The X-Files (TV Series) The Unnatural (1999) User Reviews

On my Top 10

[Tom-91 · 9/10 · 11 September 2006]

While Scully and Mulder make only brief appearances, this episode is one of my all-time favorites from the series; and is truly an homage to the passion for baseball that so many have had over the years.

For a series that forces the viewer to suspend so much disbelief, this episode is unique in that it requires the viewer to suspend belief even within the universe created for the show, with an almost Pinocchio-like ending for a great character. In lesser hands, the ending would make the audience roll its collective eyes. Instead, it is quite moving.

Jesse L. Martin and Frederic Lane deserve most of the credit for creating two characters whom you are really drawn to care about: an alien who couldn't leave Earth after falling in love with the game of baseball, and a lawman who protects him from a sadly racist world in 1947. Long time fans will be gratified to see Brian Thompson's Alien Bounty Hunter finally get to speak a little bit more than usual. M. Emmet Walsh does what he does best: taking what could have been a minor narrative role, and making it yet another in a line of memorable characters that fans can embrace.

Tremendous kudos go to writer/director David Duchovny. I thought it an especially nice historic parallel to have the evil Alien Bounty Hunter dressed as and leading a group of Klansmen; even a non-fan of the show would instantly realize this man was evil to the point of supporting enslavement at all costs. The dialog walks the line of being genuine and syrupy at times, but is genuine enough that the actors were able to keep their characters believable.

I think too many episodes like this would have turned the show a bit sappy, but one episode makes for a beautiful and unique tribute in a series that contained many beautiful and unique stories. Any fan of baseball would love this episode.

Hilarious!

[quark18 · 9/10 · 7 December 2018]

This episode is hilarious, not just the dialogue but the entire premise. Beginning with Arthur Dales's brother also being named Arthur.

If this is an example of David Duchovny's writing, I need to start reading the books he published recently.

Every time I saw Jesse Martin on "Law and Order" in later years, I forever remembered him as the alien baseball player I first saw on "The X-Files."

"Useless but perfect"-that could describe tv shows as well as the game of baseball. We seem to spend a lot of time on both.

The Mulder-Scully scenes at the beginning and end of the episode are both funny and endearing. Looked like the actors were having fun.

All great ball players are aliens

[hrkepler · 9/10 · 23 June 2018]

'The Unnatural' is cute humorous episoode that was written and directed by David Duchovny himself. He based the character Josh Exley on real life pro-baseball playes Joe Bauman who held the home run record, but still never got to play in the major league. Unfortunately Darren McGavin couldn't reprise his role as Arthur Dales because of illness, but the replacement player M. Emmet Walsh did equally charming job as Dales' brother Arthur Dales. It also gave nice quirky joke about Dales' parents.

Also the episode playes on the idea that many incomparable artists and sportsmen are every once in a while speculated to be aliens.

This episode also includes one of my favorite quotes from the show - I have seen the life on this planet, Scully and that is exactly why I am looking elsewhere.

Mulder: I scream, you scream, we all scream for non-fat tofutti rice dreamsicles.

[bombersflyup · 10/10 · 20 November 2018]

The Unnatural is about a story told to Mulder by Arthur Dales, who was assigned to protect an alien disguised as a black baseball player in Roswell in the 1940's.

Out of the day to day precedent of the show. The characters relate on a personal level and share understanding, joy and loss. New boundaries set, as one alien just wants to experience the joy of the simple man playing in the Cactus league. All the guest appearances exceptional. Fredric Lehne as young Dales, who was also in "Travelers" as his brother, a terrific lead. Jesse L Martin portrays the charismatic joy of the character perfectly. M Emmet Walsh's character displaying humor to heart and Brian Thompson as our beloved Alien Bounty Hunter. I'm not a baseball lover, but a sporting enthusiast and everything applies the same, like a basketball going through the net and the box score.

Every intricate detail so wonderfully done, I would have to describe it scene for scene to fully explain how much I love this episode. It's written and directed by Duchovny himself and one of the contenders for best episode. Also love the singing, by Martin himself.

Scully: Mulder, it's such a gorgeous day outside. Have you ever entertained the idea of trying to find life on this planet? Mulder: I've seen the life on this planet Scully, and that is exactly why I am looking elsewhere.

