Heather McComb. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Die Hand Die Verletzt" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.7, being watched by 10.2 million households in its initial broadcast. The episode received positive reviews, with most of these praising its writing.

After a New Hampshire teenager dies in a strange occult-related incident, FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are called in to look into the matter. Meanwhile the town’s real Devil worshipers attempt to hide their tracks. The title roughly translates from German as "the hand that injures."

Plot

A group of high school students go out into the forest at night to play around with black magic. The experiment causes unexplainable things to happen, such as fire erupting from the ground, and rats swarming to the location. The next day one of the kids is found dead and mutilated, and agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are called in to investigate. Locals claim that the children have unleashed a demonic force in their rituals, a theory which is given validity by strange occurrences, such as frogs falling from the sky and water in the drinking fountain draining the wrong way.

Unknown to the agents, substitute teacher Mrs. Paddock (Susan Blommaert) is revealed to have the eyes and heart of the victim in her desk. One of the Parent-Teacher Council members, Jim Ausbury (Dan Butler) suspects one of his colleagues killed the boy, but the others believe it is an outside force. Ausbury's stepdaughter Shannon (Heather McComb) suffers a breakdown during science class while dissecting a hog fetus. Meeting with Mulder and Scully, she tells them that her stepfather held occult rituals at her house while her mother was away, which included raping her and her little sister and sacrificing the babies. She claims that her sister eventually became one of the sacrifices. Shannon's mother denies Shannon's claims of ever being pregnant and says her sister actually died at 8 weeks old.

When Shannon stays after school to make up her assignment of dissecting the pig, Mrs. Paddock takes her bracelet then uses it as part of a spell that causes Shannon to slit her wrists. When Ausbury hears of the others planning to blame everything on his stepdaughter, he admits all to Mulder. Scully meanwhile researches Mrs. Paddock and finds that no one knows anything about her or who hired her. Mrs. Paddock steals Scully's pen when a power outage occurs. Mulder handcuffs Ausbury in the basement when Paddock fakes a call to him by Scully, and when he leaves a giant snake comes in and eats Ausbury.

Mulder arrives at the school, where Scully claims she never called him. The three still living members of the PTC are convinced that they need to perform a sacrifice and capture the two agents. As they are about to kill them Mrs. Paddock causes them to instead kill themselves. Mulder and Scully escape their bonds and find Mrs. Paddock missing, with only the message "Goodbye. It's been nice working with you." on the chalkboard.[1][2]

Production

"Die Hand Die Verlezt" was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong, who were co-executive producers for the series as well as writers; and directed by Kim Manners. The episode originally stemmed from an idea of Glen Morgan's to have a scene where a snake eats a man.[3] Series creator Chris Carter described the episode as "a cautionary tale about playing with fire, playing with things bigger and badder than you might imagine".[4] Morgan and co-writer James Wong left the series after this episode to produce the series Space: Above and Beyond.[3] The line written by Mrs. Paddock on a chalkboard at the end of the episode, "It's been nice working with you," also acted as a goodbye to the crew of the show.[3] The two later returned to the show in the fourth season.[5]

Crowley High School refers to British ceremonialist Aleister Crowley.[3] The character names Deborah Brown and Paul Vitaris were based on fans of the series who were active on the internet.[6] The episode's title means "The hand that wounds" in German.[6]

While fake frogs were considered for the scene where they fall from the sky, the producers decided to make use of real frogs instead, dropped from a short distance. According to Carter, the "fake ones looked too bad and didn't hop away after command". The snake going down the stairs proved difficult to film as the animal kept on falling onto the floor after slithering down the steps.[4] Actor Dan Butler was terrified of the animal, being unable to talk while shooting the scene in the basement. The actor's fright meant the make-up team did not need apply fake sweat to his face.[7]

Broadcast and reception

"Die Hand Die Verletzt" premiered on the Fox network on January 27, 1995. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.7, with an 18 share, meaning that roughly 10.7 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 10.2 million households.[8]

The episode received praise from critics. Entertainment Weekly gave "Die Hand Die Verletzt" an A-, noting that, in the episode, "Mulder and Scully largely step aside in this wacky, wicked effort chock-full of stunning imagery and wry comment."[9] Reviewer Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A and wrote that "There's the sick sense of humor. There are the outright left turns into demented darkness. There are the horrifying visuals. And there's always the sense that the darkness is only barely kept at bay, that even Mulder and Scully would be powerless should it be unleashed and sweep across the land."[10] Connie Ogle from PopMatters ranked the members of the Satanic PTA as some of the "greatest" monsters-of-the-week, writing, "You don’t want to cross the Satan-worshiping teachers at this high school, but there are more vengeful evil forces to displease."[11]

Chris Carter said of the episode "It was a fun script that turned this big corner when the girl had the emotional breakdown. It suddenly became a very creepy, dark, disturbing episode. It was vintage Glen and Jim, and we had a great, great performance by the guest stars. A really good, solid episode that actually veered a little more toward the horror genre. But it worked because of Mulder and Scully."[12]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Lowry, pp. 193–194
  2. ^ Lovece, pp. 143–145
  3. ^ a b c d Lowry, p. 195
  4. ^ a b Chris Carter. Chris Carter Talks About Season 2: "Die Hand Die Verletzt". The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox. {{cite AV media}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |titleyear= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Vitaris, Paula (October 1997). "Morgan and Wong Return to The X-Files". Cinefantastique.
  6. ^ a b Lovece, p. 146
  7. ^ Behind the Truth: Die Hand Die Verletzt. The X-Files: The Complete Second Season: Fox. {{cite AV media}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |titleyear= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Lowry, p. 249
  9. ^ "X Cyclopedia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season 2 | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved November 24, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (June 6, 2010). ""Irresistible"/"Die Hand Die Verletzt"/"Fresh Bones"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  11. ^ Ogle, Connie (July 28, 2008), "The X-Factor: A Look Back at 'The X-Files' Greatest Monsters", PopMatters, PopMatters Media, retrieved August 25, 2010 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  12. ^ Edwards, p. 113

References

  • Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316218081.
  • Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel Press. ISBN 080651745X.
  • Lowry, Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. ISBN 0061053309.
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