Mulder and Scully Revisited II

Well, seeing as we've hit the fourth season, I might highlight my five favourite episodes of series two. While there were a few blips, I think the show was starting to hit its stride, and the conspiracy plot (or "mythology") started to really take off as well. Before I get started though, I'm just going to ask this: Why is The Host so revered? It's a pretty formulaic episode and the plot feels sluggish. I don't hate it, but I don't regard it as essential. Anyway, let's take a look back...

**Warning, spoilers ahead.**

SLEEPLESS (2x04)
As well as being highly entertaining, this episode contains several firsts. After hearing the voice of X (Steven Williams) in an earlier outing, we finally meet him in a suitably mysterious fashion. Although he's not nearly as enthused to help Mulder as Deep Throat was, something is driving him to act in spite of himself. I like that his character is significantly different from his predecessor and nearly always appears nervous and paranoid. We also meet Alex Krycek, who begins his journey as a partner for a very reluctant Mulder. He comes across as being as somewhat inept and a little wet behind the ears. I think that was a wasted opportunity for his duplicity to be revealed at the episode's end. It would have really added to the tension of the Duane Barry storyline if we discovered that Krycek was working for the Cigarette Smoking Man, say, just before Scully was taken. Getting back to this episode though, I enjoyed the plot more than I did on my first viewing, and Tony Todd's performance as Augustus "Preacher" Cole is excellent. The idea that a unit of soldiers sent to Vietnam were medically denied sleep is terrifying. 

ONE BREATH (2x08)
I really enjoyed the Duane Barry episodes, and it's only because of my limit of five that neither of those two made the cut. Steve Railsback did a wonderful job playing that character, but it's the return of Scully that resonates with me more. The image of her adrift in a tethered boat while visitors in her hospital room appear on a shoreline wonderfully symbolises Scully's coma. This is taken to the next level when her mother makes the decision to turn off Scully's life support, and the rope keeping the boat near the shore snaps. Mulder's struggle to help Scully shows just how much he cares for her, although he is powerless to really do anything. He becomes shockingly aware of how high the stakes have become when he witnesses X execute a man who attempted to steal a sample of Scully's blood. I also really like the scene he has with Skinner, who refuse to accept Mulder's resignation. One of the best episodes of the second season.

END GAME (2x17)
Concluding the cliffhanger episode Colony, this "mythology" installment has some quintessential X-Files moments. The ending of the previous outing  The elevator brawl between Skinner and X, the revelation that Mulder's returned sister Samantha was actually a clone, and Mulder's confrontation with the alien bounty hunter (Brian Thompson) on the USS Allegiance. Perhaps the best scene is Scully saving Mulder's life by insisting the hypothermia the doctors are endeavouring to reverse is the only thing keeping him alive. I like the way the writers/director/producers used that scene to bookend the two episodes. They would repeat this method several times throughout the series.

HUMBUG (2x20)
The first episode penned by Darin Morgan is also the first to feature a lot of humour. This is possible one of my favourite episodes of the entire series too. Although there are a couple of squirmy, blood-soaked moments it's quite a departure from the usual X-Files fare. The underlying theme of difference and tolerating others resonates in many scenes, with the mirror being thrown back at the viewer as well. Having Jim Rose and The Enigma in the cast adds to the realism of the circus sideshow performers. I also enjoyed seeing Michael J. Anderson and Vincent Schiavelli in supporting roles. 

ANASAZI (2x25)
The sense of danger that permeated the One Breath episode is pushed up a notch when Mulder is given a DAT copy of secret files from the Defense Dept. Suddenly anyone associated with the DAT is a possibly target, and the Cigarette Smoking Man becomes possibly vicious in his hunt for the Mulder and the tape. There is a real sense of tragedy when a family member is taken away from him as well. While it didn't play for everybody, but I liked the Navajo references. These are expanded further in the season three opener The Blessing Way, which is another great episode. The cliffhanger ending where Mulder's life hangs in the balance is one of the greatest TV moments of the 20th century.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Duane Barry, Ascension and Colony. 

STINKERS: Little Green Men, Fearful Symmetry and Fresh Bones.