I don't think Miracle Man gets the respect it deserves. I think anytime you can add a twist to an episode deserves a positive mention. Miracle Man has you thinking that Samuel Hartley is killing these people through his powers, but his puzzling acceptance of it has you to confused as to what is really happening. It's a good guessing game that had me changing my mind till the end. I also like how they included elements about Samantha, Mulder's sister, linking this episode to the myth/arc in a small way. I think you walk a fine line when you produce a religious themed episode. You want it to be authentic without offending people or making it seem hokey. Miracle Man pulls it off well, making it a believable story. Some of the religious-themed episodes fall a bit flat. Miracle Man is one of the better offerings.
15 Reviews
I think people are looking hard for miracles...so hard that maybe they make themselves see what they want to see.
DWilliams108927 September 2010
The monster-of-the-week episodes from season one were, perhaps more so than any subsequent season, a mixed bag. Their quality was not determined so much by innovation ("Ice" was primarily an update of John Carpenter's The Thing and "Beyond the Sea" an abbreviated version of The Silence of the Lambs), but by the personal stakes the main protagonists had in them. The two aforementioned episodes were integral in the evolution of Mulder and Scully's relationship, and as such succeeded far more than say, "Space" or "Genderbender," which were not.
"Miracle Man" doesn't cleanly fit in either category, but it could be argued that it falls closer to the former. Like the earlier episode "Conduit," the plot dips in to the overarching MacGuffin of the search for Samantha Mulder. The two agents arrive in Tennessee to investigate Samuel Hartley, a faith healer whose touch has recently become a nail-in-the-coffin for his reverend father's congregation members.
The religion-based X-Files are seldom considered to be fan darlings, perhaps due to both religious sensitivity and their higher-level of open-endedness. Carter and Gordon's script does an admirable job of avoiding both of these potential pitfalls. Although the characters themselves are not fully able to piece together the puzzle by the end, it is fairly obvious to the viewer of Hartley's legitimacy. If anything, Mulder and Scully's confusion is too over-played, especially given Mulder's aversion to more pedestrian explanations. Perhaps this is part of his reaction to the visions of his sister, which although appropriate in the context of the episode, tend to throw off the pacing in parts.
I was trying to find a way to score this episode an 8 because it is certainly in the upper echelon of the season one catalog. For some reason I don't find it quite as captivating as several other episodes, but Gordon and Carter's first joint script is still a solid X-File that proved the show could move into more spiritual territories without meandering into ham-handed ones. Some excellent guest acting and a truly creepy villain played by Dennis Lipscomb make this a near-classic. 7 out of 10.
"Miracle Man" doesn't cleanly fit in either category, but it could be argued that it falls closer to the former. Like the earlier episode "Conduit," the plot dips in to the overarching MacGuffin of the search for Samantha Mulder. The two agents arrive in Tennessee to investigate Samuel Hartley, a faith healer whose touch has recently become a nail-in-the-coffin for his reverend father's congregation members.
The religion-based X-Files are seldom considered to be fan darlings, perhaps due to both religious sensitivity and their higher-level of open-endedness. Carter and Gordon's script does an admirable job of avoiding both of these potential pitfalls. Although the characters themselves are not fully able to piece together the puzzle by the end, it is fairly obvious to the viewer of Hartley's legitimacy. If anything, Mulder and Scully's confusion is too over-played, especially given Mulder's aversion to more pedestrian explanations. Perhaps this is part of his reaction to the visions of his sister, which although appropriate in the context of the episode, tend to throw off the pacing in parts.
I was trying to find a way to score this episode an 8 because it is certainly in the upper echelon of the season one catalog. For some reason I don't find it quite as captivating as several other episodes, but Gordon and Carter's first joint script is still a solid X-File that proved the show could move into more spiritual territories without meandering into ham-handed ones. Some excellent guest acting and a truly creepy villain played by Dennis Lipscomb make this a near-classic. 7 out of 10.
The God Given Powers Go Wrong
thebigeasy55510 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A religious themed episode which dosen't disappoint.
A local preachers son is hailed as a modern day Jesus after apparently curing people from their afflictions and disabilities.However things go badly wrong when some his clients die!
