Die Hand Die Verletzt
Encyclopedia
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" is the fourteenth episode of the second season
of the science fiction
television series The X-Files
. It premiered on the Fox network
on January 27, 1995. It was written by Glen Morgan
and James Wong
, directed by Kim Manners
, and featured guest appearances by Susan Blommaert
, Dan Butler
, and Heather McComb
. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology
. "Die Hand Die Verletzt" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.7, being watched by 10.2 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received positive reviews, praising the writing.
After a New Hampshire teenager dies in a strange occult-related incident, FBI
special agents Fox Mulder
(David Duchovny
) and Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson
) are called in to look into the matter. Meanwhile the town’s real Devil worshipers attempt to hide their tracks. The title roughly translates from German as "the hand that injures."
. The experiment causes unexplainable things to happen, such as fire erupting from the ground, and rats swarming to the location. The next day one of the kids is found dead and mutilated, and agents Fox Mulder
(David Duchovny
) and Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson
) are called in to investigate. Locals claim that the children have unleashed a demonic force in their rituals, a theory which is given validity by strange occurrences, such as frogs falling from the sky and water in the drinking fountain draining the wrong way.
Unknown to the agents, substitute teacher Mrs. Paddock is revealed to have the eyes and heart of the victim in her desk. One of the Parent-Teacher Council members, Jim Ausbury suspects one of his colleagues killed the boy, but the others believe it is an outside force. Jim's stepdaughter Shannon suffers a breakdown during science class while dissecting a hog fetus. Meeting with Mulder and Scully, she tells them that her stepfather held occult rituals at her house while her mother was away, which included raping her and her little sister and sacrificing the babies. She claims that her sister eventually became one of the sacrifices. Shannon's mother denies Shannon's claims of ever being pregnant and says her sister actually died at 8 weeks old.
When Shannon stays after school to make up her assignment of dissecting the pig, Mrs. Paddock takes her bracelet then uses it as part of a spell that causes Shannon to slit her wrists. When Ausbury hears of the others planning to blame everything on his stepdaughter, he admits all to Mulder. Scully meanwhile researches Mrs. Paddock and finds that no one knows anything about her or who hired her. Mrs. Paddock steals Scully's pen when a power outage occurs. Mulder handcuffs Ausbury in the basement when Paddock fakes a call to him by Scully, and when he leaves a giant snake comes in and eats Ausbury.
Mulder arrives at the school, where Scully claims she never called him. The three still living members of the PTC are convinced that they need to perform a sacrifice and capture the two agents. As they are about to kill them Mrs. Paddock causes them to instead kill themselves. Mulder and Scully escape their bonds and find Mrs. Paddock missing, with only the message "Goodbye. It's been nice working with you." on the chalkboard.
. The line written by Mrs. Paddock on a chalkboard at the end of the episode, "It's been nice working with you," also acted as a goodbye to the crew of the show. The two later returned to the show in season four.
Crowley High School refers to British ceremonialist Aleister Crowley
. The character names Deborah Brown and Paul Vitaris were based on internet X-Files fans. The episodes title means "The hand that wounds" in German.
While fake frogs were considered for the scene where they fall from the sky, the producers decided to change to real ones, dropped from a short distance, as, according to Carter, the "fake ones looked too bad and didn't hop away after command". The snake going doing the stairs proved difficult to film as the animal kept on falling onto the floor after slithering down the steps. Dan Butler was terrified of the animal, being unable to talk while shooting the scene in the basement, and the make-up team not needing to apply fake sweat on the actor.
on January 27, 1995. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.7, with an 18 share, meaning that roughly 10.7 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 10.2 million households.
