Unruhe
"Unruhe" | |
---|---|
The X-Files episode | |
Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 4 |
Directed by | Rob Bowman |
Written by | Vince Gilligan |
Production code | 4X02 |
Original air date | October 27, 1996 |
Running time | 44 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Unruhe" is the fourth episode of the
The show centers on
Gilligan wrote the episode after being inspired by stories of serial killers he read as a child. Other inspirations include the concept of thought-photographs, and common fears associated with dentist chairs. The episode received a generally positive reception, though critics criticized the plotline featuring Scully being kidnapped. Critical attention also expressed a positive opinion of how scary the episode was in nature. Guest actor Taylor Vince received positive reviews as the episode's antagonist.
Plot
In
Lefante is found wandering on a roadside, but appears to have been given an improperly-performed lobotomy. Another woman, Alice Brandt, is later kidnapped. She wakes up bound to a dentist's chair, with her kidnapper brandishing an ice pick and speaking in German. Mulder returns to Washington, D.C., to digitally analyze the photos and finds no evidence that they were doctored. By closely examining the photos, he finds the face of an old man as well as the shadow of the kidnapper, who appears to be extremely tall or have abnormally long legs.
Scully, finding a construction company referenced at both crime scenes, investigates the possible lead, meeting Gerry Schnauz (
Schnauz escapes police custody by killing an officer and then robs the pharmacy from the opening, taking the passport photo camera, film, and an assortment of drug-related materials. While investigating the robbery, Scully is rendered unconscious and kidnapped by Schnauz. Mulder heads to the office where Schnauz's father used to work as a dentist, and finds the exam chair missing. Scully awakens bound to the chair with Schnauz claiming he's going to kill the howlers in her head. Schnauz takes a photo of himself, the results of which greatly disturb him, then prepares to lobotomize Scully. Mulder, having found a clue in a photo of Scully from the drugstore's photo booth, finds a construction site near Schnauz's father's grave and realizes the RV parked there belongs to the younger Schnauz. He manages to break in and shoot Schnauz before he can attack Scully. Mulder looks at the photo Schnauz took of himself, in which he is lying dead on the floor. A diary is then discovered among Schnauz's things, and it includes a list of the women he intended to save: Mary Lefante, Alice Brandt, and Agent Scully.[1][2]
Production
The inspiration for "Unruhe" was a
Most of the scenes featuring Schnauz on
Broadcast and reception
"Unruhe" premiered on the
Taylor Vince's performance as Gerry Schnauz received positive critical attention. Writer Barbara Barnett in her book Chasing Zebras stated that he was memorable as a "psychotic killer".[9] John Kenneth Muir in his book Horror Films of the 1990s wrote that Taylor Vince portrayed one of the "memorable and frightening serial killers" of the series.[10] In a later book, Terror Television American Series 1970–1999, Muir praised the episode as a whole, writing that the episode "is nightmare provoking because it subjects a wonderful individual to a terrifying situation which will remove all traces of individuality from that character".[11] Television Without Pity ranked "Unruhe" the sixth-most nightmare-inducing episode of the show.[12]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g Meisler (1998), pp. 36–37
- ^ Soter (2001), p. 204
- ^ Gradnitzer (1999), p. 120
- ^ a b c d Stegall, Sarah (1996). "The Light of Reason". The Munchkyn Zone. Archived from the original on 29 March 2006. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
- Fox.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ Meisler (1998), p. 298
- ^ "X Cyclopdia: The Ultimate Episode Guide, Season IV". Entertainment Weekly. November 29, 1996. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (October 16, 2010). "'Unruhe'/'The Judge' | The X-Files/Millennium | TV Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ^ Barnett (2010), pp. 36–37
- ^ Kenneth Muir (2007), p. 80
- ^ Kenneth Muir (2001), p. 258
- ^ "Photo Gallery – X-Files: The 11 Most Nightmare-Inducing Episodes Ever – TV Shows & TV Series Pictures & Photos". Television Without Pity. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
Bibliography
- Barnett, Barbara (2010). Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to House, M.D. Harper Prism.
- Gradnitzer, Louisa; Pittson, Todd (1999). X Marks the Spot: On Location with The X-Files. Arsenal Pulp Press. ISBN 9781551520667.
- Kenneth Muir, John (2001). Terror Television American Series 1970–1999. McFarland & Company.
- Kenneth Muir, John (2007). Horror Films of the 1990s. Virgin Books.
- Meisler, Andy (1998). I Want to Believe: The Official Guide to the X-Files Volume 3. Harper Prism. ISBN 9780061053863.
- Soter, Tom (2001). Investigating Couples: A Critical Analysis of the Thin Man, the Avengers and the X-Files. McFarland & Company.
External links
- "Unruhe" at IMDb