Mulder and Scully arrive on the scene to find an almost carnival like religious service with all glamour and razzmatazz the main feature.people have traveled from all over America to see the preachers boy Samuel Hartley the miracle worker.Unfortunately his father informs the crowd gathered Samuel wont be appearing.Seems like he's gone missing.The local sheriff dismisses the whole thing as one big fraud
Samuel is found later after what looks like another death linked to him at a show in a bar intoxicated.Before he is arrested he lets Mulder know he knows of Mulders inner pain of his sister disappearing. Samuel confesses to the deaths of the participants of his show but there appears to be no plausible explanation for the deaths
In jail Samuel is beaten to death and his father immediately blames the authorities. In the end Samuel returns from the grave and takes his vengenance on family friend leonard vance who set everything up.
Scenes to look out for-Samuels death and the locust storm in the courthouse.Fantastic!A great episode from season 1
A local preachers son is hailed as a modern day Jesus after apparently curing people from their afflictions and disabilities.However things go badly wrong when some his clients die!
Mulder and Scully arrive on the scene to find an almost carnival like religious service with all glamour and razzmatazz the main feature.people have traveled from all over America to see the preachers boy Samuel Hartley the miracle worker.Unfortunately his father informs the crowd gathered Samuel wont be appearing.Seems like he's gone missing.The local sheriff dismisses the whole thing as one big fraud
Samuel is found later after what looks like another death linked to him at a show in a bar intoxicated.Before he is arrested he lets Mulder know he knows of Mulders inner pain of his sister disappearing. Samuel confesses to the deaths of the participants of his show but there appears to be no plausible explanation for the deaths
In jail Samuel is beaten to death and his father immediately blames the authorities. In the end Samuel returns from the grave and takes his vengenance on family friend leonard vance who set everything up.
Scenes to look out for-Samuels death and the locust storm in the courthouse.Fantastic!A great episode from season 1
One of the better religion-based episodes
ametaphysicalshark17 September 2008
Chris Carter has made it no secret that he is a man of faith and that Scully's struggle with her own Catholicism is likely a very personal issue for Carter to write about. Scully's struggle with her own faith and with the Church's doctrine is a theme that Carter in particular clearly finds inspiration to return to on a regular basis, but "Miracle Man" is possibly the first episode to really deal with Scully's Catholic upbringing and struggle between her work as a scientist and her faith in God.
Not surprisingly, "Miracle Man" is rated quite low, not just at the moment, but it was never a widely-liked episode. I say 'not surprisingly' because religion isn't many people's favorite topic- atheists tend to dismiss anything with religious undertones as stupid and outdated, and very devout people tend to get upset at even things like "Miracle Man", something clearly written by a Christian which still brings into question some of the more unusual practices and phenomenon surrounding religion, or more specifically extreme cases of religious devotion.
All that said, "Miracle Man" is not just a smart script that opens Scully's character to many of the aspects which would later become key to episodes focused on her, it's also a fun little thriller script, and one with weighty and well-written enough subject matter that it doesn't become laughable as several season one episodes do. "Miracle Man" is quite good, really.
8/10
Not surprisingly, "Miracle Man" is rated quite low, not just at the moment, but it was never a widely-liked episode. I say 'not surprisingly' because religion isn't many people's favorite topic- atheists tend to dismiss anything with religious undertones as stupid and outdated, and very devout people tend to get upset at even things like "Miracle Man", something clearly written by a Christian which still brings into question some of the more unusual practices and phenomenon surrounding religion, or more specifically extreme cases of religious devotion.
All that said, "Miracle Man" is not just a smart script that opens Scully's character to many of the aspects which would later become key to episodes focused on her, it's also a fun little thriller script, and one with weighty and well-written enough subject matter that it doesn't become laughable as several season one episodes do. "Miracle Man" is quite good, really.
