WRITTEN BY
Karen Nielsen
DIRECTED BY
James Wong
AIRED ON
March 14, 2018
RUNTIME
44 minutes
STARRING
VIEWS
522
LAST UPDATE
2024-09-20 12:04:52
PAGE VERSION
Version 2
LIKES
0
DISLIKES
0
SUMMARY
Mulder and Scully investigate a bizarre series of murders in New York City linked to an underground cult obsessed with eternal youth. The cult, led by a former TV star, Barbara Beaumont, and her partner, Dr. Randolph Luvenis, engages in gruesome practices, including cannibalism and organ harvesting, to maintain their youthful appearances. As Mulder and Scully delve deeper into the macabre world of the cult, they uncover the horrific lengths its members will go to defy aging and death. The episode explores themes of vanity, mortality, and the quest for immortality, while also delving into Mulder and Scully's reflections on their own lives and the enduring nature of their partnership.
STORY
No story yet.
BEHIND THE SCENES
No trivia yet.
PHOTOS
18 photos
QUOTES
FILMING LOCATIONS
TOPICS
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REVIEWS
Average
Written by
Pike on 2018-03-15
★
★
★
★
NOT AFRAID
The screenwriter, Karen Nielsen was not afraid. She fully went with her story, and I would say this: good for her. One can only respect her courage in telling such far-fetched story. Because that’s the main concern of the episode. While it works well at times (excellent opening scene), we cannot stop thinking throughout the episode that the story is too much. We don’t really believe in it.
JAMES WONG, EXCELLENT
James Wong did an excellent job in this episode. He was, to me, the best director of seasons 10 and 11, and by far. He has a clear vision and offers very vivid imagery.
A = B = C
The “ABC talk†(I am proud to have coined that one) between Mulder and Scully is far better than I anticipated when seeing glimpses of it in the final trailer. And most importantly, it feels so damn good to have them talking about reality. I felt so frustrated about the all chebang of Mulder and Scully returning at the FBI at their age, not talking about the real issues, that I felt like this was really an insensere revival. Therefore, I really liked when Mulder tells her that he wishes that she would have left the x-files office sooner.
And the big question left is what does Scully whisper to Mulder... And I like riddles, so I’m all for it!
I WANT TO BELIEVE IN REMAKE
This episode, in lots of ways, is a remake of I Want to Believe. Sure, it takes a different form, but many elements from the movie can be seen here - once again a proof that there wasn’t any need to produce more episodes.
SUMMARY
An unbelievable concept but very well produced. I give it a bit 4 out of 10. Average.
___________________________________________
An end flavor and blood for nothing
Written by
DuaneB on 2018-04-05
★
★
★
★
The title is better than its content.
This episode is built almost exclusively on frequent quotes, but gives us an investigation that is difficult to understand.
The realization is the positive point of the episode. But otherwise it's disgusting for nothing. A mix of snaguinarium, 3, All Souls and IWTB. The result seems more disappointing than enjoyable, despite here and there beautiful pictures and environments x filiennes.
The theme of vampirism and the refusal to grow old sounds a bit like the rehash of things already seen and heard.
The MSR is finally the best aspect I try to hang on to. But even there, this over-full of Mulder's church, Scully indulging on his faith now rather than on so many other occasions .. I remain perplexed. But their conversation in the form of a balance sheet is a little pleasure in that it confirms that we have followed well, that despite these meanders of stories, the thread of their lives is the one we believe.
In sum, I find a bitter sweet end flavor in this episode. A sense of end of anticipation that almost apologizes for having cannibal vampires coexist with our duet in the midst of an existential crisis.
Little more for Snow, again. The timid bias since the revival is surely a decision that comes from higher than him, but this episode is reviving certain atmospheres of old episodes, such as HTGSC ...
If this flavor of end is so pregnant it is surely that I project a real desire to finish with x files. I think there is a moment when you have to know when to stop. Seeing this series struggling to offer us some very good episodes and to have so much ease to propose means even bad, I think the bell rang. CC will make his season 12, but we all know that the old series is dead.
A 4/10.
TRANSCRIPT
He was just brought in, 30 minutes ago.
9:15 p.m., respiration 17, body temp 97.6.
Heart rate... Just give me a 22 scalpel.
They are dosing us, folks.
I know what you're asking. Why would they dose us?
Why would they use these planes? It's the same reason that chemtrails...
Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Wait, pancreas looks bad.
It might be infected.
Just leave it.
Shame to waste a good pancreas.
It's ready.
Those who love me, I will deliver.
Go, go, go!
Tell me where they are.
I don't know. I'm not part of them.
I need medical attention.
Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
Last chance to save your soul. Where are they?
I told you. I don't know.
Those who love me, I will deliver.
Oh, jeez.
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
We being many are one body for we all share in one bread.
These are the gifts of God.
For the people of God.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life... and I will raise them up at the last day.
For my flesh is true food... and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me... and I in them.
Praise be to God.
Go in the peace of Christ.
And may Almighty God bless you.
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Special Agent Dana Scully.
This is Special Agent Fox Mulder.
We didn't request help from the Washington Bureau.
Well, we found reasons to become interested.
Look, we know your reputation.
You come into a case, take over, turn it upside down.
No, we like to think we uncover facets that would otherwise go unnoticed.
You guys ID this gentleman? His name is Robert Jenkins, 23.
Trainer at Brooklyn Heights Fitness.
He was abducted after work. Roommate hadn't seen him in 18 hours.
Both victims have metal dowels impaled through their sternums.
Staked through the heart, you mean?
I would've expected the w*apon to be made of wood.
A combination of the three types used in Christ's crucifixion cross.
Cypress, cedar and pine.
That would imbue it with the holy properties necessary to defeat evil.
Looks like you guys are up to speed.
We've got our own stuff we need to attend to.
We'll leave you to it.
You did that on purpose.
You think?
But there are multiple cases here, Scully.
This victim was m*rder*d by these two.
Who, in turn, were m*rder*d by someone else in a style... familiar to fans of Hammer horror films. Of which, I am one, guilty.
The question is why were the organs harvested?
There were about three-quarters of a million dollars' worth of organs... left in the cooler outside the emergency room.
Which tells me that whoever k*lled these two did not do it for material gain.
I will repay was written on the cooler.
Sounds like a motive. Yeah.
But whoever took the organs is not familiar with transplant procedures.
That no hospital is gonna take those organs. But maybe we can find a use for them.
Someone went to a lot of trouble just to let them go.
The cooler that was left at the hospital was missing the liver and pancreas.
A liver has a need to use time limit on it.
I'll run a check on hospitals doing liver transplants over the next seven to 20 hours.
I'll go on some onion sites and see if any organs were put up for auction.
Are those new?
Bifocals? They're not bifocals.
They're progressives.
They're called progressive lenses. No need to get defensive.
I'm not defensive. Presbyopia is a natural part... of the aging process. We're all gonna go through it, Mulder.
Just wait till you get gout.
Gout.
You know, sometimes I wonder why we keep doing it, Scully... in the face of all this indifference and presbyopia.
Did you get your hair cut?
Are you kidding me?
It's The Barbara Beaumont Show.
Tonight's episode, The Lion Tamer.
I love this episode.
It's as funny now as it was 50 years ago.
A simple misunderstanding.
I can explain everything.
Honey, is this gonna take long? I'm trying to finish this book.
Well, I can start in the middle.
Start at the end.
All right. All right.
We owe the city $200... for creating a public nuisance... the lion tamer $75 for the sick lion... the grocer $5 for the 10 pounds of meat... and the shoe shine boy a stick of gum.
Do you wanna hear the details?
I'm afraid I do.
Thought you might. No. I mean... that's what I should've been afraid of when I said I do.
Oh, honey, you can't live without me.
I can barely afford to live with you. I just have one question, Barbara. Why?
Well, like I said, it's simple, really.
I do it just for kicks.
I do it just for kicks.
Well, like I said, it's simple, really.
I do it just for kicks.
Well, I didn't burst into flames when I crossed the threshold... so I guess they really do forgive a lot.
In the last 24 hours, there have been 12 liver transplants... in a 450-mile radius, all of the donors have been accounted for.
Well, I checked the dark web and there's no organs for sale in this region.
But the dead surgeon...
Doctor... Oh, God, help me.
Sorry.
Rednon. Dr. David Rednon had his medical license revoked for... over-prescribing opioids to bratski krug drug dealers.
Russian mob.
And the kid that was with him was a street-level gangster.
I think we should hand this over to the NYC Organized Crime division, Mulder.
I don't think this is an X-File.
