The
X-Files
episode “Ice,” which first aired on November 5, 1993, is a sterling tribute to
one of the science fiction genre’s greatest short stories: Who Goes There? (1938) by
John W. Campbell.
That novella is set in Antarctica and involves a group of scientists who discover an
alien ship and pilot that have been
trapped frozen in the ice for twenty million years.
When thawed out, the extra-terrestrial pilot is revealed as a dangerous shape-shifter,
one who can “hide” in human and other biological forms.
In
the end, the alien invader is barely stopped (with just a half-hour to spare…) before
it can escape isolation and reach (and contaminate...) the rest of Earth’s population.
“Who
Goes There?”
has been re-imagined several times throughout film and television history. The Thing from Another World (1951) starring
James Arness was one such effort, though it eliminated the shape-shifting nature
of the alien menace and replaced it with a humanoid plant, a so-called “carrot.”
John
Carpenter’s The Thing
(1982) proved a more faithful adaptation of the original story, and is perhaps the
most well-known version today. It
recently inspired the 2011 prequel.
On
television, Doctor Who (1963 – 1989) featured a 1976 serial called “The
Seeds of Doom” which involved the discovery of an alien plant pod in Antarctica's ice
from 20,000 years ago. That seed was
the heart of a planet-devouring vegetable monster called a “Krynoid.”
And
on Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 – 1999), a race of shape-shifters or "Changelings" called
the Founders proved detectable -- like
the Thing -- only by blood test in episodes such as the third season
finale, “The Adversary.” The blood test
was featured in the original novella and proved the most popular (and perhaps most
effective…) sequence in the Carpenter film.
The Thing (1951) |
The Thing (1982) |
Doctor Who: The Seeds of Doom (1976) |
“Ice,”
written by James Wong and Glen Morgan and directed by David Nutter, remains a notable variation on the Campbell theme, one bolstered by some unique, even trademark X-Files
twists. In fact, this episode might be
Exhibit A in terms of my theory about the series as a whole; that it deliberately re-purposes
commonly told tales in the genre and then imbues them with new meaning and relevance
for the 1990s.
From
Campbell’s source material all the way to "Ice" we see a similar location (an ice-bound
installation), a similar threat (an alien) and even the presence of a dog as an
infection vector. But “Ice,” uniquely,
develops in an original fashion because in The Thing, for example, there aren't many close relationships on the line.
Instead, the story has been interpreted frequently as a comment on man’s alienation from his fellow man.
Nobody trusted anybody in The Thing because nobody
really liked or even knew anybody else.
Hidden inside a man's skin, the Thing was indistinguishable from man. What does that say about man?
It's alive! |
The
X-Files deliberately
explodes that artistic conceit by landing two sets of dedicated partners or
allies into the paranoia blender and then diagramming the manner in which close-relationships contend with the possibility of individual infection. The responses are either burgeoning independence
(Scully) or total abandonment of personal will in favor of the stronger
personality’s will and desire (Da Silva).
In
a way, The X-Files amplifies the horror of The Thing. It’s one thing to face a shape-shifter in a
battle to the death when there is no one you really care for to worry about on
the battlefield. But in “Ice,” Mulder and Scully have one another to fight for, and must face the very real possibility
that one of them could die or be permanently infected. They are more "connected" individuals than many we meet in various versions of the Campbell story.
Are you who you are? |
I am who I am. |
In
“Ice,” Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) join a team of
scientists including Dr. Hodge (Xander Berkeley), Dr. Da Silva (Felicity Huffman),
and Dr. Murphy (Steve Hytner) to investigate the deaths of a government
research team at a base in Alaska.
The
team had been digging deep down into an icy shelf believed to be a prehistoric meteor
impact. Without warning, however, the
members of the expedition began murdering one another, reciting the mantra “we are not who we are.”
After
a helicopter pilot named Bear (Jeff Kober) flies the team to Alaska, Mulder and
Scully discover that the previous team had found core samples containing strange
alien worms frozen in the ice…from 250,000 years earlier.
At
least some of these worms have thawed out in the base, and discovered that human beings
make for perfect hosts.
While
living on the excretions of the hypothalamus, these parasites also cause extreme
paranoia and aggression in their prey….
Who do you trust? |
An
almost unbearably claustrophobic and tense hour, “Ice” is a deliberate nod to Who
Goes There? and The Thing, but also a tale,
ultimately, about territoriality.
The
episode’s climax reveals that two worms cannot exist in the same host…or they
will kill each other. Similarly, the
episode-long tension between Mulder and Hodge -- each looking to assert leadership -- nearly imperils everyone. Both men believe they are right in their
belief-system and engage in a kind of paranoid “pissing” contest, trying to
swing the allegiances of the other team-members to their viewpoint.
There’s
even an amusing scene here where the men must strip down naked to check each other
for signs of parasitic infection. Mulder
jokingly reminds everyone that they are
in the Arctic, a not so-subtle joke about penis size.
But
joke or no joke, the matter of which man possesses the “biggest dick” -- to state it
inelegantly -- is a sub-text in this particular tale. Once you make the thematic connection, it’s intriguing
to see how the “territoriality” theme mirrors the infection theme. A terrified Bear asserts control of the
situation early on, since he is the only person capable of flying the plane,
and he stakes out a command position early.
Simultaneously, he is the first infected by the alien organism. Power and infection are definitively linked.
Then,
after Bear dies, the battle of wills moves over to Hodge and
Mulder. Soon, nobody is certain which of
them, if either, is infected. In the end, we learn that neither man was
infected, only that each was driven (by adrenaline? by testosterone? by ego? by
all three?) to attempt to take charge of the situation.