8/10
God Bless
Dresden_Doll_1013 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is a good episode, which involves miracles, yet not all of them good. This was an interesting, surprising episode, which made you think. I've never been truly 'besotted' by this episode to be honest, but seeing it again made me think a little differently, even though I hasn't made the biggest affect on me. Anyway, let me say some good and bad points about this episode,
The Good: The teaser. =D
The Preacher's boy coming back. x]
Did that Murderer guy put something in their drink? =/
Mulder's sister. =]
The Bad: Did the Sheriff hate him that much!? =O
Conclusion: Good, decent episode. 7/10
The Good: The teaser. =D
The Preacher's boy coming back. x]
Did that Murderer guy put something in their drink? =/
Mulder's sister. =]
The Bad: Did the Sheriff hate him that much!? =O
Conclusion: Good, decent episode. 7/10
"He giveth and He taketh away."
classicsoncall18 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This story takes an odd turn when the principal character (other than Scully or Mulder) winds up murdered, and the one responsible for the deaths connected to a faith healing ministry was a member of the flock. It's only natural that the X-Files would take a turn at a faith based story because so much of what's going on with Mulder is an unyielding attempt to find out what happened with his missing sister. With Scully, it's coming to terms with her own Catholic upbringing amid the varied paranormal phenomena she experiences as Mulder's partner.
Say, wasn't that Leonard Vance a creepy guy in his own right. You know, there were some scenes where his facial make-up looked so cheesy you'd think he was wearing a Halloween mask, and other times it really looked like healed over scar tissue from a tragic burn experience at the beginning of the story. I wonder why that is.
The one element that bothered me a bit in the story dealt with Sheriff Daniels' (R.D.Call) ten year effort to shut down the Miracle Ministry. It seemed to me he wasn't very effective if he couldn't find a pretense to do it for a whole decade. Seeing as how he was corrupt enough to have some thugs beat Samuel Hartley (Scott Bairstow) to death in a jail cell, it seems to me he could have manufactured some excuse to send Reverend Hartley (George Geddes) packing years earlier. But then I guess we wouldn't have had the story.
Mulder's Samantha 'sightings' were a clever plot element inserted into this story, along with Samuel's counsel to open himself up to a more enduring faith in a higher power. The open ended feel of the story, even though Samuel was 'dead', was just enough to keep the viewer off balance and in a position to consider one's own judgment. Just a little spooky, as Mulder might conclude.
Say, wasn't that Leonard Vance a creepy guy in his own right. You know, there were some scenes where his facial make-up looked so cheesy you'd think he was wearing a Halloween mask, and other times it really looked like healed over scar tissue from a tragic burn experience at the beginning of the story. I wonder why that is.
The one element that bothered me a bit in the story dealt with Sheriff Daniels' (R.D.Call) ten year effort to shut down the Miracle Ministry. It seemed to me he wasn't very effective if he couldn't find a pretense to do it for a whole decade. Seeing as how he was corrupt enough to have some thugs beat Samuel Hartley (Scott Bairstow) to death in a jail cell, it seems to me he could have manufactured some excuse to send Reverend Hartley (George Geddes) packing years earlier. But then I guess we wouldn't have had the story.
Mulder's Samantha 'sightings' were a clever plot element inserted into this story, along with Samuel's counsel to open himself up to a more enduring faith in a higher power. The open ended feel of the story, even though Samuel was 'dead', was just enough to keep the viewer off balance and in a position to consider one's own judgment. Just a little spooky, as Mulder might conclude.
Probably one of the cheesiest yet
SleepTight66620 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is sooo cheesy. Probably one of the cheesiest yet. it has a lot of bad lines and the casting is also not great.
However, for some reason I find it quite satisfying. I like the story behind it, it's been done before but that doesn't mean it can still be interesting. I guess it's the ultimate guilty pleasure of Season 1 for me. Despite the badness, I liked what was going on and I liked the little twist at the end. I felt bad for the Samuel character, but I think that he was well acted and well written.
What was bad about this episode was the Samantha part, it didn't have anything to do with the episode and it's annoying how often they changed the girl in the first season.
I'm gonna give it THREE stars.
However, for some reason I find it quite satisfying. I like the story behind it, it's been done before but that doesn't mean it can still be interesting. I guess it's the ultimate guilty pleasure of Season 1 for me. Despite the badness, I liked what was going on and I liked the little twist at the end. I felt bad for the Samuel character, but I think that he was well acted and well written.
