"I hope the day will be a lighter highway
For friends are found on every road
Can you ever think of any better way
For the lost and weary travelers to go . . ."
-- Bernie Taupin, "Friends" (c) 1970
The concluding episode of the latest X-Files Mythology story arc from the pen of series creator Chris Carter takes a new direction for the series. It actually answered some of the more intriguing and lingering questions that have held viewers rapt for over four full seasons. It also provided a springboard for further speculation and the opportunity to delve into the murky waters that are the Mythology. Questions and answers are my approach for assessing a Mythology episode, and "Redux II" had plenty of both.
The theme of friendship runs through the episode from start to finish. From Skinner's pronouncement in his confrontation with Mulder at the hospital to Section Chief Blevins' advice to Mulder in the private meeting before the climactic scene, everyone seems to want to be Mulder's friend. Even CSM proffers friendship to Mulder. Fortunately, Mulder is savvy enough to realize just who his friends are and who he can and cannot trust. That's important enough in real life; in the world of The X-Files a misjudgment along these lines usually proves to be fatal.
Let's talk about the writing first, since I have always maintained that the story is of paramount importance to me. To his credit, Carter went out on a limb and gave us something of an anomaly: technically speaking, if we are to believe what we saw, then Mulder's quest to find his sister is over. In one of the more poignant scenes in the episode, we finally see the reunion of the Mulder siblings. David Duchovny brought what I thought was just the right amount of ambivalence to the Mulder character, including the right amount of discomfort at learning that Cancer Man is Samantha's natural father. This revelation, while startling to Mulder, has been hinted at since "Talitha Cumi" at the end of Season Three. Although it wasn't apparent and addressed in this scene or later in the episode, the news should bring a new perspective to Mulder and his own sense of guilt. If he believes Samantha, (and if she is indeed his sister), then the reason she was abducted in 1974 as opposed to him should now be obvious. The potential fallout from this discovery in terms of Mulder's relationship with his mother is also staggering to consider. By revealing the nature of Samantha's relationship to CSM, Carter has opened the door for more conflict within what remains of the Mulder family. CC has put the "fun" back into dysfunctional. ;)
Conversely, I found Megan Leitch's portrayal of Samantha to just a little too weepy. Carter played our heartstrings like a Stradivarius at the reunion scene. But somehow, I feel that Samantha should have been more willing to spend more time with her brother and to see her mother again. All the tears shed by Ms. Leitch didn't ring quite so true as she drove off after seeing her brother for the first time in twenty-three years. After four years of following Mulder's relentless pursuit, I just expected more. I couldn't believe that Mulder would just let her walk away as he did, nor that she could walk away so easily.
Carter continued to take chances when he appeared to kill off CSM. We know in our heart of hearts that he's still alive. My position is that no body equals no death. But the (pardon the expression) execution of the shooting of CSM was consistent with recent developments within the hierarchical structure of the Consortium. We knew CSM was in trouble with his superiors; I just didn't expected them to try to eliminate him now.
CC has still kept the alien aspects of the conspiracy alive through the developments in "II." I felt all along that Kritschgau's story was the lie we (and Mulder) were supposed to believe. We had simply seen too many EBEs to buy the story that they were a confabulation. While it's true that this information did come from CSM, it came from him at a point when he was trying win Mulder over as a convert. CSM knows that Mulder values the truth, and that's why I believe CSM when he says that extra-terrestrials do exist and that Kritschgau was lying about their nonexistence.
There was an interesting subtle subtext that worked very nicely for me. During the televised Senate committee hearings, one of the Senators talked about "science done openly and with free will." The irony here is that it was being watched by the Elder (Don Williams), whose Consortium has been conducting experiments in secret and on unwilling subjects. Mulder talked about the same set of circumstances with regard to Scully's cancer in one of his conversations with Skinner. So, in many respects, "II" gave some of the answers we have sought for so long.
I thought that the acting in "II" was good but not exceptional. Gillian Anderson rebounded from her off-week in "Redux" with another fine performance. With all of her scenes confined to one locale, she managed to portray multiple emotions realistically. Her detached woman of science while she was getting her radical treatment from the doctor contrasted with her emotional outpouring with her mother as she questioned and then searched for her faith. She even managed to be the voice of reason while those closest to her argued about whether or not she should have the microchip implanted. Her scenes with Mulder depicted a genuine care without being sappy. The makeup artists are to be commended for their splendid work in making her look as if she really were in the last throes of a losing battle with cancer.
David Duchovny had some nice scenes, particularly in his confrontations with Bill Scully, Jr. and CSM. The problem I had with DD's performance were his scenes with Scully. Of particular note was his scene where he collapsed at Scully's bedside while she was sleeping. He looked clumsy and unnatural as he slumped, as if he didn't know what kind of physical contact he needed or wanted while Scully slept. I've watched the episode three times and still can't figure out if he wanted to caress her hand, to press it against his cheek or swallow it whole. He was much more natural the morning after, when he was talking to Scully before his meeting with Section Chief Blevins.
