Ah, horror again! It's nice for the show to return to its unmitigated horror routes. And I know some of you will complain about the X-Files borrowing a page from Deliverance, but let's face it, it's surprising it took them this long. This episode also reminded me a bit in a strange way of The Abominable Dr. Phibes, another methodical murderer take revenge of physicians who didn't save a loved one.

I wonder why Mulder never entertained fighting fire with fire. Surely that new age store woman could have furnished them with some defensive magic.

One big nit is about our hillbilly villain's knack for inflicting people with rare and obscure diseases. Where did he find out about them? Did he raid a medical library? Possibly, and if so it's appropriate to hound a member of the medical profession in that way. But let's face it, the guy spells "thief" with two e's. Is he just acting at random? Then in all likelihood, it wouldn't resemble any disease known to science.

By the way, moderator? For some reason I can get at this page on "New Messages" but not the old-fashioned way, where my post doesn't exist. Strange.

Just a couple technical nits. When Wieder is searching for Jane Does in his records, his colleague notes there are "three in the last two years." The screen shows them dated from 1997 to 1999. I thought it odd to speak of "the last two years" starting in 1997 when the current date is 2000. (And since this episode presumably occurred after 'Millennium', it should be 2000.)

And am I the only one surprised that Dana Scully, an FBI Special Agent, doesn't have an alarm on her car? Our friendly neighborhood Appalachian magic expert smashes its window with nary a peep.

Exactly what was this Appalachian hillbilly lass doing in San Fran in the first place? Long way from home.

Why would Scully leave her picture i.d. in the car?

What the heck is up with the everybody's good luck in this episode? The bad buy manages to surprise the landlady just exactly after she finds the body, but before she has time to leave. He also manages to be hiding near the doctor's house when Mulder and Scully are moving them to a safe place. And in the best stroke of luck, he discovers how to use the microwave and fries the doctor's wife at the exact same instant that she's in the MRI.

Then there's Mulder, who manages to see the Scully doll in all that same-colored debris, at night. And that's after he is fortunate to catch the entire news report of the landlady's death, including her bizarre ilness, so he can find out that Scully is in danger.

The episode was okay, but the coincidences moved the plot along way too conveniently for me. They probably wouldn't have bothered me if it wasn't for the extraordinary timing regarding the microwave and the MRI. It unsuspended my disbelief.

As Mark alluded to, Peattie doesn't know the concept of a vending machine or what a microwave is, yet he can make microwave popcorn with considerable ease...although I'm not exactly quite sure just how much Peattie knows or doesn't know.

This episode reminded me of the movie "Cape Fear"...voodoo style. Now we just need Wieder to call in some thugs to take care of Peattie.

Scully says that the disease that killed the grandfather has never been seen in this country before. I guess she forgot that she diagnosed TWO cases in Arkansas just a few years earlier (in "Our Town", season two).

Peetie's accent was all over the place, but mostly it was Cajun, not Appalachian.

Was I the only ones that, after watching the promos, thought the Appalachian didn't have any eyes? It wasn't until almost half way through the show that I realized he just had really oddly wrinkled skin around his eyes.

If the puppet was the real source of Peetie's magic, why did he go to all the trouble of putting "goofer dust" in his victim's beds. He didn't need it when he gave the doctor's wife a terminal MRI, nor did he need it to hex Scully.

What on earth did Mulder say at the end? The music came up and I didn't hear it. I'm sure it was "profound"

What was the disease that he gave the guy's wife that made her skin all covered in whatever it was? the doctor said the name of it but I missed it.

So did the doctor live or die? They didn't say.

I agree with Hans, why did Scully leave her FBI id in the car assuming it's just a rental car and she'd need it to identify herself sometime later. Sloppy but necessary for Peattie to make his spell work. Also, how'd he know the hair was Scully's? I didn't think it was her hair color and in the dark, who can tell?
I was waiting for the doctor's daughter to start clutching her chest since it was "an eye for an eye." But I guess Peattie had a change of heart ... but if he did, then when did he change the stuff in the doll ... I believe a picture and something else.
Hmm, as for location, I'm disappointed that they don't move around a lot as they used to now. They're cases are mostly in CA now. No more frequent flyer miles. :-P

Some major nits on the timing in this episode. Mulder sees the news broadcast at 11:23pm and I'm assuming he is still in SF. BTW, there is no channel 8 in the Bay Area. Channel 8 is broadcast from Monterey and it would not be shown in SF because that is the territory of Channel 4. Mulder then heads for Foster City, at least a 30 minute drive from SF not including the time to assemble the assault team. After searching the place, he calls Scully to warn her. Assuming it's about 12:30-1:00 am now, it's possible but not very probable that the group in the cabin would still be awake. Mulder leaves to go join them, but it is at least a 5 hour drive from Foster City to Sequoia National Forest (maybe 4 if he drives real fast)! Unless Peetie waiting all night before attacking (and then why isn't the group asleep), there is NO WAY Mulder could have arrived in time to save them.
When Peetie is standing there with the knife, why doesn't the doctor hit him with the stick he is holding?

Dori-Ann: Mulder said "you do keep me guessing."

I did, however, like the effect of the white contacts in Scully's eyes after Peetie poked her poppet. She needed a VISOR...!

Thank you, Rick.

How come Scully's eyesight returned back to normal? Surely the damage had been done, as with the other people who received the diseases?