The X-Files Week: "Miracle Man"

What if -- as has been predicted many times -- Jesus Christ’s second coming occurred in our lifetimes, but in a way we didn’t expect and therefore couldn’t accept?  What if another messiah or Son of God were indeed born again, here in contemporary America, in human form?

This possibility makes for interesting speculation.  Would we recognize this special individual by his good works?  By his abilities and “powers?”  Or by his selection of words? 

And what would it mean for him, as a messiah, to live in millennial or post-millennial America? Would this individual be readily accepted by those who have already created wealthy Earthly empires based on different interpretations of His story, men like Pat Robertson?

In a very real sense, these questions bubble under the surface of “Miracle Man,” an intriguing and literate first season installment of The X-Files (1993 – 2002). The episode by Howard Gordon and Chris Carter depicts the story of Samuel Hartley (a boy with an origin story that resembles that of Moses’…) that can indeed heal the sick and perform miracles, but who is exploited and undone by the kingdom of man, specifically an earthly father who would use his powers for riches.  Samuel’s dad, for example, owns a “Cadillac for every day of the week.”

There’s even a Judas in his midst, in the form of a man he once saved from death, but who now hates him for it.

Throughout The X-Files’ history, the series has featured tales of faith, spirituality and religion, and “Miracle Man” is probably the first in this sub-set or category.  Tellingly, the story’s cynicism occurs not over the mysteries or miracles of faith, but in the craven human response to them.

A young faith healer, Samuel Hartley (Scott Bairstow) is charged with murder following the mysterious death of a woman he attempted to heal during a Revival.  Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Mulder (David Duchovny) proceed to Miracle Ministries in Tennessee to investigate the case. 

When the agents arrive, they find that Samuel has disappeared and that the locals, led by the scarred Leonard Vance (Dennis Lipscombe) possess very strong convictions about permitting an autopsy of the deceased woman.

When Mulder and Scully find Samuel, the miraculous young man claims that his pride and weakness were an invitation to the devil, and how his gift for good has been permanently corrupted by evil.

Mulder doesn’t believe Samuel’s tale, until he starts to see visions of Samantha, his missing sister…

Although not one of the more popular episodes in the 200+ catalog, “Miracle Man” is nonetheless a solid and intriguing tale well-told, especially given the context diagrammed above.  Samuel is the “real deal,” a man who can heal the injured and cure the sick.  And he wants to undertake that task more than anything.   Or as one believer notes “That boy…he was blessed…never hurt a soul.” 

And in keeping with the series’ ongoing debate between science and mysticism, it is suggested here that Samuel’s unearthly or super-human powers derive from his ability to somehow, by touch, modulate the electromagnetic fields around other individuals.  Unfortunately, as it is noted, he could also destroy, rather than repair, such a field, and thus cause death.

And this facet of his abilities renders him a suspect in the murder investigation.

But the fact that Samuel is, perhaps, a Jesus symbol or even the second coming of Jesus is made plain from much of the imagery featured throughout in the episode.  This “complicated young man” becomes a martyr, crucified in his prison cell by betrayers (in this case his second Judas, the local police sheriff [R.D. Call]). 

Then, some days later, Samuel’s body disappears from the morgue…rising from the dead.  A witness says he walked out of the morgue under his own power, reflecting the idea in Christianity of Jesus’s resurrection, which was also seen and described by many people over a span of 40 days.  The similarities between tales of messiahs are too great to dismiss as coincidence.

Finally, “Miracle Man” culminates with the haunting idea that this new Jesus in our midst will --very unlike his predecessor -- go forgotten.  Although Mulder notes that in 1993 people “are looking for miracles,” very few of these searchers, “Miracle Man” suggests, would know one when they see one. 

Thus the episode ends cynically but pointedly with posters boasting features Samuel’s face dumped in the trash, his legacy -- and story -- left unwritten as yet.    The idea then is that man’s nature has not changed for the better in the nearly 2000 years since Christ’s crucifixion.  In both circumstances, the messiah’s death was violent and bloody, and betrayers played a role. Or contrarily, the episode may subtly hint that though Samuel seems forgotten, his story -- like Christ’s -- will grow and grow, and that a worship of this messiah shall one day come to pass.

One might reasonably conclude too that “Miracle Man” serves as something of an indictment of modern, organized religion (though not as a critique of belief or faith), because the godly Samuel is exploited to create wealth for his father, and his healing powers come with a financial price. The notion at work is that organized religion (though again, not necessarily belief or faith) is now an industry, one dedicated to its own continuance and the accumulation of coin, rather than the salvation of human souls. 

This indictment is doubly disturbing since the episode is set in the heart of the Bible Belt.  If a Jesus-like messiah cannot be recognized for what he truly is in this setting, surrounded by those who already possess a predilection to believe, then how can a second messiah, or the second coming of Jesus, hope to make an impact in other, more secular settings?

One last aspect of “Miracle Man” that I find intriguing involves the roles of Scully and Mulder in the drama.  Usually, Mulder is skeptical of Christianity and talk of miracles, while Scully almost uniformly these things.. Here, Mulder’s vision of Samantha allows him to express belief in Samuel as a legitimate “miracle man,” whereas Scully is much less forthcoming in accepting his story, even when all the facts are known.  Her actions, of course, could be seen in light of “defending” her faith against charlatans and fakers, and that too is a part of this episode’s big question.

If Jesus walks among us, can we ever really believe it’s him?  “Miracle Man” raises the question, and then answers, for the most part, in the negative.