"Requiem"

"I want to damn the soul of that cigarette-smoking son of a bitch."
Originally Aired 5/21/00

For anyone who thought The X-Files' Seventh Season was getting staler than a day-old donut, "Requiem" breathed new life into a series not seen since mid-Fifth Season when we first met the Spender Family and the Faceless Rebels. All of the usual suspects are back, well whatever is left of them as per usual for these season finales, including several who were only featured in the Pilot episode which adds to the excitement. I had watched this years ago not knowing the in's and out's of the series, and while I enjoyed it back then, I had no idea just what I was in store for me once I sat down and pushed play.

The teaser for "Requiem" felt just like a First Season episode, and while much of this Seventh Season has been an attempt to return to the simpler "monster of the week" storytelling of those early years, this is the first time it actually appeared authentic. From a scene lifted straight out of "E.B.E." with a fiery crash in a wooded area, to someone "losing time", it was actually the moment I spotted the puddle of green blood that I knew this episode was going to be something special. While we've seen all of this before, it still felt fresh and exciting. I believe this is my first time viewing the teaser too, which is excellently staged by veteran series director Kim Manners. I could only recall the events of the episode from the time a pair of teenagers are caught in the woods til the ending, so I must've joined it in-progress during the wee hours of the morning on TNT.

Among the familiar faces returning is one who hasn't been seen since the middle of Season 6, which I actually didn't mind her absence since she's mostly useless, the shadowy Marita Covarrubias. This is without a doubt her best appearance on the series since she's lacking both her annoying wispy manner of speaking and her awful helmet hair. Why couldn't Laurie Holden have acted this way from the start? I wonder how she was actually cured of the effects of the black oil, but the bigger question is why is Krycek locked away in a penal colony. One small line of dialogue explains that away, with the Smoking Man stating he had Krycek locked up for selling his secrets, which is typical Chris Carter fashion. While more scenes with Krycek may not be essential to the episode's plot, it would be nice to see more of the rogue agent at work, but all is forgiven this time since Krycek is finally given a chance to get the upperhand. *That* was a long time coming.

With the NCAA Championship music playing in my head, Krycek's "One Shining Moment" is a "passing of the torch" moment as it appears the Cigarette Smoking Man is done in by the man he originally hired to sabotage Mulder's quest for the truth. It's ironic that I don't ever recall hearing the Cigarette Smoking Man referred to as "Cancer Man", though I've read that nickname for years around the internet, and now it's clear the man actually does have cancer. He's vastly deteriorated compared to his earlier appearance in "En Ami" and now he's forced to smoke his cigarettes through a clamp on his throat, which is a great visual among many on The X-Files that I'll never forget. It's interesting to note that the Smoking Man seemed to accept his fate and the loss of his life's work during earlier appearances this season, almost acting eerily remorseful. Now he's suddenly back to his evil ways in a last gasp to resurrect his "project", but his greed got the better of him because he shouldn't have expected Krycek to roll over and be his lap dog again.

Those familiar faces from the Pilot would be Detective Miles, his son Billy who's now an officer too, and Theresa Hoese. It's also a fun way to return to the earlier seasons' trend of having Mulder and Scully work with local law enforcement, and this time it's Billy who's assisting rather than actually being the "X-File" like before. Billy tells Mulder and Scully that a Navy Pilot crashed with an unidentified object, which always seems to be the case with these events. Seems to me that none of these UFO's ever have a smooth landing, so you'd think the aliens would eventually learn to land after all of these years. Aside from that, the excellent visuals of the series continue with teens in the woods that encounter a strange, radioactive force field, which causes one to thrash around in a wild blurred effect, while the other ran away after his flashlight heated up. Mulder and Scully even return to the exact scene of their previous alien encounter when Mulder painted an "X" on the highway. And speaking of alien encounters, Skinner even has one himself when he witness the alien craft taking off, which might be the most important moment he's had on the series; it's at least a close race with him telling off the Smoking Man in "Paper Clip."

Lastly but not leastly, are Mulder and Scully who investigate their last case together, which begins with them as the focus of an investigation. The two are being audited over their outrageous expenses, which is a moment that should have happened years ago! Many of my reviews have always pointed out Mulder's globe-trotting, and even the times where the two of them will criss-cross the United States multiple times in a single episode. "Requiem" is no different as Mulder travels with Scully to Oregon, only to return later along with his boss Walter Skinner. The audit is not exactly essential to the plot of "Requiem" but it's more of a way to reflect back on how Scully's views have shifted over the years. When asked whether she believes in aliens, she simply states, "I've seen things that I cannot deny." The disappointing part is that much of this scene ended up on the cutting floor. If anything, I'd rather have lost the second scene with Mulder and the auditor and kept Scully's entire scene intact. I feel that's more essential to the overall storyline of Scully continuing on without Mulder in the next season. It also seems like no episode is safe from unintentional comedy because I laughed when Mulder ordered the kid to fetch Scully some water; where's he supposed to get that in the middle of the forest? Oh, Chris.

With all of the returning faces, I felt like the Smoking Man resembled the Emperor from Star Wars though in the past many have referred to him as the "Darth Vader of the series." Here he seems more like the Emperor trying to pull the strings and failing before Vader tossed him down the air shaft, much like Krycek dumped him down a flight of stairs. In "Requiem" every character was used effectively, unlike last year's finale where a few of the familiar faces only appeared briefly. I'd almost say it's a home run episode if it weren't for the final two words. But that said, bring on Season Eight anyways! This fan's energy is renewed.

As usual, I'll conclude with my Top 5 episodes from Season 7, and oddly enough I feel like this is the first season where the mythology episodes were stronger as a whole than the standalones.

My Top Five Of Season 7
1. "En Ami"
2. "Je Souhaite"
3. "Closure"
4. "Requiem"
5.  "Orison"

Honorable Mention: "The Sixth Extinction Part II"