|
"The Walk" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. It was written by John Shiban and directed by Rob Bowman. The episode aired in the United States on November 10, 1995 on the Fox network. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "The Walk" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.4, being watched by 15.91 million people in its initial broadcast. Critical reception was mixed. The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, a failed suicide attempt by a patient in a U.S. Army hospital interests Mulder with the talk of a "phantom soldier" who has prevented the man's death. The U.S. Army General in charge of the hospital is initially opposed to the FBI's involvement until the invisible killer begins stalking him. Everyone involved in the case is shocked to learn that the primary suspect could in fact, be a quadruple amputee. "The Walk" is the first ''X-Files'' script by John Shiban, who commented that it was a challenge for him. He was inspired by the film ''The Men'', which features a character who has lost his legs in war and wishes to be able to walk again. The episode required several visual effects which were almost not completed in time. ==Plot== At a VA hospital in Fort Evanston, Maryland, Lieutenant Colonel Victor Stans makes his third suicide attempt; he claims that a mysterious figure will not let him die. Stans attempts to drown in a tub of scalding water, but is rescued by the hospital staff and subsequently is disfigured due to the hot water. When Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) question Stans, they learn that his wife and children died in a house fire he claims was started by the mysterious soldier he says will not allow him to die himself. Captain Janet Draper stops the questioning, as Mulder and Scully were not granted permission to see Stans by his superior officer, General Thomas Callahan. After meeting with the agents, Callahan glimpses the phantom soldier Stans described. He also finds his answering machine replaying an unintelligible message. Later, while using the base's swimming pool, Draper is killed by an invisible force. Callahan tells the agents about the soldier and the voicemail, which was received twice before at his home. When they visit his house, his young son, Trevor, believes he saw someone go inside; Scully herself glimpses someone in the backyard. Fingerprints are found on the property which belong to the hospital mailman, Quinton "Roach" Freely. As Mulder and Scully take Roach into custody, Trevor is attacked and killed by the invisible force in his sandbox. Under the agent's questioning, Roach admits to his role in the deaths and states he is "Rappo's mailman". "Rappo" turns out to be Leonard Trimble (Ian Tracey), a Gulf War veteran and quadruple amputee. Scully doesn't believe Roach, even though he insists that Rappo will kill him next. Scully later finds Roach dead in his cell with a bedsheet shoved down his throat. Scully assumes that he committed suicide, but Mulder shows her X-ray dental plates he had carried in the rehab room, the pool, Callahan's office, and Callahan's house; all show signs of radiation. Mulder thinks that Rappo is leaving his body through astral projection, doing so with a psychic connection forged through Roach's letters. He also plays the voicemail backwards; it is actually a warning from the phantom soldier. Under questioning, an embittered Rappo states his belief that the Gulf War took his life away. Meanwhile, Callahan finds his wife's dead body. He goes to the hospital to talk to Stans, who reveals that Rappo — whom he doesn't know — is responsible for the deaths. When Callahan confronts Rappo, he openly admits his crimes. Rappo tries to goad Callahan to killing him, but Callahan decides to "stand down," shooting over Rappo's head. The agents arrive and find Rappo in a trance; Mulder realizes what is happening and tries to find Callahan. Rappo's apparition attacks Callahan with steam from the pipes in the hospital's basement. Stans enters Rappo's room, locks the door, and smothers Rappo with a pillow. With Rappo dead, his apparition disappears before it attacks Mulder. Callahan remains unharmed. Since there is no physical evidence to prove that Rappo killed Callahan's wife and son, the case remains unsolved. Mulder's narration states that Rappo's family tries to have him buried at Arlington National Cemetery; he is instead buried in a civilian cemetery in Pennsylvania.〔Lowry, pp. 111–113〕 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 Walk (The X-Files)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|