XF Rev/ EL MUNDO GIRA (4X11) LH
LeeRecord
T H E X F I L E S
EL MUNDO GIRA (The World Turns)
Season 4, Episode 11 (1st Run)
FOX production code 4X11
Air Date: 01/12/97
Written by John Shiban
Directed by Tucker Gates
Guest Starring Mitch Pileggi as A.D. Skinner, Rueben Blades as Conrad
Lazano, Raymond Cruz as Eladio Buente, Jose Yenque as Soledad Buente,
Janeth Munoz as Village Woman, Pamela Diaz as Maria.
Review by LeeRecord
JAN 12, 1997
Tonight on "The World Turns" we visit a migrant worker camp that is
invaded by aliens from Mexico, a yellow rain enzyme from space, and Myan
folklore. And what would a soap opera be without love, death, and revenge?
"It was a terrible thing. You're not going to believe me..."
-Village Woman
The camp broujah tells a group of migrant workers about the strange events
that she witnessed recently. Maria says goodbye to her boyfriend, Soledad,
as he leaves for work. His brother, Eladio, flirts with Maria, but Soledad
sees them. When a few goats run over the hill, the village woman yells at
her for not keeping an eye on them. Maria and Eladio chase after the
goats. Suddenly there is a bright flash and a crack of thunder! There is a
downpour of yellow rain. The woman runs over the hill, where she finds the
bodies of Maria and a goat. Maria's eyes and face have been eaten away by
a strange yellow fungus. The woman says that it's the work of the
Chupacabra -- the beast that sucks the blood of goats.
"The death we are investigating was preceded by a fortean event." -Mulder
Mulder explains to Scully about a phenomenon known as a fortean event.
It's a transient that is accompanied by a bright flash and hot colored
rain. Fortean researchers call them liquid falls. Black and red are the
most popular, but there have also been reports of blue, purple, and green
rains. Scully remarks, "Purple rain."
Mulder munches on a few nuts, and says that it was a great album, but a
deeply flawed movie. He says that fortean events have been linked to alien
encounters, cattle mutilation, and exsanguinated carcasses like the goat.
"Two men. One woman. Trouble!" -Scully
Mulder asks what happened to maria. The village woman says the Chupacabra
got her. Soledad appears and says that it's all lies. There is no such
thing as El Chupacabra; his brother, Eladio, killed her. As Scully and
Mulder leave the camp, Scully tells him that there was no fortean event,
just the oldest story in the world. Two men. One woman. Trouble. But
Mulder wants to know more. He asks Scully to check out Maria's body while
he looks for the missing brother. He goes to the I.N.S. service in Fresno,
where he talks to agent Lazano. He learns that finding an illegal alien is
not so easy. They have a way of becoming invisible. Lazano is familiar
with the death of the girl and the myth of El Chupacabra that the Mexicans
use to explain away such things as murder. He agrees to help Mulder.
In the Meanwhile, Scully checks Maria's body. She discovers a strange
yellow-green fungus that has eaten most of it away.
Back at the I.N.S. holding center, they find Eladio. He was arrested for
causing a ruckus. No one will go near him, because they believe he is El
Chupacabra. Lazano questions him. He describes the fortean event and how
he was knocked to the ground by the lightning. When he got up, he found
Maria, Maria. Her face was eaten away and she died in his arms.
Eladio is put into a bus to be taken before a judge. On the way, the bus
wrecks and Eladio escapes. The driver is found dead -- covered with a
strange fungus.
Scully explains to Mulder that Maria was not killed by Eladio, but by a
fungus. Mulder still wonders about the fortean event and El Chupacabra.
Scully tells him that the aliens in this story are not the villains;
they're the victims.
They come upon the wrecked buss and the moldy driver. Scully says that
it's not the same fungus that killed Maria, but it's similar. She is
concerned about how quickly it grows and kills. She is left to investigate
the fungus amongus, while Mulder and Lazano try and find Eladio.
