X-Files S8E18: Will you ever win? Vieeenen ... Vieeenen

Sestra Amateur: 

This episode begins in the Gulf of Mexico, 158 miles off the Texas coast. The off-duty crew of the Galpex-Orpheus oil rig is eating dinner and watching hockey, same thing I do several nights a month during hockey season. (But this episode aired April 29, 2001, so they may be watching the Stanley Cup playoffs, which can be way more exciting.) Then one worker kills another and destroys the communications equipment. It’s easy to blame the killer until you see the familiar black oil in the dead guy’s eyes. Aw, man, we’re back to Mulder-centric storylines.

I guess the return of the black oil explains the episode title "Vienen," which means “they come” in Spanish. (I can still properly conjugate the verb "venir." I’m so proud of myself.) The foreman, a Stacy Keach lookalike, reacts differently -- he starts glowing white, causing the killer to panic. 

The oil rig company claims an explosion occurred and the X-files division gets the case. Special Agent John Doggett passed because he didn’t think it was an X-file, but Special Agent Fox Mulder, who has not yet been reassigned back to his own division, disagrees. The mostly burned body of Simon de la Cruz – the man who stabbed the communications officer – has been recovered, but the communications officer is missing. Mulder thinks the burns were caused by radiation, not fire. He also thinks the black oil the X-files department has encountered since Season 3 (“six seasons and a movie!”) played a factor. 

Doggett should have impressed Fox with his knowledge of previous black oil cases, but Mulder just taunts John about his dead-ended career path. People in glass offices shouldn’t throw stones, Fox. Their tense meeting is interrupted by an even tenser one with Special Agent Dana Scully, Deputy Director Alvin Kersh, Assistant Director Walter Skinner and Martin Ortega, an executive from Galpex Petroleum, the oil rig owner. Ortega claims Mulder's unsanctioned investigation is causing complications with Mexico because of potential oil drilling rights between the two countries. Kersh sends Doggett to the rig. 

John arrives with the new communications specialist the next day. Too bad Fox is already there interviewing Bo Taylor, the foreman who killed Simon. Taylor blames cabin fever. Team Mulett are too busy bickering to see Taylor’s eyes go black.

Back in D.C., Scully performs an unauthorized autopsy on Simon de la Cruz, finds dead black oil and assumes there is more aboard the rig. She notifies Skinner so he can have Kersh authorize an evacuation. Walter balks because he thinks there’s no evidence of current infections. You’d think two dead bodies would be a clue that something is wrong. Back on the rig, Taylor infects the new communications officer with black oil. 

Dana calls Doggett via ship-to-shore radio, but gets Mulder instead and updates him of her findings. I have to side with Fox on this one, evacuation is the wrong call. The crew gets quarantined and they’re livid. Team Mulett try to find Diego Garza, Simon’s friend hiding on the rig. Scully and Skinner (I still can’t decide between Team Sculner or Team Skinly) try to talk sense into Martin Ortega, but dollar signs are blocking his view. Mulder thinks everyone but Garza is infected. Then the radio room becomes engulfed in flames and Diego knocks John unconscious.

The deputy director is irate to learn just how far out of the loop he is. Skinner takes the fall, but Kersh demands the quarantine be lifted and Simon’s body sent home to Mexico. When Doggett regains consciousness, Diego realizes he’s not infected and tells him in Spanish that flying ships are coming. Dana learns de la Cruz and Garza are genetically immune to the black oil. A black-eyed Taylor attacks John, who finally sees the light (well, the black), and Fox comes to his rescue. 

Doggett tries to fix the radio while the clearly infected workers try to break in. Scully calls Team Mulett on the radio. John tries to update her on the case, but Mulder goes the Simon/Diego route and destroys the radio. On the upside (sort of), choppers are en route and the infected men have stopped attacking. Doggett tries to save Garza but the poor, immune man has been irradiated like de la Cruz. Fox and John try to escape because the crew has sabotaged the rig. The chopper arrives and Team Mulett jump off the rig just as it explodes. (Why would the infected crew sabotage the rig if the goal was to get picked up by a flying ship or to infect others? They can’t do either if they’re dead.)

Back at FBI Headquarters, Doggett learns Galpex lost their rights to drill for oil. Mulder appropriately falls on this sword and takes the brunt of Kersh’s wrath -- Fox's FBI days are over ... again.

Sestra Professional: 

I've gotta appreciate a little male bonding by jumping off an oil rig. Doggett probably would have preferred a mere cordial greeting from Mulder when they met a couple of weeks ago in "Three Words" (Season 8, Episode 16), but this certainly is more lively.

