Young at Heart is another solid season one episode. I like the guest star character of Reggie Purdue and I liked the performance by the actor playing the young Barnett. What I thought was great were the phone conversations between Mulder and Barnett. Barnett has this cool, evil laugh that I can't describe in words. Another nice edition to this episode was Agent Henderson from the crime lab. She and Mulder exchange some double-entendres. Unfortunately, we do not see here again in the series. I think it would've been nice to have Agent Henderson pop up every once in awhile like Agent Pendrell does. I think Mulder's struggle with his past actions in this case for failing to shoot Barnett plays out beautifully. It certainly shows us how difficult it can be to be an FBI agent and the decisions they can face. The question is how Mulder will react when later faced with a similar crisis?
14 Reviews
Pretty good.
Sleepin_Dragon18 September 2020
Another blast from the past, a man Mulder helped put away some years ago, returns to torment him.
It's a little bit disjointed at times, but on the whole, it's pretty good. It's always good to learn more about Mulder's past, Barnett makes for an interesting foe, although I prefer his older characterisation to the younger one.
The salamander hand thing didn't make any sense to me I'm afraid, I found the ending a bit predictable.
Great music, very dramatic, added a theatrical feel to the episode.
It's a little bit disjointed at times, but on the whole, it's pretty good. It's always good to learn more about Mulder's past, Barnett makes for an interesting foe, although I prefer his older characterisation to the younger one.
The salamander hand thing didn't make any sense to me I'm afraid, I found the ending a bit predictable.
Great music, very dramatic, added a theatrical feel to the episode.
Blast from the past
thebigeasy5556 September 2006
An episode from season 1 which gives an insight into Mulder's past and its pretty dark.Earlier in his career Mulder sticking to procedure had a clear chance to shoot a criminal called John Barnett.Mulder didn't want to endanger any other life and didn't take the shot.However Barnett then shot a cop dead.This affects Mulder significantly and struggles to suppress the memory.Barnett is sent down but before he is he threatens Mulder that he will get him.It is believed that Barnett died in prison.Years pass.Mulder starts to receive threatening notes and grows worried that Barnett has seemingly returned from the grave but cannot convince himself this.Barnett is indeed back alive and has the perfect disguise-youth.Its a race to find Barnett before he tries to carry out his threat and kill Mulder.
For me the quality of this episode is augmented by the supporting cast.The actors who play John Barnett,the young John Barnett,Reggie Purdue and Dr Joe Ridley are excellent.It helps hold the episode together and makes it all the more enjoyable
For me the quality of this episode is augmented by the supporting cast.The actors who play John Barnett,the young John Barnett,Reggie Purdue and Dr Joe Ridley are excellent.It helps hold the episode together and makes it all the more enjoyable
One of the best episodes of the series
Muhls24 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The episode Young at Heart was one of the better episodes in The X-Files. It was entertaining and suspenseful and had me guessing throughout. I like how Fox Mulder and John Barnett were battling it out the entire episode. I also like how they incorporated the government and how they were thinking of negotiating with Barnett for the fountain of youth.
The X-Files always knows how to create a truly distinctive plot and always makes you say "wow i've never seen that before" and with this episode they really hit the spot
I rate this episode an 8/10
The X-Files always knows how to create a truly distinctive plot and always makes you say "wow i've never seen that before" and with this episode they really hit the spot
I rate this episode an 8/10
"Man, I'm everywhere you are. Everywhere."
classicsoncall16 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The 1989 flashback opening of the story blows by pretty quickly, and if you leave it at that, the story proceeds with some element of credibility. But think about it - if John Barnett survived his operation by Dr. Ridley (Robin Mossley), who was the guy who was cremated in his place after Barnett was pronounced dead? How would Ridley have made a switch with another dead inmate, if in fact there even was another dead inmate at the same time? Maybe we're not supposed to think about it.
