Monday, February 15, 2016

The X-Files Mini-series Episode 5 Recap

In the fifth episode Mulder and Scully communicate with a comatose terrorist. With just two episodes left, this doesn't look like it will delve in to the overarching conspiracy. I guess they're are saving that for the final episode this year.
Check out my X-files mini-series recaps.

David Duchovny in The X-Files
Welcome to the modern rendition of The X-files.
Recap: Episode 5 Babylon
This is my least favorite episode this season, worse than the muddled opener. It's a meta joke that never should have been made. Mulder and Scully are reduced to silly caricatures of themselves and we get two agents, Miller and Einstein, that are caricatures of Mulder and Scully. It feels like the modern remake of The X-files, and this remake misses the heart of the original. It misses what made the original good.

My guess is that the facsimiles of Mulder and Scully are primed for a full season reboot since Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny have indicated they aren't interested in a full season. I wouldn't be surprised with a season eleven featuring Miller and Einstein.
Robbie Amell, Lauren Ambrose in The X-files
Young Mulder and Scully in a flashback? No!
It's agents Miller and Einstein.
This episode opens with a Muslim man praying. He picks up a friend and they drive to a museum. Before entering they ask Allah to ease their task, and then the building explodes.

Agents Miller and Einstein are on that case and come to Mulder and Scully.  Miller hopes to find a way to communicate to a comatose terrorist. Miller is the Mulder clone, open to the possibilities of the world.  Einstein is a more acerbic Scully, a medical doctor that stick to science. Mulder and Scully can provide no help.

At the airport, Miller and Einstein discuss their meeting. Einstein pities Scully stuck in the basement office, seeing it as a punishment. Miller opines the X-files as a dream job.

The only reason Scully would be there is because she loves Mulder, Einstein adds. Miller posits Mulder must value her open mind. It's this strange meta conversation that seems to have no relevance. The audience knows these things, we don't need the show to tell us.We especially don't need an episode about it.
Gillian Anderson, Robbie Amell in The X-files
Is next season Scully and Miller?
Scully calls Miller. She has an idea to communicate with the terrorist. Mulder calls Einstein. He also has a means of communication. It's too much of a wink and nod, and it's not even that clever of a joke.
Lauren Ambrose, David Duchovny in The X-files
Or is next season Einstein and Mulder?
Scully's method is to monitor brain waves, while Mulder's idea is to take hallucinogenic mushrooms. We're really distilling them down to absurdly simple ideologies.

What a strange trip this season has been.
The Lone Gunman cameo in Mulder's country western trip. The only catch is that Einstein gave Mulder a placebo. The power of suggestion is strong... I guess? Yet somehow, Mulder heard the location of the terror cell in his trip and the case is wrapped up before any more harm occurs.

This episode is just goofy. Mulder has a fake mushroom trip, yet still solves the case. The X-files became more humorous around season five. I still like the creepy episodes the best and this episode is definitely not creepy. The comatose terrorist is unnerving with his injuries, but it's not the same thing.

This episode concludes with Mulder and Scully walking hand in hand talking about everything they learned this episode and about the power of suggestion and hatred. Maybe I'm longing too much for the original episodes, but I'm pretty sure nobody asked for a modern remake. I believe the fans wanted more episodes like the original run.

It's a disappointing episode. The final episode goes back to the mythology. I'm glad this shortened season only devoted two episodes to the myth-arc. Any more would have just been a drag on the season.

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