In a show that is all about conspiracy theories, it definitely felt like it would be only a matter of time before we actually started to incorporate real-life theories into the plot. It felt strange that they hadn't properly tried to include the theories into the larger scope of this show and actually make connections to certain things that have gone down into legend. And the perfect character to do that through is William B. Davis' Cigarette Smoking Man who has constantly been a thorn in the side of our protagonists, but who has never actually gotten an episode dedicated to developing him as a character and a force for our leads to properly recon with. So as I was reading up on this season, I fell upon an episode with this title and thought that it had to be developing his backstory, and even joked about certain events that actually ended up happening. And this is one of the more self-ironic episodes of the show that fully dives into the idea of conspiracy theories, putting CSM in many situations throughout time that have been covered up in some way, only to brilliantly make the audience question whether any of the things are actually true.
This entire episode puts the viewer into the mindset of a conspiracy theorist and takes us on a journey throughout the story of a man that may not actually be true. However, it's not important whether or not what's told is true, but that the audience sees the possibilities that lie within CSM and who he actually is. He doesn't have to have done the things told here, but the mere idea of them immediately sets him up as a real threat, which suddenly makes him feel much more terrifying, yet also human in a very weird and morbid way.
The most impressive feat of this episode is that it manages to humanize a character that has not been given a lot of actual development, and whose only real character trait was his intense love for cigarettes. It's a very darkly humorous, yet tragic tale that reveals a lot about this man and shows us a picture of someone who has ambitions and dreams outside of his chosen field, but doesn't have the luck to actually go ahead with it. Whether or not it's true is another matter, but the presentation in this episode of it all is quite brilliant.
The episode also has its tone perfectly balanced, with scenes that are serious and really feels like they're weighted down by a lot of emotion, while other sequences are clearly having fun with the idea of this Syndicate being in charge of every single conspiracy theory in the world. There is a particular scene in this episode that makes them feel like the Stonecutters from "The Simpsons." Glen Morgan's writing is really capturing the beauty of what his brother - Darin Morgan - brought to the show, and it's nice to see that it still has fun with its own outlandish premise.
"Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" is the perfect encapsulation of the entire show, as it manages to brilliantly convey what the show is about. It's not about whether or not any of this is true, but about the power of belief and how believing in something can sometimes make it feel much more dangerous.
This entire episode puts the viewer into the mindset of a conspiracy theorist and takes us on a journey throughout the story of a man that may not actually be true. However, it's not important whether or not what's told is true, but that the audience sees the possibilities that lie within CSM and who he actually is. He doesn't have to have done the things told here, but the mere idea of them immediately sets him up as a real threat, which suddenly makes him feel much more terrifying, yet also human in a very weird and morbid way.
The most impressive feat of this episode is that it manages to humanize a character that has not been given a lot of actual development, and whose only real character trait was his intense love for cigarettes. It's a very darkly humorous, yet tragic tale that reveals a lot about this man and shows us a picture of someone who has ambitions and dreams outside of his chosen field, but doesn't have the luck to actually go ahead with it. Whether or not it's true is another matter, but the presentation in this episode of it all is quite brilliant.
The episode also has its tone perfectly balanced, with scenes that are serious and really feels like they're weighted down by a lot of emotion, while other sequences are clearly having fun with the idea of this Syndicate being in charge of every single conspiracy theory in the world. There is a particular scene in this episode that makes them feel like the Stonecutters from "The Simpsons." Glen Morgan's writing is really capturing the beauty of what his brother - Darin Morgan - brought to the show, and it's nice to see that it still has fun with its own outlandish premise.
"Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" is the perfect encapsulation of the entire show, as it manages to brilliantly convey what the show is about. It's not about whether or not any of this is true, but about the power of belief and how believing in something can sometimes make it feel much more dangerous.