Mulder and Scully Revisited IX (AKA Scully, Skinner, Doggett, Reyes...and Mulder!)

The ninth season wasn't very highly revered by critics and fans, but I still think the show did the best they could without the character of Mulder. This season had a few episodes that focused primarily on Doggett and Reyes, and I think they worked better than the ones that didn't. Trust No 1 teased us with Mulder's possible return at a train station, only for him to be yanked away without so much as a smile. A shadowy figure running through the dark was all we got. It could have been a series highlight, but it was clumsy in its execution and we all knew that Duchovny wasn't returning until the finale anyway. Said episode, The Truth, was a tad disappointing too, acting like a bit of a summary of the series, rather than an ending. I quite liked the addition of Cary Elwes in the role of A.D. Folmer, and Lucy Lawless' appearances in the first two episodes are great. I know her pregnancy stopped her from appearing in the rest of the season, but I think she would have been a great recurring character.

The latest X-Files revival has been and gone, and for the most part, I enjoyed it. I know not every X-Phile was happy with them, but I thought it was great to see Mulder and Scully again. Anyway, back to season nine...

**Warning: spoilers ahead**

4-D (9ABx05)
The idea that parallel worlds exist is not a new one, but I like the notion that two Doggetts can't be in this dimension. In another realm, Agent Doggett tracks a serial killer and unknowingly crosses over into our world, which rips away our Agent Doggett. Confused? It makes more sense when you watch it. I like how Reyes has to convince the hospitalised and otherworldly Doggett of her theory. The hows and whys of how the killer can travel through dimensions is never really addressed, but it doesn't matter. It just happens, and it's how Reyes and Doggett II deal with it that's important.

JOHN DOE (9ABx07)
One of my favourite episodes of the Doggett era. Waking up somewhere in Mexico, Doggett has now idea where he is, how he got there or who he is. Not an original idea, but the execution is excellent. The episode was also obviously influenced by Steven Soderbergh's 2000 film Traffic, with the Mexican scenes very harshly lit. When Doggett finally remembers who he is towards the end of the episode, he has to relive his son's death all over again. It's a truly heartbreaking scene with horrible timing, as he and Reyes are in the middle of a shoot-out. Robert Patrick's performance is flawless. This is everything that was good in the ninth season, and it was written by Vince Gilligan too! It acts as a great stepping stone to the Breaking Bad series.

AUDREY PAULEY (9ABx13)
After being hit by a drunk driver, Monica Reyes is hospitalised, and soon falls into a coma. She wakes up in a phantom hospital that is suspended in space with two other patients, and they assume that they have passed away. Meanwhile, Scully tells Doggett that the comatose Reyes is braindead, which he refuses to believe. This is easily the best Reyes-centric episode of the series and an engrossing watch to boot.  It also benefits greatly from Tracey Ellis' wonderful performance as the title character (you might remember her as Lucy Householder in the third season episode Oubliette). 

WILLIAM (9ABx17)
The arrival of a mysterious man, who may or may not be Mulder (and has no qualms about laying into Skinner), sets off a chain reaction that ultimately ends with Scully deciding to give up William for adoption. While it does turn out to be Jeffrey Spender, the episode confirms for the audience that the Cigarette Smoking Man is definitely the father of both Mulder and Spender. I like the whole "is he?/isn't he?" conceit of this outing too. Although Mulder only appears briefly on screen, the episode was directed by David Duchovny himself.

RELEASE (9ABx16)
I really enjoyed Robert Patrick's role as John Doggett throughout the last two seasons. I was disappointed to learn that his character wouldn't return to the tenth, but understandably, Patrick says he's not one to look back and revisit old characters. As the season was close to wrapping up, it seemed fitting the resolve the story of Doggett's son. Jared Poe's performance as the detached, but psychic, FBI Cadet Rudolph Hayes also makes this episode a memorable one. I also like seeing Elwes' shaking A.D. Folmer after taking revenge on the man who had extorted him for so long. Patrick's acting in this outing is excellent as well, although he didn't hit as high as he did in John Doe.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Improbable, Provenance, Sunshine Days and The Truth.

STINKERS: Jump The Shark, Underneath and Trust No 1.

Mulder and Scully Revisited VIII (AKA Here Comes Doggett. And Reyes!)

