The X-Files 11×03, the first truly standalone episode of the season, was creepy, touching, and highly entertaining

After two episodes that were either directly or only somewhat connected to the show’s mythology, The X-Files went all in with a truly standalone episode. No backup. No aliens (as far as we know). Little to no baggage. Just Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigating something unexplained and downright, well, spooky. The case at the center of “Plus One” involved a series of mysterious deaths that all occurred after the victims had seen their doppelgängers (aka, evil doubles) stalking them over a period of days or hours. The victims would then panic and end up dead through equally mysterious circumstances. One such victim survived and that got the attention of Scully and Mulder.

The agents were led to a mentally ill woman with a split personality named Judy (aka, “Little Judy) (Karin Konoval). The woman claimed to see a darker version of herself and could supposedly psychically play Hangman with her twin brother Chucky (aka, “Little Chucky”) (also portrayed by Karin Konoval) while he was far from the hospital she resided in. Through their psychic connection and/or some larger evil force, the two could communicate to kill an individual whose name was the solution to a game of Hangman. Eventually, the two turned their attention to Mulder and Scully, who faced off against their own evil doubles. But during a disagreement over which letters were actually part of the solution to a final game of Hangman, Little Chucky and Little Judy wrote each other’s names and died.

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While “Plus One” didn’t advance the main plot and only made minor references to it, the episode did give the show a break from the mytharc-intensive material of the previous two episodes. That meant next to no baggage. If you’ve watched The X-Files at any point in the past or simply knew about the premise, “Plus One” was accessible enough that you’d be able to jump in and follow the story. Without any other major characters taking center stage beyond Mulder, Scully, and the “Little” twins, it continued the trend from last week by focusing more on Scully and Mulder.

Despite Scully and Mulder being heavily featured, Karin Konoval’s portrayal of two (actually four) separate characters was the highlight of the episode. She went back and forth between Little Judy and her “evil” self. If that wasn’t enough, she also portrayed Little Chucky and his evil self. What started as her playing separate characters soon became far murkier as the personalities of the twins with multiple personalities began to get more unhinged and difficult to differentiate. It was downright creepy and highly entertaining.

The first truly standalone episode of the season didn’t disappoint and gave our roundtable a lot to discuss. So let’s get into it and talk about “Plus One” with this week’s guests!

Vicky (@MrsWilliams1704) – Lifelong X-Files fan, who would sit and discuss the show constantly given half a chance.

Trycee (@believeinxfiles) – Hardcore X-Files fan for life.

Soledad (@Solecalvo1) – Physical therapist, sci-fi nerd, X-Files fan for 20 years, smart is sexy.

Gigi (@trilliaventuras) – Mom to triplets. Passionate, my glass is either full or not there at all. Sci-fi nerd since before it was cool. Fangirl extraordinaire.

VP (@Vero_Panaro) – Fan of The X-Files

Estefy (@GwenefyND) – X-Files / Gillian Anderson fan

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1. What would you do if you started seeing a doppelgänger of yourself following you around? Would you give into panic and paranoia or would you calmly try to move on with your life?

Vicky (@MrsWilliams1704): If I was to see my doppelgänger watching me with that creepy look on their face, firstly I’d be petrified. Then secondly I think I’d be pretty proud of my resting b**ch face! Based on how good Scully’s doppelgängers RBF was, I know mine would be just as good. Then, once I’d worked out whether my doppelgänger was wanting to kill me or not (hopefully not even though they are meant to be evil), I think I’d send them to work for me so I could have a couple of days off!!

Trycee (@believeinxfiles): I actually had a real-life doppelganger, an evil twin. A woman who looked very similar to me in a small town who was a criminal and going around committing crimes and people thought it was me. I actually had to move away to escape it. It was a horrifying experience. My personality had begun to change and I felt guilty even though I hadn’t done anything wrong. I only saw her on a surveillance photo that was posted on the local news website. To have someone walking around, looking similar to you, committing petty crimes and people assuming it’s you when you have NEVER done anything wrong in your life, is a terrible feeling. So, I can relate to this episode in a way.

Soledad (@Solecalvo1): I think it’s not possible for someone to calmly try to move on with their lives after experiencing something like that. In my case, I would try to find a solution. I think I would study the phenomena and try to figure what it’s saying about myself. Doppelgangers reflect the dual light/dark, good/bad, nature of our soul and how it plays mind games with us to the point of self-destruction. So in order to save myself and be at peace with my conscience, I have to confront my insecurities and come to terms with them (much the same approach that Scully had).

Gigi (@trilliaventuras): Besides completely freak out? I’ve watched a lot of TV in my life, there is no way I could take this calmly. If I’ve learned something it’s that evil twins are real and you better watch out! So panic and paranoia would fit perfectly in. Although, is it really paranoia when they truly are out to get you?