What was bad about this episode was the Samantha part, it didn't have anything to do with the episode and it's annoying how often they changed the girl in the first season.
I'm gonna give it THREE stars.
Scully, open your mind for a change!
jrpa6 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I am mostly writing this to vent, but the refusal of Scully to believe what is in front of her is getting to be annoying.
That Vance was guilty, is not the point, the fact that the firemen had pronounced him dead and zipped the body bag and under the ministrations of the little boy, Samuel brought him back is pretty close to irrefutable.
Mulder: No, wait, this is the part where they bring out Elvis.
bombersflyup5 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Miracle Man is about an investigation into a ministry led by a man whose son possesses the power to heal.
The episode's interesting enough, but you don't know anymore by the end than when it began. Basically it's saying Samuel's for real, since Van wants vengeance and no explanations given. So the sheriff had Samuel killed because he felt guilty in regards to his wife for not believing, I assume. The parts of the reverend and the sheriff could be better, Van's terrific.
The episode's interesting enough, but you don't know anymore by the end than when it began. Basically it's saying Samuel's for real, since Van wants vengeance and no explanations given. So the sheriff had Samuel killed because he felt guilty in regards to his wife for not believing, I assume. The parts of the reverend and the sheriff could be better, Van's terrific.
Yes indeedy
Sanpaco1316 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Miracle Man the Limerick:
The touch from the son of a preacher
Instead of a miracle brings a seizure.
A man dressed in black
Wants to go back.
He was dead at the start of the feature.
First of all I like this episode but it is not a favorite. I like the tent revival meeting kind of atmosphere to it and the characters are interesting. This episode is about a boy/young man who is able to heal people by laying his hands on them. As a religious person this is an interesting topic for an episode because healing by laying on of hands is a part of my faith and it is interesting to see how this is portrayed by those who are not of the same faith as me. I do like that they make particular reference to the fact that you have to believe in order to be healed by laying on of hands. During Christ's mortal ministry in Jerusalem he did perform miracles and healings but always made special care to explain that he could only do so according to the faith of those looking to be healed. I like the kid in this episode because he is so humble although it is actually to a fault. I also liked the character of the burn victim who ends up being the bad guy. The episode despite these good elements just didn't seem to quite fit together the way it should have and so I can't give this a perfect 10 but I will give it an 8/10.
The touch from the son of a preacher
Instead of a miracle brings a seizure.
A man dressed in black
Wants to go back.
He was dead at the start of the feature.
First of all I like this episode but it is not a favorite. I like the tent revival meeting kind of atmosphere to it and the characters are interesting. This episode is about a boy/young man who is able to heal people by laying his hands on them. As a religious person this is an interesting topic for an episode because healing by laying on of hands is a part of my faith and it is interesting to see how this is portrayed by those who are not of the same faith as me. I do like that they make particular reference to the fact that you have to believe in order to be healed by laying on of hands. During Christ's mortal ministry in Jerusalem he did perform miracles and healings but always made special care to explain that he could only do so according to the faith of those looking to be healed. I like the kid in this episode because he is so humble although it is actually to a fault. I also liked the character of the burn victim who ends up being the bad guy. The episode despite these good elements just didn't seem to quite fit together the way it should have and so I can't give this a perfect 10 but I will give it an 8/10.
Scully's Forced skepticism is overdone
devonbrown-906494 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This episode was really interesting as it tackled the church healer phenomenon that is prevalent across Christianity.
I really liked the fact that the healer Samuel was able to represent a young Jesus. He eventually feel victim to his own naivety. The crucifixion of Samuel in the jail cell scene was hard to watch but I was happy to see his resurrection and subsequent confrontation with his saboteur.
It was made very clear across several episodes that "Samuel" was the real deal. I'm surprised Dana Scully closed off the case with a high doubts of any miracles note. Which seems to be repeated in many episodes despite her witnessing lots of otherworldly phenomena, nevertheless I enjoyed the episode.
I really liked the fact that the healer Samuel was able to represent a young Jesus. He eventually feel victim to his own naivety. The crucifixion of Samuel in the jail cell scene was hard to watch but I was happy to see his resurrection and subsequent confrontation with his saboteur.