Another problem I had with the story was how easily Agent Reggie Purdue (Dick Anthony Williams) was subdued and killed by Burnett in his bed at home. Really? A trained FBI agent who would have had some defensive hand to hand training early in his career? I didn't find that very credible, it didn't even look like Purdue put up a good fight.
Well it sounds like I'm putting a pretty big knock on this story but it wasn't all that bad. The progeria angle was an interesting concept to explore with one of the story's villains attempting to discover a fountain of youth by experimenting with genetic material from his victims. I had to chuckle though whenever they showed the partially shadowed face of Barnett speaking to Mulder by phone. The angle of shadow and light made him appear to me to look like Bart Simpson. Go back and check it out for yourself.
There's a redemptive moment of sorts at the finale when Mulder takes his shot at Barnett during another hostage situation. It does make you consider what pressure real life agents must be under during similar type situations, especially when the bad guy has no other recourse. Good shot there, Mulder.
Another problem I had with the story was how easily Agent Reggie Purdue (Dick Anthony Williams) was subdued and killed by Burnett in his bed at home. Really? A trained FBI agent who would have had some defensive hand to hand training early in his career? I didn't find that very credible, it didn't even look like Purdue put up a good fight.
Well it sounds like I'm putting a pretty big knock on this story but it wasn't all that bad. The progeria angle was an interesting concept to explore with one of the story's villains attempting to discover a fountain of youth by experimenting with genetic material from his victims. I had to chuckle though whenever they showed the partially shadowed face of Barnett speaking to Mulder by phone. The angle of shadow and light made him appear to me to look like Bart Simpson. Go back and check it out for yourself.
There's a redemptive moment of sorts at the finale when Mulder takes his shot at Barnett during another hostage situation. It does make you consider what pressure real life agents must be under during similar type situations, especially when the bad guy has no other recourse. Good shot there, Mulder.
Salamander hand
Sanpaco1319 July 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Young at Heart the Limerick:
A man who much older was
Now younger with a salamander glove.
When first he was caught
Mulder should have shot.
When he catches him again, he does.
This is one of the better season 1 episodes in my opinion. I believe this is the first time we have a story about Mulder's early FBI career before the X-Files. The teaser for this episode is great and very creepy. Prison doctor cutting off a man's hand and a salamander hand growing in its place. That's pretty cool. The actor that plays Barnett does a great job and I love the way that he is portrayed with just a little light showing on his mouth or eyes in a close up shot while he is on the phone. This adds so much to the effect of him as a creepy psycho killer. We also learn a lot about Mulder as a character in this episode. Not necessarily about his past as pertaining to the mythology but his morale and standards as an agent with him having to face the demons of having supposedly costing another agent his life when he caught Barnett the first time. He of course doesn't make that mistake the second time he catches Barnett which changes the pace of the episode from trying to catch a killer to Mulder taking care of his regret and guilt by evening out the score finally. I give this episode a 10/10.
A man who much older was
Now younger with a salamander glove.
When first he was caught
Mulder should have shot.
When he catches him again, he does.
This is one of the better season 1 episodes in my opinion. I believe this is the first time we have a story about Mulder's early FBI career before the X-Files. The teaser for this episode is great and very creepy. Prison doctor cutting off a man's hand and a salamander hand growing in its place. That's pretty cool. The actor that plays Barnett does a great job and I love the way that he is portrayed with just a little light showing on his mouth or eyes in a close up shot while he is on the phone. This adds so much to the effect of him as a creepy psycho killer. We also learn a lot about Mulder as a character in this episode. Not necessarily about his past as pertaining to the mythology but his morale and standards as an agent with him having to face the demons of having supposedly costing another agent his life when he caught Barnett the first time. He of course doesn't make that mistake the second time he catches Barnett which changes the pace of the episode from trying to catch a killer to Mulder taking care of his regret and guilt by evening out the score finally. I give this episode a 10/10.