The episode received praise from critics. Entertainment Weekly
gave "Die Hand Die Verletzt" an A-, noting that, in the episode, "Mulder and Scully largely step aside in this wacky, wicked effort chock-full of stunning imagery and wry comment." Reviewer Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
gave the episode an A and wrote that "There's the sick sense of humor. There are the outright left turns into demented darkness. There are the horrifying visuals. And there's always the sense that the darkness is only barely kept at bay, that even Mulder and Scully would be powerless should it be unleashed and sweep across the land." Connie Ogle from PopMatters
ranked the members of the Satanic PTA as some of the "greatest" monsters-of-the-week, writing, "You don’t want to cross the Satan-worshiping teachers at this high school, but there are more vengeful evil forces to displease."
Series creator Chris Carter said of the episode "It was a fun script that turned this big corner when the girl had the emotional breakdown. It suddenly became a very creepy, dark, disturbing episode. It was vintage Glen and Jim, and we had a great, great performance by the guest stars. A really good, solid episode that actually veered a little more toward the horror genre. But it worked because of Mulder and Scully."
The X-Files (season 2)
The second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on Fox in the United States on September 16, 1994, concluded on the same channel on May 19, 1995, and contained 25 episodes.- Production :...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. It premiered on the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on January 27, 1995. It was written by Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan is an American television producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Morgan is best known for his screen work with long-time writing partner James Wong, including The X-Files, Millennium, Space: Above and Beyond, the Final Destination series, The One, Willard, and the 2006 remake of...
and James Wong
James Wong (producer)
James 'Jim' Wong is a Cantonese-American television producer, writer, and film director notable for his screen works of The X-Files, Space: Above and Beyond, Millennium, Final Destination 1 & 3, The One, and the remakes of Willard and Black Christmas along with writing partner Glen...
, directed by Kim Manners
Kim Manners
Kim Manners was an American television producer, director and child actor best known for his work on The X-Files and Supernatural.-Early life:...
, and featured guest appearances by Susan Blommaert
Susan Blommaert
- Biography :Blommaert acted in several episodes of the television series Law & Order . She has worked with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman in her most recent films.- Filmography :* Forever Lulu...
, Dan Butler
Dan Butler
Daniel Eugene "Dan" Butler is an American playwright and actor known for his role as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe on the TV series Frasier.- Life and career :...
, and Heather McComb
Heather McComb
Heather McComb is an American actress.McComb started acting at age 2 in a commercial for Publisher's Clearing House. When she appeared in the telefilm Generation X in 1996, she became the first actress to portray the X-Men character of Jubilee on screen...
. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology
Mythology of The X-Files
The mythology of The X-Files, sometimes referred to as its mytharc by the show's staff and fans, follows the quest of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder , a believer in supernatural phenomena, and Dana Scully , his skeptical partner. Their boss, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner was also often...
. "Die Hand Die Verletzt" earned a Nielsen household rating of 10.7, being watched by 10.2 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received positive reviews, praising the writing.
After a New Hampshire teenager dies in a strange occult-related incident, FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
special agents Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
(David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
) and Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
(Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson
Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American actress.After beginning her career in theatre, Anderson achieved international recognition for her role as Special Agent Dana Scully on the American television series The X-Files. During the show's nine seasons, Anderson won Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen...
) are called in to look into the matter. Meanwhile the town’s real Devil worshipers attempt to hide their tracks. The title roughly translates from German as "the hand that injures."
Plot
A group of high school students go out into the forest at night to play around with black magicBlack magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
. The experiment causes unexplainable things to happen, such as fire erupting from the ground, and rats swarming to the location. The next day one of the kids is found dead and mutilated, and agents Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
(David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
) and Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
(Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson
Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American actress.After beginning her career in theatre, Anderson achieved international recognition for her role as Special Agent Dana Scully on the American television series The X-Files. During the show's nine seasons, Anderson won Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen...
) are called in to investigate. Locals claim that the children have unleashed a demonic force in their rituals, a theory which is given validity by strange occurrences, such as frogs falling from the sky and water in the drinking fountain draining the wrong way.
