Director: Kim Manners
Melissa Turner and her young daughter Polly visit their local grocery market in Amma Beach, Maine. Melissa has a vision of the one of the employee, Dave with a knife protruding from one eye. Shortly after other customers begin clawing at their eyes and Dave grabs a knife and turns it on himself. Agent Scully vacationing in the area returns to her rented car in the grocery market's parking lot as a old man exits the market, blood trickling down his face and requests the assistance of a doctor. Scully enters the market and provides help to the injured customers.
Later she telephones Mulder about the bizarre incident, he mentions that it may be the result of witchcraft. Scully assists the local Police Chief Jack Bonsaint and his deputy in their investigation. They review video footage from the grocery market's video camera. Scully notes Melissa Turner, the only unaffected customer rushing to the exit. On route to the Turner residence Bonsaint informs Scully that many of the local townsfolk believe Melissa is a witch, how her husband, a local fisherman died in a strange boating accident.
And that her daughter Polly was involved in a incident with the local day-care centre worker Jane Froelich, who believes that Melissa and her daughter Polly are descendants of witches. Jane claims she slapped Polly when she became uncontrollable and was thrown to the floor. When Jane is later found dead of self inflicted wounds, it is up to Scully to uncover the truth before more people die.
Notes:
'Chinga' is the name of Polly's evil doll, as well as the title. Unknown to writer Stephen King at the time, Chinga is also an offensive Spanish slang term (apparently the equivalent of the F-word). When Chris Carter realized this, the episode name was changed to "Bunghoney" when it aired outside of the US.
Stephen King churned out several drafts of this episode, but due to Mulder and Scully being slightly out of character, Chris Carter delivered the final draft. They never met during the writing of this episode.
The classical music selection playing as Scully drives into town and when she is taking a bath is Hummel's Piano Concerto No.3, Opus 89.
The book on Scully's night-stand in her motel room is titled, "Affirmation, For Women Who Do Too Much" by Adrianna Carrillo. There appears to be no such book or author and presumably the book is an in-joke meant to poke fun at Scully's work ethic and her inability to simply enjoy her vacation. Also, it is noteworthy that the cover of this book appears to depict a witch in a forest beneath a full moon, a sly reference to the storyline.
Quotes:
Mulder: (In the office, swinging on the back of a chair) Hey Scully, it's me!
Scully: Mulder, I thought we had an agreement. We were both going to take the weekend off.
Mulder: Right, right, right. I know. But-but I, uh I just received some information about a case. A classic X-File. Classic. Wanted to share it with you.
Scully: Mulder, I'm on vacation. The weather is clear, I'm looking forward to hitting the road and breathing in some of this fine New England air.
Mulder: You didn't rent a convertible, did you?
Scully: Why?
Mulder: Are you aware of the statistics of decapitation?
Scully: Mulder, I'm hanging up. I'm turning off my cellphone, I'm back in the office on Monday. Mulder: You shouldn't uh... talk and drive at the same time either. Are you aware of the statistics.... Hello?
Mulder: It sounds to me like that's witchcraft or maybe sorcery that you're looking for there.
Scully: No, I don't think it's witchcraft, Mulder, or sorcery. I've had a look around and I don't see any evidence of anything that warrants that kind of suspicion.
Mulder: Maybe you don't know what you're looking for.
Scully: Like evidence of conjury or the black arts, or shamanism, divination, wicca or any kind of pagan or neo-pagan practices. Charms, cards, familiars, bloodstones, or hex signs or any kind of ritual tableaux associated with the occult, santeria, voudoun, macumba, or any high or low magic.
Mulder: Scully?
Scully: Yes?
Mulder: Marry me.
Scully: Mulder, are there any references in occult literature to... objects that have the power to... direct human behavior?
Mulder: What . . . types of objects?
Scully: Uhm, like a doll for instance?
Mulder: You mean like Chucky?
Scully: (embarrassed) Yeah, kinda like that.
Mulder: You didn't find a talking doll, did you Scully?
Scully: No, no... course not, uh...
Mulder: I would suggest that you should check the back of the doll for a... a plastic ring with a string on it. That would be my first.... Hello?
Highlights from ''Chinga''
Episode Number: 107
Season Number: 5
First Aired: Sunday, February 8, 1998
Production Code: 5X10
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