A good atmospheric one
bigblue1236 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
'Young at Heart', along with 'Squeeze', 'Ice', 'Beyond the Sea' and 'Darkness Falls' is one of the better episodes from Season 1 but does not surpass any of the aforementioned. Nevertheless it has a lot of the ingredients that make up a good X-File.
The story gives us an insight into Mulder's past and we find out that many years previously he was responsible for the incarceration of a violent criminal called John Barnett. However, Barnett is very much alive and, due to scientific experiments performed on him whilst in prison, he is now young. Barnett launches a campaign of revenge against Mulder and, naturally, only Mulder believes that it is Barnett who is responsible.
This episode offers us the tension and creepy atmosphere which would become an established trademark of the X-Files as a whole. The characters are excellent and the performances are good, particularly by the actor playing the young John Barnett (his voice is splendidly creepy, reminding me of Keifer Sutherland in the film 'Phonebooth'). The climax is good but utterly predictable.
It is the creepy atmosphere that makes this one worth a watch.
6/10
The story gives us an insight into Mulder's past and we find out that many years previously he was responsible for the incarceration of a violent criminal called John Barnett. However, Barnett is very much alive and, due to scientific experiments performed on him whilst in prison, he is now young. Barnett launches a campaign of revenge against Mulder and, naturally, only Mulder believes that it is Barnett who is responsible.
This episode offers us the tension and creepy atmosphere which would become an established trademark of the X-Files as a whole. The characters are excellent and the performances are good, particularly by the actor playing the young John Barnett (his voice is splendidly creepy, reminding me of Keifer Sutherland in the film 'Phonebooth'). The climax is good but utterly predictable.
It is the creepy atmosphere that makes this one worth a watch.
6/10
Heart Of Black
Dresden_Doll_1012 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Young At Heart is good, solid episode and enjoyable too. It is a look into Mulder's past and how he plays by the book. It was fun watching Mulder and Scully going on a wild goose chase for this guy, yet not knowing that he has the perfect disguise... Youth. Let me say the good and bad points about this episode,
The Good: Love his phone conversations with Mulder. x]
Teaser was kinda' scary. o_O
Modell (Spelling?) looks really scary in the courtroom scene. =O
Mulder facing his demons shooting Modell. x]
The Bad: Scully took a long time getting to her gun. =/
How didn't she know she might have a head shot in the shooting scene?
Conclusion: Good solid, entertainment. 8/10
The Good: Love his phone conversations with Mulder. x]
Teaser was kinda' scary. o_O
Modell (Spelling?) looks really scary in the courtroom scene. =O
Mulder facing his demons shooting Modell. x]
The Bad: Scully took a long time getting to her gun. =/
How didn't she know she might have a head shot in the shooting scene?
Conclusion: Good solid, entertainment. 8/10
John Barnett: You want confirmation? You got it.
bombersflyup3 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Young at Heart is about a man that's believed to have died in prison on a life sentence, back for revenge.
One of the strongest episodes of the first season, with an excellently detailed plot with so much going on and an enjoyable villain in John Barnett. It's got backstory, flashbacks, first class guest appearances, quality dialogue and it's fun. Alan Boyce terrific as young Barnett. Dunno what the deal is with Scully hearing a door open in her house and just ignoring it though... or Barnett hiding in plain sight with his eyes and oven mitt gloves.
One of the strongest episodes of the first season, with an excellently detailed plot with so much going on and an enjoyable villain in John Barnett. It's got backstory, flashbacks, first class guest appearances, quality dialogue and it's fun. Alan Boyce terrific as young Barnett. Dunno what the deal is with Scully hearing a door open in her house and just ignoring it though... or Barnett hiding in plain sight with his eyes and oven mitt gloves.
Fox can't guard the chicken coop.
