Invocation (The X-Files): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:58, 15 December 2020

Revision as of 10:05, 14 January 2021

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* Sheila Shaw as Marcia Purnell

* Steve Stapenhorst as Principal

* Jim Cody Williams as Cal Jeppy<ref name=cast>{{cite web|title=The X-Files - "Invocation"|url=http://www.thexfiles.com/episodes/season8/8x05.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020207004630/http://www.thexfiles.com/episodes/season8/8x05.html|archive-date=7 February 2002|publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]]|work=TheXFiles.com|accessdateaccess-date=27 April 2012|date=12 December 2001}}</ref>

| prev = [[Roadrunners (The X-Files)|Roadrunners]]

| next = [[Redrum (The X-Files)|Redrum]]

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Scully and Doggett bring the psychic, Sharon Pearl, to meet Billy. After touching Billy, Pearl says that she feels powerful forces acting through him, and that she senses emanations from Doggett as well. She then goes into a [[seizure]], the mysterious symbol forming on her forehead. Scully and Doggett later notice Purnell drive up to the Underwood home. Purnell panics when he sees Billy in his car, but after a short pursuit, Purnell is arrested. The agents fail to find Billy in the vehicle. Elsewhere, Josh Underwood is abducted at a gas station while looking at a [[horse trailer]]. The symbol appears on the trailer.

After interrogation by Doggett, Purnell confesses to snatching Billy in 1990 on behalf of someone else. Doggett recognizes Purnell was also a victim, and with enough prodding, gets a name: Cal Jeppy. The police and the two FBI agents go to Jeppy’s home and find Josh in a compartment under the floor of his horse trailer. Doggett chases Jeppy into the woods, catches him, and discovers the skull of Billy that Purnell dug up earlier. As the Underwoods stand over the shallow grave of their long dead son, Doggett express incredulity that the case's conclusion was an instance of justice from beyond the grave and laments an inability to explain it; Scully reasons that the body is explanation enough and that the important thing is that Josh Underwood was saved from the same fate.<ref>{{cite web|title=Invocation|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/xfiles/episodeguide/eight/page05.shtml|work=BBC Cult|publisher=BBC|accessdateaccess-date=11 May 2012}}</ref>

==Production==

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In the episode, Doggett is told by a psychic that his very own son was kidnapped and murdered; thus, "Invocation" would mark the first appearance of Luke Doggett, the son of John.<ref name="Invocation">{{cite episode | title=Invocation | series=The X-Files | series-link=The X-Files |credits = [[Richard Compton]] (Director); David Amann (Writer) | network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] | season = 8 | number = 5}}</ref> Luke's story would develop into an arc featuring Doggett trying to find out the truth about his son's murder. Robert Patrick noted "['Invocation' started] a very important arc, because you start to see the vulnerability of the Doggett character, what drives him. That's where we first realize something's happened to him. There's a tragedy that's involved with him."<ref name="Bigbook">Hurwitz and Knowles, p. 189</ref>

The song that Ronald Purnell sang to Billy to keep him quiet and that was featured as a [[Backmasking|backmasked]] message on Scully's tape-recorder is a traditional African American [[lullaby]] from the [[southern United States|American South]] called "[[All the Pretty Horses (lullaby)|All the Pretty Horses]]".<ref name="xfilessite">{{cite web|title=The X-Files - "Invocation" - Research|url=http://www.thexfiles.com/episodes/season8/8x05_research.html|publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]]|work=TheXFiles.com|accessdateaccess-date=12 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011229194218/http://www.thexfiles.com/episodes/season8/8x05_research.html|archive-date=29 December 2001|date=3 December 2000}}</ref>

