"all things"

"And I'm not wearing any pants right now."
Originally Aired 4/9/00

I read a brief quote from Vince Gilligan where he said they took the most risks during their seventh season, or something to that effect. I initially wrote it off as the same statement a musician makes when the current album being released is their best work, and also maybe he took personal risks with his COPS "crossover" episode. However, after watching "all things", I've realized his statement is true. While every season of the series up to this point has taken risks, like series star David Duchovny writing and directing an episode in the sixth season and director Bob Goodwin writing "Demons" in the fourth season, this year has taken the most collectively. In addition to the COPS episode, David Duchovny wrote and directed another episode, William B. Davis wrote "En Ami", Vince Gilligan also directed his first episode, the series crossed over with Millennium and included Lance Henriksen's "Frank Black" character, the Samantha Mulder story was concluded, and now Gillian Anderson has an episode in which she both wrote and directed.

I really wanted to like "all things" since I liked "The Field Where I Died" which was also a controversial episode, but I'm still struggling to fully express if I liked it or not. I appreciate the effort from Gillian and the fact that the show attempted many different styles of storytelling, so chance encounters and "what if's" sounded like an interesting concept to explore. I've always wondered, probably too much wondering, if things I had done would be different if I'd only taken another action instead. Although if I had, it would've resulted in a different 'Andy' who is currently writing this review. Perhaps I may not have even become an X-Files fan in the first place.

The 'holistic' healing is a little weird though, with a lady telling Scully that she recovered from cancer when she cleared her mind. That's also following something else I failed to mention in my review for "En Ami", that a religious family believed God would cure their son only if it was his will, so they shunned medical treatment. That reminded me of the present day scenario with families opting to not vaccinate their children. I think your mental health does affect your physical health, such as when people worry themselves to a sickened state, but I don't think it works backwards with diseases going into remission when you clear your mind. I think maybe this woman had a chance encounter with the Smoking Man's cure for all diseases from a few episodes back. She also said accidents happen when we're not paying attention- yeah, it's called not watching the road, lady.

The episode failed to grab me the first time through, in fact it's the first time I've fallen asleep multiple times since Season 4's "Kaddish." Perhaps I was hypnotized by all of the water droplets, pencil tappings, and ticking noises throughout the episode. There really didn't seem to be much of an "X-File" to be investigated, although several last season weren't traditional cases either. It also seemed odd that Scully had another 'mid-life crisis' moment of not wanting investigate with Mulder... didn't she learn from what happened the last time when she hooked up with that guy with a talking tattoo?? Well this time it's a chance encounter with a man she loved before joining the FBI and The X-Files, a doctor from her time in medical school. It's already been established she liked older men, when it was revealed she had a relationship with her instructor at the FBI in the first season. Maybe it's not the fact that Scully feels she's longing for a past relationship that didn't work out and wondering how things would be if she hadn't joined the FBI, it's the line where she says, "I want everything I should want at this time in my life." I guess it must be that she 'sexed' Mulder, and is actually having doubts....and BOOM! I'm a shipper. I guess I really am a 'shipper' after all since I'm wondering about her feelings for Mulder and when she came to that realization. 'Shipper' has always been a dirty word for me since many fans seem to take their enjoyment for the Mulder-Scully relationship to the extreme. I just like the fact that they have something deeper than just a friendship, but an understanding and an admiration for each other. It's not just the act of sex, but this relationship seems finally confirmed within this episode. She now seems to be a believer in other possibilities, and I think that led to her choice to to stay with Mulder and not continue with the doctor. Perhaps this is also foreshadowing her pregnancy as well. Season 7 must be the year of subtlety.

Just like last week's episode, the "B" plot of the story is weak, as Mulder is off investigating crop circles in England. Really? Crop circles? I think aliens have better things to do than burn images into fields, like burning faces with their cattle prods. Although I do like the clever hat that Mulder is wearing, which reads "Stonehenge Rocks", but I highly doubt he'd ever wear an ugly tan coat like that. Ugh... now I really am a "shipper."

"Chimera"

"You put the service back in the 'protect and serve'."
Originally Aired 4/2/00

This is like 'X-Files meets Desperate Housewives', if only this series was around just a couple seasons longer; maybe then it might have worked as a creepy parody of that ABC drama. Instead I'm trying to view it without my knowledge of "Chimera" being written as an excuse to leave Scully out of the main investigation because Gillian Anderson was tied up behind the scenes with her own episode. Mulder leaving Scully behind on a stake-out leads to a humorous moment or two when they're speaking over the phone, much like "Chinga" was before it, though the reason for even having the stake-out is a little flimsy.

