Syzygy (The X-Files)
Encyclopedia
"Syzygy" is a 1996 episode of The X-Files
television series
. It was the thirteenth episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Syzygy" is about Mulder and Scully investigating murders of high school students in a small town where everyone - and they as well - are acting strangely.
), and tell him that the 'cult' that killed their fellow student will be going after a blonde virgin next. The next day Boom is found hanged from a cliff, with Terri and Margi sitting at the top, laughing about it. Agents Fox Mulder
(David Duchovny
) and Dana Scully
(Gillian Anderson
) arrive at the town after arguing over directions along the way. They meet local detective Angela White and go to the funeral service for the latest victim. He is the third person to die in the previous three months and the town suspects a satanic cult is responsible. Scully, in a bad mood, is skeptical of these claims. The high school principal, Bob Spitz, interrupts the funeral by ranting Inquisititorial-style about Satanic cults murdering their children when suddenly the coffin starts smoking and catches on fire.
Mulder and Scully go into separate rooms to interview Margi and Terri, both of whom offer an identical story about a satanic ceremony where a baby was sacrificed. Scully thinks their stories are cliché and points out the fact that the belief in a satanic conspiracy is illogical and paranoid. Looking at the latest victim's body, Mulder finds a burn mark in the shape of a horned beast. Scully says she doesn't see anything. Mulder goes to see Detective White to apologise for Scully's behaviour and the two visit the local astrologist Madame Zirinka who claims the town's crazy behaviour is due to the rare planetary alignment of the planets Mars, Uranus, and Mercury. Terri and Margi watch basketball practice, lusting over one of the players (Scott) whose girlfriend is fellow cheerleader Brenda. One of the other players accidentally spills a table of drinks on them, so they cause the basketball to bounce underneath the bleachers and it closes when he goes to get it, killing him. Scully is angry at Mulder for ditching her to be with detective White.
A town mob searches for a mass grave in the woods and finds a bag belonging to the town pediatrician filled with bones. The angry mob goes to see the doctor, who claims the bag was sold. The bones end up belonging to "Mr. Tippy", a dog that belonged to Terri. Scully gets angry over a joke Mulder makes and tells him she's returning to Washington. Margi and Terri celebrate their birthday and Brenda uses a Ouija board that says she's going to marry Satan. She rushes to the bathroom where Margi and Terri are chanting "Bloody Mary" and is locked in, killed by glass from a shattered mirror. Detective White heads to Mulder's hotel room because she found a box which inside had her cats collar, and then she makes a move on Mulder but they are interrupted by Scully who informs them about Brenda's death. Terri and Margi try to console Scott, who tells them off. Terri is mad at him but Margi still likes him.
Mulder goes to visit Madame Zirinka again, who tells him that the planets come into alignment like this only once every 84 years, and additional alignments will cause anyone born on January 12, 1979 (Margi and Terri's birthdate) to have all the energy in the cosmos focused on them. Margi goes to see Scott alone but an angry Terri arrives. The two argue with each other and end up accidentally killing Scott. Margi goes to Mulder, telling him that Terri is responsible for the murders, while Terri goes to see Scully and tells her the opposite. The agents call each other and bring both girls to the police station, where the place starts shaking and all the guns go off on their own. Mulder locks the girls in a room together and their power goes away once the clock ticks midnight. Mulder and Scully drive home, arguing again over directions.
The name of this episode, "Syzygy" refers to an astrological alignment of three celestial objects, usually the sun, the Earth
and a moon or planet. The name of the high school in this episode, Grover Cleveland Alexander High School was a reference to a question David Duchovny
got wrong during his appearance on Jeopardy. Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully
's fight in the episode where Scully gets upset due to Mulder always driving grew out of nitpicking from fans about the fact that Mulder always seems to be the one driving the car. Mulder's joke about Scully's "little feet" was a joke that Chris Carter
had made before at an X-Files convention in Pasadena, California. Gillian Anderson
stated that these have been things that fans on the internet have been nitpicking about since the beginning of the show. The scene where Mulder sees a Keystone Kops
movie playing on every channel was originally meant to include the movie A Clockwork Orange
, but the rights to the footage were too expensive so the producers settled on another choice. Carter felt that in retrospect it ended up being a better fit.
and Dana Scully
's odd behaviour towards each other resulted in some criticism from fans on the Internet. Chris Carter
was somewhat disappointed in the reaction to this episode, stating that there were hints within the episode that people didn't get. Others got what was going on, but disliked the episode due to their desire for Mulder and Scully to get together. X-Files fans in San Francisco printed up t-shirts featuring the phrase "Sure. Fine. Whatever." spoken multiple times by Scully in this episode.
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...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
. It was the thirteenth episode broadcast in the show's third season. "Syzygy" is about Mulder and Scully investigating murders of high school students in a small town where everyone - and they as well - are acting strangely.
Plot
In Comity, Caryl County, New Hampshire a group of high school students hold a eulogy for their dead friend. Two girls, Terri Roberts and Margi Kleinjan get a ride home from fellow student 'Boom' (Ryan ReynoldsRyan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
), and tell him that the 'cult' that killed their fellow student will be going after a blonde virgin next. The next day Boom is found hanged from a cliff, with Terri and Margi sitting at the top, laughing about it. 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...