Kersh catch you peeing in his corn flakes? For dramatic purposes, Fox and John are in much the same place they were upon Mulder's return from the dead. So what's the solution to that stalemate between two very strong and distinct personalities? Transport them to a different place entirely! It works for me, plus David Duchovny and Robert Patrick look great in work clothes.

In order to get the duo out onto the rig, we sit through a tense meeting with Martin Ortega from Galpex. Miguel Sandoval (Manny Devalos from Medium to me) plays the oil company's version of Deputy Director Kersh. And Ortega seems to be dealing with the same kind of machinations that guide Alvin in his decision-making process. Ortega's concerned with an alleged massive new oil province below Gulf of Mexico, and more specifically its financial and political implications. 

So Fox, who Doggett rightfully states could find a conspiracy at a church picnic, is forced to work with John. We get some quality Scully and Skinner time as well, even though the bulk of that is rather dry scientific stuff, and the return of a familiar foe. One thing we know for sure about the black oil is it will mutate every time it makes a return to the mythology, and its presence in "Vienen" is no different.

You're running out of mistakes: The location shoot adds much to the atmosphere. There's not much actual substance to the story, but it's good fun to have our male leads doing The X-Files' variation on Aaron Sorkin walk-and-talks on the rig. And they're literally putting out fires.

One thing that hasn't changed is Kersh's attitude. It's increasingly frustrating. He often comes off as ridiculous, it would be nice to have some measure of respect for the deputy director of the FBI. At least he's smart enough to know a Mulder stunt when he hears about one. That's about the only thing for which we can give him credit. 

Molotov cocktail, anyone? It's a good thing that Dana quickly figures out the virus is dead, otherwise I'd be pretty concerned about the pregnant woman working on de la Cruz's corpse. This episode reminds me a lot of "Medusa" (S8E12). That script gets overlooked by many, including its author, executive producer Frank Spotnitz, but Steven Maeda's "Vienen" gets more of a pass from the ban base at large. Must be the presence of Fox that makes the difference there. I consider both very similar episodes and somewhat complementary, providing interesting visuals and some slight character development while ultimately unraveling at the end.

It's waaaaay on the nose to use Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries," with its connotations of Apocalypse Now. I guess it was an easy way to pump up the volume for the ultimate explosion and leaps to safety. Like Sestra Am, I'm not quite sure why the rig gets sabotaged by the infected crew, but then again I didn't understand why Cigarette Smoking Man shut down the Arctic operation in Fight the Future when it should have been a lot easier to minimize Mulder's damage. Maybe it was some kind of self-destruction mechanism.

How about a 20 count? So it's best just to enjoy the ride, as with the movie. "Vienen" doesn't make complete sense, but man, it looked good. Doggett finally earns a bit of Mulder's respect for going back to Diego Garza. I'm not sure why Fox doesn't do that himself -- that would be his traditional move -- other than to provide the opening for a begrudging friendship.

Mulder saying John's all the credibility the office has left is about as big a jump as the one the duo takes off the rig. And the handshake Doggett tried to give in "Three Words" is finally accomplished. Robert Patrick put a bow on the leads' progress in The Complete X-Files. "In this episode, Mulder might have been a Greek chorus of sorts, designed to help the audience feel at ease with Doggett," he said.

Guest star of the week: Gregory Cruz, whom I know best from Saving Grace, does a fine job as the tripped-out Diego Garza. It has to be a solitary performance, having to be so crazy-eyed and not knowing who to trust. Cruz is able to simultaneously be a threat and a scared man deserving of sympathy.

X-Files S8E17: They're all connected

Sestra Amateur: 

I had to start today’s episode with a little research on the title before watching the show. According to Wikipedia, currently celebrating 20 years of not being a credible source for college students everywhere, Empedocles was a Greek philosopher best known for his theories regarding the origin of the universe and its four classical elements -- earth, air, fire, water. Since this is the first episode showing Mulder, Scully, Doggett and Reyes working “together” (I’m not counting Season 8, Episode 14: "This is Not Happening"), I’d like to think it refers to them.

In New Orleans, Louisiana, Jeb Dukes (Jay Underwood) gets fired from his job. While still in shock, he witnesses a high-speed police car chase and its horrific aftermath. (For the officers’ sakes, I hope the chase met the agency’s criteria or they’ll also be out of jobs.) Jeb watches the fiery, felonious driver stroll out of the vehicle and enter his body. Of course, none of the other rubberneckers see this happen. Jeb returns to the office and shoots the bosses who fired him. How did the spirit bring along a handgun?

Special Agent Monica Reyes is called to the scene. The lead detective, Franklin Potter, thinks the murders may be related to satanic rituals, based on the Marilyn Manson CD in Jeb’s cubicle. Reyes thinks the firing pushed Dukes over the edge. Good news for Monica: She’s trying to quit smoking. Bad news: While looking at the dead female boss’ body, she “sees” it as a burned corpse and knows something more is going on than workplace violence.