Mulder: Did you bring enough ice cream to share with the rest of the class? Scully: It's not ice cream... it's non-fat tofutti rice dreamsicle. Mulder: Ugh... I bet the air in my mouth tastes better than that.

My Single Favorite Episode Of Television Ever Created

[zkonedog · 10/10 · 12 April 2022]

The X-Files is my favorite show of all-time. It never fails to draw me in through the combination of nostalgia and overall quality. I consider this Sixth Season to be the apex of the entire show, and I'm also an enormous baseball fan. All of those factors converge into an utterly perfect 42 minutes of television drama.

For a very basic overview, "The Unnatural" tells the story--through flashbacks told to Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) by former FBI agent Arthur Dales (M. Emmet Walsh)--of Josh Exley (Jesse L. Martin), a pre-integration black baseball player whose origins may not be from this particular sphere.

The key to the greatness of this entire episode might be the tag "written & directed by David Duchovny". At the time, he was "just" Mulder--only the most iconic character on weekly network TV. But since X-Files, Duchovny has proven himself a remarkable comic, author, and even musician. A man absolutely brimming with creative talents, and they all show here. The way he is able to weave traditional X-Files elements in with baseball themes is remarkable.

Even if you don't consider yourself an X-Files fan, this episode can still be enjoyed if you have a heart for the national pastime whatsoever. In other words, it is very much a stand-alone hour. Sure, nuanced fans can and will appreciate an appearance from the alien bounty hunter (Brian Thompson) and some of the extraterrestrial stuff, but baseball fans will easily be drawn in by Duchovny's--and show creator Chris Carter's--obvious love for the sport.

If all the above isn't enough, the final scene of the episode is as perfect a moment as anything I've ever seen reflected out from a television screen. As Mulder & Scully (Gillian Anderson) take some batting practice, quite literally everything that made the show such a rousing success is showcased: Mulder's witty banter, a hint of the supernatural, and even the subtlest of romantic overtures. Simply perfection.

This is an episode I watch every year before the start of the baseball season. Each viewing I pick up something new and marvel at the elements that make this installment stand out about the rest even within a show that usually utilizes much darker alien, UFO, or conspiracy fare.

They're all aliens, Agent Mulder-- all the great ones.

[Sanpaco13 · 10/10 · 23 July 2008]

The Unnatural is a great episode about baseball, written and directed by David Duchovny. I really like this episode. The episode is about a black man who is one of the baseball legends of the 40s playing for Roswell's local team The Roswell Grays. Agent Mulder is investigating the disappearance of Josh Exeley because of a newspaper picture he finds with Exely, the alien bounty hunter, and Arthur Dales. He goes to visit Arthur Dales but instead encounters Arthur's brother, Arthur Dales. The episode turns into a baseball tall tale except Exely is an alien who just wants to play baseball. I love some of the dialog between Mulder and Arthur and the story is very lighthearted with a carefree atmosphere that en captures what the game of baseball really represents. The ending is somewhat bittersweet as the main character dies however he dies happy because he has turned into what he always pretended to be, a carefree human. The how and why of all this is not the point of the story as Arthur tells Mulder. It is simply meant to be a good story that makes you appreciate the simple things in life that we take for granted. I love the final scene with Mulder teaching Scully how to hit a baseball although I can't imagine how she could grow up as a tomboy and never have hit a baseball. I also am interested in just how much Scully and Mulder flirt in this episode. First with the ice cream cone and then Scully calling Mulder a rebel and finally this final scene. Good fun episode. 10 out of 10.

"What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia, is that baseball is the key to life."

[classicsoncall · 10/10 · 30 July 2017]

What no other reviewers mentioned about this episode was the derivation of the title from the 1984 Robert Redford movie "The Natural", in which a virtually unknown ball player comes out of nowhere to become a legendary player with an almost divine talent. This was a great episode, sure to appeal to UFO enthusiasts and baseball fans alike. Arthur Dales' (M. Emmet Walsh) explanation that all truly great baseball players were alien because of their other worldly talent struck a resonant chord with this viewer. I thought that was a fitting tribute to the likes of men like Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Koufax and others like them who have achieved immortality in the record books as seminal ball players.