DWilliams108926 July 2010
"Young at Heart" starts off strongly enough with an eerie teaser in which proclaimed dead prisoner John Barnett blinks toward the camera with glazed-over eyes, but quickly loses steam thereafter. I think an episode delving into Mulder's beginnings at the FBI was a great idea, but this one is a mess and can't hold a candle to later ones like "Grotesque" or "Paper Hearts," which attempted to do the same thing after a fashion. The idea of reverse aging makes for an intriguing X-File alone, yet wanton inclusions such as Barnett's salamander hand and deteriorating vision are never thoroughly explained and haven't the slightest impact on the storyline. This episode was penned by Chris Carter and Simon Kaufer, and it would appear as though the two had to compromise their own distinct visions of the plot to come up with this jumble.
There is some good guest acting on the parts of Dick Anthony Williams, who plays Mulder's ex-partner Reggie Purdue, and Christine Estabrook (who I immediately recognized as Desperate Housewives' Ms. Huber), who has great chemistry with Duchovny in her respective scenes. That one of these characters is killed off and the other not seen again is lamentable, as their performances are the highlight of an otherwise pedestrian effort.
On a side note, I think John Barnett is one of the most annoying villains of the entire series. Just the sound of his voice is enough to tarnish a scene. Throw in some poorly-explained genetic mumbo jumbo and you have one very unfulfilling episode.
A generous 5 out of 10.
There is some good guest acting on the parts of Dick Anthony Williams, who plays Mulder's ex-partner Reggie Purdue, and Christine Estabrook (who I immediately recognized as Desperate Housewives' Ms. Huber), who has great chemistry with Duchovny in her respective scenes. That one of these characters is killed off and the other not seen again is lamentable, as their performances are the highlight of an otherwise pedestrian effort.
On a side note, I think John Barnett is one of the most annoying villains of the entire series. Just the sound of his voice is enough to tarnish a scene. Throw in some poorly-explained genetic mumbo jumbo and you have one very unfulfilling episode.
A generous 5 out of 10.
Best antagonist on the series
Naberrie2183 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is about a past case that has come back to haunt Mulder. In 1986, when Mulder was a newly minted agent at the FBI, he helped with a sting operation that apprehended notorious career bank robber John Barnett. Three years later, in 1989, Barnett supposedly dies in prison. The case is over and closed for Mulder, although he still has lingering guilt over Barnett being allowed to kill Mulder's fellow FBI colleague. But in early 1994, Mulder begins to receive cryptic and taunting notes that eerily resemble the notes Barnett used to leave to get a kick out of taunting the FBI. Mulder becomes convinced that Barnett is somehow still alive, especially when he begins receiving phone calls that sound like Barnett's voice and manner of speaking. It turns out that the prison doctor, Dr. Ridley was doing experiments, using prison inmates as test subjects. Ridley was trying to find a cure for progeria by reversing the aging process, however all his test subjects died shortly after he did his experiments on them. All except John Barnett that is. Turns out that what had failed on others worked on Barnett and for the past four years, he had been living free hiding in plain sight. He is unrecognizable due to his young appearance as his aging was reversed and slowed. So now Barnett looks like a man in his mid/late 20s and his having the time of his life playing cat and mouse games again. He's stolen the doctor's research and the government is trying to buy it from him desperate to get their hands on the fountain of youth. Unfortunately the rest of the episode is predictable and they wasted a great opportunity to tell more about an intriguing story by killing off Barnett. The climax at the end with Barnett at the concert hall was way too rushed and could have been done a lot better. Some of the good things about this episode:
-interesting premise with Ridley's research and quest to find the genetic fountain of youth. Also how he became obsessed with his experiments and getting a high off the work he does rather than actually wanting to help cure people
-Barnett. He's easily one of the best X-Files antagonists of all time, and I like his enigmatic character and disdain for Mulder.
-The soundtrack. The music is very atmospheric, the "Youth" piece especially.