Fox Mulder shows up unannounced at Dana Scully’s door. He tries for banter, but essentially accuses Dana of sleeping around. The pizza man arrives and the outrageous price for one pizza pie sends pregnant Scully to the hospital. Agent John Doggett meets with Fox there, and Mulder is not happy to see him. Fox gets a phone call from Reyes about her case, which she claims involves Doggett. Mulder agrees to meet with her.

In Lavonia, Georgia, approximately 100 miles northeast of Atlanta, it looks like Jeb Dukes is back in control of himself and full of contrition. He tries to commit suicide, but the spirit inside of him won’t let it happen. It’s a cool-looking, yet disturbing image when Jeb tears away skin from his face to reveal the glowing man underneath. At FBI Headquarters, Reyes officially meets Mulder for the first time. She hands him the file for 7-year old Luke John Doggett, John’s murdered son. Monica reveals she had a vision when she first saw Luke’s body and it was the same one she had for Jeb’s murdered boss.

Doggett checks on Scully, which somehow triggers a dreamy memory of agents running into and out of a wooded area. He heads to the FBI office, grabs Fox and starts screaming at him for going behind John’s back for information. Boy, this is not the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Reyes briefly defuses the situation and tells Doggett about her vision. John reverts to denial mode, but Mulder mentions Bob Harvey, who was the original suspect in Luke’s case. Harvey was the man police were chasing who died in front of Jeb Dukes. Doggett refuses to see the connection. Reyes visits with Katha Dukes, Jeb’s sister, who conveniently lives in nearby Maryland. Sis is shocked her brother is being accused of murder. Jeb picks that moment to call from a South Carolina phone booth, but sis disconnects the call without telling Monica. Unfortunately, a stranded woman needing automotive assistance requests help from Jeb.

Dana wakes to see John at her bedside. He’s curious to know how she graduated from skeptic to believer. Doggett again flashes back to the wooded area; Reyes and other law enforcement officers are standing in a circle. He snaps out of it before we see anything else. Back in the X-files office, Monica and Fox have an interesting conversation between two different types of believers. Having Reyes refer to Scully as the open-minded one was perfect for getting Mulder’s attention.

Jeb looks at his reflection in the dead motorist’s window and sees fire behind him. He’s probably on his way to his sister’s house. Local police find the body. (Is anyone else picturing Tim Curry in Clue exclaiming, “The motorist!?”? Monica brings Fox to the scene and arranges for John to join them. Doggett sees Reyes standing in a circle with other law enforcement officers. Sound familiar? John denies having a vision, but Monica calls him on it. Mulder returns to Dana's bedside and learns she suffered a partial abruption. Guess that means she’s bedridden for the rest of the season. Fox updates her on the Reyes case(s). Scully gives her seal of approval, for Monica and Doggett.

Katha and her daughter, Mia, return home where Jeb is waiting for them. He continues to deny his involvement in the murders, but sis sees blood on his face. He asks for Katha’s help. Luckily, it’s Jeb and not the evil spirit who is in control when he hugs his niece. Meanwhile, John is making calls about Jeb Larold Dukes. (His middle name gets repeated enough that it piqued my curiosity. This isn’t the first time The X-Files has used Larold; back in "Tempus Fugit" (S4E17), passenger Larold Rebhun was on a plane with abductee Max Fenig. That character was named after the show’s sound mixer Larold Rebhun. But even more amusing is the Urbandictionary.com definition of Larold: “Someone who appears to be non-threatening but proclaims they will destroy you.” That’s Jeb + evil spirit in a nutshell.) 

Reyes again confronts Doggett about his visions. He admits if Sculder and Monica are right about the possibility of the supernatural, then he did not do everything he could to save his son. Our hero John would never be able to live with that thought. They’re interrupted by a phone call from Katha, who reveals Jeb’s current location. Team Reyett (Team Dogges? I want to go with Team Johnica, but that defies the pattern) head to Maryland.

After Doggett and Reyes arrive, Katha tries to get Mia away from Jeb, but she makes it worse and now Jeb has a hostage. John lowers his weapon but Monica takes the shot and Mia is saved. They somehow end up at Scully’s hospital. Boy, they sure are keeping that E.R. nurse busy! Reyes sends Doggett home, but he goes to Dana's room instead where his original flashback continues. He sees Luke’s dead body, first normal, then burned. Mulder unintentionally snaps him out of it and shoos him out of a sleeping Scully's room. Fox tells John about his time with the FBI’s Violent Crimes Unit and they finally have a civilized conversation. Jeb begins to convulse, then flatlines. Dr. Mary Speake, played by Denise Crosby, calls time of death. Katha, now possessed by the evil spirit, knocks Monica unconscious and takes her gun. Luckily, Doggett arrives and easily disarms her.