Mulder off on his own to investigate a disappearance in another idyllic town also seems like going to the well again since he was thrust into that life in "Dreamland" and then posed as a married couple in "Arcadia", but "Chimera" adds a different and darker twist. Mulder is actually rooming with a sheriff and his wife as he investigates a murder but finds himself in the midst of a love triangle. It also goes back to the old formula from past seasons when Mulder was working with local law enforcement, twisting it so that now that officer becomes a possible suspect. The domestic life that isn't what it seems, combined with the disappearance of a wife, also reminded me a little of last year's movie Gone Girl. "Chimera" doesn't have the same twists and turns as that story but I got the same vibe. Maybe that's what the movie was lacking- a good supernatural monster.

It seems to me like whenever the X-Files team had a script that didn't quite "click", they didn't try a new idea, they just kept hammering away on the first idea til they got something that might work. That strategy isn't always sound and I think this episode suffered a little. I liked the murder mystery and the revelation of "whodunit?" but I don't get a sense that any of the characters really clicked. Maybe they weren't supposed to due to all of the affairs or I'm missing a cut scene or two, possibly. For what it's worth, in a season of "back to basics" X-Files tales, this is one that is truly back to the good old days and isn't the worst that I've seen this season (or will see.) Although, "it's not the worst" isn't much praise..

"En Ami"

"Wow. I'm learning a whole other side to you. You're not just a cold-blooded killer. You're a pop psychologist as well."
Originally Aired 3/19/00

Finally, the Cigarette Smoking Man is back! These last few seasons have been light on Ol' Smokey, limiting his scenes to only the big event, two-part installments of the on-going conspiracy since Season 5, save for a fantasy sequence as a Nazi in Season 6's "Triangle." Not only is the character back for an episode, but the actor portraying him- William B. Davis, also wrote the script. His scenes in the episode are paired with Agent Scully and it's interesting to see those two interact with each other. This is the man responsible for her cancer so it's only fitting they finally have a face-to-face "confrontation." I can't recall a time where they ever had any scenes together except for those early moments when the Cigarette Smoking Man would lean against a filing cabinet and smoke. I believe she's met every other Syndicate baddie, both the Well-Manicured Man and the 'lead' Elder in Season 3, and Deep Throat long before them.

Just like the ending to "Theef", this is one I saw in the early morning hours on TNT, so I must've watched "En Ami" after that one ended. Either way, I saw this long before I began watching the series in order so my only knowledge of the series' most important villain was only through the "Duane Barry"/"Ascension" two-part story. After seeing the "how" and "why" of the entire cancer storyline with Scully unfold over the years, this episode has a bigger impact than it would've back in 2007. I've read online that some say this episode is out of character for Scully but my opinion differs. This is totally in-line with Dana Scully- why would she ignore a news report of a child who was miraculously cured of cancer? Especially when the boy also has a similar scar on the back of his neck and even the Smoking Man's mention of a chip cannot be ignored. The Smoking Man has always believed his actions have always been for a just cause, and he's viewed himself as a hero, so I chuckled when he told Scully he's doing God's work. Scully is also far from out of character since she realized she might be in the middle of another game of the Smoking Man, whether he actually is doing "God's work" or not, so she wore a wire and attempted to mail cassette tapes back to Mulder for evidence. She'd be a fool to not try to protect herself, because after all, this is a man who murdered his own son Jeffrey. ...or am I the only one who cared about Agent Spender?

It's also neat to see the Smoking Man's office...if it really is his office. In my head I called the building, "Syndicate Central", since we've never seen much other than that smoke-filled office in New York where the Elders would meet to discuss catastrophes that threatened their secrets, like alien rebels and black oil. There has to be some kind of behind the scenes work like that, complete with offices and secretaries, since they did all those experiments with clones and vaccines. Might have been a fun reference to the past if the building was labeled under the Roush company banner.

Not only was it interesting to see a new wrinkle to the series with Scully and the Smoking Man, but they also brought back the grey-haired "Man in Black" from the Fight The Future movie as the Smoking Man's shadowy assistant, and even the Lone Gunmen get a fun appearance when they're each disguised as a different member of the trio. Although this is also a bitter sweet episode because it's the last to be directed by long-time series director Rob Bowman, who's been with the show since late in Season One and also directed the movie, too.