Why were they so
aggressive, if neither was actually infected? Is it simply the human condition?
Why can't these two get along? |
Why can't Mulder and Hodge? |
Just remember, we're in the Arctic... |
The underlying social commentary, then, seems to concern man's capacity for self-destruction, particularly if he doesn't get his way. This quality impacts even the usually sensible (and sensitive) Mulder. What
complicates this issue of territoriality, and what is explored rather fully in
“Ice” is the notion of allies, friends and subordinates in such a dynamic.
Dr.
Da Silva is Hodge’s ally, but treated like a subordinate, and Scully is Mulder’s ally and
equal. Neither woman is truly impartial or on the side-lines, but Hodge
bullies Da Silva to see things his way, and acts in a borderline abusive fashion in his
treatment of her; thus keeping her in line.
Scully
-- recognizing the weight of evidence against Mulder at one point -- backs Hodge
over her partner. She never gives up on
Mulder, and finds way to protect him, but she is able to weigh the facts…and the
facts seem to go against Mulder's perspective.
Unlike Da Silva, however, Scully is not cowed into
making a decision by either Mulder or Hodge.
Instead, she studies the available facts and makes a logical decision,
to Mulder’s dismay, since her choice doesn’t favor him in the short term. Scully thus becomes the de facto leader because she is able to bridge the gap between parties.
Scully’s
behavior in “Ice” is another key development in the fledgling series. Last week, in my review of “Squeeze,” I noted
that Scully had to choose between Mulder and his quest, or Colton and his
ambitions of avarice. She chose Mulder.
This
week, Scully must face the difficult possibility that Mulder, because of
infection, has become a murderer and a psychopath. One thing I love about The X-Files is that this
possibility doesn’t impact Scully’s affection, feelings, or loyalty for
Mulder. She wants to protect him and
wants to heal him, but to do that, she must first make certain he doesn't represent a
danger to everyone. She uses science and wisdom to do so, again showcasing her finest human qualities.
Given
all this dramatic material, it’s probably fair to state that what “Ice” truly
involves is relationship dynamics in a difficult situation, where no clear
chain of command can be respected or even determined.
Going
further, "Ice" involves the way that men sometimes behave in a crisis. Who do you choose to follow? Why
does someone, like Mulder, choose to lead?
The elegant quality of this thematic dynamic is, as noted above,
that it mirrors so beautifully the nature of the aliens of the week. There can’t be two big worms (another phallic
symbol…) vying for the same “command” post, or else hostility, anger, and
violence will result.
Location
plays a crucial role in “Ice’s” success as drama and as horror. The episode feels like a pressure-cooker
because after the first act, it never leaves the claustrophobic outpost
interiors. All versions of “Who
Goes There?” are set in icy environments, and that sets up an imposing,
endless sense of isolation. Not only is
there terror inside the various “Thing” outposts, but terror outside as well.
The
frozen environment will kill you too, just not as quickly as an alien invader.
In other words, a person can’t just run
outside and catch a bus to escape. The
Arctic or Antarctic installation in all these production is thus a trap within a
trap. Escape is simply not possible. The "monster" must be reckoned with, no delay, no negotiating.
As a title (and phsyical substance...) “Ice”
is also a contrast or counter-point to the hot, passionate, aggressive behavior
we witness among the dramatis personae here. It may be well below zero outside the outpost, but inside temperatures
and tempers continue to rise.
In
terms of X-Files series continuity, “Ice” raises the concept of Panspermia: life from elsewhere in the
cosmos taking root here. That’s a
concept which would come to play a crucial role in the series’ sixth season.
Furthermore, “Ice” seems to set the narrative
template for later tales such as “Darkness Falls” and the second season entry, “Firewalker.” The former is set in an isolated forest; the
latter in a live volcano. But both
stories, like “Ice,” involve ancient life-forms awakened in the present, with
the promise of deleterious impact on the human race.
In the final analysis, "Ice" succeeds because, like "Squeeze," it develops the relationship between Mulder and Scully in a clever way The episode also intelligently re-configures a horror standard, and even offers a healthy dose of social critique. For the seventh episode of a first season, such depth is simply astounding.
Next
week: “Eve.”
Interesting that you draw the comparison with 'Darkness Falls' John, as in that episode it's Mulder that breaches the gulf between the two sides by letting Spinney take the last of the gasoline, something he does without Scully's knowledge. Carter has been quoted saying that he had no ecological agenda in mind when writing DF, but maybe taken in with 'Ice' a broad theme could be said to exist? Maybe something about compromise being needed to avoid disaster, e.g. nuclear war/climate change etc?
ReplyDeleteJohn, I always enjoyed the Who Goes There? story. The 'trapped' setting is definitely what defines the fear level. It is a science-fiction version of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians.
ReplyDeleteSGB
Wow, some great insights on this one. I remember the first time I viewed this, I was so dismayed that it was a "ripoff of The Thing" that I wrote it off. It wasn't until a few years later that I really enjoyed it, seeing what it took from the original story and how it spun it in a different direction.
ReplyDeleteI did think that Mulder's aggression seemed a bit out of character previously, but during this viewing I got the feeling that Hodge was really pushing his buttons. The moment we meet Hodge he is aggressive and untrusting. As the tension is raised, you can see Mulder losing control. Can't blame him really.
Scully is awesome in this episode. And that was my wife's main comment as we watched, "Scully kicks ass!"