Some of the bad things:
-the salamander hand, and Barnett's eyes (apparently they are the only part of his body that didn't respond well to Ridley's experiments, and are thus deteriorating due to the side effects). These two things don't really add anything to the story and are kind of silly. The eyes do give Barnett an otherworldly appearance, so I will give them that. But the salamander-human hybrid hand has too much of a campy/bad sci fi movie type vibe.
-Alan Boyce didn't have enough screen time, he was the best thing about this episode. So it's a shame he spends most of the episode in shadows and we only fully get to see him late in the episode. An interesting scene they could have done is have Mulder run into Barnett at a place like a coffee shop or supermarket, and have them speak to each other without Mulder having a clue that it's Barnett. It would go well with how Barnett had taunted him by saying "I'm everywhere you are", reveling in how his youthful appearance enables him to hide from the FBI in plain sight.
-The climax at the concert hall. It's a botched and lackluster scene, way too rushed and underdeveloped. It made no sense for Barnett to suddenly gun down Scully in the the middle of a hundred people. Instead, the finding Scully scene should have been much longer, with more focus on Barnett now that they finally showed his full face and figure. They should have done an elaborate cat-and-mouse scenario as Barnett hunts for Scully amid the hallways and passageways of the building. Add to that the musical score used earlier in the scene where Barnett was hiding in Scully's apartment and it would have been perfect.
-Wasted opportunity. The story was perfect for bringing Barnett back in a later episode. They should have just ended the episode with him lying on the E.R. table with doctors/nurses working on him and just left it open for him to return again instead of "oh he just flatlined and died". In fact, they were indeed planning to bring Barnett back in a later episode(s). This is evidenced by the last line of the episode in which Mulder says "I don't think this is the last we'll see of John Barnett." Him flatlining on the operating table really wouldn't have been a problem, as they could easily say he was just revived with a defibrillator a few minutes later. I guess the only reason he wasn't brought back is because the writers got sidetracked by other things, and simply forgot or never got around to writing the sequel episode. This was a show that always tried to do too much, and unfortunately the side effect of that is it became to convoluted, they made too many bad filler episodes, and they got too sidetracked to add more to some of the interesting stories like Barnett's. Though on the other hand, seeing the follow-up episode they wrote for one of my other favorite antagonists, the Pusher, maybe it's better that they just left the Barnett character and story alone before they had a chance to ruin them like they did for Pusher.
-interesting premise with Ridley's research and quest to find the genetic fountain of youth. Also how he became obsessed with his experiments and getting a high off the work he does rather than actually wanting to help cure people
-Barnett. He's easily one of the best X-Files antagonists of all time, and I like his enigmatic character and disdain for Mulder.
- The actor Alan Boyce. He plays Barnett perfectly and his voice is hypnotic.
-The soundtrack. The music is very atmospheric, the "Youth" piece especially.
Some of the bad things:
-the salamander hand, and Barnett's eyes (apparently they are the only part of his body that didn't respond well to Ridley's experiments, and are thus deteriorating due to the side effects). These two things don't really add anything to the story and are kind of silly. The eyes do give Barnett an otherworldly appearance, so I will give them that. But the salamander-human hybrid hand has too much of a campy/bad sci fi movie type vibe.
-Alan Boyce didn't have enough screen time, he was the best thing about this episode. So it's a shame he spends most of the episode in shadows and we only fully get to see him late in the episode. An interesting scene they could have done is have Mulder run into Barnett at a place like a coffee shop or supermarket, and have them speak to each other without Mulder having a clue that it's Barnett. It would go well with how Barnett had taunted him by saying "I'm everywhere you are", reveling in how his youthful appearance enables him to hide from the FBI in plain sight.
-The climax at the concert hall. It's a botched and lackluster scene, way too rushed and underdeveloped. It made no sense for Barnett to suddenly gun down Scully in the the middle of a hundred people. Instead, the finding Scully scene should have been much longer, with more focus on Barnett now that they finally showed his full face and figure. They should have done an elaborate cat-and-mouse scenario as Barnett hunts for Scully amid the hallways and passageways of the building. Add to that the musical score used earlier in the scene where Barnett was hiding in Scully's apartment and it would have been perfect.
