X-Files Rerun "One Breath"

"You got him killed! You got her killed. That's not going to happen to me. You're my tool, you understand? I come to you when I need you. Right now you're heading in a direction that can lead them right here."
Originally Aired 11/11/94

With this episode The X-Files completes its first, and possibly the best, story arc of the series. "One Breath" is considered the end of a trilogy of episodes involving the abduction of Agent Scully but its roots can be traced all the way back to the first season's finale, "The Erlenmeyer Flask." That episode ended with The X-Files unit being shut down as a means to separate Scully and Mulder, however when that still didn't work, forces within the FBI (or even higher in the government) set in motion a plot to abduct Scully.

"One Breath" begins with Scully's mysterious appearance in a hospital on life support and Mulder seeks to find out who took her, why, and if she can survive. David Duchovny is asked yet again to carry an episode of the series, but this time there are plenty of outstanding performances from a number of supporting players. I knew I was going to like this episode from the moment I pressed "play" on my DVD remote back in 2009, yet it wasn't until a year ago when it finally sunk in and surpassed all others to become my favorite of the series. One of the reasons it became my favorite is because it features nearly all of the supporting players that we have seen until this point in the series and each of them is given time to shine. Frohike from the Lone Gunmen is dressed in a suit and tie when he delivers flowers to Scully's bedside, showing a softer side to his character; Skinner gets a moment where he bonds on a near father-son level with Mulder; the mysterious informant X appears to aid Mulder yet warns him that he will not let Mulder cost him his life; and the poor Cigarette Man lives alone and watches old war movies. Definitely not what I was expecting out of a high-ranking member in a government conspiracy.

An odd bit of trivia that I discovered is not only was a main character on The X-Files in a coma during the second week of November in 1994, but the same thing was happening on another FOX series. The 5th Season episode of Beverly Hills 90210, "The Dreams of Dylan McKay", featured Dylan in a coma after a car wreck and he also had visions of his father. Pretty strange how two FOX shows used the same plot device within a day of each other.

At this point in the series, Mulder and Scully are not in love, yet there is a friendship which goes beyond their respectful working relationship; even Mrs. Scully points out his level of respect for her daughter. That's why its not surprising why Mulder decides to stay at Scully's side rather than face the men who are responsible for taking her. If this was any other scenario with a mutated worm or a downed U.F.O., he would have risked his career and even his life for answers, but that's not the case when it comes to Scully. As I have become much more of a fan in the past 5 years I've realized the series was never about aliens, its about that connection between Mulder and Scully. I feel this episode sums up everything The X-Files ever was, or hoped to be, within its 45 minutes, making it the best of the entire series. That theme wasn't only featured in "One Breath", Mulder makes this choice at other pivotal moments in the series, too.

I feel like I have come such a long way since I purchased my first season of The X-Files in 2007. I was only interested in creepy moments, such as the Flukeman and the Peacock family, but now here I am in 2013 writing about how much I enjoy the relationship between Mulder and Scully.