Scully makes the mistake of mentioning a homeless man's death outside of Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Mulder. The bum had been eaten by a human, and because this act of cannibalism took place outside Atlantic City, Mulder automatically thinks "Jersey Devil" earning more than a bit of ribbing from the eye-rolling Scully. But you know Mulder
when he fixes on a potential for the proving of a known "folktale, myth" from childhood, there's not much to persuade him from that search for the truth. "Jersey Devil" is an early example of the show offering the possibility that Mulder and Scully would become an item. Well, maybe not an item as much as fixtures in each other's life besides the FBI work.
Obviously, The X-Files was all about the aliens and government conspiracy, but there were always episodes, "one offs" like this episode that allowed the agents to escape from the confines of Washington and the Bureau to explore cases that dealt with any number of sci-fi / horror topics ranging from clones to vampirism. Here it is the possibility of an actual cannibalistic Neanderthal living in the wilderness in Jersey. Often the cops working cases are shown having to endure the FBI honing in on their turf on crime television, and the Washington government suits are considered unwelcome and intrusive bullies who impede on the investigation of others and keeping their secrets without sharing. Watch Law & Order or CSI, and you can feel the collective groan of on-duty cops / detectives when the FBI show up. When a show follows the agents, it is actually the other way around like in "Jersey Devil" where the FBI has no jurisdiction in the cannibalism murder of the homeless man, with Mulder in a rather intense exchange with Atlantic City Detective Thompson (Wayne Tippit). Thompson wants him out of his jurisdiction, plain and simple, even faux arresting him for no good reason ("running him through the system" just for spite) other than the fact that Mulder was in an alley when a "naked barefoot woman of the wild" appears, giving him the proof he needed regarding the myth of a "female primitive at the top of the food chain" being real, not just a passed down story to strike fear in children. Mulder gets an anthropology professor from Maryland involved because of the beast woman's existence's significance, and associates with a Jersey Park Ranger who found the half-eaten homeless man and discovers the remains of an actual primitive man who could be the wild woman's mate. Mulder's refusal to just go away certainly irks Thompson who considers him a hindrance to his ongoing investigation. Mulder believes Thompson is trying to sweep everything under the rug so the slot machines continue to operate and the tourists keep their minds on spending money not the fantastic discovery of an actual Jersey Devil. This episode also focuses on Scully's best friend trying to set her up with a divorcée with children (she finds him a bit boring), and how she can't seem to pull away from Mulder in order to "get a life". Seeing Scully choose to go with Mulder instead on another date with the real estate father indicates that while she's a cynic, a skeptic of most of what her partner believes in, he's still a lot more fun and has an appeal she can't seem to resist. I just love the chemistry between the two leads, and the "look who's holding the door" comment at the end is a fitting close to the episode.
Obviously, The X-Files was all about the aliens and government conspiracy, but there were always episodes, "one offs" like this episode that allowed the agents to escape from the confines of Washington and the Bureau to explore cases that dealt with any number of sci-fi / horror topics ranging from clones to vampirism. Here it is the possibility of an actual cannibalistic Neanderthal living in the wilderness in Jersey. Often the cops working cases are shown having to endure the FBI honing in on their turf on crime television, and the Washington government suits are considered unwelcome and intrusive bullies who impede on the investigation of others and keeping their secrets without sharing. Watch Law & Order or CSI, and you can feel the collective groan of on-duty cops / detectives when the FBI show up. When a show follows the agents, it is actually the other way around like in "Jersey Devil" where the FBI has no jurisdiction in the cannibalism murder of the homeless man, with Mulder in a rather intense exchange with Atlantic City Detective Thompson (Wayne Tippit). Thompson wants him out of his jurisdiction, plain and simple, even faux arresting him for no good reason ("running him through the system" just for spite) other than the fact that Mulder was in an alley when a "naked barefoot woman of the wild" appears, giving him the proof he needed regarding the myth of a "female primitive at the top of the food chain" being real, not just a passed down story to strike fear in children. Mulder gets an anthropology professor from Maryland involved because of the beast woman's existence's significance, and associates with a Jersey Park Ranger who found the half-eaten homeless man and discovers the remains of an actual primitive man who could be the wild woman's mate. Mulder's refusal to just go away certainly irks Thompson who considers him a hindrance to his ongoing investigation. Mulder believes Thompson is trying to sweep everything under the rug so the slot machines continue to operate and the tourists keep their minds on spending money not the fantastic discovery of an actual Jersey Devil. This episode also focuses on Scully's best friend trying to set her up with a divorcée with children (she finds him a bit boring), and how she can't seem to pull away from Mulder in order to "get a life". Seeing Scully choose to go with Mulder instead on another date with the real estate father indicates that while she's a cynic, a skeptic of most of what her partner believes in, he's still a lot more fun and has an appeal she can't seem to resist. I just love the chemistry between the two leads, and the "look who's holding the door" comment at the end is a fitting close to the episode.