-Wasted opportunity. The story was perfect for bringing Barnett back in a later episode. They should have just ended the episode with him lying on the E.R. table with doctors/nurses working on him and just left it open for him to return again instead of "oh he just flatlined and died". In fact, they were indeed planning to bring Barnett back in a later episode(s). This is evidenced by the last line of the episode in which Mulder says "I don't think this is the last we'll see of John Barnett." Him flatlining on the operating table really wouldn't have been a problem, as they could easily say he was just revived with a defibrillator a few minutes later. I guess the only reason he wasn't brought back is because the writers got sidetracked by other things, and simply forgot or never got around to writing the sequel episode. This was a show that always tried to do too much, and unfortunately the side effect of that is it became to convoluted, they made too many bad filler episodes, and they got too sidetracked to add more to some of the interesting stories like Barnett's. Though on the other hand, seeing the follow-up episode they wrote for one of my other favorite antagonists, the Pusher, maybe it's better that they just left the Barnett character and story alone before they had a chance to ruin them like they did for Pusher.
i'm a little indifferent about this episode
SleepTight66620 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
hmm, i'm a little indifferent about this episode. It's not bad, or good. but it's certainly forgettable.
While it has some strong points. the bad guy is pretty good. some great music, and decent back story. Writing is also okay and the moment where the Lizard-hand guy shot Scully was gasp-worthy if you watch it for the first time.
but the rest is not that interesting. it's very slow moving... very slow moving. and unfortunately it had a very unsatisfying ending, almost all of Season 1 had open endings but some of them left you wanting more. but this one... just didn't.
I'm going to give this episode TWO stars, but if it had a better ending it would have easily been THREE.
While it has some strong points. the bad guy is pretty good. some great music, and decent back story. Writing is also okay and the moment where the Lizard-hand guy shot Scully was gasp-worthy if you watch it for the first time.
but the rest is not that interesting. it's very slow moving... very slow moving. and unfortunately it had a very unsatisfying ending, almost all of Season 1 had open endings but some of them left you wanting more. but this one... just didn't.
I'm going to give this episode TWO stars, but if it had a better ending it would have easily been THREE.
Good episode focusing on Mulder
ametaphysicalshark6 September 2008
"Young at Heart" belongs to the group of episodes which focus on a case from Mulder's past coming back to haunt him, and although it is not as good as some of those, such as "Beyond the Sea" from earlier in the first season, it is probably Chris Carter's best standalone script for season one outside of "Darkness Falls".
There are some issues with the episode. I don't care at all for the actor who played Barnett, although he was acceptable when he was just a voice, but his appearance towards the end is hammy and ridiculous. Duchovny isn't quite as capable dramatically as he would be later on, so the full emotional aspect of the script isn't conveyed as well as it could have been.
Still, "Young at Heart" has an interesting plot and is more or less a confident script, but if it had come in a later season I probably would have been harder on it. In comparison to some season one episodes it's a masterpiece.
7/10
There are some issues with the episode. I don't care at all for the actor who played Barnett, although he was acceptable when he was just a voice, but his appearance towards the end is hammy and ridiculous. Duchovny isn't quite as capable dramatically as he would be later on, so the full emotional aspect of the script isn't conveyed as well as it could have been.
Still, "Young at Heart" has an interesting plot and is more or less a confident script, but if it had come in a later season I probably would have been harder on it. In comparison to some season one episodes it's a masterpiece.
7/10
Mulder, I know what you did wasn't by the book.
alexandercappelli9 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Mulder, I know what you did wasn't by the book." – Dana Scully. "Tells you a lot about the book, doesn't it?" – Fox Mulder.