I'm gonna need some time here.
I can meet up with you later, or you can wait for me.
Juliet.
Yes.
Where's the rest of it?
Where's the rest of it?
Cat got your tongues?
You were all broken when I found you.
Crippled, malformed.
And I gave you hope.
What do you see when you look at me?
Beauty and light.
And what do I see when I look at you?
Ugliness and pain. No.
No.
I see love and obedience.
I see the promise of what will be.
We have all worked too hard... and sacrificed so much.
Each one of us, transformed by the genius... of Dr. Luvenis.
That's why we should all be so disappointed.
Where is my heart?
Where are my lungs?
There was a problem at the harvest.
Someone att*cked us. She k*lled Dr. Dave with a metal stake.
I escaped with what I could.
I'm sure you did the best you could.
I need a word with you.
You have to have faith, Juliet.
Faith that through Him, your sister Olivia will return to you.
I'll pray for her.
And you.
No, Father.
Prayers aren't enough.
I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh... and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives... from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.
Juliet...
Look at this, Scully. Today's scripture, Romans 12:19.
Vengeance is mine, I will repay. That's what was on the organ cooler.
Well, it's a common biblical passage.
Did I ever tell you how I came to believe in God?
No. When my brother Charlie was a baby... he got seriously ill.
I think I was about 4.
I later learned that it was rheumatic fever.
Every night, Mom would tell us to get on our knees and pray for his recovery.
Your prayers were answered. He lived.
Only, after the first couple nights, I wasn't praying for him.
I was praying for a puppy.
And we got one that Christmas.
I thought God had performed a miracle.
I finally know why I'm not a Christian, Scully. My parents never got me a puppy.
So are you praying for another miracle now?
I don't know if I believe in miracles.
But I do know the power of faith.
I saw it in my mom, the strength that she received.
I could use some of that strength now.
I need what you have.
You always bear north, Mulder.
No matter which way or how hard the wind blows against you.
I think all I have... all any of us have... are the results of all the choices that we've made.
And at the end of the day, we just hope that we made the right one.
Mulder, it's locked.
I will repay.
There's three bars missing.
Someone is literally using the church to exact vengeance.
One day without my dinnie, and look at me.
I can already see the lines.
I wanna cry.
You look perfectly beautiful.
Not a day over 33, when I first fell in love with you.
That's sweet.
You don't look bad for an 85-year-old.
All thanks to Kayla.
She's my angel.
You're my addiction, Dr. Luvenis.
I will be a worthy companion to you in no time.
I'm beginning to wonder.
No one could've predicted what happened last night.
But I have a friend at the hospital.
He's heard rumors about recovered organs, organs they can't use.
Our organs. Your excuses... don't solve the problem. I will find them.
Attached to Kayla?
I don't think so.
Barbara... I think you'll agree... that failure should not be rewarded.
Kayla...
I think you're ready to ascend.
I am?
Do you trust me?
Have I ever lied to you? No.
You're living proof.
That's right.
Close your eyes. Barbara, please.
Tell me your dream.
I wanna be beautiful like you. All right, my ugly duckling... prepare to be a swan.
There. She looks better than ever.
We'll eat her for now.
Her organs are already depleted.
So find me what I need... before we both start looking our age.
Mrs. Bocanegra? I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, this is Special Agent Scully.
We're from the FBI. We'd like to ask a few questions.
You have news about my Olivia? We spoke to Father Hardy at St. Joseph's.
He said your daughter has been missing for almost two months?
If we can come in, we might find something that would help us find your daughter.
No. You can't come in.
Sorry, but we're trying to help. Olivia doesn't wanna be found.
Mom, the truth is Olivia couldn't stand looking at that girl staring back at her in the mirror.
She rejected her family and God.
She joined a cult. If she's being held against her will... we can investigate and try and extract her.
I know my sister. All right? She doesn't want our life.
To her, we're monsters.
She thinks she can change who she is and become something she will never be.
I've given up on her. Have you?
Or will you repay?
The cult your sister's in may be involved in illegal trafficking of human organs... or using them for unnatural purposes.
I believe you know that. That's why you're trying to find her.
You wanna save her. You have to leave.
Father Hardy was afraid somebody might be tempted to take the law into their own hands.
Become an avenger. I want her to be found... so my mother will stop crying.
That's all.
You think she's involved?
I think she is. My gut tells me she is.