As I'm writing this, I did realize I've been mistaken about any interaction between the Smoking Man and Scully, since it was just a mere four episodes ago when he appeared in her apartment to tell her of his involvement in the abduction of Samantha Mulder. I also said that scene was foreshadowing his larger role in this episode, which this episode and even Season 7 as whole seem to be slowly working towards Scully's character evolving into a "believer." I recalled Scully and Smoking Man interacting but now I can't remember a time when the Gunmen met Skinner. After 7 years of reviews I should've learned to take better notes on these matters. I do have to say that even though I enjoyed this one for what it was in 2007 as a fun goose-chase for a cure for cancer, I now have to say it's the best episode of not just Season 7, but since "The Unnatural." I guess I truly have transformed my own character beliefs, just like Dana Scully, as I'm now a firm believer in the character episodes than the "monster of the week" episodes.

"Theef"

"You do keep me guessing."
Originally Aired 3/12/00

Months ago a friend and I met at a theater to witness an amazingly horrible horror movie called Annabelle. I'm always skeptical of these modern horror movies because haunted objects/possessed people are done to "death", though this one was surprisingly high on unintentional comedy as we ended up laughing constantly throughout the last third of the movie. It all started with a comment about having "black juju", and I'm using that to segue to this week's episode "Theef", which is centered on juju of the bad variety. I was going to say voodoo, but Mulder tells us that it's "hex craft", which is basically due to a doctor's bad juju.

While watching "Theef", it dawned on me that even though this is a 'back to basics' horror story, it still follows the trend of recent seasons. We always seem to follow the villain more than our heroes now, while the early seasons were more about Mulder and Scully uncovering the truth the same as the viewers do and also butting heads with local law enforcement along the way. "Theef" gives ample screen time to it's "villain", Billy Drago as 'Oral Peattie.' I actually spent a good chunk of the episode distracted by a few plotholes, such as how did Peattie get from the backwoods of the Appalachians all the way to sunny California, and also how he was able to track down the Wieder family if he can barely operate a microwave. I guess giving as much screen time to the villain as they have been doing, these standalones live or die by how effective the villain is, and Billy Drago eventually won me over. I really don't care how he trekked across the country because it actually adds to his 'creep factor'. Basically everything from the 'death by microwave' scene to the moment 'Executive Producer Chris Carter' appeared on the screen is "full of win", as kids on the internet would say.

I also feel like my attention span and memory is becoming as awful as the internet because I seem to forget how much I liked the previous episode before the current one has even ended. I was ready to claim this as the best standalone of Season 7, just like the internet jumps from 'meme' to 'meme', but I remembered a few of the earlier episodes such as "Orison" and "Hungry." Both of those were heavier on darker plots and horror elements than Season 6's lighter entries and are not to be easily dismissed. That's also what I enjoyed about "Theef" were it's horror movie elements, like borrowing a corpse in bedroom resembled Norman's mother in Psycho, and Peattie carrying a severed head is much like Jason's mother in Friday the 13th Part 2. Speaking of X-Files' former episode staples like local law enforcement, the early seasons also seemed to have a fondness for exhuming bodies. I've never seen so many exhumed bodies in all my hours of TV watching than I have with The X-Files. I think this is the first exhumation scene since the third season... but I'm not counting.

Even though I started 2007 with using a gift card to purchase discounted DVD sets of The X-Files' Seasons One and Two following a few reruns on the Sci Fi Channel the previous year, I believe my 'fandom' fully kicked off in the spring when I happened to catch a few reruns during the early morning hours on TNT. They were actually in Season 7 when I joined their cycle of episodes and I caught the closing moments of this episode. I did eventually see the full episode but it didn't strike me as anything special. Viewing it again several years later and given it's placement in the series, the moments with Scully and Mulder actually lift the episode above the average. While the writers/producers weren't sure of The X-Files' fate beyond Season 7, this episode (combined with "The Sixth Extinction" and "The Goldberg Variation") seems to hint at Scully becoming a believer.

Microwave popcorn will never be the same again!

"First Person Shooter"

"He's getting his 'ya-ya's' out."
Originally Aired 2/27/00

Just like the previous episode, "X-COPS", I held off on watching it until I could watch it with another person. There was greater significance for "X-COPS", but a good friend of mine and I share a love for action movies, so I had a feeling this would be up our alley since it's full of effects, guns, and lots of cheese. The cheese factor was really high this episode as evidenced by the dialogue, with lines like, "Scully's in the zone!"