Dana is back in her apartment with Fox's replacement pizza and they have a rare lighthearted moment. On the darker, more “normal” side of things, John is at the hospital watching over a restrained Katha. He clearly believes Reyes' statement, “it’s never over.” 

Sestra Professional: 

For the second straight show, there's a lot for X-Philes to unpack in an episode. Guess there's much to cover when you need to factor in the longtime lead alongside newcomers to the canvas. But it's working out well, nothing seems like it's dragging and even the required bits of business (like introductions) mesh well enough with the back story enough to keep the attention in "Three Little Words" (S8E16) and now "Empedocles."

It starts with a pretty cool-looking set piece. Clearly that's one vote against laying off employees so late at night. I agree with Sestra Am that it's awfully strange that no one else saw fire man merge with a mere mortal, guess that was supposed to be symbolic. On the other hand, I think Jed left the area to pick up the weapon because he changed his clothes too, Sestra. But I'm giving you a bonus point for that deft philosophical explanation of the episode title.

Then again, maybe that inferno body swap wasn't merely symbolic. If Reyes and/or Doggett had been there, I suppose they would have noticed the fire beast merging with Jeb Dukes. Monica, who told us she was open to all possibilities when she was introduced a couple of episodes ago in "This Is Not Happening" (S8E14), backs that up with her acute sense of charred human. And although John clearly needs more time to process these things, he's got some X-files ability in him after all. 

The pizza man is not above suspicion: I'm not sure what to make of that awkward conversation between Mulder and Scully. It really did seem reminiscent of '90s sitcom Mad About You. Dana has come a long way, she didn't used to have any facility for pop-culture references. Guess she's had more downtime than usual. Is this the show's way of telling us Fox isn't entirely sure he's the father of the baby? Either that or his banter muscles atrophied when he was buried. I wish Scully would say something rather than looking meekly at her belly. But I'll give Mulder all the credit in the world for his retort to the cost of the pizza -- "What'd she get on it, a tank of gas?"

"Empedocles" was written by future Smallville co-producer and Titans executive producer Greg Walker. His previous two forays were a study in contrast -- the addictive "Brand X" (S7E18) and the awful "Surekill" (S8E8). His third X-Files effort seems to be kind of a mixture of the two. 

You fellas just don't listen: Things get better when Monica "meets" Fox for the first time, the first time he was -- you know -- not dead and all. In that interaction, we see that while Reyes seems to be of the Mulder mold, she's got a lot more going for her. There's an intuition that she follows readily, and she's even got intuition about other people's intuitions. So while by-the-books Doggett might have turned off another paranormally inclined agent, he doesn't dissuade her with his words. Note to Deputy Director Kersh: They would make a strong team for the FBI if you need one ... in a month.  

We're finally getting into John's back story. The recurring recollection from the day his son's body was found was atmospheric and eerie, since we initially only saw bits and pieces and that was juxtaposed with a similar modern-day scene. In this episode, there's a lot of angry Doggett pushing back, particularly against Fox and just those few moments of flashback keep us on John's side even when he doesn't want to listen to reason. 

You just keep shooting 'til you hit something, don't you? Reyes puts most of this puzzle together and then Mulder brings it home. Monica's the one who understands that there's a reason all of it is happening when it does. That Jeb's possession is not as random as it might appear on the surface. It wasn't merely that Harvey was killed in a nearby car crash, but that Dukes -- at a particularly vulnerable moment -- was on the scene and easy prey for ultimate evil. Even Fox considers it coincidence at that point, Monica's the one who deems it a pattern. And since we can see patterns, even in the way law enforcement stands at a crime scene, we're able to side with Reyes from that vantage point.

Having said that, Monica's not seamlessly woven into the fabric. Her new-age ideals can ring a little bit tinny if you don't subscribe to those theories. But at the end of the day and the end of episode, she's made some fairly valid points. As much as John wishes he could save his own son, maybe saving Mia was the reason they were there.

Through Katha -- not only a guest character, but one who winds up suffering a similar fate -- the show gets to hypothesize that people are born good and life does the corrupting. Katha doesn't know how true her words will ring. Meanwhile, a slightly out-of-it Scully counsels Doggett about not being afraid to believe. And Dana's contribution, while minimal due to her pregnancy complications, not only helps John but also start to pry Fox's eyes open about his worthiness. 

I once saw Elvis in a potato chip: We still get to count on our closer, Mulder, to tidy up the proceedings. Fox gets to declare the malevolent entity as a disease being passed from person to person. That when that victim is weakened, evil jumps on in and has a good time. No sooner has he said it than the theory gets put into practice on Katha, at Monica's expense. Man, he's good. Six months under the soil and he's as good as ever.

