Schizogeny
Nitcentral's Bulletin Brash Reflections:
XFiles:
Season Five:
Schizogeny
Synopsis: Sixteen-year old Bobby Rich is suspected of killing his stepfather, Phil, during a dispute. Phil’s body was found buried deep in a Michigan orchard. Bobby claims Phil was abusive. Then a root-like arm pulls Lisa Baiocchi’s father to his death after they have a confrontation over her seeing Bobby. Like Bobby, Lisa has been seeing a therapist, Karin Matthews. Karin informs Mulder that she encourages victims of abuse to confront their abusers.
What Karin neglects to tell Mulder is that her own father died a death similar to Phil’s. A mysterious orchard worker tells Mulder that Mr. Matthews’ death ended a disease that was killing the trees. The disease has started again. As a child, Karin was abused by her father. Now, this mentally disturbed therapist seeks to protect Bobby and Lisa from abuse that never happened. She killed Phil and Mr. Baiocchi by manipulating roots.
Mulder and Scully find a nest of roots in Mr. Matthews’s grave, but no body. The body turns up in Karin’s basement. Karin goes to Bobby’s house, but he runs from her. Karin, speaking in Mr. Matthews’ voice, starts to pull Bobby into the mud. When Mulder tries to help, he gets pulled into the mud as well. The orchard worker shows up with his axe and kills Karin. Her body sinks into the mud as Mulder and Bobby are released. The disease in the trees ends.
(written by Jo-Hanna Goettsche)
By TWS Garrison on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 2:24 am:I *think* there were a lot of unanswered questions here. Most obviously, did anyone charge the mysterious orchard worker for killing Karin?
Why didn't Mulder and Scully notice the aunt's body when they came to Karin's house for the last time (from the outside)?
What did Karin do to Lisa when she seemed to be threatening her? Why didn't she move the aunt and her car?
In the beginning, Scully has access to the first body the day after the killing (maybe I missed it, but I didn't see how or why the FBI got there so fast). For some reason, she never got a look at the second body, so it was up to Mulder to pick up on the splinter that the medical examiner had missed.
Was that tree bleeding after the orchard worker hacked it with his axe?