If I wasn't aware that this episode was written by William Gibson and Tom Maddux, who also wrote Season 5's "Killswitch", then I'd have argued that this was the work of Chris Carter; he is credited as the episode's director. It feels like a companion piece to his canceled series Harsh Realm, which happened to air concurrently with this season of The X-Files, that is until it's early cancellation. Much of this episode takes place within a highly realistic virtual reality video game, similar to Harsh Realm's setting of military-simulated virtual reality. In Harsh Realm, a human character played by Terry O'Quinn hi-jacked the video game from within, while in "First Person Shooter" the villain is actually a character that has taken control of the game. Even the level in the video game in "First Person Shooter" resembles a setpiece from the series Harsh Realm.

As I stated before, this episode was another 'computer-gone-bad' episode from William Gibson and Tom Maddux, and part-way through I was actually wishing that I'd rather be watching their earlier episode, "Killswitch." I didn't like it because it felt very dated, mostly because of the 'Invisi-Goth' character, who was a very bad stereotype of what a hacker/loner/computer chick would be. This time around, it's very dated because of it's cornball dialogue. It might not be as bad if the writers didn't feel the need to give everyone lines that felt ripped off from the Ninja Turtles and Spicolli from Fast Times At Ridgemont High; "radical!" The saving grace is actually David Duchovny, with his sunglasses that he wore throughout his time within the video game. I don't know why it made me laugh but it did. An appearance from the Lone Gunmen is always appreciated, especially since this season has been very light on appearances from the trio. In fact, this might even be their first appearance so far this year.

I could very well be wrong about this episode, though. If it was made as a parody of action movies and video games, maybe it's ahead of it's time since this is far before Call of Duty and other console-based shooters became hugely popular, much like Vince Gilligan's "X-COPS" seemed ahead of the 'found footage' trend. All I can recall from this era were arcade games you had to feed quarters into at the mall, Doom for computers, and games like Duke Nukem on Playstation. This episode even has the busty babe which is an action movie staple, also a slow-motion walking scene with the heroes (maybe it needed doves like in a John Woo movie), and a scene spoofing Basic Instinct, so it possibly is more farce than anything to be taken seriously. I still feel like the 'computer-gone-bad' is a well they've hit too often, following "Ghost In The Machine" and "Killswitch."

The odd thing about Season 7 is that it seems to have more high points with it's mythology arc than it's standalones, and I'm not sure why that is, since the mythology is actually not as compelling as it was a year ago. I guess they can only do so much with alien rebels and bounty hunters, because just like I stated during the fourth season, I like the way Carter turned inward for his stories and centering on the characters themselves than the fantastic elements. The two-part installment of "Sein Und Zeit" and "Closure" would be an early favorite for me if I were to rank the season at this point, although a few "new" episodes still remain. Those would be "Chimera", "allthings", "Hollywood A.D.", and "Fight Club", though I caught about ten minutes from both "Chimera" and "Hollywood A.D." years ago on the SyFy Channel when I was still a new fan. Those 4 remaining are actually the final four I have left of the entire series as I've previously watched all of 8 and 9.

"X-COPS"

"I don't think it's live television, Scully. She just said [Bleep]."
Originally Aired 2/20/00

Possibly the most hype I've ever placed on an X-Files episode was given to this Vince Gilligan-penned episode, "X-COPS." It already seemed like the most daring episode the series ever attempted, then combined with it being one that my grandma always seemed to recall when I'd mention X-Files in our conversations. I always watch the series by myself, for the most part, but for this one I'd made it a goal that I wanted to watch this episode with her when it came time to view it. Waiting six years placed a lot of hype on it and created an even greater aura around it than most of my "unseen" episodes. I even waited an extra weekend just to watch it with her, putting last week's "First Person Shooter" on hold, although I usually fall behind around this time of year as it is.

