AIR DATE:  November 30, 1997
Written by Chris Carter
Directed by Chris Carter

	"Post-Modern Prometheus" is an X-Files episode that definitely
exists outside the X-Files universe as a comic book opening up begins the
episode.  In this world of comic books Mulder is so well-known he is
mentioned on the Jerry Springer show, Mulder investigates cases he most
likely wouldn't (Werewolf boy?), there are mad scientists behind
everything and Scully and Mulder dance with each other at the end of the
episode with big smiles on their faces.  Oh, what a wonderful weird world
it was.  The centerpiece of the episode was the Jerry Springer show where
it seems everyone wanted to get on it, and if to get on it was to exploit
the Monster, so be it.  Of course, we are given the image of a small town
with single uneducated mothers with loser children who would jump at a
chance to get on the show.  This is our view of who would go on Jerry
Springer type shows, but in truth no one would miss the chance to get on
tv.  Notice the reaction of Dr. Pollidori when Scully mentions Springer to
him.  She says it as an insult to Pollidori to get him to talk, but his
reaction indicated he wouldn't mind getting on the Jerry Springer show as
a way to get out of his hick town.  This is all the town and everyone else
wanted and Scully and Mulder being there was the extra bonus to legitimize
the Great Mutato. 

	As with Frankenstein's monster, the Great Mutato only wanted
someone like him to keep him company since he knew he couldn't ever live a
normal life because of who he is.  The Great Mutato and his creator's
father try to create their own monster in a very inventive way.  Dr. 
Pollidori tells Scully and Mulder he is doing mutatations to fruit flies,
"Because he can."  A real god-like attitude that Dr. Pollidori's father
says back to him when Pollidori asks him why he and the Great Mutato were
going into town to impregnate women.  The same type of attitude
Frankenstein had about having the power to create life, and Dr. Pollidori
still has but he has given up for now working on creating human life
because of what he created.  The conversation between Scully and Mulder
about the ethics of what Dr.  Pollidori was doing to insects was a
contrast of different viewpoints.  Scully, the doctor, believes scientists
have enough ethics not to do these things while Mulder gives the other
viewpoint of not trusting a scientist not to have the strong desire to
prove that it could be done.

	In the comic book world of "Post-Modern Prometheus" we had a bit
of Shelley's Frankenstein and the story of the movie "Mask".  I have never
seen the movie "Mask", but I think I understand the movie's message enough
to get it.  Both stories are similar in the way a monster/freak wants to
be accepted into society. The Great Mutato saw in Cher's character a woman
who loves her son regardless of his looks, and that is what he wanted
people to see in him as a real person as they did at the end of the
episode.  The Great Mutato fixation with Cher is both creepy and
understandable in a way.  

	Now some miscellaneous comments on "Post-Modern Prometheus":

- The Great Mutato and Dr. Pollidori's father sure did go all out when
they wanted to have sex with women.  I suppose they put the large blanket
over the houses to keep the gases in so they could do their thing.  I
guess in this small town no one notices this or become suspicious when
they hear Cher blasting from the stereo system.  I loved the scene where
Scully and Mulder wake up in Dr. Pollidori's room after being knocked out
by the gas with the cop and Dr. Pollidori looking over them.  Mulder
trying to keep his composure when he was questioning Dr. Pollidori was a
great scene with Mulder trying to keep his dignity after an embarrassing
moment.

- It is nice to know that Mulder still goes off without Scully when we see
her find out he went off to investigate Werewolf boy.  Mulder seemed
embarrassed by Scully finding out he still goes off on his own to
investigate weird things.

- People in that town sure do like peanut butter.  Everyone seemed to have
a nice 40oz jar of it in their house. 

- I liked how after Scully produces the comic book, "The Great Mutato" to
prove her point that this whole thing is a big hoax to give Izzie's comic
book some attention, and Izzie's mother responds back that "Don't mean it
didn't happen."  Which is true and Scully needs just as much evidence to
prove it is a hoax as they do to prove that it isn't one.

- Scully finally says to Mulder, "Is there anything you don't believe in,
Mulder?"  Let's face it, there never seems to be anything he doesn't
believe or is able to somehow prove in some way.  Scully says this after
she goes off on one of her long explanations on why the Great Mutato is
part of a hoax, and Mulder refutes her.  Would have liked to have seen his
response to her comment. 

- We get the classic young student doing something absolutely stupid when
the young student opens up a petri dish full of flies as he asks Dr. 
Pollidori what to do with them.  No wonder Dr. Pollidori wanted out of
that town if that is the kind of student the college he worked for lets
in.

- Pollidori putting Scully on the spot after she did the old I'm a
scientist bit to him by asking her to explain something to Mulder and she
basically doesn't have a clue what Pollidori is talking about.  Though it
didn't take her long to get him to explain it to them.  She just gives him
the look and he breaks down and gives them a long explanation of what he
is doing.

- Dr. Pollidori's father claimed the Great Mutato wasn't a monster, yet he
treated him as one by keeping him locked up in the basement.  He needed to
look at himself since he refused to try to bring him into society. 

- It was funny how at first the town is all excited about Scully and
Mulder being there to prove the existence of the Great Mutato, and how
quickly they turn on them when it looked liked their chance of getting on
the Jerry Springer was going to be blown.  Poor Mulder he gets grits
thrown on him, his eggs spit on and hot coffee poured on his pants.  I
wonder if they would do that to Scully.  Of course, the ironic part is
Scully is the one saying it is all a hoax while Mulder is all set to
believe in the Great Mutato. 

- The guy taking someone else's food on the counter as everyone runs out
of the diner was priceless.  This is exactly what someone would do. 

- Mulder gets to say the two most famous words from "Frankenstein", "It's
alive".

- Can't have an angry monster chasing mob without them holding burning
torches.  It was made better by having them accidentally set the barn on
fire. 

- Mark Snow's music reminded me of the music from the movie "Edward
Scissorhands" in the way it had a bouncy feel to it.

- Too bad they weren't able to get the real Cher to do the concert at the
end of the episode.  It was funny having the Great Mutato along with the
rest of the town going to a Cher concert.  To top it off Carter had Scully
and Mulder dancing at the end.  Wow, never thought I'd see the day that
would happen. 

- Mulder asking for the writer to rewrite the ending was hilarious because
how many times wouldn't we mind doing that. 

	The fifth season of X-Files has proven to be one of the strongest
starts the X-Files has had since the second season.  "Post-Modern
Prometheus" gives us a show that wasn't afraid of doing things
differently.  Filming in black and white isn't something that is done
anymore in this age of colorization.  Also, the episode was different by
taking the Frankenstein theme and mixing it with the "Mask" theme.  It
isn't as if we haven't heard these themes before, but put in the X-Files
universe it works. Scully and Mulder were their usual selves in it, and it
gave us a monster who wasn't your typical let me kill everyone in sight
monster. Let's hope this good run of X-Files episodes continues for the
rest of the season. 


Claudia
E-Mail:  Claudia.Cauchon@unh.edu

12/1/97

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