Guest star of the week: Jay Underwood, whose first career credit was with Annabeth Gish in the coming-of-age movie Desert Bloom, does strong work as Jeb Dukes. He comes off very well as an everyman who doesn't have control over what's going on and ultimately transforms into evil incarnate. 

X-Files S8E16: Gonna need a bigger vocabulary

Sestra Amateur: 

The phrase “Three Words” means different things to different people: “I love you” is probably the most common one we like to hear; “You’ve Got Mail” became popular in the 1990s because of AOL and that awful movie; “I’ll Be There" is often sung by fans of The Four Tops (who think that’s the title instead of "Reach Out") and The Jackson 5.

This episode surreally opens with an armed man climbing the fence to illegally enter the White House grounds. People don’t try to stop him, but they sure take lots of pictures. Security detains the man while shouting, “Get the weapon!” (I don’t think those are the three words related to the episode title.) He wants to warn the President about an alien invasion, but shoots himself during the melee. The dying man hands a diskette to a guard that has “Fight the Future” written on it. (Maybe those are the three words.) Maybe this man thinks The X-Files movie was a documentary.

Fox Mulder is in a hospital in full "be careful what you wish for" mode. He’s having flashbacks to his alien imprisonment … or were those images implanted as false memories? That’s a question for another day. Dana Scully arrives with Mulder’s doctor and some miraculous news about Fox’s medical future. It’s a weird moment when Scully takes Mulder home and you realize we haven’t seen his reaction to her pregnant state yet. He seems more concerned about the loss of one of his fish. How about a "thank you" for keeping the apartment fully stocked and still feeding the fish of a dead man? Dana is grateful and emotional that Fox is alive; he, on the other hand, has trouble processing. He should keep pretending he has amnesia, it would be less insensitive.

Back in the West Virginia correctional facility, Absalom has no interest in reading the new Harry Potter. The librarian insists he read The Coming Apocalypse (this "three words" thing is quickly getting old) which contains an article about the man who died on the White House lawn, U.S. census worker Howard Salt. Deputy Director Alvin Kersh is watching a TV news story about the security breach when Assistant Director Walter Skinner and Agent John Doggett enter Kersh’s office. Scully is trying to get Mulder reinstated to the X-files, but her average success rate is higher with Doggett, so Kersh is leaning toward no. John refuses to be the one who tells Fox he can’t return to his own unit. Skinner pulls the trigger during a private meeting with Sculder. Mulder is eager to meet Doggett.

Absalom gets a work detail off grounds, attacks a guard and makes a run for it. He might not have gotten away if the corrections officer used his radio to set up a perimeter, but we’ll file that under Carter’s Contrivances in order to keep the story moving forward. (Remember when he used to do that all the time with his characters’ lack of cell-phone usage?) Absalom hides in John's apartment and holds Doggett at gunpoint until he’s sure the agent doesn't have an implant in the back of his neck. Absalom is convinced “they” killed Howard Salt because of what he knew and thinks he’s next. He wants John to "spread the word." (How many words in that phrase? Oh yeah, three.) 

A.D. Skinner is leading the task force briefing to recapture Absalom. It’s probably no coincidence the man he and Scully arrested in Montana became incarcerated in West Virginia, so close to their front door. Doggett is noticeably absent from the meeting. On the upside(?), Mulder is back in his office, ready to work. Blame FBI Human Resources, who either never disabled Fox's ID badge or issued him a new one. Mulder points out Howard Salt’s face in a photograph with Absalom and other alien abductees.

Absalom is rigging a gun to shoot John, if necessary. Sculder invade the FBI evidence room in a way that’s reminiscent of teens trying to sneak a cigarette in the school bathroom; Fox is the rebel while Dana is the hall monitor who goes along with it. Mulder removes Howard Salt’s encrypted hard drive for analysis. Meanwhile, Absalom, who is convinced the proof he needs is hidden in census bureau data, arrives with Doggett at the (fictional) Federal Statistics Center in Virginia. The security guard allows entry and trips the silent alarm when he sees the gun strapped to John’s back. The SWAT team swarms them and abruptly shoots Absalom in the head. During the next morning’s debriefing, Fox finally meets Doggett and confronts him about getting Absalom killed before he can reveal what he knew. And just like that we’re back to the "Everything is a Conspiracy" Mulder show. Can I change the channel?

