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THE X-FILES | 7.16

can't say he didn't try

The X-Files - “The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati”

Alternate ending before it was rewritten by Chris Carter shortly before broadcast...

Alright, "Theef" 7x14, we gotta talk about this episode. Honestly, it's one that I remembered nothing about except that the title was familiar and I know I watched it during the show's original run because I was obsessed and never missed an episode. Watching it about 24 years later, now as a physician myself, and boy is it woefully underrated. Take out the Appalachian voodoo, and the story is a timeless moral dilemma, one that physicians and other healthcare workers face on a daily basis. The Hippocratic oath is widely known for its phrase "First do no harm", but is allowing ongoing suffering exactly that - harm? Many of us in modern medicine have seen it first hand - the desire to prolong life in spite of suffering and without regard to quality of life. Scully affirms that she would make the same decisions as Dr. Wieder did, opting to alleviate the suffering of a patient at the end of their life. A death with dignity. But it doesn't mean one isn't left to feel the gravity of that decision, grappling with the thought that the very medications given to lessen pain and suffering might also hasten death, and that one would never really know the truth. These are never decisions made lightly, but they are made with the patient's best interests at heart. To be clear, any such decisions involving end of life care would be made either with the patient themselves, or their next of kin/healthcare proxies if they are unable, unless in emergency situations where there might not be time. The show takes some liberties with the physician decision making, although the context is in an emergency scenario. Nevertheless, some family members and loved ones of the deceased may not agree with the course of action. Although one would hope none would act as brazenly as Orell Peattie, conjuring up violent deaths as revenge via hexcraft and poppets, it certainly does not mean hospitals are violence-free zones. More and more we are seeing disgruntled patients and family members bringing weapons into halls meant for healing and threatening hospital staff. The show isn't one to necessarily offer up solutions to the real-life monsters and dilemmas it reveals through its stories, but rather sets out to cast a light on them and let the audience do some thinking about them. Almost a quarter of a century later this particular one is still relevant. Orell Peattie is obviously wrong for inciting various gruesome deaths, but is he also not a victim? Losing his daughter in an accident, who he was convinced he could save with his Appalachian voodoo. What about Dr. Wieder? He took care of Lynette Peattie on the day of her accident giving her increasing doses of pain medications because she was screaming and had vital signs indicating an extreme level of pain. He felt she was beyond the help of modern medicine and did not want her to suffer. But does that mean his family should suffer the vengeance of Orell Peattie? Both men victims, both men with lost loved ones, and both men perpetrators. Even medical doctor Special Agent Dana Scully was questioning herself by the end. And that's why this is truly a gem of an episode. Deeper than it appears and the real mystery lies firmly in the realm of reality than fantasy.