It was made very clear across several episodes that "Samuel" was the real deal. I'm surprised Dana Scully closed off the case with a high doubts of any miracles note. Which seems to be repeated in many episodes despite her witnessing lots of otherworldly phenomena, nevertheless I enjoyed the episode.
God never lets the devil steal the show.
Sleepin_Dragon19 September 2020
Miracles, are they possible, who administers them, and who's responsible for them?
I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of this one.
I detest this form of preaching, I know for many it's a way of life, but the thought of being preached to by someone dripping in gold, driving a limousine goes through me.
Perhaps not being American I don't fully get it, but for me this episode is very cheesy, it's way over the top, and efforts to make a religious belief into an X File, it just doesn't work for me.
Mulder seeing his sister all the time?
Sorry, I thought this was naff. 4/10.
I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of this one.
I detest this form of preaching, I know for many it's a way of life, but the thought of being preached to by someone dripping in gold, driving a limousine goes through me.
Perhaps not being American I don't fully get it, but for me this episode is very cheesy, it's way over the top, and efforts to make a religious belief into an X File, it just doesn't work for me.
Mulder seeing his sister all the time?
Sorry, I thought this was naff. 4/10.
Ninety-nine percent of the people in this world are fools
and the rest of us are in great danger of contagion.
alexandercappelli9 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Ninety-nine percent of the people in this world are fools
and the rest of us are in great danger of contagion." – Sheriff Daniels.
Episode 18, 'Miracle Man', original air date March 18th, 1994. Written by Chris Carter and Howard Gordon, directed by Michael Lange. Monster of the week episode count, 13. Chris Carter teams up once again with director Michael Lange and co-writer Howard Gordon, separated for the first time from writing partner Alex Gansa. Given that these reviews are written in a retrospective fashion certain elements are naturally distinct from the perspective of a first time viewer. Like all television series', certain episodes are more conducive to repeat viewings than others. Re-watching some episodes will actually enhance your enjoyment as you discover new elements by focusing on an overlooked aspect from the initial viewing. Others appear to be lacking in hindsight. Episodes that, while on first impression were enjoyable amidst the excitement of the unknown, viewed through the rose coloured glasses of "new episode fever", fall flat under the scrutiny of repeated plays. Often, the episodes that fall into this category are those which use mystery or plot twists as their defining ingredient. This argument applies across the board. You only have to watch 'The Sixth Sense' a second time to understand how plot twists can be big on 'wow factor' during the initial experience, but hinder the enjoyment when going in for a second round. An episode like 'Miracle Man' almost certainly would have yielded a more glowing review after seeing it for the first time, however since it relies too heavily on mystery to engage the audience, firing up the DVD for a second, third or fourth time leaves a bit to be desired.
The episode begins with a young boy, Samuel Hartley, praying over the dead body of a burn victim and miraculously bringing him back to life. Flash forward ten years and this same boy, now a young man, is travelling across the countryside with his adopted father, curing all manner of ailments and sickness. Thus we have the miracle man. Unfortunately, in recent times his gift has become a curse as his once healing touch now brings death to those he attempts to cure. Scully brings the case to Mulder and suspects that he won't be too interested as she explains, "It's not an X-File". Mulder, however, always open to new possibilities, jumps on board. Along with the help of a local sheriff, the agents investigate the cause of death. Sheriff Maurice Daniels (R.D. Call), whose role consists mainly of grimacing at the camera, is convinced Samuel (Scott Bairstow) is to blame. Eventually Sheriff Daniels has Samuel killed while in custody, believing he is dispatching a murderer, only to discover that Vance (Dennis Lipscomb), the man who Samuel brought back to life at the beginning of the episode, was behind the deaths all along.