I also got a kick out of the idea that the 'second' Arthur Dales was the brother of the 'first' Arthur Dales, portrayed by Darren McGavin in the X-Files episodes 'Travelers' and 'Agua Mala'. That reminded me of the brother characters in the Seventies program, 'The Bob Newhart Show' - you know the ones, "I'm Larry, and this is my brother Daryl, and my other brother Daryl". They always cracked me up. But there's also a real live counterpart with heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman naming all of his six sons 'George', so I guess two Arthurs (three if you count the sister!), wasn't overdoing it.

Everything else about this episode is a hoot too, what with the Roswell Grays being the name of the alien baseball team, and the tag line appearing at the end of the teaser that states 'In the Big Inning'. Say it quick and it begins to make sense. For baseball trivia fans, there's even the suggestion that Josh Exley (Jesse L. Martin) could possibly become the first Black to join the American League if he pursued it hard enough. As it is, Larry Doby signed with the Cleveland Indians in July of 1947, just three months after Jackie Robinson became the first black Big League baseball player with the Dodgers organization.

And proving that he's been around a long time, even the Alien Bounty Hunter (Brian Thompson) shows up in this episode. He's not a nice guy here either, since he wants to stick that needle into Exley, but it just goes to show how the writers, in this case David Duchovny himself!, could have some fun with the concepts developed for the show.

So all in all, a fun and humorous episode in the X-Files canon, which has a way of blending the 'monster of the week' theme with the over arching mythology framework. The finale with Scully and Mulder flirting it up with the baseball bat was well done also, making you wonder if in a future episode, one or the other would take a swing and a miss.

X files as it's best

[anzaldua · 10/10 · 15 December 2006]

When it comes to baseball you have to do something brilliant, like Field of Dreams. This movie was nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. This episode deserves an Academy Award only if those were given to television episodes.

It has been said that all superstars, no only from sports but all superstars, are Alien. In Men in Black even George Lucas was from outer space. In this episode, Arthur Dales tell Mulder a story from Roswell in the late 40s when he had the mission of guarding a black baseball player that happens to be an Alien.

The story is magnificent, the way it is told sometimes makes you think that you are watching a movie instead of a TV episode. Wonderful performances by Fredric Lehne and Jesse L. Martin, just wrap it up.

It is ironic that one of the best written X- Files episode just have Mulder and Scully in in for a few minutes. If you like the X-Files and you like baseball like Chris Carter do, you must see this episode, but not just one, but over and over again.

Standout episode

[rebeccariter · 10/10 · 19 August 2015]

In the 90's I really didn't watch any TV so I am still sort of catching up now by binge watching. The series is decent, lots of fun and compelling story lines but the Unnatural is so far my favorite episode. The acting was great, the writing was great(I am told that David Duchovny actually wrote it????????) and the twist was nicely done and not too hokey. The friendship between Exley and Dales rival that of Mulder and Scully and that is saying something. This was the first episode that I wished had been longer. I am hoping there will be more episodes like this in the next 3 seasons if not then maybe in the upcoming miniseries.

:)

[ViernesTresAM · 27 April 2012]

I really think this episode is not about how credible is it's story... Arthur Dales tells it almost as a fairy tale, rather than like hard fact. He also tells Mulder that he shouldn't try to make sense of it, that it could be just a story. And it is a nice one. This episode is not about conspiracy, or about the colony, even though it is connected to it. It is a much simpler story, and really beautiful.

I didn't know it was directed and written by David, good job!

I also liked the cute moments shared by Mulder and Scully, because even though that by season 6 we can clearly see they love each other, they're relationship can seem so cold and tense at times, and it is nice to see the warmer side of it.

baseball rules!

[mrdonleone · 7/10 · 28 May 2009]

okay, let me begin with saying I don't know baseball - well, in fact I didn't know it until now. off course I had heard about it, but I never really cared to search anything that's got to do with it. then, the episode 'The Unnatural' started, and wow man, these baseball images were so fascinating! I want to know more and more about baseball. thank you, Chris Carter, for letting David write and direct this episode. it's very obvious David liked baseball and he managed to make a good tequila mix of baseball and science fiction. yes, the story was a bit like all the other X-Files episodes I've seen till now, but it was original using baseball in the series, even if it was only this episode. it changed my habits. Baseball rules!