My gut doesn't need glasses.
There was nothing in her.
No sustenance. No nutrients.
You ruined her.
Kayla was as good as junk food.
Look at me.
What do you see?
You look as beautiful as ever.
Liar! Barbara, this a dark time.
No one is eating well. We need healthy organs.
Why can't we use one of them? These children are our seeds.
You don't eat the seeds, you eat the fruit from the trees.
Stop talking to me like I'm an idiot. You know I'm not a scientist.
But I am. Barbara, we've talked about this.
The blood and organs in these children is being restructured... every time they drink their dinnie.
But cell adhesion is not yet complete. Their morphogenesis is not yet finished.
But then when they're ready... and they are surgically attached to you... then you are gonna reap the benefits of reverse aging.
Remember? Remember Dylan when he was attached to you?
You glowed like a 20-year-old.
Yeah, I remember Dylan.
He wouldn't shut up.
I'm glad we ate him.
All of this is for you.
Don't do anything rash.
I have a lead on the organs left at the hospital.
I'm gonna go get them for you.
I saw marionette lines in the mirror.
Barbara?
I hate to see you down.
You make us happy.
I was hideous, but you saved me, gave me joy.
I wanna make you happy.
I'll be dinnie.
Because if I'm in you...
I will always be happy.
Oh, Warren. Warren, Warren.
You are such a beautiful person.
Because of what you have offered me...
I'm going to do something very, very special.
For you.
Come on.
I am going to perform my favorite song.
I sang this song on the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour in 1973.
And they told me that at the time it was the highest-rated show they'd ever had.
Higher than Charo or Muhammad Ali.
It also won an Academy Award that year.
Maureen McGovern made it famous... but people tell me that they like my version better.
And so, Warren, to you I say...
There's got to be a morning after If we can hold on through the night We have a chance to find the sunshine So keep on looking for the light
Oh, can't you see the morning after?
It's waiting right outside the storm Why don't we cross the bridge together?
And find a place that's safe and warm It's not too late We should be giving...
We're moving closer to the shore I've got to be there by tomorrow And we'll escape the darkness We won't be searching anymore
There's got to be a morning after There's got to be a morning after
You're in an awful hurry this morning, Joe.
Honey, I'm in a pickle. I forgot it's Mr. Morris' birthday.
I don't want to be a suck-up...
You're interrupting my prep. I have to memorize my lines.
Double Trouble. You've seen this a thousand times.
How dare you?
I had to break in to the cold storage at the hospital to get this.
You did that for me? Everything I do.
Well, I know exactly what you need.
Olivia.
It's your day to be beautiful.
They're here, Scully.
The organs are somewhere inside.
You were right. They need those organs.
It was easy enough to put a tracker in the heart.
But harder to get the hospital to loosen their security so they could steal it.
No vacancy.
Open the door. Federal agents.
Olivia, if you can hear me, I want you to count backwards from 100.
One hundred.
Ninety-nine.
Ninety-eight.
All right, Calvin, you may begin.
Cut the back to expose the descending aorta.
The only people living here are on the fourth floor.
What do you know about the tenants? The only person I know is Barbara Beaumont.
She's owned this building for over 40 years.
Barbara...
Barbara Bea Beaumont. Child actor.
Our g*ng shorts.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. TV Westerns. Dragnet.
The Barbara Beaumont Show, 1967.
Then... nothing much ever again.
So at 85, does she need assistance?
I don't know. Look, I've never met her.
Never even seen her. Once a while I get a note to go up and fix stuff.
I never see nobody when I go up there. But I know they're there.
Just from the smell.
Husband of 22 years died of leukemia, 1970.
Joined a Life Extension commune in northern California.
Married a Dr. Randolph...
Luvenis, Luvenis, Luvenis.
How long have you been a super here? Seven years.
Seven years, and you've never talked to her? All right, it's weird.
But this is the Bronx.
There's an envelope full of money in my mailbox every two weeks.
First time there's been a problem.
Seven years and you've never crossed paths? She don't go out the front.
What about the people on the fourth floor? They ever leave?
This building is 1890s.
It's got, like, a dumb waiter system. It's been modified, long before I ever got here.
Like trap doors and ladders.
It goes out the basement, then the sewers and the subway.
These people never see the light of day. Every room's got one.
Now connect the two valves and sew us up.