Otherworldly elements aside, this is essentially a murder mystery that does a decent job at keeping the audience guessing throughout. It's unlikely one would suspect Vance as the killer though his reasoning is justifiable and makes sense, so it's not a cheap misdirect but rather a legitimate twist that feels logical and satisfying. Despite the fact that the mystery is engaging enough the first time around, there is little to draw audiences back once they know the outcome. The pacing is a little off at times, the episode begins slowly and then suddenly ramps up to a somewhat rushed false ending, finally leaving us with an unnecessary cliffhanger that feels a little forced. Samuel appears to have risen from the grave and left the county morgue. This comes across as a hackneyed attempt by the writers to end with the common X-Files trope of unsolved mysteries. This works quite often in the series but here it just feels forced.
The addition of Samantha, Mulder's missing sister, is also poorly executed. Carter likes to explore his characters' back stories and emotions deeper than some other writers but the addition of this side plot does nothing to further the story. This is not to mention that the actress playing his daughter bears no resemblance to the appearance of Samantha that the producers finally settle on in later episodes. This is, however, an excusable gripe as the creators had no idea at this point that Samantha would become such a prominent figure as the series progressed. This addition to the plot makes me think that the writer's didn't realise they could simply present a straight forward murder mystery as an X-Files episode. It's arguable that at this early stage they were not so sure of themselves and felt that they needed to include something extraneous like this to tie the episode to the greater mythology. Or perhaps it was just a rare pedestrian effort at character development.
'Miracle Man' is certainly a successful murder mystery with some interesting characters, however it's one that fans might skip when doing a DVD re-watch as it doesn't offer much in the way of deeper analysis.
Episode 18, 'Miracle Man', original air date March 18th, 1994. Written by Chris Carter and Howard Gordon, directed by Michael Lange. Monster of the week episode count, 13. Chris Carter teams up once again with director Michael Lange and co-writer Howard Gordon, separated for the first time from writing partner Alex Gansa. Given that these reviews are written in a retrospective fashion certain elements are naturally distinct from the perspective of a first time viewer. Like all television series', certain episodes are more conducive to repeat viewings than others. Re-watching some episodes will actually enhance your enjoyment as you discover new elements by focusing on an overlooked aspect from the initial viewing. Others appear to be lacking in hindsight. Episodes that, while on first impression were enjoyable amidst the excitement of the unknown, viewed through the rose coloured glasses of "new episode fever", fall flat under the scrutiny of repeated plays. Often, the episodes that fall into this category are those which use mystery or plot twists as their defining ingredient. This argument applies across the board. You only have to watch 'The Sixth Sense' a second time to understand how plot twists can be big on 'wow factor' during the initial experience, but hinder the enjoyment when going in for a second round. An episode like 'Miracle Man' almost certainly would have yielded a more glowing review after seeing it for the first time, however since it relies too heavily on mystery to engage the audience, firing up the DVD for a second, third or fourth time leaves a bit to be desired.
The episode begins with a young boy, Samuel Hartley, praying over the dead body of a burn victim and miraculously bringing him back to life. Flash forward ten years and this same boy, now a young man, is travelling across the countryside with his adopted father, curing all manner of ailments and sickness. Thus we have the miracle man. Unfortunately, in recent times his gift has become a curse as his once healing touch now brings death to those he attempts to cure. Scully brings the case to Mulder and suspects that he won't be too interested as she explains, "It's not an X-File". Mulder, however, always open to new possibilities, jumps on board. Along with the help of a local sheriff, the agents investigate the cause of death. Sheriff Maurice Daniels (R.D. Call), whose role consists mainly of grimacing at the camera, is convinced Samuel (Scott Bairstow) is to blame. Eventually Sheriff Daniels has Samuel killed while in custody, believing he is dispatching a murderer, only to discover that Vance (Dennis Lipscomb), the man who Samuel brought back to life at the beginning of the episode, was behind the deaths all along.
Otherworldly elements aside, this is essentially a murder mystery that does a decent job at keeping the audience guessing throughout. It's unlikely one would suspect Vance as the killer though his reasoning is justifiable and makes sense, so it's not a cheap misdirect but rather a legitimate twist that feels logical and satisfying. Despite the fact that the mystery is engaging enough the first time around, there is little to draw audiences back once they know the outcome. The pacing is a little off at times, the episode begins slowly and then suddenly ramps up to a somewhat rushed false ending, finally leaving us with an unnecessary cliffhanger that feels a little forced. Samuel appears to have risen from the grave and left the county morgue. This comes across as a hackneyed attempt by the writers to end with the common X-Files trope of unsolved mysteries. This works quite often in the series but here it just feels forced.