Episode 16, 'Young at Heart', original air date February 11th, 1994. Written by Chris Carter and Scott Kaufer, directed by Michael Lange. Monster of the week episode count, 12. Carter's episodes as lead writer have a tendency to focus on the character development of Mulder and Scully, 'Fire' and 'Ice', and often contain broad themes about the nature of humanity, 'The Jersey Devil' and 'Space'. 'Young at Heart' falls into the former category as it explores Mulder's distinguished career as an agent and examines some of the motives behind his more recent departure from standard F.B.I practice. Easily Carter's strongest effort to date, following on from the previous Scully centric instalment this episode compliments it's predecessor by this time placing Mulder in the foreground. Mulder is nothing if not reckless with his position at the F.B.I, his audacious behaviour is excused only by his doggedly relentless search for truth and justice at any cost. His flagrant disregard for protocol is a defining feature of his personality and through the exploration of an early career choice that cost the life of a fellow agent, Carter provides some justification for his current mindset.
The episode begins with a flashback to 1989 in which we witness a suspicious doctor performing experiments on prison inmates. It's an intriguing opening that peaks our interest and the episode is presented mainly as a serial killer mystery in which the audience is never more than half a step in front of the agents themselves. Mulder is haunted by a past operation in which he failed to pull the trigger on violent criminal John Barnett, who took the life of a hostage and an F.B.I agent before being placed under arrest. Barnett is said to have died during the episodes opening however it is heavily suggested that this is in fact not the case. The episode revolves around the manhunt for Barnett as he proceeds to take the lives of more victims, all the while taunting Mulder with cryptic notes left at the scene. The science fiction element of the episode comes in to play when they discover that Dr. Joe Ridley (Robin Mossley) has been conducting human trials with his experiments that are attempting to reverse the aging process. Barnett is his one successful patient and is able to elude capture due to his unrecognisably young appearance. Eventually Mulder is able to corner Barnett and end his life with the fatal shot he was unable to take so many years ago.
The scenes between Mulder and his former partner Reggie (Dick Anthony Williams) feel genuine. Reggie talks of Mulder's competence and proficiency as an agent, his impressive work as criminal profiler and how with his work on the X-Files he feels that Mulder is jeopardising his promising career. During the flashbacks to Mulder's previous altercation with Barnett we learn that he did not pull the trigger as it violated F.B.I. protocol to willingly endanger the life of a hostage. Carter uses this event to partly justify Mudler's current disregard for the very same protocols. He feels that pulling the trigger, regardless of the technicalities, was the right move and this now eats away at him. He has taken from this experience the belief that going by the book is not always the right path. Scully, ever the stickler for rules, assures Mulder that he made the right move but he sees this as a weak consolation. This enables the audience to connect with Mulder and develop a deeper appreciation for his contempt for the puritanical attitude of his single-minded superiors.
David Peterson, who plays John Barnett has an enigmatic face for a villain and it's a shame that he appears only briefly and is replaced by his younger version, played by Alan Boyce. The scenes between young Barnett and Mulder on the phone are probably the highlight of the episodes, Boyce has an alluring voice and the interactions between the pair play well as a deadly game of cat and mouse. The back and forth interactions between Agent Henderson (Desperate Housewives' Christine Estabrook) and Mulder have good chemistry and it's a shame the character wasn't used again in the series. Once again Jerry Hardin makes an appearance as the elusive Deepthroat and unfortunately as is sometimes the case with his character's inclusion in episodes, it feels unnecessary and ultimately a disappointing squandering of an interesting character skilfully portrayed by a seasoned actor.
While certainly not an unsuccessful entry to the series by any means, 'Young at Heart' lacks the punch needed for it to rise above the pack. However, Carter helps to flesh out Mulder's journey and to this extent the episode is enjoyable and relevant to the overall advancement of character motivation that helps the X-Files deliver a well rounded and realistic performance from it's two lead actors.
