Fic Recs: 2x20 Humbug

[wendelah1]

This is Darin Morgan's maiden voyage as a writer for The X-Files. He previously appeared in season two in "The Host" as the Flukeman. He was invited to join the writing staff of The X-Files in season two after he was given a story credit for helping with "Blood." He was reluctant to come on board because he was a comedy writer and The X-Files was not a funny show, apart from Mulder making a quip or two.

Many people have written eloquently about Darin Morgan and his talent, with one critic going so far as to say that he saved the series by attracting a more mainstream audience, which is an odd assertion given how off-beat his sense of humor is. What I loved about this episode is the way he was willing to make fun of the show, in particular, the Monster of the Week format. By casting the carnival performers as the victims, "Humbug" takes the premise that mutants are monsters, and dismantles it, dead body by dead body. By the end of the episode, everyone's preconceptions about the residents and the murder case have been proven dead wrong.

FANFICTION RECS:

I have three recs. Each is wonderful in its own way, and they all feature carnivals.

"Nothing Wicked" was first posted last year to XF-is-Love at LiveJournal. It's another excellent fic from DiscordantWords.

Nothing Wicked (1489 words) by DiscordantWords
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The X-Files
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully
Additional Tags: post-episode, humbug, carnivals
Series: Part 2 of Post-Episode Vignettes
Summary:
"Somehow I doubt that the late, great Hepcat Helm would put his stamp of approval on such an establishment."

"Every Sparrow Falling" is a case file and an x-file, with Mulder and Scully doing what they do best, investigating the paranormal. It's been a number of years since I first read it, but I remember being scared out of my wits. I love this summary from Raiders of the Lost Fanfic, Maybe Amanda's old rec site: "Casefile, paranormal, religion, madness. And hot dogs, peanuts, and Cracker Jack."

"Every Sparrow Falling" by Alloway
Rated PG | Category X | Archived 97-05-20
Spoilers: Season 4
Keywords: none provided
Summary: Deadly birds, mysterious soldiers and abandoned carnivals lead Mulder and Scully to small-town America, where they discover that dwelling on the past can be a very dangerous thing.

This last rec is a fun, sexy read. Mulder and Scully are both undercover, working for the carnival. The fic has plenty of atmosphere and well-drawn original characters.

"Kinesthesia" by Amy
Rated NC-17 | Category XR | Archived 03-09-30
Spoilers: Season 6
Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance.
Summary: As members of a domestic terrorism task force, Mulder and Scully investigate a series of bombings linked to a traveling carnival show.