X-Files--"Trevor"

I have complained about the post-Vancouver episodes shift away from dark horror and weird science towards a lighter, more relationship oriented tone. Overall, that has been prominent in the sixth season, but the back half has made an effort to slide in some classic themes. “Trevor” is a case in point. The episode is an obvious effort to create a memorable villain in the mode of Robert “Pusher” Modell. Pinker rawls does not quite measure up to Modell, but I will give the writers a ’B” for effort. Emotional impact trumps science, but it is not done well enough to elevate “Trevor” to the top tier of The X-Files.

Pinker Rawls is a prone to violence prisoner in Mississippi serving time for stealing $90,000. He assaults another inmate while they are preparing the prison grounds for an oncoming tornado. He gets put in the hot box for the duration of the storm. He gets struck by lighting, which grants him the power to walk through solid objects. The hot box is blown away by the tornado, and Rawls is assumed dead. No one can explain how the warden who put him in the hot box wound up subsequently split in half.

Mulder and Scully investigate, and quickly decide pinker is still alive, but now has the ability to pass through objects, though he changes their composition by doing so. The agents assume, by following a trail of horribly mangled bodies, Rawls is looking for his ex-girlfriend under the assumption she has the stolen money. In fact, she gave birth to his son shortly after he went to prison, but did not tell him. She gave the kid to her sister so she could start a new life. Rawls goes looking for his kid.

Fortunately, the agents find him first. Surmising rawls cannot pass through glass since his abilities are based on electricity, Scully hides with Trevor in a phone booth. Desperate, no? they are saved by Trevor’s mother, who runs Rawls over with her car. He passes through the car, but not the windshield. In other words, he gets chopped in half.

The major flaw of “Trevor” is poor writing. The script wants us to sympathize with the characters, but throws too much at us. Rawls is a psychopath we could not care less about at any point, even in the brief moment he attempts an emotional connection with his son. We have a tough time caring about trevor, too. He is not introduced until the final act, and is therefore on screen for less than seven minutes. It is bad form to introduce a major character out of the blue so late in the story. His mother is the worst. She abandons her son entirely, takes rawls’ stolen money to build a new life, and then loses her new husband in a flash when he discovers what she really is. Exactly who is it we are supposed to feel for here? They are all hard luck cases to the point of absurdity.

“Trevor” has some logical problems, too. Rawls visits his ex-girlfriend’s sister at a time when we still think he is looking for the money. At no point in the confrontation is any indication given he is looking for anything but the money. He is there late at night, however. Why would a seven year old boy not be home at that time? The revelation should have come then. On a scientific note, there is inconsistency on exactly how Rawls’ abilities work. Supposedly, his clothes cannot go through solid objects with him, but at one point, scalding soup thrown at him passes through his shirt. He also chases Scully and Trevor in his boxers. I guess that is a disturbing enough image as it is without him being nude as he should be.

“Trevor” has flaws, but it is still an entertaining episode. I probably appreciate it because it reminds me of older episodes. The script does not resonate with all the emotion obviously intended. There are some serious logical problems, too. But if you can mindlessly be entertained, it is a decent view.

Rating: *** (out of 5)