I'm sorry, season eight. Come back, I didn't mean all those things I said about you earlier.
Could this be the beginning of a return to The X-Files we're used to? Mulder has returned and his condition appears to be improving. But wait, you may ask yourself: "Well, how did we get here?"
Holy shit, this was an intense two part episode (also, a bit of a different kind of two part episode since the second part takes place three months after the first). Also, by far one of the best set of mythology episodes since about season five. It's an interesting way to tie in not just the mythology of the series but the recent plot involving Mulder's abduction, while also tying it to Scully's own abduction.
We haven't even seen Jeremiah Smith since season three. Talk about a callback! And a useful one, too. Of course, thanks to Scully's rage, Doggett's intense burning need to be Right and not accept anything out of the ordinary, Smith doesn't get to help Mulder - or rather, chooses not to. And that apparently matters because Mulder is in the process of becoming part
Despite being somewhat spoiled and knowing that Mulder basically can't die in the series since I know there's another movie (though I suppose it could be a prequel), I figured there had to be some trick to his apparent death. I didn't expect it would involve resurrection, but I was more thinking it would turn out to be someone other than Mulder they buried.
There is a lot happening in these episodes, but let's start with Doggett's treachery. Well, maybe treachery is a little strong, but Scully certainly saw it that way. He was doing so well after 'The Gift' and 'Medusa', but now I'm not really sure whose side he's on, and the fact that he brought in Monica Reyes, with whom he's apparently worked in the past, to add her very odd - odd even by Mulder's standards, I think - take on the case, really doesn't sit well with me or Scully. He's completely undermining her and any confidence he once had in her to get the job done.
"Enjoy your new company" was a fantastic line. I love sassy Scully.
But I mean, really, isn't that kind of against FBI protocol? You're supposed to trust your partner, not drag in other agents without even discussing it. What Doggett did was rude, and given some of the bizarre things Reyes is saying, I'm pretty sure he chose her specifically so he wouldn't have to accept that alien abductions are real in this universe.
What's interesting about Reyes is that she's even more open-minded than Mulder. Mulder was fixated on certain truths he was sure of, but Reyes just seems open to any possibility. And I don't think that's necessarily a good thing. It's one thing to be open to possibilities, it's another to be willing to accept anything, however far-fetched. Even Mulder has some reasonable limits.
Speaking of Mulder, his resurrection reminds me - and this should come as a shock to exactly no one - a little of Buffy's resurrection, especially in the immediate aftermath, when it looked like it might only be temporary. How awful would it be to bring Mulder back only to find he's just going to have to go away again? Both for Scully and for the viewers, really. I think by the end of the episode, much like the end of Buffy's 'After Life', that he's here to stay, but getting there was definitely one of the more interesting stories they've told this season.
Because Krycek.
So many things can be explained that way, can't they? Because Krycek. I wasn't sure if he was coming back, but I guess now that Mulder's back, he's got to be around to throw a monkey wrench in everything with his Evil PalmPilot [tm]. I initially found it weird that when Skinner collapsed in the FBI but quickly recovered, no one really stayed with him to make sure he was OK. I guess because he knew what was causing it, he couldn't risk anyone else finding out he may have been compromised.
And of course, Krycek wants Scully to get an abortion, though the writers were careful not to state that out loud. It's apparently important to whatever shady organisation he's a part of that Scully's child not be born, which lends a little more credence to the unfortunate theory that the baby is Special in some way. (Seriously, sci-fi writers, come up with something new!)
At this point, I think Krycek doesn't really have a huge end goal other than messing with Mulder and Skinner and Scully. He's just an awful person, and now he's dragged Doggett into it and deliberately smashed the 'vaccine' in front of him. Which seems overly dramatic. I can't imagine that's the only sample of the vaccine, or if what Krycek smashed was even the vaccine at all. Either way, it seems it's not the only way to cure Mulder, because Scully's treatment of him seems effective. (Hey, remember how she's an actual doctor? I almost forgot about that with how much she hasn't been doctoring this season.)
So now things are kind of complicated. Doggett is undermining Scully, but Mulder is back, and Doggett knows they were more than just FBI partners. I don't expect love triangle type plots, because I never got the impression that Doggett and Scully felt anything for each other besides reluctant respect. But still, from a professional standpoint, things are complicated now.
But it's worth it for that final scene, because it was, as Mulder/Scully scenes often are, was adorable and perfect.
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