VP (@Vero_Panaro): OMG!! I would panic! But I would try to continue with my life, as much as possible!

Estefy (@GwenefyND): Probably at the beginning, I would take it as something fleeting like some strange vision. But if appearing constantly and for a long time I would go into a panic and I’d think I’m going crazy.

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2. What did you think of Judy and Chucky? Were they effective antagonists?

Vicky: I absolutely adored Judy and Chuck. They were legitimately two of the best villains we’ve had on the show. Seeing the way Judy changed from sweet and innocent to completely insane was terrifying. It was actually like they were two different people. Chuck was creepy as hell and was definitely the instigator behind it all, since he was the one to choose the victims. I loved/hated how Judy made Scully question her place in Mulder’s life though and I loved how Chuck tried to antagonise Mulder about Scully. Karin Konoval was just superb. Again!

Trycee: I actually got scared like right away from the episode. Yes. I liked the way they were able to communicate telepathically. Absolutely effective. Double the fun.

Soledad: They represented evil twins playing a sinister mind game. It worked for them until they fell in love with Mulder and Scully (soulmates, their good alter egos) and turned against each other, which ultimately destroyed them (just like Mulder foresaw it).

Gigi: Judy and Chuck were perfect. Just the right amount of crazy to keep everyone guessing. Even Mulder, who usually believes right from the start, was trying to accept Scully’s more rational explanations until he couldn’t and then everyone knew the gig was up with the twins and their evil twins trying desperately to stop it. It was beautiful.

VP: Judy and Chuck were effective antagonists. I really liked those scenes! Great job!

Estefy: I liked their characters. The change between their good part and their diabolic part, and the bonus of seeing again Karin Konoval who had already performed on The X-Files in season 4. I think they were effective until the differences between them both ended up killing them.

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3. The conversation Mulder and Scully had in bed was rather touching. Even though both of them said a lot about their futures, a lot was also left unsaid. Do you think that was a good approach? Did the scene build off of similar scenes in earlier seasons effectively?

Vicky: I truly loved the bedroom scene. It was so sweet and endearing, especially because it was basically Scully questioning herself, her role in Mulder’s life and doubting her importance to him. She’s always struggled to vocalise her feelings. So for her to say what she did and imply that she needed the reassurance that he wasn’t going to leave her, said a lot. Thankfully, he did that, even if he didn’t actually come out and say ‘you’re the most important person in my life’. I do think he needed to vocally reassure her though. Insecure Scully kills me. I do like how it was done though. Mulder and Scully have the BEST intimate conversations, just like in “Quagmire,” “The Truth” and “I Want To Believe.” Mulder loves Scully so much and this scene perfectly portrayed that. It was just beautiful.

Trycee: Honestly, my heart sank at first because they were talking about being with someone else. I was worried for a minute but then they were together. I am still so happy right now, I can’t even tell you. Thank you, Chris Carter, for listening to us. An estranged couple, wondering if they are going to be together and kind of beating around the bush. It makes sense. And yes, it was effective. There’s a history of Mulder and Scully spooning and I am so glad it wasn’t just left there.

Soledad: I think the whole scene was meaningful for the characters as well as it effectively commented on the nature of opposites. Chuck and Judy were evil twins, playing against each and reflecting on self-destruction. On the other hand, Mulder and Scully are perfect opposites (soul mates if you want) who balance and complement each other in many ways (remember last week working dynamic in perfect sync) intellectually and physically. Scully was confronted with her own insecurities as a human being. And far from isolating herself like back in the day, she goes to her “other half” to voice those feelings (that takes courage) and let him patch her soul and make her a “whole person” again like Mulder told her once in his hallway (a good partner brings out the best side of yourself). Mulder and Scully making love also comments on the nature of sex as the union of two opposites who find completion in each other, which at the same time, works with the theme of the episode and the romantic evolution of the characters.

Gigi: The bed scene reminds us so much of the rock scene (COTR) in “Quagmire” and the log scene (COTL) in “Home Again.” It’s one of those rare moments when Scully spills it instead of “I’m fine-ing” it. But it’s also so much more. She’s expressing, not just her wishes, but her needs and worries and desires and insecurities, and even though there’s part of that conversation that makes you wanna scream, for the most part, it reveals a level of comfort and intimacy we had never seen in them.

VP: That scene reminded me of similar scenes. It was touching to see them together in bed talking about their lives. It’s always nice to see them together as a couple. It was exciting! What we wanted to see! One of my favorite scenes.

Estefy: I liked the fact that they had such a real conversation about fear and curiosity about the future. It’s good to see them thinking about their lives beyond their professional lives. That scene reminded me of one scene in season 7 and the “I Want To Believe” movie where they are also cuddling in bed talking about their lives and fears.

