Episode Summary
When a soldiers stationed at a resettlement camp for Haitians drives himself into a tree, Mulder and Scully are called by the grieving and fearful wife. Her fears of a voodoo curse seem only to be reinforced by the beliefs and actions of many of the local residents, including a few of the other soldiers.
Episode Details
- Writer: Howard Gordon
- Director: Rob Bowman
- Original Broadcast: AU: 14.06.1995 US: 03.02.1995
Cast
- Scully Gillian Anderson
- Mulder David Duchovny
Guest Cast
- Colonel Wharton Daniel Benzali
- Private Jack McAlpin Kevin Conway
- Private Kittel Roger R Cross
- Robin McAlpin Katya Gardner
- Private Harry Dunham Matt Hill
- Lieutenant Foyle Peter Kelamis
- Skinny Man Adrien Malebranche
- Groundskeeper Callum Keith Rennie
- Chester Bonaparte Jamil Walker Smith
- Mr X Steven Williams
- Pierre Bauvais Bruce Young
Quotes
Mulder: Private John McAlpin, he was one of the few, the proud... the dead. Last week he wrapped his car around a tree, died on impact.
[Mulder buys the charm that Chester Bonaparte was trying to sell to Scully]
Scully: Let's go, Mulder.
Mulder: You should always carry protection.
Mulder: Can you tell me about the symbol?
Pierre Bauvais: Why? What do you expect to learn from this?
Mulder: Just the truth.
[Mulder hangs the charm from the car's mirror]
Mulder: Well, just in case, I believe in covering my bases.
Scully: Mulder, voodoo only works by instilling fear in its believers, you saw how Bauvais tried to intimidate me. I'll admit the power of suggestion is considerable, but this is no more magic than a pair of fuzzy dice.
Scully: He's non-verbal, non-responsive to voice, touch or pain. The neurologists suspect he's suffered a severe concussion in the crash resulting in amnesia.
Mulder: It's a plausible diagnosis only I'm more interested in how he came back to life.
Scully: Well obviously he never left.
Scully: Electrolytes, white and red counts are all normal, except this is strange. The lab detected trace levels of Tetrodotoxin in his blood. That's a poison found in the liver and reproductive organs of Puffer Fish, a Japanese delicacy.
Mulder: Only I get the feeling that Private McAlpin didn't frequent too many sushi bars.
Scully: You have a theory on how it got into his blood?
Mulder: What do you know about zombis?
Scully: Well I hope you don't intend to tell Robin McAlpin that she married one.
Mulder: In 1982 a Harvard Ethnobotantist named Wade Davis did extensive field research in Haiti on the zombification phenomenon. He analysed several samples of zombi powder prepared by voodoo priests and he found Tetrodotoxin to be common to all of them.
Scully: But Mulder, it's a lethal poison.
Mulder: But in small enough doses it can cause paralysis and depress cardio-respiratory activities to such a low level that the victim might appear clinically dead.
Scully: Well zombi or not, Jack McAlpin is alive.
Mulder: Exactly. Which makes me wonder about the other Marine who allegedly killed himself.
[Mulder and Scully find Chester Bonaparte in the cemetery collecting frogs]
Scully: Maybe I should kiss a few and find out if one is Guttierez.
Mulder: Who pays for them?
Chester Bonaparte: Bauvais. His magic is the most strong. He even made my fries disappear!
Mulder: Well Chester, I got magic, too. And I bet I can make your fries reappear.
[Gives Chester money to get more fries]
Chester Bonaparte: Merci.
Scully: You know Mulder, certain frog species secrete a substance called Bufotoxin. It's chemically similar to what we found in Private McAlpin's blood. I think we should ask Bauvais what he's doing with those frogs.
Mulder: You said that Bauvais threatened the Colonel's men.
Private Dunham: He said he'd take their souls.
Mulder: And you believe he can do that?
Scully: You think he's telling the truth?
Mulder: Until I can figure out why he lied, yeah.
Colonel Wharton: I'm sorry. I'm having my breakfast.
Mulder: That's alright. We already ate.
Mulder: Way I see it, Wharton's left these people no choice but to fight back using the only weapon they have.
Scully: I'm sorry Mulder, there's a big difference between nasty looks and raising the dead.
Mulder: Not according to Private Dunham.
[Mulder meets with Mr X after receiving a ten of diamonds playing card]
Mulder: I was surprised to get your card.
Mr X: In case you haven't noticed, Agent Mulder, the Statue of Liberty is on vacation. The new mandate says if you're not a citizen you'd better keep out.
Scully: Mulder.
Mulder: You okay?
Scully: I feel better than you look... What happened?
Mulder: I don't know.
Scully: Is this a complete list?
Private McAlpin: As far as I know.
Scully: There was a boy, his name was Bonaparte. Chester Bonaparte.
Private McAlpin: Sure, Chester. Poor kid, he died six weeks ago in that riot.