There was a certain awkwardness to his meeting with Samantha, and that was as it should have been. She is his sister, but he really doesn't know her; he hasn't seen her in 23 years. They've gone from adolescence to adulthood without seeing each other. People change a lot across that kind of time span. DD displayed a very realistic discomfort in meeting Samantha.
Mitch Pileggi was never better as the stern but compassionate AD Skinner. You always got the feeling that he would bend the rules as far as he could for Mulder, from their confrontational opening scene in the hospital to their discussion of Scully's cancer in that same setting later on. Pileggi expressed genuine concern at Mulder's tactics, yet he effortlessly displayed his tender side when he heard of Scully's remission. His face when he walked into Scully's room after hearing that news displayed genuine joy.
Among the supporting players, Sheila Larken once again stole the show as Margaret Scully. She was a rock, even as her daughter's spirit was crumbling. Calm, reassuring, yet expressing the kind of concern that only mother could have for her dying daughter, she remained steadfast and rational as her daughter was reduced to tears. This scene could have become a cliched mess, with the two of them sobbing in each other's arms. Thankfully, CC had Ms. Larken stand tall and reassure her daughter that her faith had not been lost. It was refreshing to not see Margaret Scully's character cry. I really wish the writers would come up with a story or two that would grace us with more screen time for Ms. Larken.
Pat Skipper as Bill Scully seems to have the angry young man act, uh, down pat. He has a soft, menacing voice that hardly ever rose above a whisper in his conversation with Mulder. He used his inflection to get his point across without resorting to increased volume. If we see more of frère Scully, I hope he's given the chance to display a broader range.
Limited range seems to be the right description for Charles Cioffi and his portrayal of Section Chief Blevins. His only true reaction shot was when he hastily entered his office after Mulder's accusation. That cornered animal look was way over the top. Finally, Bill Davis's CSM was superb. He managed to make me like his character despite all the things I've seen him do to M & S over the years. Credit CC with writing the great part for CSM, but it was Bill Davis who pulled it off on screen. It was no small task to have CSM humanized to the point of eliciting a sympathetic response from the viewing audience in spite of his character's unsavory history.
Credit must also go to director Kim Manners for his deft pacing of this episode. Along with Manners' skillful direction, special mention must be made of the efforts of editor Lynne Willingham. She spliced together several diverse scenes into a smooth, cohesive body. I believe that this is Ms. Willingham's first editorial assignment on The X-Files, and if so, this was a most auspicious beginning. On her first time out, her work rivaled the best of my personal favorite, Heather MacDougall.
Mark Snow's score this week more than made up for last week's blaring orchestral movements. The soft, sweet piano background music that filtered in during many of Scully's hospital scenes evoked multiple emotions as I watched. The heavy, foreboding cello that adorned CSM's encounters with the Elder (sorry, but I have this thing about calling anyone "Chubby Italian Guy" ;) struck just the right chord. This week, instead of yelling "TURN IT DOWN, MARK!" I found myself saying, "This music is absolutely gorgeous!"
With so many positive things going for it, it would be tempting to say that "Redux II" was a great episode, especially following on the heels of the dreadful "Redux." By comparison, "II" was a work of art. But for all its successes, "II" failed its one big test: the curing of Scully's cancer. I know that what CC wrote was within the confines of the world he has created. But the way I interpreted the cause and effect, it come out like this: the microchip doesn't cause the cancer; the removal of the microchip does. No matter how you slice it, this is pretty hard to swallow. This translates to Scully having to keep that chip imbedded in her neck forever if she's to survive. Since Scully discovered the chip by walking through a metal detector at FBI headquarters, this (the removal of the chip) could hardly be blamed on Chief Blevins, "the mole who was responsible for Scully's cancer." And I would be lying if I didn't say that Blevins wasn't my obvious choice for the mole. It was he who assigned Scully to the X-Files, he who wanted Mulder to lie about Skinner being the mole, he who was reluctant to have Mulder tell his story and he hadn't been seen since "Conduit." The evidence that he was the mole practically leapt off the screen.
"Redux II" packed a lot of action into a one hour broadcast. It answered many questions that had been lingering for years and opened up some new possibilities. Will Mulder still be as vigilant in his pursuit of the Conspiracy, now that he knows what happened to his sister? Will Cancer man surface in the near future and tell, through a flashback sequence, how he was saved by the Mighty Morphin' Bounty Hunter, whose number was on speed dial on his cell phone? Will CSM now become Mulder's ally, since the Consortium no longer has any use for him? Does Ma Mulder play a bigger role in the whole Mythology than we could possibly suspect?
I try to look at the myth arc episodes in terms of questions answered and new questions raised. "Redux II" more than met its quota of both answering questions, and raising new possibilities. I guess I can be friends again with Chris Carter. :) So, while "Redux II" was quite satisfying in many ways, it wasn't perfect. But it was close.
My Score: 9.5 out of 10