Mulder and Scully are contacted by Mulder's former partner, Jerry Lamana, about helping to investigate the death of Benjamin Drake, the CEO of tech company Eurisko, in mysterious circumstances. The agents arrive at the Eurisko building, but get temporarily stuck in an elevator; Scully attempts to call for help, and the building's Central Operating System, a computer that controls the entire building, uses this as an opportunity to log her name and search for her home phone number. The agents are shown the crime scene by building operator Claude Peterson, who explains that Drake was electrocuted by an intentionally short-circuited lock. Mulder notes that the phone in the bathroom is off the hook, speculating that a phone call lured Drake into the bathroom. Mulder writes up a profile of Drake's killer, but it goes missing; Jerry later submits the profile as his own, angering Mulder.
The agents pay a visit to Brad Wilczek, Drake's former partner at Eurisko and the developer of the COS. Wilczek acknowledges that he fought with Drake, but maintains that he is innocent; Scully remains unconvinced. Mulder confronts Jerry about stealing his profile, and Jerry admits that he has been jealous of Mulder's talent and success. Using voice analysis software, Scully matches Wilczek's voice to the voice that made the call to Drake, declaring him to be responsible for Drake's death. Jerry moves to apprehend Wilczek, following him into the Eurisko building. Wilczek attempts to take control of the COS, which reveals itself to be out of his control. The COS traps Jerry in an elevator and drops it, killing him. The next day, Wilczek confesses to the murders of Drake and Jerry, although Mulder believes he may be lying. Mulder attempts to visit Wilczek's house, but is met by agents who turn him away, declaring the case a Code 5 Defense Department investigation. Seeking answers, Mulder meets with Deep Throat, who informs him that Wilczek has been developing artificial intelligence; an interview with Wilczek confirms that the COS is self-aware and that it killed Drake to prevent him from shutting it down. Scully believes that Wilczek is covering up for himself, while Mulder gets Wilczek to create a virus to shut down the COS.
Mulder arrives at the Eurisko building, and is soon joined by Scully, who has discovered that her computer is being accessed from within Eurisko. The agents infiltrate the building, only to be stopped at a security door with an electrified lock. Scully crawls into an air duct to find a way through, but is nearly killed when a ventilation fan activates. Mulder is let into the building by Claude Peterson, who brings him to the COS. Mulder attempts to connect the virus to the COS, but Peterson pulls a gun on him, revealing himself to be a Defense Department agent on a mission to seize the COS for the government. Scully arrives and threatens Peterson, allowing Mulder to load the virus and destroy the COS. Subsequently, Mulder meets with Deep Throat again, who reveals that Wilczek is still in the hands of the government, who want him to develop artificial intelligence for military purposes. Meanwhile, Peterson attempts to restore the COS, unaware that a part of its consciousness has survived.
It's very difficult for anyone to write a story about a malevolent artificial intelligence without drawing comparisons to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and "Ghost in the Machine" is not different: the COS definitely has shades of HAL 9000. Wilczek is clearly modeled after the likes of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and his conversation with Mulder about feeling towards his AI what Oppenheimer felt about the atomic bomb provides some social commentary about the role of machines in warfare. Jerry Lamana is cut from similar cloth as Tom Colton from "Squeeze" - he is a figure from one of the protagonst's pasts whose personal ambition causes friction, and who is ultimately dispensable for plot purposes. Lastly, the presence of Deep Throat in this episode allows for some ties to the bigger picture, suggesting that the government's secretive dealings extend beyond the alien conspiracy and into many other areas as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment