'The X-Files' Recap: 'Plus One'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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It’s funny really, how last week when we sat down to discuss the wonder of The X-Files, I made mention of the fact that mythology surrounding this series always seems to find a way to make its way into each and every single episode and then the show goes and surprises all of us last night with a wonderful stand-alone story, free of aliens and conspiracies and well, what a breath of fresh air this episode turned out to be.
 
Because ‘Plus One’, took us back to the early days of the series, wherein Mulder and Scully investigated some of the strangest things we’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, this particular tale wasn’t quite as jaw dropping as I would have liked for it to be, but it was still a wonderful throwback to the past, and it featured a story that was quite frankly, a ton of fun for several reasons, the first being that wonderfully creepy opening wherein a young man was faced with a twisted doppelgänger that meant to do him grave harm.
 
Thankfully, he survived, but his case caught Mulder’s attention because there had been several more instances and reports of people seeing their double and oddly enough, this young man was the only one to go through such an experience and live, leading Mulder and Scully to uncover a twisted plot by a pair of twins to use dark forces that the human mind cannot normally comprehend or see to take revenge upon people that more or less annoy them and really, what made this episode such a delight was the return of an X-Files icon.
 
Because while the name Karin Konoval may not seem familiar to the casual fan, the hardcore folks know that Karin has been part of this show’s legacy for some time now, and if you recall the terrifyingly good episode, ‘Home’, you’ll remember Karin as Mrs. Peacock and well, she made a triumphant return to the saga last night, playing both Judy and Chucky Poundstone and she was just an absolute delight when it comes to this story. She was chilling, she was creepy and I’m certain she made plenty of us jump in the final moments of the story as the last part of the twist played out.
 
But aside from Karin’s incredible work on screen, the other wonderful part when it comes to this story, is that the truth behind whatever force the Poundstone’s tapped into, remains an utter mystery. We’ll never know if it was some sort of spirit from beyond, or the devil, or just some powerful psychic ability, and I’m good with that. Mysteries like that are what keep our imaginations going and I’m so glad the series took the time to wow us with a standalone treat like this and I hope we get more stories this season that remind us that there are some things in this world that will always remain a mystery. Until next time. 

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