Sunday Mornings with Mulder and Scully – Darkness Falls

Dendrochronology is the analyzation of growth rings in non-tropical tree species. In short, it’s the process of telling how old a tree is, and moreover, what environmental changes may have taken place in any given year and is useful when radiocarbon dating cannot be used in newer, younger trees. This science was the basis for one of my favorite episodes.

Mulder and Scully go into the woods to investigate the disappearance of an entire logging crew. They are brought in by U.S. Forest Service employee, Larry and logging company stooge, Steve. Their vehicle’s tires are destroyed by traps laid by eco terrorists, laying a red herring villain into the plot. Steve believes these terrorists are responsible for the disappearance of his men. They hike the rest of the way into the Washington state forest. The logging camp is abandoned and the communication equipment is destroyed. All the vehicles have been vandalized and are unusable. Having visions of The Shining yet? Because the whole trapped in a scary place without anyway of escape or calling for help is one of the most frightening things about this episode.

After they find a cocoon in a tree that has a petrified man inside, they try to get the generator at camp up and running when Doug – eco terrorist – arrives looking for food and help and claiming his friends are trapped an in need of escape. The dynamic between Doug and Steve is hostile to say the least as Steve blames Doug for his missing men and Doug blames Steve for clearcutting the forest and cutting down old growth trees. One of the hundred year old trees that was cut down has a green ring near the center as if something in the environment was very different that year. They soon realize that cutting down that tree released some kind of bug that only comes out in darkness and sucks all the blood out of living tissue after it cocoons its victims alive.

When night falls and the generator begins to fail, fear settles in and they realize that they need to hike out in the morning. The nefarious bug waits for cover of darkness, however, and halts their escape when the vehicle Doug found for them is damaged by – you guessed it – an eco terrorist trap. Oh, the irony.

Mulder and Scully are rescued only to have the green bug covered up by the government. Chris Carter admited that this ending was inspired by the Watergate era in which he grew up during which he grew to profoundly mistrust the government. That mistrust is written all over Mulder’s face when he finds out.

What really makes this episode so great is that it doesn’t just rest on the scary bug premise. It also has a lot to say about how humans clear cut forests and damage the environment around them, the repercussions of which we are only beginning to understand. Even Doug’s jeep is damaged by his own trap stopping their escape is some serious karma and has both-sides-are-in-the-wrong vibes.

The ambiguous ending during which Mulder and Scully barely escape with their lives but didn’t actually stop the bug from infesting other parts of the forest or the government from keeping it secret really lends itself to how great this episode is. They solved the case of the missing men, yes, but logging firms would still clear cut the forest and the eco terrorists would still vandalize their equipment and the bug… is still out there.

The real world elements also did not allow for the episode to be filmed as planned. Rain made certain camera angles impossible and getting good audio was difficult. Production had to halt altogether one day when dark clouds rolled in, ruining the lighting. The weather had made up its mind that the episode had to follow its lead. Nature took over – much like the bug under cover of darkness.

The environmental message did not get lost along the way, though. In 1994, the episode was honored at the Environmental Media Awards for its anti-clearcutting themes. The episode was also adapted into a novel by Les Martin in 1995.

The episode reminds me of the film The Last Winter starring Ron Perlman and Connie Britton. It takes place in Alaska as the permafrost is melting and is releasing paranormal animals into the environment. The Thaw with Val Kilmer also comes to mind as a perfectly preserved prehistoric bear is discovered as the northern snow melts. It releases bugs into the air that will lay their eggs in human flesh. Both have a lot to say about how climate change will affect the planet negatively as the snow melts. And there is nothing humans can do to stop it. A theme these films have in common with this episode.

Until next week, the truth is out there. With little green bugs.