1. One who passes counterfeit money. 2. A retailer of narcotics to addicts. 3. A leader of an organized gang, especially one handling drugs, stolen cars, counterfeit money, etc.

- american underworld dictionary - 1950
The X-files

Pusher
Episode: 3X17
First aired:2/23/96
Written by: Vince Gilligan
Directed by: Rob Bowman

This is one of my favorite episodes. Just wonderful and so interesting!!

A guy is arrested in a supermarket while buying high-carbohydrated body building drinks. He talks to the FBI driver in a soothing voice until the oncoming truck the driver is looking at simply vanishes. The driver pulls foward seeing nothing in his way and the truck crashes into the car allowing the guy to escape.

The surviving agent tells Mulder and Scully about the suspect, known only as Pusher, who has confessed to a string of murders that look like suicides over the past two years. The agent says that it was a game and that he was bragging.

Mulder sees the work 'Ronin,' a masterless samurai, fingerprinted on a police car at the scence and checks mercenary magazines, finding an ad that says "I solve problems. OSU" the Japanese word oso meaning to push. Mulder notes that suggestion is a powerful force and the suspect may be bending people to his will. Scully, however, notes that there is a difference between TV comercials or hypnosis and inducing someone to drive in front of a truck.

Mulder and Scully stake out a pay phone listed in the ad, and Pusher calls, daring Mulder to follow his trail to prove his worth. A clue leads them to a golf course, where under Pusher's influence, an agent douses himself in gasoline and sets himself ablaze as helpless Mulder and Scully look on. Mulder finds Pusher in a nearby car, weakened and bathes in sweat. He says to Mulder "Betcha five bucks I get off."

Mulder testifies at the hearing saying Pusher, whose name is Robert Patrick Modell, talks people into injuring themselves. Seemingly swayed by Modell's power, however, the judge lets him go. Outside the courtroom, Mulder tells Modell that his shoe is untied. "Made you look," he says, "how do you do it?"

They find that Modell had applied to the FBI and claimed to have studied under ninjas in Japan. Scully maintains that Modell is just a little man who wants to feel big. Modell goes to the FBI building to access information about Mulder, walking past the security gaurds by wearing a phony badge that says 'Pass.' when Skinner notices him, Modell manipulates a woman into spraying Skinner with mace and kicking him repeatedly as Modell escapes.

The woman later says that it was like Modell was inside her head. Scully now agrees with Mulder's theory. They raid Modell's apartment, finding cans of CarboBoost and medication for epilepsy. Mulder thinks that a brain tumor may have given Modell psychokinetic powers, and with protien drinks replenish his energy.

Modell calls and talks to the main agent. The agent tries to stall so they can find Modell's location but Modell talks the agent into having a fatal heart attack. Mulder finally grabs the phone and Modell tells him that he's read into him and finds him a worthy adversary.

They trace him to a nearby hospital. Mulder goes in alone wearing a miniature camera. He hears shots and finds a technician and a gaurd dead, all of this Scully and Skinner can see through the camera. A computer monitor shows that Modell does have a tumor. Modell appears behind Mulder and the screen goes black. Scully rushes in and finds them squared off at a table with a gun between them.

Modell talks Mulder into playing Russian rouletter, pulling the trigger at Modell then at his own temple before pointing it at Scully. Scully, extremely upset, tries to talk to Mulder saying "you're stronger than this, Mulder, fight him." She turns on an alarm, breaking Modell's concentration and Mulder turns to Modell and shoots him.

Modell lays hospitalized in a coma from which he'll never awaken. The tumor had been operable to the end, they have been told, but he refused treatment. Mulder agrees that this was finally something that Modell could feel big. Taking his hand, Scully tells Mulder that they shouldn't let Modell take another minute of their time.


Important Quotes
Scully -- "Yes, but advertise for what? I mean, how... how did this "Pusher" convince an otherwise honest deputy sheriff to free him? I mean, I'm sure you have a theory."
Mulder -- "Suggestion is a powerful force. The science of hypnosis is predicated on it, as are most TV commercials. I mean, they're designed to plant thoughts in your head."
Scully -- "Inducing someone to buy hair color is a little different than inducing them to drive in front of a speeding truck."

Mulder -- "Hey. I think you drooled on me."
Scully -- "Sorry."

Mulder -- "Hey, your shoe's untied....Made you look....How do you do it?"

Mulder -- "Oh, we had enough to get past a simple preliminary hearing. Modell psyched the guy out. He put the whammy on him."
Scully -- "Please explain to me the scientific nature of the "whammy."

Mulder -- "Hey, Scully, check this out. "Mango Kiwi Tropical Swirl." Now we know we're dealing with a madman."


Back to The X-files: Season 3
name of a company that produces bouldering equipment. I say bouldering rather than climbing as they only produce equipment with some relation to bouldering, crash pads(bouldering pads)*, fingerboards , clothing (got to look cool when bouldering, right?), as opposed to gear that one might associate with climbing such as ropes, climbing gear etc.

The quality of their fingerboards is excellent, I own one myself. Their web site borders on being annoying and inane.


*a big rubber pad that you put at the bottom of a rock so that when you fall off you can try to land on this pad and prevent injury. Obviously more effective if you don't go too high

A puzzle game for the Windows PC developed by JoWooD Vienna and published by JoWooD Productions in 2002.

Pusher is an extremely addictive two-dimensional puzzle game. The playing area is a grid 9x9 units square, flanked on each of its four sides by 'chutes', each of which is two units deep. The grid squares and the chutes can contain coloured balls. The objective of the game is to use the mouse to 'push' balls on the grid so that they are arranged in formations with at least three of the same colour in a row. When this happens all the connected balls of that colour disappear.

Pusher is playable in two modes, a timed mode (similar to the 'endless' games of Tetris and Columns) where additional balls of random colour are constantly available from the chutes, or a puzzle mode where preset arrangements of balls have to be cleared from the grid to solve the puzzle. There are eight colours of balls in total, in the timed game there are initially only three colours in play, with additional colours being introduced as the game progresses. In the timed game there are some additional things to be wary of. Firstly there is a vial of green liquid on the right of the play area that represents the time remaining. This is replenished by leveling up (getting a certain number of points), or achieving certain combos.

Combos (indicated by three small vials at the bottom of the screen) are built by scoring three lines of specified colours in sequence. For instance, scoring three red lines in a row replenishes some time, while scoring two yellows then a red turns all the balls in the second row of the chutes red. More combos are unlocked as the levels progress (there are twenty levels in total). It eventually becomes difficult to achieve combos, either because there aren't enough balls of the right colours available, or because lines of incorrect colours are inadvertantly (or unavoidably) scored off, breaking the sequence. The list of combos currently available, and a description of their effects, can be brought up at any time, handily pausing the game (but obscuring the view of the playing area).

Pusher is insanely addictive, but has one (minor) flaw: in the timed game, it takes a very long time to progress through the easy early levels, so there can be a prolonged stretch of rather unchallenging gameplay at the start of a new game. Even so, it is still well worth checking out, and runs on practically any PC. Even better, it is free of all the nagware and crap associated with the puzzle games of similar style available 'free' from popcap games.

website and demo version:
http://www.jowood.com/gamers/index.php?lang=en&site=2&ScreenID=5505&GameID=pusher

Push"er (?), n.

One who, or that which, pushes.

<-- 2. One who sells illegal drugs, esp. one who tries to convince others to use such drugs. -->

 

© Webster 1913.

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