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4. During his confrontation with his double, Mulder saw two Hangman drawings that said “MOM” and “DAD” in Chucky’s house. We know that their parents hanged themselves. Did Chucky and Judy’s power manifest after the deaths of their parents or do you think they were responsible for their deaths? Or did their parents kill each other the same way Judy and Chucky did?

Vicky: Personally, I think they’ve always had these powers. They’re twins, for a start, and twins are famously believed to have these psychic connections that they know how the other is feeling etc. In typical X-Files fashion, “Plus One” took this supposed psychic connection to the next level and turned the twins into insane killers. The MOM and DAD hangman drawings proved to me that Judy and Chuck were responsible for their parents’ deaths though and it makes me wonder what they did to deserve it. If their parents killed each other, the drawings would have had their given names, not mom and dad, like when Judy and Chuck killed each other.

Trycee: That’s a good question. I think they killed their parents.

Soledad: I believe Chuck and Judy induced their own parents to hang themselves out of repressed anger against them. Maybe their parents tried to treat them for schizophrenia and, as it turns out, it confronted them with their ill-nature which motivated them to begin an evil game to get rid of everyone that could potentially face them with their own doppelgangers.

Gigi: Personally, I’m thinking they were responsible for their parents’ death. They used the hangman game as a way to pass the time and to exact revenge. It may have started as a petty thing, to “hang” your offender on paper, but as the twins’ psychic power grew, so did its manifestation and then it all started happening for real.

VP: I think they were responsible for the deaths of their parents.

Estefy: I think Judy and Chuck were responsible for their deaths.

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5. A lot of time was spent theorizing how Judy and Chucky were killing people but not a lot of time was spent on how they were choosing their targets. Was it as simple as Mulder thought (i.e., Chucky choosing “losers” at the jail) or was something more complicated going on? Or was it merely a coincidence?

Vicky: This confused me a bit to be honest. I would have liked more explanation on how the victims were chosen. Maybe it was just a case of Chuck picking random people, or maybe these people had aggrieved him in some way and he was getting his revenge? Chuck was clearly as mentally unstable as his sister so I doubt it would take a lot to push him to choose his next victim. But then, the episode was so fast paced that I think they would have struggled to get that explanation in there. Looks like this is one of those things that will remain unanswered.

Trycee: I think the twins chose whoever they felt like at the time. They picked a target and they killed them. Absolutely not a coincidence.

Soledad: I think they chose people that were showing them the “ugly” side of themselves (Judy and Chuck’s), and so they reflected it upon their victims by invoking their evil twins (dark side) to get revenge, much the way Judy confronted Scully with her own insecurities as a human being. I believe it was an evil mind game that explored the nature of the human soul and its potential for self-destruction.

Gigi: There are no coincidences in The X-Files! That being said, I wish we could’ve explored the twins so much more, have a little back story so we could guess at their motivations, but I understand there’s only so much time and something had to go. I think it’s more complicated than just “losers.” I believe all the victims are people who wronged the twins, or at least one of them, in some way.

VP: I don’t agree with Mulder. I think something more complicated was happening.

Estefy: I think they chose their targets according to how people affected them personally, like Dean. He wanted to accuse Chuck then Chuck wanted revenge. Or Mulder and Scully because they were investigating them. (Maybe sometimes choosing “losers” at the jail too.)

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6. Multiple possibilities were presented for how Chucky and Judy killed people. A psychic connection and evil were the two main explanations. What is your working theory for how Chucky and Judy killed people? Were they even aware that they were doing that?

Vicky: This is what I would have liked more explanation of. The psychic link between Judy and Chuck was abundantly clear, there was no question that the link existed. For some reason, they were able to tap into the evil twin side of their victims’ personalities and have that evil twin kill and I want to know why. Why and how did this start? They definitely knew what they were doing though. The ending showed that with how Judy was so desperate to get Chuck to give her Scully’s name, but for whatever reason, he refused. Why?? So many unanswered questions with this episode.

Trycee: Twins often share connections even if they weren’t raised together. So, I believe they could just read each other’s thoughts and had some type of ability to bring into existence that person’s doppelganger. And yes, they were highly aware of what they were doing.

Soledad: I think the first victims were the parents, similar to what happened in “Eve.” I think it started like an evil game out of revenge. Doppelgangers are supposed to be evil reflections of our bad alter egos, a bilocation of the dark side of our soul. Our self-destructive side that likes to torture us with our own insecurities to the point of madness and helplessness that ends in the suicide of their victims. I think their psychic link was able to conjure the dark side of their victims into a physical form, which can also be taken as a social commentary about issues like mental health, depression and suicide.