Episode 16, 'Young at Heart', original air date February 11th, 1994. Written by Chris Carter and Scott Kaufer, directed by Michael Lange. Monster of the week episode count, 12. Carter's episodes as lead writer have a tendency to focus on the character development of Mulder and Scully, 'Fire' and 'Ice', and often contain broad themes about the nature of humanity, 'The Jersey Devil' and 'Space'. 'Young at Heart' falls into the former category as it explores Mulder's distinguished career as an agent and examines some of the motives behind his more recent departure from standard F.B.I practice. Easily Carter's strongest effort to date, following on from the previous Scully centric instalment this episode compliments it's predecessor by this time placing Mulder in the foreground. Mulder is nothing if not reckless with his position at the F.B.I, his audacious behaviour is excused only by his doggedly relentless search for truth and justice at any cost. His flagrant disregard for protocol is a defining feature of his personality and through the exploration of an early career choice that cost the life of a fellow agent, Carter provides some justification for his current mindset.
The episode begins with a flashback to 1989 in which we witness a suspicious doctor performing experiments on prison inmates. It's an intriguing opening that peaks our interest and the episode is presented mainly as a serial killer mystery in which the audience is never more than half a step in front of the agents themselves. Mulder is haunted by a past operation in which he failed to pull the trigger on violent criminal John Barnett, who took the life of a hostage and an F.B.I agent before being placed under arrest. Barnett is said to have died during the episodes opening however it is heavily suggested that this is in fact not the case. The episode revolves around the manhunt for Barnett as he proceeds to take the lives of more victims, all the while taunting Mulder with cryptic notes left at the scene. The science fiction element of the episode comes in to play when they discover that Dr. Joe Ridley (Robin Mossley) has been conducting human trials with his experiments that are attempting to reverse the aging process. Barnett is his one successful patient and is able to elude capture due to his unrecognisably young appearance. Eventually Mulder is able to corner Barnett and end his life with the fatal shot he was unable to take so many years ago.
The scenes between Mulder and his former partner Reggie (Dick Anthony Williams) feel genuine. Reggie talks of Mulder's competence and proficiency as an agent, his impressive work as criminal profiler and how with his work on the X-Files he feels that Mulder is jeopardising his promising career. During the flashbacks to Mulder's previous altercation with Barnett we learn that he did not pull the trigger as it violated F.B.I. protocol to willingly endanger the life of a hostage. Carter uses this event to partly justify Mudler's current disregard for the very same protocols. He feels that pulling the trigger, regardless of the technicalities, was the right move and this now eats away at him. He has taken from this experience the belief that going by the book is not always the right path. Scully, ever the stickler for rules, assures Mulder that he made the right move but he sees this as a weak consolation. This enables the audience to connect with Mulder and develop a deeper appreciation for his contempt for the puritanical attitude of his single-minded superiors.
David Peterson, who plays John Barnett has an enigmatic face for a villain and it's a shame that he appears only briefly and is replaced by his younger version, played by Alan Boyce. The scenes between young Barnett and Mulder on the phone are probably the highlight of the episodes, Boyce has an alluring voice and the interactions between the pair play well as a deadly game of cat and mouse. The back and forth interactions between Agent Henderson (Desperate Housewives' Christine Estabrook) and Mulder have good chemistry and it's a shame the character wasn't used again in the series. Once again Jerry Hardin makes an appearance as the elusive Deepthroat and unfortunately as is sometimes the case with his character's inclusion in episodes, it feels unnecessary and ultimately a disappointing squandering of an interesting character skilfully portrayed by a seasoned actor.
While certainly not an unsuccessful entry to the series by any means, 'Young at Heart' lacks the punch needed for it to rise above the pack. However, Carter helps to flesh out Mulder's journey and to this extent the episode is enjoyable and relevant to the overall advancement of character motivation that helps the X-Files deliver a well rounded and realistic performance from it's two lead actors.
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