Perfectly pitched episode. Phenomenal.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 18 September 2022]

On a quiet, sunny afternoon at The Office with Scully, Mulder spots something unusual, an image of The Alien Bounty Hunter, alongside some baseball players.

The best X Files episode of all? Maybe, I can imagine for some that this is just that, and rightly so, this is one incredible piece of TV.

It didn't surprise me one bit to see that this masterpiece was written by no other than David Duchovny himself, it shows someone who had a true understanding for the show, the characters, and dare I say it, the fans.

The humour here was perfectly used and meaningful, funny throughout, from Exley's revelation, to Arthur Dales's meeting with Mulder, I love that there was a sister called Arthur too.

Quite a sad story in a sense, you could see there was a real bromance between Dales and Exley.

Jesse L. Martin is phenomenal here as Exley, an awesome performance, and a smile that's genuinely quite something.

Pretty awesome visuals too, those special effects stand up all these years later, it looked so good.

I loved it, I had to watch it twice.

10/10.

I have seen the life on this planet, Scully and that is exactly why I am looking elsewhere.

[Muldernscully · 7/10 · 11 June 2008]

The Unnatural is an enjoyable x-files episode, written and directed by David Duchovny.

It's pitiful to see Mulder and Scully in the X-Files basement office on a weekend. I can see Mulder hanging out there, but Scully? I don't think so. Usually Mulder gives her some lame excuse to join him on a weekend excursion, but apparently she is with him on her own volition.

What really hampers this episode from truly being better is the loss of the memorable Darren McGavin. Now, while "Travelers" and "Agua Mala" aren't the best episodes in the x-files library, Darren McGavin's performances are great. During the filming of "The Unnatural", Darren McGavin became ill and couldn't continue. This was a great loss, because it affected the quality of the episode, causing David Duchovny to do re-writes in the middle of filming the episode. They got M. Emmitt Walsh to replace Darren McGavin, who, a fine actor in his own right, just doesn't fill McGavin's shoes as Arthur Dales' brother, Arthur.

The re-write may have caused Duchovny to forget that Arthur Dales had moved to Florida(Agua Mala), because it doesn't make sense that Mulder would go looking for Arthur Dales in D.C. when he already knew Dales was in Florida. The re-write leads Duchovny to creating the lame joke of Arthur Dales' brother also being named Arthur, along with their sister and goldfish.

The DVD allows you the opportunity to compare McGavin's performance with Walsh's. It's not even close. Walsh calls Mulder "Agent MacGyver"? It had already been established that Dales knew Mulder's name, and didn't have problems remembering it.

The episode shows that Josh Exley is afraid of exposure of his true nature so he avoids going to the big leagues. Yet, Arthur Dales tells Mulder that several big names in baseball BEFORE Exley were aliens, and they didn't seem to have any problem keeping their identity secret. Later, the police are asking Dales where Exley is, like it's a big mystery, yet he's still with his team, playing a game that very night.

I really like the scene transitions in the episode. They were very creative, especially when Mulder and Dales were watching the Alien Bounty Hunter on TV.

The Unnatural is a cute little baseball story that is fun to watch. David Duchovny doesn't do a bad job writing and directing, but the loss of Darren McGavin shows, and the episode suffers for it a little. However, The Unnatural still is a solid hit.

Why baseball? Just... why?!

[n-town-smash · 1/10 · 18 June 2008]

There's a few episodes of The X-Files that really jockey for the place of "worst episode ever", by being bland, unoriginal, dumb or lumbering. And yet, somehow, "The Unnatural" just walks it, without apparently even trying, by finding ways to suck you never thought possible.

The story is just... it's an alien who becomes human so he can play baseball. Which is fine... except it's not. It's being told as a joke, or a fib, or a fable, by a character who doesn't really have any reason to be there (Arthur Dales just kinda appeared and disappeared, didn't he), and it's not much more than annoying, folksy Americana with some kind of social commentary about the KKK crowbarred in there for good measure. The viewer is just left to ask "why?"