While I used "daring" to describe this episode, I don't feel I can quite use "love" or other adjectives like that to describe "X-COPS" yet. I do understand and appreciate the effort on the part of Vince Gilligan and the entire X-Files crew, even the FOX Network too, for going the extra mile to make it feel like an authentic episode of COPS. While The X-Files theme is present, the typical score from Mark Snow is not; the time stamps are missing and replaced with COPS graphics; the episode began with a disclaimer and the COPS intro; but the best part is that a few faces are blurred throughout the episode. While this episode was being produced on the heels of The Blair With Project, I don't think they (or anyone else for that matter) realized that the found footage gimmick would eventually take off like it did, from movies like Cloverfield and Chronicle to episodes of television series like Supernatural. Now it's a trope that nearly every television series has borrowed from, so it's amazing to think The X-Files was ahead of the pack by almost a decade, and they even used it in the most creative way- through a "crossover" episode.

There's a lot more to love in this episode too, mostly on the part of Gillian Anderson. I love how Scully backs away from the camera crew, hiding behind the door of an ambulance while Mulder questions a deputy, asking if what he saw was a werewolf. I initially thought Scully was hiding because she didn't want to be seen on camera, but instead we find out it's she doesn't want this to embarrass the FBI. Mulder is loving it, since he might actually have proof on video, and his remark about not being on live TV is another highlight. Actually, the best characters in the episode would be an homosexual African American couple- Steve and Edy. I don't know if those two are legit actors or just extras they found on the street. It reminded me of Homicide Life On The Street, where the scenes of the detectives questioning witnesses feels realistic, like they're actually filming real residents rather than extras. Edy is the typical "flamboyant" homosexual, as he wants to look his best on camera after putting on a headband, then starts singing show tunes after asking when he'll get his own TV show.

Another interesting wrinkle to this episode is that while previous seasons used a pattern of having Mulder and Scully encounter hesitant law enforcement officers that didn't want them around, "X-COPS" flips that on it's head. Here, they're welcomed into the investigation and seem to be leading the charge in the search for an "invisible fear entity", though there is still a skeptical deputy, whose "f bomb" is the best moment in the episode. Out of all of the episodes filmed for the series, some 200 episodes, this appears to be the one that was the most fun to film. I believe there was even episode of Kolchak that had an invisible monster too, but I can't recall any details, but I just wanted to add that to the list of similarities between the two series.

Despite appreciating the effort from all parties involved (The X-Files, FOX, and COPS), I just don't love this episode as much as I wanted to. It looks more fun than it actually is, I suppose, and I felt the same way about Shaun of the Dead, too. I really enjoyed the brilliance of a romantic comedy-zombie mash-up but it never brought a belly laugh out of me, only mild chuckles. Only time will tell for X-Files though, because some of my favorites would eventually win me over instead of hooking me instantly. ("One Breath", for example.) The number of "new" episodes also continues to dwindle, as I'm down to "First Person Shooter", "Chimera", "Hollywood A.D.", "all things", and "Fight Club." What was once upwards of 100 is now enough to count on one hand.

"Closure"

"I have this powerful feeling and I can't explain it, but that this is the end of the road and I've been brought here to learn the truth."
Originally Aired 2/13/00

...I liked it, I truly do. After so many years of stories and "what if's", and even reading so much discussion on the internet of this episode's outcome, it seemed like it would be an impossible feat to please the majority of X-Files fans. Heck, I'm even in the camp that wished "Redux II" would be true and that perhaps Samantha had some kind of "Stockholm Syndrome" from living with the Smoking Man following her abduction as a child. It's almost like the TV series Lost, where there was just so much mystery building for 6 seasons that it toppled like a house of cards, leaving many unsatisfied when that series' finale aired in 2010 (myself included.) One friend thought for sure the island was actually a submerged space ship with an island on top and that's how it was able to move across the ocean and never appeared on any maps. Another friend had a theory that everyone was dead following the plane crash and the island was really Purgatory; he was right in a sense that the final season's alternate timeline was indeed Purgatory. My theory that I wanted to see occur was that another plane would crash and the series' events repeats itself in a cycle, given that two ancient characters on the island said it would happen again. I'm sure many other X-Files fans had their own theories too over seven seasons of television.

Like many installments on the series' mythology, Mulder and Scully have separate investigations, and in this instance Scully returns to Washington D.C., in what seemed like a reversal of a prior episode "Orison" when Mulder said the case was over. This time, she had another series villain waiting for her in her apartment, the ultimate villain in fact, the Cigarette Smoking Man. However this time he wasn't a villain, and that's what I enjoyed most of "Closure." He informs Scully that Samatha is in fact dead, and when she questions why, he says that he wanted to give Mulder hope. Everyone needs hope, which is what some find in a belief in God and religion, and Mulder is just like everyone else with a need to believe. The Cigarette Smoking Man even made mention in a previous episode that his belief is his religion. If the Cigarette Smoking Man is indeed Mulder's father, then it's unfortunate that he loved him more than Jeffrey- he gave Mulder hope but then shot his other son. Not so much of a good guy after all.

