Troubled
I get that teens today don't have the same healthy respect for their elders that we had back in the day. I get that today everyone is told to express the real 'me'. What I don't get is why the caring and sharing society breeds teen killers.
Of course, Bobby isn't a killer. But Karin Matthews is - and she's not that long past her teen years - though neither IMDB nor Wikipedia provide a date of birth for Sarah-Jane Redmond – the actress who plays Karin, but she's made up to look not too much older than her patients.
There was nothing good about growing up in the Seventies that we don't have even more of today. We lacked a sense of understanding and care in those days that today we overly strive to compensate for. We do this because we feel that living in large communities behooves us to care. The truth of the matter is we don't, not really.
Back when I was young and troubled, no one cared. It was up to me to find a way to deal with my own fucked-up way of viewing life. I haven't made a perfect job of it, but I didn't kill anyone either.
The more modern way of doing things just makes young people believe they are entitled to a good life. There is nothing about life that is good unless each person finds a way to understand themselves as good and their position in life as positive. Unsurprisingly, pretend care doesn’t seem to produce overwhelmingly positive results.
The world looks brighter today than it did back in the Seventies, much like the X Files looked brighter after its move to Los Angeles at the end of Season 5. Also like the X Files, looking brighter doesn’t necessarily indicate an improvement in quality – quite the opposite, in fact. Looks, as we all know, can be deceiving. 'Schizogeny' uses this commonly held dictum as a ruse, leading us to suspect Bobby of killing Phil – who can tell whether Bobby is pulling or pushing at the end of the teaser? This being the X Files, and we, having seen this all before (cf. Season I’s “Eve” or Season Two’s “Red Museum” for examples), should know better. It really should come as no surprise to discover the killer is really Karin Matthews. It’s a somewhat disappointing revelation in a grossly disappointing episode.
Probably the best thing about this episode is the title – a portmanteau of Schizoid and Progeny? Apparently, there is such a word as ‘schizogeny’, relating to the “localized separation of plant cells to form a cavity (surrounded by the intact cells) in which secretions accumulate” (cf. encyclopedia.com), which would make it a somewhat relevant title, especially in light of how Karin’s father, Phil and Karin all die. Though it applies more to conifers than hazelnut trees.
I think the biggest surprise about 'Schizogeny' is the discovery that there were disaffected Goth teens back in the Nineties who not only didn’t kill anyone but actually tried to save the life of a parent!
There may not really be a shred of goodness in everyone but it’s comforting to know that there may be a shred of goodness in those in whom we least expect to find it!
Of course, Bobby isn't a killer. But Karin Matthews is - and she's not that long past her teen years - though neither IMDB nor Wikipedia provide a date of birth for Sarah-Jane Redmond – the actress who plays Karin, but she's made up to look not too much older than her patients.
There was nothing good about growing up in the Seventies that we don't have even more of today. We lacked a sense of understanding and care in those days that today we overly strive to compensate for. We do this because we feel that living in large communities behooves us to care. The truth of the matter is we don't, not really.
Back when I was young and troubled, no one cared. It was up to me to find a way to deal with my own fucked-up way of viewing life. I haven't made a perfect job of it, but I didn't kill anyone either.
The more modern way of doing things just makes young people believe they are entitled to a good life. There is nothing about life that is good unless each person finds a way to understand themselves as good and their position in life as positive. Unsurprisingly, pretend care doesn’t seem to produce overwhelmingly positive results.
The world looks brighter today than it did back in the Seventies, much like the X Files looked brighter after its move to Los Angeles at the end of Season 5. Also like the X Files, looking brighter doesn’t necessarily indicate an improvement in quality – quite the opposite, in fact. Looks, as we all know, can be deceiving. 'Schizogeny' uses this commonly held dictum as a ruse, leading us to suspect Bobby of killing Phil – who can tell whether Bobby is pulling or pushing at the end of the teaser? This being the X Files, and we, having seen this all before (cf. Season I’s “Eve” or Season Two’s “Red Museum” for examples), should know better. It really should come as no surprise to discover the killer is really Karin Matthews. It’s a somewhat disappointing revelation in a grossly disappointing episode.
Probably the best thing about this episode is the title – a portmanteau of Schizoid and Progeny? Apparently, there is such a word as ‘schizogeny’, relating to the “localized separation of plant cells to form a cavity (surrounded by the intact cells) in which secretions accumulate” (cf. encyclopedia.com), which would make it a somewhat relevant title, especially in light of how Karin’s father, Phil and Karin all die. Though it applies more to conifers than hazelnut trees.
I think the biggest surprise about 'Schizogeny' is the discovery that there were disaffected Goth teens back in the Nineties who not only didn’t kill anyone but actually tried to save the life of a parent!
There may not really be a shred of goodness in everyone but it’s comforting to know that there may be a shred of goodness in those in whom we least expect to find it!
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