Index | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22
The Rain King
"There are other men who will love you more."
Written by Jeffrey Bell
Directed by Kim Manners
Directed by Kim Manners
Mulder: Over the past 30 years, this town has had more tornadoes, heat waves and hailstorms than any other town in the country. It's like ground zero for extreme weather.
Scully: A man... controlling... the weather.
Scully: A man... controlling... the weather.
Mulder and Scully investigate Daryl Mootz, the self-proclaimed "Rain King", who appears to be able to control the weather.
Tropes:
- Babies Ever After: In the epilogue following a one-year time skip, Holman and Sheila have had a baby.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Daryl is subdued by Mulder (twice!) with embarrassingly little effort.
- Dramatic Thunder: When Sheila asks Holman what he thinks of Agent Mulder. Justified by the Empathic Environment.
- Drunk Driver: Daryl drives drunk at the beginning of the episode and has an accident that results in the loss of one leg. Holman never heard the "drunk" part; believing that he was the cause of the accident has left him so guilt-stricken that he uses his powers to secretly support Daryl's rainmaking career.
- Empathic Environment: Mulder and Scully investigate a swindler who claimed to be able to make it rain (and sold this skill to drought-struck communities). Soon enough, they discover the man's ex-wife believes she has a sort of antagonistic version of this trope in effect (the sky seemed to cry on her wedding day, and the clouds laughed at her when she got divorced) and that is behind her ex-husband's apparent abilities. In fact, she has a nerdy secret admirer who actually has this relationship with the weather, it reflected his moods when she married another man and when she finally left that guy. He had been affecting the weather for her ex's business out of guilt.
- Everybody Lives: The worst to happen to a character is that he loses a leg in a freak hailstorm. Other than that, everyone lives to the end.
- Everyone Can See It: Holman & Sheila's comments about Mulder and Scully's relationship.
- Headdesk: Daryl when he finds out the sum he is being sued for.
- Jerkass: Daryl had no respect for Sheila when they were engaged, and remains self-centered and gold-digging. Though he seems to be humbled by the end and improves.
- Lighter and Softer: No terrifying supernatural threats or government conspiracies here, just a lighthearted Breather Episode.
- Love Revelation Epiphany: Sheila, to Holman.
- Monster of the Week: A friendly and kind monster. The story is about giving him an opportunity to control his powers better (and he does) rather than incarcerate him.
- No Antagonist: Daryl, while a bit of a scumbag, is a Harmless Villain at most and ends up being irrelevant to the plot's supernatural element.
- No Warrant? No Problem!: Discussed by the Rain King's receptionist, who asks Mulder and Scully if they have a warrant or subpoena for a list of her boss's past clients.Scully: We usually just say "please".
- Oblivious to Love: Weatherman Holman Hardt has had a crush on Sheila since their high school days, and the odd weather is the unconscious result of his unspoken affection for her. Sheila also has a thing for Mulder which is unnoticed by the latter, at least until she plants a kiss on him.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: The main theme of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov's "Russian Ester Overture" is heavily featured in the soundtrack.
- Relationship Upgrade: Holman and Sheila.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend / Just Friends: Mulder, to Holman, talking about Scully.
- There Is Only One Bed: Subverted. Mulder and Scully have to share a hotel room with just one bed. They're kind of annoyed over the hotel assuming they wouldn't mind sharing a room, but no real tension or embarrassment between them comes of it.
