Welcome back, The X-Files. Welcome back unexplained phenomena, welcome back Skinner with his awful poker face, welcome back Mulder jumping to conclusions. Welcome back, The X-Files. We’d really, really missed you.
Episode Two couldn’t have been more different from the mythology-heavy episode one they tried. But, in this case, that’s a good thing. Mythology can bog you down after a while. We need some time to breathe! We need Monsters-of-the-Week episode. And, apparently, if this episode is to be believed, we need to get our heart broken…
The good
- William mentions. We’ve spent too long NOT talking about William, and it’s about time to show delved into the emotions that come with giving up a child, not only for Scully, but for Mulder.
- Mulder putting the moves on Scully, albeit subtly. This is clearly a man trying to get his girlfriend back, dang it. Because I saw nine seasons of this show, and let me tell you, he didn’t go around spouting lines like “You’re never JUST anything to me, Scully” every day.
- Skinner’s lousy poker face. I get the sense Mitch Pileggi is only back to sit/stand there and try to look disapproving, and I can’t even feel bad about it, because he does it so well.
- Mulder NOT gazing at Scully. (He gazes at Scully)
- The William hallucinations/dreams. I put them in the good category, even though they broke my heart, because they say so much about Mulder and Scully’s mindset.
- Mulder’s hallucination/dream, in particular, speaks to a desire/love that he’s yet to fully articulate, and that I think Scully needs to hear.
- Gupta’s whole “The truth is in here” thing had me in stitches. It’s good to know you can still make me laugh, X-Files.
- James Wong, the writer/director of this episode is usually remembered for the horror-masterpiece “Home,” but he also wrote episodes like “Beyond the Sea” and “One Breath,” so he’s no stranger to stories that hit us RIGHT IN THE FEELS.
The Bad
- I expected a little more gore than what I got, but I don’t even know if I should be complaining about that. They might just give it to me next episode.
- Scully saying MY baby instead of OUR baby.
- The fact that both Mulder and Scully’s daydreams ended bad.
- The fact that we still don’t know anything of what really happened to William. It’s crazy to think he’s fifteen. Wow.
- Mulder and Scully should be hard at work on a baby they can keep. I
The weird
- For a second there, this felt like an episode of Heroes Reborn. Except for Mulder and Scully. This, of course, means that it was about fifty times better than Heroes Reborn.
- Scully’s driving. Not that I’m complaining, but it’s not like he used to let her drive all that often. Also, does he even own a car? How does he get to-and-from his little house in the middle of nowhere?
- You mean NO ONE noticed that Mulder stole the cell phone from the dead body? Cell phone is the first thing I’d look for.
- That scene with Jackie Goldman cutting her belly open reminded me of the good old days of wanting to throw up while watching The X-Files. Apparently I’m immune now.
- I really hope half of the diseases the kids that Goldman was keeping locked up had are made up. I really, really do.
- So that woman just found a kid in the middle of the road and went, uh, present, and kept it?
- I sort of need Skinner to comment on the whole Mulder/Scully thing. Or, like, someone from the FBI, but I’d really like it if it were Skinner. How come no one has said ANYTHING?