==Reception==

"Invocation" first aired on Fox on December 3, 2000.<ref name="BBCdate">{{cite DVD notes |title=The X-Files: The Complete Eighth Season |title-link=The X-Files (season 8) |others=[[Kim Manners]], et al |type=booklet |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Corporation|Fox]] }}</ref> The episode earned a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen household rating]] of 8.2, meaning that it was seen by 8.2% of the nation's estimated households.<ref name=ratinggood/> The episode was viewed by 8.27 million households,<ref name=ratinggood>{{cite journal|agency=Associated Press|title=Television Ratings|journal=Associated Press Archive|date=5 December 2000}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|At the time of airing, the estimated number of households was 100.8 million.<ref name=ratinggood/> Thus, 8.2 percent of 100.8 million is 8.27 million households.|group="nb"}} and 13.9 million viewers.<ref name=tvtango8>{{cite web|last=Canton|first=Maj|title=The X-Files – Series – Episode List – Season 8|url=http://www.tvtango.com/series/x_files/episodes?filters%5Bday%5D=&filters%5Bseason%5D=8&filters%5Bbroadcast%5D=No&filters%5Bmedia%5D=&commit.x=25&commit.y=12|publisher=TV Tango|accessdateaccess-date=February 24, 2013}}</ref> The episode ranked as the 41st most-watched episode for the week ending December 3.<ref name=ratinggood/> The episode aired in the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Ireland]] on [[Sky1]] on March 8, 2001 and received 0.64 million viewers, making it the eighth most watched episode that week.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-10/? |title=BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes |publisher=barb.co.uk |accessdateaccess-date=4 January 2011}} Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e March 5–11, 2001", listed under Sky 1</ref> Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "How can a child disappear for ten years... and not age a single day? Tonight, a family's miracle may be a gift from hell."<ref>{{Cite sign |title=Invocation |year=2000 |type=Promotional Flyer |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]] |___location=[[Los Angeles, California]]|url=http://i550.photobucket.com/albums/ii421/maurisap/xfiles%20forum/138childdisappear.jpg}}</ref>

[[Television Without Pity]] writer Jessica Morgan rated the episode a B–, and, despite the moderate praise, finished her review with the statement, "I miss Mulder."<ref name="TWP">{{cite web |url=http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the-xfiles/invocation.php?page=11 |title=Invocation |work=[[Television Without Pity]] |publisher=[[NBCUniversal]] |first=Jessica |last=Morgan |date=3 December 2000 |accessdateaccess-date=11 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.is/20130204065130/http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the-xfiles/invocation.php?page=11 |archive-date=4 February 2013 }}</ref> Zack Handlen of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' awarded the episode a "B–", writing that it is "an okay entry that’s kept from being completely forgettable by some memorable shots […] and some decent Scully/Dogett banter."<ref name=avclub/> Handlen held a mixed feeling toward's Doggett's backstory, noting that its introduction "does push the character in ways that undermine some of his strongest traits".<ref name=avclub>{{cite web|last=Handlen|first=Zack|title='Invocation'/'Redrum' {{!}} The X-Files/Millennium {{!}} TV Club|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/invocationredrum,104379/|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|publisher=[[The Onion]]|accessdateaccess-date=October 19, 2013|date=October 19, 2013}}</ref>

[[Robert Shearman]] and [[Lars Pearson]], in their book ''Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen'', rated the episode two-and-a-half stars out of five. The two praised Amman's ability to "elicit real-world reactions out of fantastical situations".<ref name="shear">Shearman and Pearson, p. 232–233</ref> However, Shearman and Pearson took issue with the way Doggett's backstory was extrapolated. They noted that Doggett had been portrayed, up to the point in the series, as a "solid and reliable" character. However, "Invocation" sees him "[break] protocol and [behave] like a bully" because of a case reminiscent of that of his deceased son's, a situation that, the authors reason, is too similar to Mulder's own search for the truth about his sister, [[Samantha Mulder|Samantha]].<ref name="shear"/> Paula Vitaris from ''[[Cinefantastique]]'' gave the episode a mixed review and awarded it two stars out of four.<ref name=cinepaula>{{cite journal|last=Vitaris|first=Paula|title=The X-Files Season Eight Episode Guide|journal=[[Cinefantastique]]|date=April 2002|volume=34|issue=2|pages=42–49}}</ref> Vitaris bluntly wrote, "'Invocation' is a masterpiece, but only if you grade it on a '[[Roadrunners (The X-Files)|Roadrunners]]' bell-curve."<ref name=cinepaula/> She elaborated, calling it "a run-of-the-mill stand-alone, a combination of '[[Revelations (The X-Files)|Revelations]]' and '[[The Calusari]]'"<ref name=cinepaula/>