Well, the ninth season is done and dusted now, which means we've watched the entire series of The X-Files. All 201 episodes in less than that many days. We were ready and eager for Season 10 when it began airing on January 24th! It was a lot of fun watching them all in such a confined space. So, I will now take this opportunity to look back on my favourite episodes from season eight. Here we go...

**Warning: spoilers ahead**

WITHIN (8ABx01)
With Mulder's abduction (and Duchovny's semi-departure) comes the need for a new character. Enter Special Agent John Doggett, played by the excellent Robert Patrick, who is charged with leading the search for Mulder. His first scene with Scully is an excellent introduction to his character, and one of my favourite moments in the eighth season. Initially, I think you're meant to resent him, but as the series wears on, you discover he's fiercely determined and quite a good egg. His refusal to accept anything remotely supernatural almost turns Scully from the skeptic into the believer. It's quite exciting when Duchovny is on screen in this episode, although he doesn't do much. He's either being tortured by aliens in Scully's visions/dreams or being a guise of the Alien Bounty Hunter. I like the reappearance of Gibson Praise in this episode too, as the search for him becomes pivotal in possibly locating Mulder.

WITHOUT (8ABx02)
Yes, for once, the first two continuous episodes of a season are both excellent. The tension ramps up as the ABH infiltrates the FBI search party to find Gibson Praise. Watching "Scully" attack and nearly kill an agent makes for some pretty riveting TV, especially when the real Scully realises what's going on and attempts to apprehend the ABH. Ultimately, the two-part offerings end with Mulder still missing, but the hope of possibly locating him and the introduction of Doggett make for a promising start to the season.

REDRUM (8ABx03)
This is a great twist on the man-lost-in-time premise that has popped up all too often in various mediums. What sets this one apart is that the central character is living each day in reverse order. When he wakes up it's yesterday, and he has no knowledge of the day of his wife's murder. This X-Files episode is quite unique in that this man, prosecutor Martin Wells, is in the spotlight with Doggett and Scully becoming supporting players. Joe Morton's performance as Wells is exemplary as he pieces the puzzle together. The sudden ending - complete with inner monologue - is a bit of a letdown, but up until that point, this is one of the best! 

ESSENCE (8ABx20)
There are some great moments throughout the eighth season, but none of the episodes tend to really soar. For instance, the dream sequence in Via Negativa where Doggett tries to fight from chopping into Scully's head with an axe is wonderfully David Lynch-esque. Right down to the strobe effect. But it's not an easy episode to watch. Doggett and Mulder (finally) working together to solve the murders on an oil rig in Vienen is a great conceit, but it doesn't quite land. The first appearance of Special Agent Monica Reyes in This Is Not Happening (confidently portrayed by Annabeth Gish) is excellent too, as is Mulder's 'resurrection'. I could go on, but I'm supposed to be talking about the season's penultimate episode. This is basically a big chase sequence, but it's quite well done, and the tension is dialed up to 11. We get an unemployed Mulder firing up Doggett to look into what is happening with Scully's unborn baby while being pursued by the new 'Super-Soldier'd Billy Miles. Oh, and Krycek's back as his usual smarmy "do we/don't we trust him" self. One of the more exciting conclusions of a cliffhanger too. What's not to like?

EXISTENCE (8ABx21)
The season finale continues straight after the previous episode and reveals that the alien Super Soldiers cannot be killed. Billy Miles' crushed remains include a metal vertebrae which seems to regenerate a whole new Billy. Pretty cool, huh? There are also more reveals that other minor characters are also Super Soldiers, so the challenge is to find a safe place for Scully to have her baby, which may or may not be the first organic Super Soldier. The scenes with Reyes and Scully in Doggett's old hometown are quite interesting. Reyes has no trouble complimenting Scully on her beauty while she goes through these turns of events, and can transform an old abandoned building into a calm sanctuary with ease. There are two big pay-offs in this episode: the first is Skinner firing a bullet into Krycek's head. The second is Mulder and Scully sharing a tender kiss while embracing their child. As Duchovny was not going to be in the ninth season, this scene is a little bittersweet, but a fine way to see him off.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: The Gift, Invocation, Via Negativa and Vienen.

STINKERS: Salvage, Badlaa and Surekill.