~

"Soft Light" may not seem like much at first. It may even just seem silly in this day and age. I watched it and did not think much of it really the first time. But upon rewatch I realized it is probably the most psychologically terrifying episode of the entire series. Imagine being Chester Banton. Imagine the reality he is forced to live. And all of his worst fears becoming reality again and again until he is ultimately forced to endure the most horrifying reality he could have imagined in the end. X is one of the greatest characters in the series, and while he may seem fairly up front about his nature in his meetings with Mulder, this episode gives his character the chance to showcase how truly neutrally evil his character is. The ultimate unfeeling stonefaced unrelenting G-man. The shot of him appearing through the peephole to a terrified Dr. Banton and of course the ending scene, one of the most unforgettable and bleak endings of any X-Files episode, are iconic to me. It may seem like another filler monster of the week padding out the end of a season to some, but this is an episode I insist that nobody should skip. And I guess Chester Banton is also Dr. Monk, a show which I have never seen but I guess it's pretty silly? Well if you like Monk and want to see him in a truly horrifying predicament, this episode is just that. An all time favorite as of my last rewatch of it, a monster of the week episode everyone should watch.