Pure Evil at One in the Morning

I had to be awake by 9 am today to go the crisis center where I totally entered letters A through F into the computer. I'm so awesome. (We're trying to enter the 20th century here, I'm on Windows 98, entering client's information into the address book program that came with the computer. I think I'm the one to do it because I'm the youngest volunteer by a wide margin.)

But I had to watch the X-files on TNT. Even with their dreadful commercial chopping of shows in syndication, I had to watch it. The episode was Irresistible. Literally. That's the title.

The criminal star could fit into today's CSIs or Law and Orders, no problem. But in 1994, he was unique. Donnie Pfaster. What a creep, what a great actor, I pity him for playing such an evil character, I'm sure he's done good characters that don't kill women and take their fingernails and hair, but this one sticks with you.

This episode follows the X-files pattern - freaky thing happens, Mulder and Scully show up to investigate, one of them is in trouble, the bad guy or thing is killed or arrested, end of story.

But it was not a typical one.

There was nothing supernatural about this episode, much like Home, an episode that aired October 11, 1996. And just like Home, this episode's creepiness was uncommon at the time, for a time, Home was removed from syndication, it is that creepy. But with the popularity of CSI and its level of goriness, Home and Irresitble are tame in comparison.

But they never fail to scare me.

People see Donnie as a demon, but there's nothing supernatual about it - he is pure evil, and your subconscious sees what you refuse to see at times.

It is a beautiful episode, and one of the few that had a great follow-up episode, Orison. There is a more supernatural aspect to that one, but it's still about the evil that lurks under a seemingly normal person.

The episode is one of the scariest because he's a normal person, physically at least. He possesses no powers, he's just an ordinary man, your ordinary psychopath next door.

No nightmares afterwards, I am pleased to report. None that I remember, at least.