How the Ghost Stole Christmass
Lyla and Maurice share a heartwarming hug on Christmas Eve.
TITLE
6X06 -How the Ghost Stole Christmass
TAG LINE
The Truth Is Out There
SYNOPSIS
Hmmm ... let's see. It's called "How The Ghosts Stole Christmas" - could it possibly be a ghost story??? Okay, we know that and it looks like another Christmas-themed episode. Does anyone else receive hints of comedy in this one?
Late at night on Christmas Eve, somewhere in Maryland,Mulder is parked outside a dark, gothic mansion. Scully drives up and asks why Mulwanted her to meet him there. It is a stakeout of the former owners -- on Christmas 1917,two young lovers killed themselves in a murder suicide pact, promising to always spend Christmas Eve together. They were demoralized by the war and the flu epidemic that was killing thousands of people. Scully wants to leave but she cannot find her car keys so she follows Mulder into the house. The door slams shut and they can't get out. They go upstairs because Mulder hears a sound. Mulder says there have been three murder-suicides in ths house in 80 years, alwayson Christmas Eve. Scully rationalizes at length about how ghosts aren't real but a hallway door opens by itself. They enter the room and it is a brightly-lit library, although when they were outside there were no lights on in the house. The floorboards creak and Mulder believes there is a hiding space below the floor. They pry up the boards and find two bodies, long dead of gunshot wounds. The bodies are wearing clothes just like Mulder and Scully. The agents beat a hasty retreat, but when they exit the doorway, they reenter the library from another door, as if space is warped. They repeat this several times, always reentering the library as they cross through the doorway. They split up, thinking they will meet each other, but each enters a library that does not have the other in it.
Mulder finds that all the doors to the library are now locked. He uses his gun to shoot a lock, but the doorway behind the door is bricked up. All of a sudden, a man (who we later learn is named Maurice) is in the library with Mulder saying "this is my house." Mulder accuses him of being a ghost, but Maurice responds saying he is a mental health specialist. He accuses Mulder of being prone to a breakdown and says Mulder is a lonely man chasing illusions. Maurice leads Mulder into the next room, but as Mulder crosses the doorway it is suddenly filled with bricks again. Meanwhile, Scully discovers that Lila is in the room with her and both scream. Lila says she saw Mulder and Scully and thought THEY were ghosts. Lila tells Scully that she must have a small life, being willing to spend Christmas Eve with Mulder and suggests that Scully's only joy in life is proving Mulder wrong. Maurice walks in and Scully holds them both at gunpoint. When they raise their hands, Scully sees a hole in Lila's stomach -- a gunshot wound. She lifts Maurice's hat and finds a hole through his head, after which Scully faints. Maurice and Lila talk with each other. When was the last time we had a good haunting? This pop culture approach doesn't work. If we don't do better they'll take us off the tourist lists. We'll show these two how lonely Christmas Eve can be.
Lila enters the library and talks to Mulder who realizes that Lila and Maurice are the young couple who killed themselves in 1917. She pulls out the book "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" by R. Grimes and shows a picture of herself and Maurice when they were young. She indicates to Mulder that he and Scully are there for their ownmurder-suicide.Mulder says no, but she says maybe it's a secret suicide pact and they don't realize it. She hands Mulder his gun and disappears. Meanwhile, Scully wakes up and Maurice talks with her. The library doors are still locked for her protection from Mulder. Maurice says Mulder is disturbed and capable of anything but Scully makes him open the door. Mulder enters and fires his gun several times. The last shot strikes Scully in the stomach but as Scully collapses we see that it is Lila posing as Mulder.
The real Mulder enters through a doorway and finds Scully on the floor, bleeding. She shoots him, but we see that it is Lila on the floor, posing as Scully. Mulder and Scully each crawl toward the front door of the house and meet each other. They each deny that they shot the other, and Mulder realizes it is all in their heads. They stand up and the pain and blood disappears. Mulder and Scully run out the door to their cars and race off.
Maurice and Lila sit in chairs before the fireplace. We almost had those two such lonely souls. I wonder what they were really looking for. We know the real meaning of Christmas. As the clock strikes midnight, beginning Christmas Day, they disappear.
Mulder is at home, watching a black and white version of A Christmas Carol on TV when Scully knocks at his door. She couldn't sleep. None of that really happened, did it? It was all in their minds? The pop psychoanalysis of the ghosts has affected both of the agents. Mulder says "I know we agreed to not get each other gifts," but pulls out a present for Scully. She has one for him, too, and they sit down to open the presents, all of a sudden happy to be with each other as the snow falls outside.
MY THOUGHTS
I laugh'd,I cry'd ,it was better then cats!!!
This was a really good christmass episode.I was touched if i wasn't a cold hearted son of a bitch i might have cry'd (ok maybe not),but it was good. I loved the part at the end with the gifts,I only wish they would have showed what they got for each other(going by the shapes of the gifts my guess is a vibrater and a porno tape),but I could be wrong!!
MY RATING8.5 / 10
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