This is one of my favorite Monster of the Week episodes. In this episode, Mulder and Scully have moved into a planned community posing as a young married couple in order to investigate a couple’s disappearance from this neighborhood. They move into the house from which the couple disappeared. At first, their investigation does not reveal much except for an obsessive adherence to the communities rules (CC and Rs). It is somewhat clear from pretty early on (even the intro) that there is some kind of monster or force out there killing people who do not comply with the CC and Rs.
There is quite a bit of humor in this episode starting with the whole concept of Mulder and Scully posing as a yuppie married couple. It also has a scary feel and it creates a fair amount of suspense as you await for the inevitable attack when somebody does something wrong. Mulder and Scully do a great job as always and the supporting cast does an excellent job creating the feel of an uptight deed restricted community. Anybody who has ever lived in one will know what I mean.
The episode isn’t perfect. The monster itself is a bit of a disappointment and the motives of the person behind it are a little unclear. Killing people for violating community rules is a little excessive after all. Nevertheless, I would give this episode 4.5/5 stars. It was excellent despite the minor flaws.