AIR DATE:  March 18, 1994
Written by Howard Gordon & Chris Carter
Directed by Michael Lange

	Well, I couldn't watch an old episode without making a few
comments.  I've always liked "Miracle Man" because it had some of the
elements I like in the X-Files which is that there is a question of
whether a supernatural event happened and the story touches either Scully
or Mulder in some way.  This is what we get in "Miracle Man" even though
the story would make one conclude Samuel had the powers he claimed to
have, but other than supposedly saving Leonard Vance's life we don't see
him do anything else so there is still doubt of his powers.  Of course, we
see what happens to Mulder when his sister is brought into the picture. 
We see him get distracted and suddenly look differently at the case when
Samuel brings up his sister.  It appears at first Mulder was ready to
agree with Scully about Samuel and that he was a fraud until Samuel
mentioned Mulder's sister.  The other thing we see is Scully making sure
Mulder isn't taken advantage of by Samuel since she doubts his abilities. 
Even early on in the series Scully understood the importance of Mulder's
sister and how it affects his thinking as she saw in "Conduit".  The
discussion in the hospital hallway was one of those classic Scully and
Mulder talks where Scully confronts Mulder about these issues.  This was
the best part of the episode where we see the concern in Scully who isn't
afraid to tell Mulder he is letting his personal feelings get in the way
of the case.

	The other thing "Miracle Man" brings up is the quality of life a
person has if one is saved from the brink of death.  Leonard Vance
couldn't take living as a burned up deformed body which he considered more
of a curse than a blessing.  If we are to believe Samuel came back from
the dead to confront Vance about his actions then Samuel learned from this
that there is a responsiblity that comes with such a gift, and God was
telling him through Vance. Most of the people who came to the Miracle
Mission went there to be healed, but Vance never had the choice since
Samuel used his powers without asking whether Vance wanted to be saved. 
Whatever kind of normal life Vance had was gone when he was brought back
from death with scars all over his body.  What kind of quality of life did
Vance have after being saved?  From his perspective what Samuel was doing
was a curse because of how he ended up and doesn't think it should happen
to anyone else.  How far should one go in saving a person's life if the
quality of life isn't there?  Also, how far will one's faith take you to
deal with these things.  Obviously Vance didn't have faith in God anymore
from his experience, but in order for Samuel's powers to work one needed
faith in Samuel and God.  In Samuel's eyes his gift had become corrupted
through all his vanity and God was putting him in his place.


	A few miscellaneous comments on "Miracle Man":

- "Miracle Man" is one of the few times in the first season Scully
actually introduced a case to Mulder, though the second they get down to
Tennessee he takes the case over as if he was the one who initiated the
investigation.

- Even when he is playing a decent sheriff R.D. Call still comes off a bit
sinister.

- Why is it Scully and Mulder only like to exhume bodies at night and not
during the day?  These kids need to stop playing out at night. 

- Somehow I remember there was a big discussion the last time this episode
was shown about Scully's medical treatment when the MS woman and Vance
died.  In other words there was a big debate on whether she should have
done more to save their lives.  Well, I say to this, hey, it's a tv death
and was necessary to the plot.  Scully just touches the MS woman's pulse
and knows she's dead, I don't think so, but this is how tv deaths work
just like tv parking.  Somehow I think it is a little harder to tell
whether someone is dead or not.

- You would think it would have been the State Police taking in Sheriff
Daniels and not his own department.  I guess Carter didn't want to pay the
extra salary of an actor playing a State Trooper.

- Must have been fun for the actors to have all those locusts landing and
flying around their bodies and faces.  Oh boy, I know what fun I would
have had during filming.

-  Nothing like seeing a pregnant Gillian Anderson in action. 


	There are my few comments on "Miracle Man" one of the better first
season episodes.  I've always liked this one though I don't think it was
considered one of the better first season episodes by others which is fine
by me since some things are a matter of taste.  It had what I liked the
most about X-Files, a case that affects them in some way.  We get to see
the closer bond between them as Scully trys to get Mulder to focus on the
case and not get distracted by his sister.  "Miracle Man" was a good first
season episode that showed why X-Files made it to a second season.


Claudia
E-Mail:   Claudia.Cauchon@unh.edu
       
3/31/97         

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