Fox gets some love from The Lone Gunmen, who are thrilled to see their friend alive. (The Lone Gunmen is three words. Maybe they should have their own show.) Langly comments on Sculder’s bun in Dana’s oven, but of course that gets pushed aside to talk about the Federal Statistics Center data on Howard’s hard drive. Too bad the FSC firewalls and lack of a password prevent their access. John covertly meets with Knowle Rohrer (Adam Baldwin), who we learned not to trust in Season 8, Episode 13: "Per Manum." Maybe Chris Carter named him Knowle because he’s the one with all the knowledge? Doggett is the one lacking in knowledge now, and Rohrer tells John he doesn’t know the three words. Are they "Bring back Firefly?"

John meets with Scully to tell Mulder about the diskette Howard Salt was trying to get to the President. The passcode to access the encrypted information is "Fight the Future." Or is it "fIGHT tHE fUTURE?" Some other combination? Passwords are case-sensitive, you know. She relays it to Fox, who learns the government has been tracking people with certain genetic profiles. Scully calls Skinner and he confronts Doggett. John still thinks he’s being used, but leaves to handle it. Meanwhile, hall monitor Dana is outside the FSC waiting for Fox the rebel when Doggett startles her. He sends her away for her own protection and takes over hall monitor duties. The Lone Gunmen are inside facility walls trying to disable the cameras while Mulder waits outside the security office. The Gunmen deactivate the locks so Fox can get into the computer room. John tries to help, but he’s locked out of the room. Mulder ignores him so Doggett shoots through the glass door. Conspiracy buff Fox is convinced he can’t trust John, who’s trying to save both of their lives. Scully warns The Lone Gunmen about the setup. Since their data upload is blocked, they’re inclined to believe her. Team Mulett (I’ve been waiting for weeks to use that one!) escape through the ceiling.

The next morning, Knowle seems surprised to see a still-alive Doggett at their meeting place. Skinner is there to back up John, who threatens to burn the Knowle Rohrer bridge. Knowle claims he’s there to help John. Too bad the implant in his neck indicates otherwise.

Sestra Professional: 

Truer words were never spoken, Sestra. The teaser of "Three Words" is downright eerie when juxtaposed with the news story of the week -- insurrection at The Capitol. Imagine if all those people with cameras had access to social media back in the day. We've had fiction mirroring real life a few times during the rewatch, the one that sticks out in my mind was when a hurricane threatened Sestra Am's home state of Florida during "Agua Mala" (S6E13). 

I got a kick out of having the words "Fight the Future" on the disc the ill-fated White House fence jumper wanted to get to the President. Trivia buffs might remember the first film was never meant to be called Fight the Future, but people assumed the tag line on the movie posters was the name of the film, and so instead of merely being named after the series, it became more widely known as that. 

Who says you can't go home again? And now more than three words about Mulder. Executive producers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, who penned this episode, knew the X-Philes would hang with Fox no matter what he does out of gratitude for having David Duchovny back in the fold. We've been programmed to give Mulder time and space and put up with him being a butthead for a while because we're more than merely sympathetic to his cause. Save Kersh ... and probably Sestra Am.

So it's easy for us to take his abrasiveness just to have him on the canvas. But the real benefit here is more subtle. Giving Fox a pass on his 'tude also keeps us in Doggett's corner. We've got our original hero back, but we're not brushing aside the guy tabbed to fill in for him. In fact, when Mulder questions his fortitude, Scully stands up for him and we can fall in line right behind her. That's a smart way for Carter and Spotnitz to be going about their ongoing business. 

People are so rarely what they seem: Nevertheless, it's a rather unceremonious first meeting between our two male leads. Poor John's been hearing for months about the fortitude of Fox Mulder. And he might have already earned the respect of Scully, but that doesn't carry any weight at all with Mulder. It would have been nice for Fox to show some respect for Dana -- everything she's been through and the person she went through it with -- but he's got months of self-righteousness to catch up on. 

Everything's not perfect in Doggett's world either. As Sestra Am pointed out, it's a little dubious that John would put stock into anything Knowle has to say following the events of "Per Manum." But the contrivance puts Doggett into all kinds of juicy trouble, so the manipulation seems worth it to make sure he's still front and center. When John tells Kersh that he's just trying to keep up with the job and can't take credit for the successes, he's speaking the plain truth as he knows it and we see it. And while he doesn't have the confidence of Mulder, at least Scully and Skinner don't question the character of the man. 

By the way, how pat is it that a guy who was deceased at the start of last week's episode is being restored to his factory settings? Fox won't even have any scars on his handsome body. (In fact, Doggett looks a little worse for wear than Mulder.) And should we be taking out stock in Dana's prayers? Between the baby and pristine Fox, she seems to be in the good graces of someone very high up.

