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 V

Well, we've made some pretty decent headway into the seventh season now, so I thought I'd do my usual look back, two seasons ago. I think the fifth was a pretty strong season, and had some great episodes. Let me expand...

**Warning: spoilers ahead**

REDUX II (5x02)
Aside from the reveal of what actually happened in Mulder's apartment that night, the first Redux episode was a bit of a snoozefest, in my mind. So much monologuing! It continually cuts from Mulder to Scully and back again, and each time they deliver a scene with a big long voiceover. The first two episodes of the fifth season should have been siphoned into one kick-ass opener. Thankfully, this episode is fantastic. The race is on to save Scully's life, and Mulder struggles with what he believes in. The way events ramp up to all the revelations in the end are just great too. Assassinations! Truths! And of course, questions and ambiguous deaths!

THE POST-MODERN PROMETHEUS (5x06)
This episode is a favourite of many, and I'm happy to jump on the bandwagon. From its black and white cinematography to its fascination with Cher to its Frankenstein homage, it's a home run on all counts. Managing to feel like an X-File episode, it isn't like one we've ever seen before (and since, might I add). Written and directed by series creator Chris Carter, this could arguably be his best work. 

BAD BLOOD (5x12)
I was worried that I had built this episode up too much, but it totally delivered! The idea of having the same events shown through both Mulder and Scully eyes was a masterstroke, and the humour in this episode is simply terrific. Vince Gilligan's hilarious script tackles obsessive-compulsive vampires, multiple autopsies, freewheelin' RVs and stars the always-charming Luke Wilson. While it can be seen is a riff on Akira Kurasowa's Rashomon, it stands up as its own beast. I tend to lean towards the humourous episodes when I think of my favourites, and this outing just might be the funniest. The way Mulder and Scully see each other after working with each other for five years border on caricature, but never lapse into imitation or mockery. This is still in my Top 5 X-Files episodes ever.

THE PINE BLUFF VARIANT (5x18)
Now this one is probably one of the least X-files-like episodes produced, but I love it. I particularly dig the way that we are thrown midway into the story and are almost immediately questioning Mulder's motives. Whose side is he on? Could he be a traitor? It's more like a spy film than anything else. When Mulder is tortured by the people he's trying to prove loyal to, it's a real slap to the face. We've not seen such brutality before, and Mulder's retaliation is equally brutal. There are numerous twists and turns to the plot which deals with an anarchistic milita called The New Spartans, and their development of a lethal biological weapon. Yeah, it's a good one.

THE END (5x20)
I really liked the addition of Gibson Praise, a young boy who can read other people's thoughts. His insights have the clarity of a psychic mixed with the innocence of a child. Is he an alien/human hybrid? How can he read thoughts?The fact that Gibson himself could be the key to everything in the X-Files makes for a great game of cat and mouse. The opening scene features this character playing chess in a large sports stadium, and it's one of my favourite sequences. This episode is also notable for the introduction of Diana Fowley (played by Mimi Rogers), whose job on The X-Files is to either annoy Scully (and us!) while tangling herself around her old flame, Mulder. Mimi does a good job of playing her, but I don't think much of the character. It doesn't stop me from loving this season cliffhanger, which includes the bombshell of Agent Spender learning that the Cigarette Smoking Man is his father. The final scenes of Mulder's office (and the X-Files themselves) on fire is one of the most powerful images from the entire series.


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Kill Switch, Patient X and Christmas Carol.

STINKERS: Redux, Chinga and Kitsunegari.

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.

Mulder and Scully Revisited

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