) arrive at the town after arguing over directions along the way. They meet local detective Angela White and go to the funeral service for the latest victim. He is the third person to die in the previous three months and the town suspects a satanic cult is responsible. Scully, in a bad mood, is skeptical of these claims. The high school principal, Bob Spitz, interrupts the funeral by ranting Inquisititorial-style about Satanic cults murdering their children when suddenly the coffin starts smoking and catches on fire.
Mulder and Scully go into separate rooms to interview Margi and Terri, both of whom offer an identical story about a satanic ceremony where a baby was sacrificed. Scully thinks their stories are cliché and points out the fact that the belief in a satanic conspiracy is illogical and paranoid. Looking at the latest victim's body, Mulder finds a burn mark in the shape of a horned beast. Scully says she doesn't see anything. Mulder goes to see Detective White to apologise for Scully's behaviour and the two visit the local astrologist Madame Zirinka who claims the town's crazy behaviour is due to the rare planetary alignment of the planets Mars, Uranus, and Mercury. Terri and Margi watch basketball practice, lusting over one of the players (Scott) whose girlfriend is fellow cheerleader Brenda. One of the other players accidentally spills a table of drinks on them, so they cause the basketball to bounce underneath the bleachers and it closes when he goes to get it, killing him. Scully is angry at Mulder for ditching her to be with detective White.
A town mob searches for a mass grave in the woods and finds a bag belonging to the town pediatrician filled with bones. The angry mob goes to see the doctor, who claims the bag was sold. The bones end up belonging to "Mr. Tippy", a dog that belonged to Terri. Scully gets angry over a joke Mulder makes and tells him she's returning to Washington. Margi and Terri celebrate their birthday and Brenda uses a Ouija board that says she's going to marry Satan. She rushes to the bathroom where Margi and Terri are chanting "Bloody Mary" and is locked in, killed by glass from a shattered mirror. Detective White heads to Mulder's hotel room because she found a box which inside had her cats collar, and then she makes a move on Mulder but they are interrupted by Scully who informs them about Brenda's death. Terri and Margi try to console Scott, who tells them off. Terri is mad at him but Margi still likes him.
Mulder goes to visit Madame Zirinka again, who tells him that the planets come into alignment like this only once every 84 years, and additional alignments will cause anyone born on January 12, 1979 (Margi and Terri's birthdate) to have all the energy in the cosmos focused on them. Margi goes to see Scott alone but an angry Terri arrives. The two argue with each other and end up accidentally killing Scott. Margi goes to Mulder, telling him that Terri is responsible for the murders, while Terri goes to see Scully and tells her the opposite. The agents call each other and bring both girls to the police station, where the place starts shaking and all the guns go off on their own. Mulder locks the girls in a room together and their power goes away once the clock ticks midnight. Mulder and Scully drive home, arguing again over directions.
Production
Director Rob Bowman was not a fan of the episode, saying "The show proved to be much more difficult than I anticipated, and there wasn't enough time to shoot the show properly because we were so close to the Christmas break. I felt extremely pressured and frustrated, although there are things in it I love, particularly the banter between Mulder and Scully. But overall, I thought the show was very oblique. I don't feel that the characters ever knew what was going on and I don't think it is all that cool that kids are murdering people. I didn't feel like I was shooting an episode of the X-Files, and I think I let Chris Carter down a bit."The name of this episode, "Syzygy" refers to an astrological alignment of three celestial objects, usually the sun, the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and a moon or planet. The name of the high school in this episode, Grover Cleveland Alexander High School was a reference to a question 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:...
got wrong during his appearance on Jeopardy. 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...
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...
's fight in the episode where Scully gets upset due to Mulder always driving grew out of nitpicking from fans about the fact that Mulder always seems to be the one driving the car. Mulder's joke about Scully's "little feet" was a joke that Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
had made before at an X-Files convention in Pasadena, California. 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...
stated that these have been things that fans on the internet have been nitpicking about since the beginning of the show. The scene where Mulder sees a Keystone Kops
Keystone Kops
The Keystone Kops were incompetent fictional policemen, featured in silent film comedies in the early 20th century. The movies were produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. The idea came from Hank Mann who also played police chief Tehiezel in the first film...
movie playing on every channel was originally meant to include the movie A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
, but the rights to the footage were too expensive so the producers settled on another choice. Carter felt that in retrospect it ended up being a better fit.
Reception
This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 10.8, with an 17 share. It was viewed by 16.04 million people. Fox MulderFox 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...
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...
's odd behaviour towards each other resulted in some criticism from fans on the Internet. Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
was somewhat disappointed in the reaction to this episode, stating that there were hints within the episode that people didn't get. Others got what was going on, but disliked the episode due to their desire for Mulder and Scully to get together. X-Files fans in San Francisco printed up t-shirts featuring the phrase "Sure. Fine. Whatever." spoken multiple times by Scully in this episode.