Just a fly buzzing around the window: By the time we get to the break-in, Mulder's stance is getting to be a little too much, even with the free pass. We know he wants to help all the people being profiled and that's admirable and reflective of everything we know about him. But Fox shouldn't do it at the expense of his life, even with his "get out of death free" card. He certainly shouldn't let Scully be hanging around outside the location in her condition. And Mulder should be smart enough to realize that Doggett coming to the location to warn him at the risk of John's own life means he can be trusted.

Over the years, the X-files informants increasingly have come with more and more strings. Remember when it was just Deep Throat and the only thing he did was occasionally throw our heroes off track verbally? Then there was X and Marita Covarrubias, and their motivations came into question even more often. Now we have this mutated dude who could occasionally provide information of some use, but each and every one of his morsels will have to be carefully sussed out and sifted through to determine its impetus and validity.

Guest star of the week: Judson Scott was resolute during this arc as Absalom. It's a little strange for me to see him in this role, since I remember him as generic baddie Peter Harrell from General Hospital in the mid-'80s. Perhaps I should consider his role as Lt. James on V instead. Either way, he was strong in a role that needed to be bought into to keep the concept afloat. Scott did a yeoman's job. 

X-Files S8E15: Even Houdini couldn't pull this one off

Sestra Amateur: 

To recap the last episode, Fox Mulder is dead. Well, that was a quick recap. In Raleigh, North Carolina, Fox's funeral is essentially an X-Files reunion: Dana Scully, Assistant Director Walter Skinner, the Lone Gunmen (how can they be sure it’s not a conspiracy to arrest them?), Deputy Director Alvin Kersh (probably just wants to make sure it’s true) and the Mulders (since they’re buried in that cemetery). Where is John Doggett? He should be there to support his partner, even though his job is done -- he found Fox.

Doggett meets with Kersh and Skinner three months later to get his “atta boy” and his choice of reassignment out of the X-files. Surprisingly, John is reluctant to leave the most vilified division in the FBI. He justifies his reason to Scully; if no one is there to hold down the fort while Dana’s on maternity leave with “little J. Edgar,” Kersh will permanently close the X-files division. Scully uses her work history to try and convince Doggett to get out while he can.

Meanwhile, off Cape Fear in North Carolina, Robert DeNiro is terrorizing Nick Nolte and his family. (Sorry, but I saw the 1991 version long before the 1962 version with Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck, so that’s my go-to reference.) Also happening at the cape, fishermen make the deadliest catch: a dead body. The Wilmington coroner is told to autopsy immediately. Too bad the clearly dead man is not actually dead. On the “upside,” the living corpse is Billy Miles, who was abducted by an alien bounty hunter in Season 7, Episode 22: "Requiem." Skinner gets notified and brings John to Mulder’s grave where diggers have exhumed his body. Fox’s corpse is taken to the coroner’s office in Annapolis, Maryland, where he proves to be physically alive but in a state of decomposition. I’ll bet he smells something awful too. Scully gets word and arrives full of hope. 

Doggett meets with D.D. Kersh, who wants John to drop the “Mulder thing.” Is this because the FBI doesn’t want to give Fox three months’ worth of back pay? And is Mulder's current medical care covered by his insurance plan? I doubt it. At the hospital, Dana goes down the hall to check on Billy Miles, whose body looks way worse than Fox's. He suffers a grand mal seizure in her presence, but Scully also thinks there’s an equipment malfunction since she saw two heartbeats on the monitor. 

Back at FBI headquarters, Walter looks and acts like he’s about to have a heart attack, but it’s just Alex Krycek playing puppet master. To refresh your memory from "S.R. 819" (S6E9), Skinner has nanotechnology in his body that Palm Pilot Bandit Krycek controls. Alex seems to be enjoying his power over Walter a little too much. Krycek claims he has an alien vaccine that can save Mulder. And a decomposing Billy Miles wakes up, gets out of bed and takes the world’s most disgusting shower. Luckily, his decomposing skin reveals normal skin underneath.

Doggett finds Scully at Mulder’s bedside. Hope he didn’t spend too much time and energy looking for her anywhere else. If he did, he really doesn’t know his partner at all. Meanwhile, Team Sculett see a naked shell-shocked Billy staggering around the hospital. Dana and John have different interpretations regarding Miles' statement about being on a ship -- he thinks fishing boat, she thinks spacecraft. Doggett is now just being stubborn about aliens being a factor in Billy (and Fox's) continued existence on this planet. Scully is fed up with Doggett’s doggedness and gives up trying to convince him. Her medical experiments on Billy indicate he “shed his skin” and became a new person, but she’s not so sure it’s a good thing. She neglects to update Skinner, who sees hope for Mulder because of Alex's alleged vaccine.

