|
"The Unnatural" is the 19th episode of the sixth season of the American science fiction television series ''The X-Files'', which first aired on April 25, 1999, on the Fox network. Written and directed by lead actor David Duchovny, the episode is unconnected to the wider mythology of ''The X-Files'', and functions as a "Monster-of-the-Week" story. "The Unnatural" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.1, and its first broadcast was watched by 16.88 million people. The episode received positive reviews from critics, and was well-liked by members of the cast and crew, including series creator Chris Carter and co-star Gillian Anderson. The series centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called "X-Files". Mulder is a believer; although the skeptical Scully was initially assigned to debunk his work, the two have developed a deep friendship. In this episode, Arthur Dales (M. Emmet Walsh), the brother of a previously recurring retired FBI agent with the same name, tells Mulder the story of a black baseball player who played for the Roswell Grays in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 under the pseudonym "Josh Exley" (Jesse L. Martin). Exley was actually an alien with a love of baseball. Exley is later tracked down by the Alien Bounty Hunter (Brian Thompson) and executed for betraying his people. Among other things, the episode was inspired by the history of baseball in Roswell, as well as the infamous 1947 Roswell Incident. Jesse Martin was offered the lead guest role as Exley after Duchovny noticed him in a production of the musical ''Rent'' and an episode of ''Ally McBeal''. Originally, Darren McGavin was cast as Arthur Dales, but after he suffered a stroke, he was replaced by Walsh. Many of the outdoor baseball scenes were filmed at Jay Littleton Ballfield, an all-wood stadium located in Ontario, California. The episode has been critically examined for its use of literary motifs, its fairy tale-like structure, and its themes concerning racism and alienation. ==Plot== In 1947, a mixed group of black and white men play baseball in Roswell, New Mexico. Suddenly, a group of Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members arrive on horseback, seeking one of the players: Josh Exley (Jesse L. Martin), a talented black baseball player. Men from the team fight back against the KKK, and when the mask of the clan's leader is taken off, the leader is revealed to actually be an alien. In 1999, FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) look through Roswell newspapers from the 1940s. Mulder spots an article showing a young Arthur Dales (Frederic Lane)—the original investigator of the X-Files division who had previously appeared in the fifth season episode "Travelers" and the sixth season episode "Agua Mala"—Josh Exley, and the shape-shifting Alien Bounty Hunter (Brian Thompson) who has assisted the show's antagonists throughout the series. Mulder seeks out Dales in Washington D.C. but discovers he has moved to Florida. Instead, Mulder meets Dales's brother (M. Emmet Walsh), who is also named Arthur. In flashback, Dales tells Mulder about first meeting Exley in 1947. Dales (portrayed as a young man by Frederic Lane), a member of the Roswell Police Department, has been assigned to protect a hesitant Exley. Dales travels with Exley and his teammates on their bus, and one night sees that the sleeping Exley is reflected in a window as an alien. The next day, during a game, Exley is hit by a pitch and starts making utterances in a strange language before returning to his senses. Afterwards, Dales notices that a mysterious green ooze appeared where Exley's bleeding head had rested. Dales decides to investigate Exley's hometown of Macon, Georgia, and discovers that a boy with Exley's name had vanished about five years previously. That night at the hotel, Dales hears noises from Exley's hotel room and breaks in, only to find Exley in his true form as an alien. Exley tells Dales that he was forbidden from intermingling with the human race but fell in love with the game of baseball and remained on Earth. Meanwhile, the Alien Bounty Hunter, who has been pursuing the renegade alien ever since he deserted his alien heritage, takes Exley's form and murders a scientist who is investigating the green ooze that Dales found. After learning of the attack, Dales warns Exley that he is now wanted by the police, and Exley goes into hiding. The narrative returns to the events at the start of the episode. The KKK leader is revealed as the Alien Bounty Hunter, who has arrived to assassinate Exley. The Bounty Hunter demands that Exley revert to his true form before he dies. Exley refuses and the Bounty Hunter then kills him. However, Exley miraculously bleeds red, human blood. Back in 1999, Mulder invites Scully to hit baseballs with him on an empty field.〔Meisler (2000), pp. 253–261.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Unnatural (The X-Files)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|