The addition of Samantha, Mulder's missing sister, is also poorly executed. Carter likes to explore his characters' back stories and emotions deeper than some other writers but the addition of this side plot does nothing to further the story. This is not to mention that the actress playing his daughter bears no resemblance to the appearance of Samantha that the producers finally settle on in later episodes. This is, however, an excusable gripe as the creators had no idea at this point that Samantha would become such a prominent figure as the series progressed. This addition to the plot makes me think that the writer's didn't realise they could simply present a straight forward murder mystery as an X-Files episode. It's arguable that at this early stage they were not so sure of themselves and felt that they needed to include something extraneous like this to tie the episode to the greater mythology. Or perhaps it was just a rare pedestrian effort at character development.
'Miracle Man' is certainly a successful murder mystery with some interesting characters, however it's one that fans might skip when doing a DVD re-watch as it doesn't offer much in the way of deeper analysis.
Miracles?
CursedChico18 October 2020
I never saw a miracle or lived. So, i cant say there are miracles or not but there are people saying this.
MAybe science says there are no miracles, everything is coincidence but science can not explain everything.
So, i cant refuse miracles. Because there are people , saying they lived miracles.
Like in this episode. Even mulder saw her sister a few times. Leondarda saw dead samuel. Were those all imagination? I have no clue. I dont want to think or to prove or to deny.
I am apateist. So i dont care religions. But every miracle is not about religion. Some people can have some kind of energy.
So, this episode is very sensible for me. It is not refusing or accepting religion. It is just questioning miracles.
Was samuel a miracle man? Maybe it was a trick that his dead body was taken by his father's people to show as if a miracle.
To sum up, it is not easy to refuse miracles. There are no evidences or info to refuse the miracles. So, two ways to go. Like scully, refuse them because not scientific or not to care them. If there are miracles, they are welcomed :) if there are not, i wont lose anything not believing in
MAybe science says there are no miracles, everything is coincidence but science can not explain everything.
So, i cant refuse miracles. Because there are people , saying they lived miracles.
Like in this episode. Even mulder saw her sister a few times. Leondarda saw dead samuel. Were those all imagination? I have no clue. I dont want to think or to prove or to deny.
I am apateist. So i dont care religions. But every miracle is not about religion. Some people can have some kind of energy.
So, this episode is very sensible for me. It is not refusing or accepting religion. It is just questioning miracles.
Was samuel a miracle man? Maybe it was a trick that his dead body was taken by his father's people to show as if a miracle.
To sum up, it is not easy to refuse miracles. There are no evidences or info to refuse the miracles. So, two ways to go. Like scully, refuse them because not scientific or not to care them. If there are miracles, they are welcomed :) if there are not, i wont lose anything not believing in
I Don't Have Means, Motive, or Evidence... But He's Guilty!
frankelee1 July 2023
The X-Files is a pretty cheesy and silly show, especially when they leave their alien abduction wheelhouse, and I'm sure they couldn't afford writers with any experience related to what they're writing about... But arresting a teenager because the people he lays hands on die... And actually having a prosecutor be willing to try it... And not have the case dismissed on day one???
That's a little too stupid even for broadcast TV drama. Also Mulder keeps running after a vision for some reason, why does he not understand how visions work?
Anyway if we're in a world where the supernatural is considered supernatural, then how can you bring murder charges when the murder weapon is the power of the Devil working through touch? Why is the legal system of the X-Files not otherwise shown to accept spectral evidence, miracles, super powers, etc.?
What I'm saying is, this whole episode is dumb.
That's a little too stupid even for broadcast TV drama. Also Mulder keeps running after a vision for some reason, why does he not understand how visions work?
Anyway if we're in a world where the supernatural is considered supernatural, then how can you bring murder charges when the murder weapon is the power of the Devil working through touch? Why is the legal system of the X-Files not otherwise shown to accept spectral evidence, miracles, super powers, etc.?
What I'm saying is, this whole episode is dumb.
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