Doggett visits Absalom in a West Virginia prison to learn how he healed alien abductees in the previous episode "This Is Not Happening" (S8E14). Walter checks on Fox, but Krycek is in the room waiting for him. The price Skinner has to pay to get the vaccine from Alex? Make sure Dana loses her baby before it’s born. (Thinking back – well, forward – to "My Struggle III" (S11E1), maybe Krycek knew who the baby’s “real” father is. Maybe he thought he was doing everyone a favor. Remember, the last time we saw Alex, he was pushing Cancer Man down a flight of stairs in "Requiem.") 

Doggett tells Scully about Absalom’s claims while she updates him about the alien virus vaccine. Walter locks John out of Fox's room so he can remove Mulder from life support. After Doggett kicks in the door and grabs Skinner, Walter tells him about Krycek’s ultimatum. John goes after Alex in the parking garage and Krycek tries to run him down. Doggett leaps onto the car and gets in a few punches before he’s forced to let go. Alex destroys the vaccine vial and leaves. Upstairs, John learns Walter's actions may have saved Fox's life.

Doggett meets with D.D. Kersh at FBI headquarters and learns he burned his bridges. It’s pretty telling how Alvin would rather have one of his agents dead than alive. Back at the hospital, Mulder, who’s been treated with (non-alien) antiviral drugs, regains consciousness and manages to make Dana laugh twice. See? The impossible is possible.

Sestra Professional: 

We start off at Fox's funeral. His second death during the run of the show if we're counting the arc encompassing the end of the second season and the start of the third. And decades later, it begs the question, how can they resurrect one of their leads ... again? Remember in Stephen King's Misery, that Nurse Annie Wilkes -- for all her insanity -- needed the return of her own favorite character to be truthful to the story. He couldn't just be back, there had to be a measure of logic involved or legs would be broken. 

In rewatching this time, I was struck by the fact that I've scoffed at better ways of bringing someone back from the dead in television or movies. But I never went "nope, not good" when it came to Mulder's return. Guess I just wanted Fox back in the fold bad enough to overlook the happenstance.

At the very least, Doggett did his job by locating Fox. It's just a bonus to see how invested he's become in his job and his partnership with Scully by wanting to stay down in the basement with Dana's impending maternity leave to prevent the permanent locking of the X-files doors. 

If it looks bad, it's bad for the FBI: The mythology has been played so fast and loose by this time. I guess nothing should be too surprising, and that includes the excavation and revival of Mulder. Annie Wilkes probably wouldn't think too kindly upon it. Fox certainly didn't get out of the metaphorical cockadoodie car. We'll just gloss over the fact that an FBI agent with questions surrounding his disappearance probably would have been autopsied and/or embalmed within an inch of his life, as they say. 

But the story picks up some steam pretty quickly. Not that I believe in the skin shedding concept -- even though strangely enough, I've been in the midst of an Orphan Black rewatch which literally just mentioned a similar theory. Hey, there was a great opportunity for an Orphan Black/X-Files crossover.

All aboard: Of course, the ongoing story is so out of whack at this point that we haven't gotten back to Skinner's nanobots in some time. This really was a fabulous plot device that was excellently executed in "S.R. 819," but the ball -- sorry, 'bot -- was dropped for a year and a half. It would have been more interesting to see Walter-Alex entangled on a more regular basis than much of what we actually saw in Season 7, I'm comfortable admitting that much.

The uneasy history between Skinner and Krycek makes for rare meaty stuff for Mitch Pileggi to work with. Contrast Walter's dilemma with Kersh's silly concerns/jokes about overtime. Yawn. Dude, I saw sunrises just working on elongated baseball games at my regular job. I'm sure you get paid more than enough not to be too perturbed by some late nights, Alvin. We're all far more interested in what Skinner will do with his physical limitations exacerbated by emotional burdens.

You're on the wrong floor: Speaking of nice touches, Scully gave us her version of an academy report card at the midpoint of Doggett's year. She praised the quality of John's work and his strength of character. Dana apparently knows to always cover the good stuff before going into the bad, since she then berated John for not opening the grave -- no matter what the outcome was going to be with Mulder. 

Anybody miss me? It's been a while since Scully's been able to use science to save someone. And they're all extremely lucky that Walter's act of sabotage ultimately worked out in Fox's favor. But seriously, the first thing Mulder thinks to do after regaining conscience is to torture Dana some more by playing an amnesia joke? (Cue a flashback to Dana's similarly ill-timed prank during her Fight the Future rescue.) But Fox is forgiven because of his final line of the episode, because save maybe Sestra Am ... and possibly Doggett ... and definitely Kersh ... you were missed, Mulder. 

Guest star of the week: When Billy Miles initially was seen in the pilot, he had limited purpose as a garden-variety alien abductee. Actor Zachary Ansley couldn't have expected he'd be back in the fold again again, but even with his skin sloughed off, he retained an edge that proved useful here and will come in handy down the road.