Gigi: In my opinion, Chuck and Judy knew exactly what they were doing. They knew about their evil twins and never even tried to hide it (she/he is sitting right there!). It’s almost not their fault no one believed them. I think it was both a psychic connection and evil. Their evil twins would somehow connect to the victim’s dark side and made it act out in the worst possible way. But there was true evil in the twins, even if it manifested through an entirely different entity.

VP: Good question! I think if they knew what they were doing.

Estefy: Yes, they knew what they were doing. It’s a bit confusing, their way of killing. Psychically is the only theory that comes to my mind. I feel that they were playing with people’s minds in some way.

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7. The episode ended with yet another tease about the intimacy of Mulder and Scully’s without directly showing anything. Are you ready for the show to move on from doing that or are you ok with it continuing to hint at the nature of their relationship without directly showing it?

Vicky: I could talk about Mulder and Scully’s relationship all day, but I don’t have the room, so I’ll condense it. To say at this stage that they’re not together is ludicrous. It’s blatantly obvious that they’re together and crazy about each other. I do love how the writers are playing it though, especially after last weeks shipper heaven of an episode. I just think that at this point it’s madness to not at least give the fans something. We were basically shown that they’d slept together, but they couldn’t show us a kiss? I felt like at the end of the episode, Scully’s confidence in her relationship with Mulder was back, he’d reassured her that she is everything to him and going to his room proved that. But still… please give us at least a kiss, Chris Carter!

Trycee: I am very pleased with what they showed and I can just hope that they will show more. Hinting is good but I want at least one kissing scene. I want more. Is that being greedy? YES.

Soledad: This show has always been of a subtle nature. To have seen something more explicit at this point would’ve been shocking. What happens from this point on about the approach of being explicit or not, it doesn’t really matter to me as long as it is within the nature of this show and in good taste. So far, I’m satisfied because we were given so much more than we’ve been given before.

Gigi: The X-Files has never been about Mulder and Scully’s relationship but rather about the work. Any insight to them we have ever had, and not just of them as a couple but even of them as they relate to other people in their lives, has been given to us in small doses. A scene here, a comment there, a voice over. But never, ever a full explanation, and I like that. I like that we have to work for it, that it’s not just given to us but only ever hinted at, with lots of blanks to fill in. I’ve always said I’m perfectly happy with implied, I don’t need explicit. I do want it but I don’t need it.

VP: The episode was great with scenes between them! Missed the kiss! But with the insinuation of their relationship, I’m happy.

Estefy: Well, this is The X-Files and it was always like that. They never needed to show explicit scenes to know the type of relationship between Scully and Mulder. We know that they love each other and they will always be together. But ok yes, a good kiss would be nice to see.

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Final Verdict: “Plus One” delivered a twistedly fun story and proved that there’s still plenty of life left in The X-Files

Fans of The X-Files all have varying opinions on Chris Carter’s work as a writer on the series. Regardless of what one may think of his work on the mythology episodes, “Plus One” showed that he still has the ability to tell an entertaining and classically “spooky” standalone story. Mulder and Scully were without support and on their own in this episode. That once again forced them to rely on and trust each other’s abilities to get the job done. But Chris Carter didn’t stop there. He also gave us an incredibly touching, heartfelt scene with Scully and Mulder discussing their futures at the FBI and with each other. The X-Files has never shown Scully and Mulder’s personal lives in great detail but the small snapshots we have gotten have always been nice to see, and “Plus One” did it exceptionally well.

If the Mulder and Scully action (yes, that kind of action was teased as well) wasn’t enough, the inclusion of Karin Konoval as the Poundstone twins and their multiple personalities should sell even the most cynical fans. Little Judy and Little Chucky started out as eccentric yet calm characters who became increasingly unhinged as the episode progressed. Karin Konoval managed to steal every scene she was in and added just the right amount of insanity to her scenes to make the twins highly disturbed yet oddly fun as antagonists.

It isn’t unusual for The X-Files to not answer all of the questions an episode may ask and “Plus One” isn’t an exception to that rule. However fun the Poundstone twins may have been, their backstory was never fleshed out in a lot of detail. There were enough hints to piece together a version of their backstory, though. It was also never incredibly clear exactly how the twins were killing people. But like with their backstory, “Plus One” managed to provide several possible explanations and just enough information to work something out. Still, the lack of clear answers might frustrate some.

The X-Files jumped right into its first standalone episode of the season without breaking a sweat. “Plus One” was a creepy, suspenseful story and one of the strongest standalone episodes Chris Carter has written in years. It might not be enough to win back fans who have been soured by the mythology episodes over the years but this was definitely an example of The X-Files in top form. More of this, please!

THE X-FILES returns next WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24th at 8/7c on FOX.