In Soviet Russia, Alex Krycek betrays everyone (seriously, he is the worst triple agent ever), as always, and loses his arm for his troubles. Maybe he should get together with Lindsey McDonald. They'd make a great team of pompous double crossing assholes with a grand total of two hands between them. Maybe Wolfram and Hart can give Krycek an evil hand, too!
And Mulder makes some epically bad decisions, one of which is trusting Krycek for even half a second, and nearly pays with his life, while Scully makes some questionable decisions and pays with her freedom.
Well, this is a huge disaster already, isn't it?
I'm glad for the Senate hearing scenes, even if we had to see the identical scene twice - once in each episode - because Scully pretty neatly summarised everything that had happened. Had she not, I might have been completely lost. As it is, I'm still only a little lost.
What I understand is that the black oozing goo, now described as the 'black cancer', that had originally been introduced in 'Piper Maru' and 'Apocrypha' is now on the loose and infecting people with much better special effects than were used in Season 3. And also having different effects within the show's mythology.
So before, the black cancer would infect people and control them somehow. Now it just seems to damage or eventually kill them? And Mulder is infected because he was foolish enough to go chasing a lead off to Siberia? AND TOOK KRYCEK WITH HIM?
OK, time out. Mulder, you can never trust Krycek. Sure, he speaks Russian, and that might be useful (or in this case, allow him to sell you out, AS USUAL), but still! I'm honestly kind of surprised that when he was handcuffed to the railing at the airport he was actually still there when Mulder and Scully returned. I figured he'd find a way to slip out, break the handcuffs, or maybe one of his Death Eater friends would come and retrieve him.
But somehow, they manage to get to Russia together after Mulder stalks Marita at her home using the FBI database, holy shit Mulder, that is NOT COOL. Like, I get that you needed help, but given the fact that the scene was filmed to imply a personal interest, it's more than a little bit creepy. I'm really not entirely sure what they're going for with this character. Obviously they needed someone to take the place of X, but in choosing a young and attractive character, given Mulder's sometimes overtly sexist behaviour, perhaps this was not the best idea?
I also want to know how Mulder secured last minute travel credentials for Krycek, who should be on every wanted list everywhere given that he has committed treason. I kind of wish Mulder had just gone alone and left Krycek in the car. That was almost super hilarious.
What was not so hilarious was Mulder and Krycek getting captured and then seeing 'To be continued' on the screen. Oh, and not just captured, either. Captured and put in prison and experimented on. The big room Mulder was shown in reminded me a bit of the Attic on Dollhouse. Absurd theory number twelve: Mulder was put in the Attic in 1993 and this entire plot with Scully and Skinner and Cancer Man is a fabrication in his mind.
Right. Anyway. Obviously I knew there was no way the two part episode would end with Mulder still imprisoned in Russia - well, OK, I didn't even know it was a two part episode, it could have been three or four, but given the pattern so far, it seemed like a reasonable assumption. I'm even pretty sure the episodes following it will be kind of boring. It's what happens, right?
If 'Tunguska' was confusing, 'Terma' didn't really do much to clear it up. Mulder appeared out of nowhere during the hearing, which seemed a little bit like a cop out to me, because he would have had to already be back hours before they started that day and maybe could have let someone know he was going to show up? Or that he was OK and still had all four of his limbs?
By far the best moment in these episodes, and possibly in the entire series, is Scully's transformation. She unequivocally states, under oath before a Senate subcommittee, that she believes the black cancer is of extra-terrestrial origin. FINALLY.
This is the first time we've seen Scully not just accept the notion of extra-terrestrial life, but assert it under oath. I'm sure it won't help her standing at the FBI, considering she was originally paired with Mulder to debunk his work, but it will certainly help with their various outside investigations that the FBI and Death Eaters and now the Senate don't want them doing.
The conspiracy is deep and the influence of shady international organisations is strong. But the truth is out there. And eventually, more and more of it will be revealed.
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