Eladio tries to find a way back to Mexico. He is told that if he comes up
with some dinero, he can get a ride to the border. He goes to see his
cousin, Gabrielle, to borrow some money. She accuses him of being the
Chupacabra and the killer of Maria and many others. He says that he never
killed anyone.
"Athletes foot?" -Scully
Scully discovers that the fungus is the same as athletes foot. A highly
toxic enzyme is causing it to grow very fast. If the enzyme were to get
into the environment, athletes foot could kill us all! Ahhhhhhh!
Scully tells Mulder that Eladio is a carrier of the deadly enzyme. She
says that he must be found, and whatever you do -- don't touch him! Mulder
and Lazano come close to catching him, but he gets away. Everyone he comes
in contact with dies. (Where's the Desenex?)
Soledad continues his search for his brother, but Scully, Mulder, and
Lazano catch up with him. He says that he must avenge Maria's death.
Eladio goes to Gabrielle for money, again. She sees that his face is
changing -- affected by the enzyme that he carries. She makes him look in
a mirror. He is El Chupacabra. She gives him her money so he will not kill
her. She really believes this goat sucker stuff.
Lazano goes to process the brother, but instead takes him to where Eladio
is. He believes that it is the right of the brother to have his revenge.
Mulder figures this out, and they head for the place where Maria died. He
has Scully call for a Haz-Mat team to meet them there.
At the camp, Lazano calls for Eladio to come and face his brother. The
broujah tries to stop them, but Soledad and Lazano chase after Eladio.
There is a gunshot, and the village woman finds Lazano laying dead and
covered with mold. Then she sees a bright light and what she believes to
be more Chupacabra coming from the hillside. She finishes her story by
saying that the Chupacabra got Soledad for his treachery. He is made to
suck the blood of GOATS. Some of the girls, that have been listening to
her story, say that is not what Gabrielle said. The broujah says that
Gabrielle doesn't know; she didn't see.
"I am the Chupacabra!" -Eladio
Now we hear Gabrielle's version of what happened: Soledad and Lazano chase
Eladio to the hill. Soledad takes Lazano's gun and asks Eladio to face him
like a man. Eladio turns and says that he is not a man; He is the
Chupacabra. When Soledad sees what has become of his brother, he says that
he can't kill him. Lazano says that he is the goat sucker, and he must be
killed. There is a struggle for the gun, and Lazano is shot. For his
treachery, God turned Soledad into a Chupacabra like his brother.
Together, they run to Mexico.
Back at F.B.I. headquarters, Scully and Mulder tell Skinner the story of
Maria, the brothers, and El Chupacabra. When Skinner asks why they can't
find the brothers, Scully says that they have a way of almost being
invisible. Mulder says, "The truth is, nobody cares."
Critique ** (of four) Skinner says,"Frankly, I'm confused by this story."
And so am I. Who, me? The guy who was able to make sense of Terma and so
many other episodes. Yep! The very same guy. There are no less than three
points of view to this story about El Chupacabra and the Buente brothers.
First: The camps's equivalent of a Myan broujah tells her version of what
happened, then Gabrielle, the brothers' cousin, tells her version, and
finally, Scully and Mulder tell Skinner their version. Everything runs
together like a messy water color. I'm not even sure what the point of the
story was. Depending on whose version you listen to, you get three
different points, if not more. The village woman promotes the ancient myth
of the goat sucking Chupacabra. Mulder, of course, chalks the yellow rain,
enzyme fungus up to stuff from outer space, and Gabrielle perpetuates the
myth of the Chupacabra as a curse from God that has been placed upon the
brothers. So what was the moral of this story? If two brothers, from
Mexico, are in love with the same girl, they shall be cursed by God and
turned into goat sucking beasts. Or, how to keep a legend alive by telling
a scary story about two unfortunate brothers that were infected by an
enzyme from outer space. Scully says, "What we've walked into here is a
Mexican soap opera..." She's got that right!
The soap opera spoof might have fallen short, but I did enjoy Mulder's
comedy act (Maria! Maria!).
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION
FOX #4X11
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