Miss Barbara Beaumont? Federal agents.
We have reason to believe someone inside... may be in possession of contraband human organs.
We tracked a signal to this apartment.
I guess we'll go away and get a search warrant.
We'll be back.
Hello. Hello.
I'm Special Agent Mulder, this is Special Agent Scully with the FBI.
And you are?
Well, you tell me.
I'm sorry. Can you tell us your name?
Haven't you seen The Barbara Beaumont Show?
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes?
Loved you on Dragnet.
Thank you.
Everyone says that was their favorite episode.
Did you know Jack Webb? I did not.
I'm sorry, but we're looking for Barbara Beaumont.
Don't... You...
You...
You really don't recognize me? It's...
I'm Barbara. I'm Barbara Beaumont.
We're looking for an 85-year-old woman. Yes, well...
I look good for my age, don't I?
I keep it dark in here, not because I'm trying to hide anything.
I believe women should have a little bit of mystery.
Sunlight is strictly verboten.
It's terrible for the skin.
You should be careful, darling.
If it's not already too late.
Okay.
We're also looking for this woman, Olivia Bocanegra.
Is she a Netflix executive?
Oh, yes, let's get our selfie and then you can be on your way.
This is her. Have you seen this woman?
No. No.
Scully.
No.
No, no, no!
Scully!
Those who love me, I will deliver. No!
No! Barbara!
Run! Run!
I did repay.
My sister is here.
Scully! Scully!
Scully?
Scully!
Scully.
Let her go.
Let her go.
She's a part of me of her own volition.
You can ask her yourself if you like.
You've surgically attached yourself to the girl?
We're helping each other.
I've seen it with my own eyes.
Have you ever asked yourself what could be achieved... what would be possible if we were free from government restraints... and regulations?
What have you achieved?
I found a cure for the greatest disease to afflict mankind.
Every human being has a time b*mb built into their genes. I defused it.
Sarcopenia. Cardiomyopathy.
Presbyopia.
These are all just symptoms.
But through heterochronic parabiosis, I have reversed time.
Olivia is my parabiont.
And together we are gonna cure this horrible disease.
Age isn't a disease, it's a natural progression.
I don't accept the premise that we have to grow old.
She's having a seizure.
We gotta get you to the hospital. This is what we want.
Your experiment is over. Not unless you want her to die first.
The genie is out of the bottle.
We are all running out of time. No!
I will deliver.
Olivia. Juliet?
What are you doing here? I came for you.
Scully?
Scully? Mulder.
Scully.
You stink. Thanks, Mulder.
My fall was broken by decade's worth of trash.
But I'm okay.
Don't feel sorry for me.
I know I'm going to prison... but I made a choice, it was mine.
I'd gladly trade my lifetime here for an eternity in heaven.
That must be a sign.
I'm all out of miracles.
Turn back. Give up.
Accept your place in the numbing embrace of the status quo.
I will relight your candle... and extend your prayers through mine.
What prayers?
I can't tell you, they won't come true.
It's a prayer candle, Mulder, not a birthday cake.
Prayers aren't meant to be sentiment.
It's a conversation.
You can do it like a meditation.
Or if your needs exceed your grasp... you can ask God to act on your behalf.
But you don't believe in God.
So you'd essentially be talking to yourself.
I may not believe in God, but I believe in you.
Therefore, I speak to him through you.
So it's a transitive property of equality. If A equals B and B equals C... therefore A equals C.
Reason and faith in harmony. Isn't that why we're so good together?
Are we together?
You know, I believed I could protect our son.
And I failed.
I believed that we could live together.
And I fled.
I gave up on that too.
If only you had fled earlier.
Do you know how many times I've envisioned that scenario... where you left that basement office before I even needed glasses?
You'd have your health... your dog... your sister.
You'd be Kersh's boss at the FBI.
You'd be married to some brain surgeon... and have a bunch of kids that you wouldn't have to give up.
Mulder, I don't begrudge you any of those things.
That's not what I was talking about.
What are you talking about, Scully?
Because I don't know if any God is listening, but I am standing right here.
And I'm listening.
Right beside you.
I'm all ears.
That's my choice.
That's not my 4-year-old self looking for a miracle.
That's my leap of faith forward.
And I'd like to do it together.
I've always wondered how this was gonna end.
2024-09-20 12:04:52 -
Pike:
Added some actors.