Unknown to the agents, substitute teacher Mrs. Paddock is revealed to have the eyes and heart of the victim in her desk. One of the Parent-Teacher Council members, Jim Ausbury suspects one of his colleagues killed the boy, but the others believe it is an outside force. Jim's stepdaughter Shannon suffers a breakdown during science class while dissecting a hog fetus. Meeting with Mulder and Scully, she tells them that her stepfather held occult rituals at her house while her mother was away, which included raping her and her little sister and sacrificing the babies. She claims that her sister eventually became one of the sacrifices. Shannon's mother denies Shannon's claims of ever being pregnant and says her sister actually died at 8 weeks old.
When Shannon stays after school to make up her assignment of dissecting the pig, Mrs. Paddock takes her bracelet then uses it as part of a spell that causes Shannon to slit her wrists. When Ausbury hears of the others planning to blame everything on his stepdaughter, he admits all to Mulder. Scully meanwhile researches Mrs. Paddock and finds that no one knows anything about her or who hired her. Mrs. Paddock steals Scully's pen when a power outage occurs. Mulder handcuffs Ausbury in the basement when Paddock fakes a call to him by Scully, and when he leaves a giant snake comes in and eats Ausbury.
Mulder arrives at the school, where Scully claims she never called him. The three still living members of the PTC are convinced that they need to perform a sacrifice and capture the two agents. As they are about to kill them Mrs. Paddock causes them to instead kill themselves. Mulder and Scully escape their bonds and find Mrs. Paddock missing, with only the message "Goodbye. It's been nice working with you." on the chalkboard.
Production
The episode originally came out of an idea from Glen Morgan's idea to have a scene where a snake eats a man. Chris Carter described the episode as "a cautionary tale about playing with fire, playing with things bigger and badder than you might imagine". Morgan and co-writer James Wong left the series after this episode to produce the series Space: Above and BeyondSpace: Above and Beyond
Space: Above and Beyond was a short-lived mid-90s American science fiction television show on the FOX Network, created and written by Glen Morgan and James Wong. Originally planned for five seasons, it ran only for the single 1995–1996 season. It was nominated for two Emmy Awards and one Saturn...
. The line written by Mrs. Paddock on a chalkboard at the end of the episode, "It's been nice working with you," also acted as a goodbye to the crew of the show. The two later returned to the show in season four.
Crowley High School refers to British ceremonialist Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
. The character names Deborah Brown and Paul Vitaris were based on internet X-Files fans. The episodes title means "The hand that wounds" in German.
While fake frogs were considered for the scene where they fall from the sky, the producers decided to change to real ones, dropped from a short distance, as, according to Carter, the "fake ones looked too bad and didn't hop away after command". The snake going doing the stairs proved difficult to film as the animal kept on falling onto the floor after slithering down the steps. Dan Butler was terrified of the animal, being unable to talk while shooting the scene in the basement, and the make-up team not needing to apply fake sweat on the actor.
Broadcast and reception
"Die Hand Die Verletzt" premiered on the Fox networkFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on January 27, 1995. The episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.7, with an 18 share, meaning that roughly 10.7 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 10.2 million households.
The episode received praise from critics. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave "Die Hand Die Verletzt" an A-, noting that, in the episode, "Mulder and Scully largely step aside in this wacky, wicked effort chock-full of stunning imagery and wry comment." Reviewer Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode an A and wrote that "There's the sick sense of humor. There are the outright left turns into demented darkness. There are the horrifying visuals. And there's always the sense that the darkness is only barely kept at bay, that even Mulder and Scully would be powerless should it be unleashed and sweep across the land." Connie Ogle from PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
ranked the members of the Satanic PTA as some of the "greatest" monsters-of-the-week, writing, "You don’t want to cross the Satan-worshiping teachers at this high school, but there are more vengeful evil forces to displease."
Series creator Chris Carter said of the episode "It was a fun script that turned this big corner when the girl had the emotional breakdown. It suddenly became a very creepy, dark, disturbing episode. It was vintage Glen and Jim, and we had a great, great performance by the guest stars. A really good, solid episode that actually veered a little more toward the horror genre. But it worked because of Mulder and Scully."