I get that it's just supposed to be a bit of fun, but it's not fun, it's an endurance test. I get that it's about baseball and that, as a Britisher, it's impossible to imagine anyone from outside America liking baseball, let alone coming from another planet for it. I get that. But I still don't like it. You give it the benefit of the doubt for a while, but it just persists in being nothing but bilge, so in love with its concept - that it's just a story and that it doesn't matter if it's true, and that everything comes down to baseball apparently - that it just doesn't notice how bad it's being.

I'm amazed to find that people actually like this one.

The Greatest episode of TV ever created !!

[nicofreezer · 10/10 · 15 August 2021]

The best pièce of TV you could ever find, its as simple as that. I truly believe this is the Greatest episode ever of any show. And X files got like 20-30 episodes just as Amazing. And more than 100 more with Incredible quality. But man " the Unnatural" is a Masterpiece from A to Z , every second of every minute is a Masterpiece of writting directing and acting. Beautiful poetic , love story , supernatural story, human story. X files Greatest show ever for a reason.

Amazing!

[octopus-satan · 10/10 · 13 August 2021]

My favorite episode to date. Mulder and Scully's funny interactions mixed with the emotional stories make for a wonderful mix that had me inevitably crying in the end. The music was also a great touch.

A love letter to baseball

[cmeekins99-314-831455 · 10/10 · 4 April 2023]

As we get into the "swing" of baseball season, I thought it was about time to revisit this episode of The X-Files, which was written and directed by David Duchovny.

I think what sets this episode apart from many others in the series is the genuine admiration the writing shows towards its subject. Duchovny very clearly has a deep passion for baseball and found a way to seamlessly incorporate a classic baseball tale into a X-Files alien twist. This episode works as a standalone better than perhaps any episode, while also contributing valuable details to the overall mythology.

The performances by the main cast are excellent throughout, and the honesty with which this story is told lend it absolutely legitimacy. Any baseball fan, regardless of opinion on the X-Files, should absolutely watch this episode of television. There is a certain romance and magic within the sport of baseball that cannot be found in even the most vivid fairy tale. Incorporating a sci-fi element seems almost natural when telling a story about such an integral part of American history.

The humor is spot on throughout, but what is really impactful is the emotion. It's hard to watch without getting choked up.

I would have easily loved this story even more if it was twice as long, but I'm thankful for the glorious 42 minutes it has to offer.

Endearing

[rasberrie · 10/10 · 15 May 2020]

This episode gets 10 stars just for the Mulder/Sully flirting! especially the last scene! so cute!

Good fun and great guest stars

[lola-nandez · 8/10 · 6 July 2020]

I think this is one of those episodes where you depend entirely on finding the right person to play the part. They just hit the nail on the head with Exley, this guy is so charismatic, I was hooked. Of course, baseball is the most north-american sport to have ever been invented, so I can't say I relate to it, but I can get over that, for the most part. It's a nice change of pace from the usual stories, and I can see why some people have an issue with it, but to me, this was always the best part of the show: you can have funny episodes, you can have dramatic ones, action packed ones, I mean, it's not always taking itself seriously. Some plot holes are there, but it's nothing too bad in this type of stand alone episode. I just have a bit of an issue because the show is so white, and this episode kind of tries to be all like "we are not racists" but, after mister x died, there were zero black recurring stars (Kersh had a minuscule part, it doesn't count). I could never get over the fact that CCH Pounder never had another appearance, she was amazing and totally deserved it, and would be an awesome addition to the show's more suspenseful episodes. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I didn't buy the trying to be "we are all inclusive" when the show was, unfortunately, not.

Three bases of acting, writing, and directing

[safenoe · 7/10 · 7 January 2024]

The Unnatural is David Duchovny's writing and directorial debut, and I sometimes wonder how actors direct themselves in their own TV episode, TV movie or a cinematic release. I saw The Unnatural soon after it debuted, and it was kind of lacking the mojo, and I wonder if it was because David was trying to handle the responsibilities of too many things at once and all, but still all credit to him for trying to hit the home run and cover the three bases of acting, writing, and directing.

William B. Davis would have been a great director for The X-Files for sure. Anyway, maybe this can happen who knows.