REPOST - CTP Episode of the Day - 03.28.06 - 2SHY

Today's Cherished Episode: 2SHY (3x06)
Original Air Date: November 3, 1995
Written By: Jeffrey Vlaming
Directed By: David Nutter

Mulder and Scully track a serial killer who preys on lonely, overweight women via the Internet.

"Okay, it's not yet the finely detailed insanity that you've come to expect from me."

Some "2SHY" Tidbits & Musings:

-- Episode title: "2SHY" was the Internet name used by the episode's killer.

-- During the autopsy, Scully dated this episode at August 29. But in "D.P.O.," Darin Peter Oswald played his video games on September 12. And later in this episode when Mulder handed Scully the DNA results, they were dated October 27.

-- Some crew members nicknamed this episode the "Lick me--Kill me" episode. The writers admitted they did contemplate whether the notion of Internet lonely hearts might put off a segment of the show's loyal audience, but they credited Chris Carter with keeping his eye focused on telling a good story and steeling himself against being distracted by such considerations. "The chat rooms on the Internet are filled with people who are pretending to be what they aren't," Carter observed. The show examined that phenomenon, he said, commenting not on X-Files fans but rather on people who might be, to quote the song, "looking for love in all the wrong places."

-- Director David Nutter also pointed to a terrific performance by Timothy Carhart (as the killer Virgil Incanto) as an important part of the success of "2SHY." "I was really fortunate about getting a character in the stand-alone episodes that could become something quite special," said the director, whose episodes included "Beyond the Sea," "Irresistible," and "Ice."

-- Timothy Carhart had a small role in Working Girl, in which David Duchovny also appeared.

-- Virgil Incanto's name was inspired by the Italian Renaissance poets he translated. In Dante Alighieri's (1265 - 1321) "Inferno," the poet's guide through the seven circles of hell was the Roman poet Virgil. The terza rima verses (a rhyme scheme Dante invented) are divided into long sections called cantos. "La Vita Nuova" (The New Life) (one of the titles Mulder reeled off to Detective Cross) was one of Dante's more famous books. Mulder also mentioned Baldassare Castiglione's (1478 - 1529) book "Il Cortegiano" (The Courtier), a work on courtly behavior by one of the Renaissance's most famous ambassadors. In the book, two courtiers discuss the best ways of, among other things, wooing a woman.

-- The Versatile Pacific Shipyards in Vancouver doubled for the Cleveland waterfront where Incanto's first victim was found.

-- Scully reported that most of Lauren Machalvey's adipose tissue was missing from her body. In anatomy, adipose tissue or fat is loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes. Its main role is to store energy in the form of fat, although it also cushions and insulates the body. Obesity in animals, including humans, is not dependent on the amount of body weight, but on the amount of body fat -- specifically adipose tissue. In mammals, two types of adipose tissue exist: white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Adipose tissue also serves as an important endocrine organ by producing recently-discovered hormones such as leptin, resistin, and the cytokine TNFg.

-- When Mulder told Scully about the test results of Incanto's skin sample, the time was 10:13 (Chris Carter's birthday is 10/13).

-- For those who think it's a fanfic thing, Mulder does have his hand on the small of Scully's back while they are in the police squad room.

-- Oopsie! During the attack on the prostitute, she scratched the skin off the killer's right hand. But later in the episode, Incanto was shown caring for and bandaging his left hand.

-- Despite its dour tone, this show produced another off-camera comedic highlight when Mulder and Scully's stand-ins inadvertently walked into the wrong condominium. The scene called for the two to walk across a patio and through a door, but because all the units looked the same, the pair accidentally stepped into the next-door neighbor's place -- several times -- while the stunned couple entertained dinner guests. "They [the couple] didn't even say anything," laughed locations manager Louisa Gradnitzer, who sent the hostess an apologetic card and flowers.

-- While it might have appeared dire, Anderson described her bathroom tussle with the killer as "fun." The actress enjoyed performing her own stunts when possible, having been unable to do so during her pregnancy and its aftermath, "when I was still getting back into my body." Though she had relatively few chances to roll around with homicidal maniacs during the third season, "when I got the opportunity to, I enjoyed it," Anderson said.

-- Some of the substance secreted by the killer was devised by David Gauthier, "doctoring up" a material called Ultra-slime used in such movies as Ghostbusters. The main portion, however, came from a veterinary product called J-Lube that was mixed with food products and thus "essentially edible," said Gauthier. He even tested the goo by putting it on the face of assistant Andrew Sculthorp, who called it "probably the most distasteful thing I ever had to do."

-- David Duchovny's photo double, Steve Kiziak, was "discovered" in true Hollywood fashion during the technical survey for this episode. Louisa Gradnitzer noticed Kiziak -- an electrician's apprentice who'd just moved to Vancouver -- coming out of a Starbucks coffee bar, pointing out his unerring resemblance to The X-Files star right down to his walk. Then director David Nutter took over. "David Nutter started yelling, 'Hey you! Stop! We've got to talk to you!' from the window of the bus," chuckled assistant locations manager Rick Fearon. "I think he thought we were going to abduct him, or try to sell him car speakers," Nutter said.

-- Jeffrey Vlaming also wrote the third season episode "Hell Money." After X-Files, he went on to write for shows like NCIS, Numb3rs, and Battlestar Gallactica.

-- After "2SHY," David Nutter would direct two more Season 3 episodes before leaving the show (he directed 15 episodes in all). He remains a busy and much-sought-after director, recently directing episodes of HBO's Entourage. He also directed the Pilot episode of the ABC 2007 summer series Traveler, and directed the Pilot of and serves as Executive Producer of The Sarah Connor Chronicles which was picked up for a mid-season slot on the FOX network in the 2007-08 season.

-- Once & Future Retreads: Kerry Sandomirsky (Ellen's friend Joanne) played Roland's friend Tracy in "Roland." Glynis Davies (Incanto's Landlady Monica) was Eugene's lawyer in "Tooms" and Ellen in "Irresistible" (better identified as the Lady Who Left Her Doors Unlocked and Told New Deliverymen About It). William Macdonald (Agent Kazanjian) was Dr. Oppenheim in "Fallen Angel," a Federal Marshall in "The Host," Officer Trott in "Unruhe," and Deputy Buddy Riggs in "Chinga." Lindsay Bourne (The Hooker's John) was the Burn Unit Surgeon in "Kill Switch." Jan Bailey Mattia (The Hooker) was Ms. Hadden in "Never Again." Dean McKenzie (Lt. Blaine) was an Army Tech in "The Pine Bluff Variant."

(Thanks to chrisnu for today's episode pics.)

Please share your first impressions, favorite (or cringe-worthy) moments, classic lines, favorite fanfic, nagging questions, repeated viewing observations, etc., as today we celebrate "2SHY."

Polly