Another interesting aspect of this episode is the inclusion of the character of Harold Piller, a police psychic, played by Anthony Heald. Like Mulder, he's struggling with the disappearance of his son, and both loses are what has driven each character. At first he appears as another in a long line of reluctant psychics, like Season 3's Clyde Bruckman, and he even states maybe he was given his gift to help others cope with their loss. Instead, I've realized he serves a different purpose upon conclusion of this episode- that he is in fact the opposite of Mulder. He represents the old Mulder we're used to. Season One's "Deep Throat" had Mulder being led to an air force base only to return after dark. This time, it's Harold who leads Mulder there and they both return after dark to hop a fence and sneak in. Our Mulder has changed so much over seven years. At the beginning of the episode he said he just wanted it to end, to find his sister, and by the end he accepts her fate and moves forward. It's Harold who refuses to believe.

To add humor to a heavy episode like this, and also to further another connection to Lost, I think Lost got it's awful "flashback toupee" from The X-Files. Maybe they even bought it from one of those celebrity prop online auctions.

As for the conclusion to the Samantha storyline, I really don't see another way it could end. The events of Season 6's "One Son" spell out her fate without implicitly stating, that she was really taken by the Syndicate as a sacrifice. While Season 4's "Paper Hearts" did toy with this possibility, that she was abducted by a criminal, I think that might actually be cheating the fans in the end if that's what actually happened. That would be the ultimate bait and switch- "we've told you this happened all along, but nope, just some random murderer did it." Instead, while it wasn't aliens, being abducted by the series' true villain serves the series and it's fans much better. The Smoking Man confronting Scully even foreshadows an upcoming episode of this season, "En Ami", written by the Smoking man himself- William B. Davis. That episode was probably in scripting stages while this episode was created, so I'm sure Carter added this scene to set the stage for further events. Too bad that forward thinking was happening less and less over the years.

The only fault with "Closure" could be the "star dust/starlight" theory, especially since Samantha was taken into starlight after all of this testing at the April Air Force Base. Why not take her sooner? I don't find this 'gimmick' to be offensive though, since it allows Mulder to finally see his sister almost 30 years later when she appears with the starlight children. And isn't there a theory, the Big Bang Theory (not the tv show), that we were created from star dust? Nothing is out of the realm of possibility on The X-Files. During Season 5's "Redux" episodes, I even said I liked the smaller, more personal episodes and if anything, Season 7 has been a return to those episodes. Maybe there was forward thinking from Chris Carter after all. If Season 6 is when they "blew it up", then it makes sense for Season 7 to return to being about the core characters. Mulder was even watching Planet Of The Apes... "you blew it up, you maniacs!!"

"Sein Und Zeit"

"I've been looking for my sister in the wrong place. That's...what my mother was trying to tell me."
Originally Aired 2/6/99

I'm not entirely certain how I feel about this episode yet. For being a serious tale about a child abduction which takes a page out of the JonBenet Ramsey case from the mid-90's, it starts out on a bizarre "meta" note and took me out of the episode. Mark Ralston (famous for roles in 80's action sequels Aliens, RoboCop 2, and Lethal Weapon 2) is seated on a couch and is watching a Chris Carter television series within another Chris Carter television series. I wondered why an actor with some credibility like that would mostly be featured in a scene where he says he enjoyed a TV program, when it dawned on me that he was actually in an episode of that other Chris Carter series, Harsh Realm. Maybe they signed him for a two-for-one special. The other weird meta reference is that the man hired to be his lawyer is named Harry Bring, which in real life is actually the name of a producer of The X-Files. Maybe not nearly as witty and as self-referential as "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" or an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but it's still strange to throw in multiple references within a dramatic episode of the mythology (which will be revealed later.) Scully even paraphrases a line from Dr. Zaius in the Planet Of The Apes, when she says "don't go looking for something you don't want to find" to increase the number of references.

I do like how this doesn't appear to be a typical hour of the series' mythology. In fact, it's more like Season 4's "Paper Hearts", when Mulder was investigating a child abductor and personalizing the case. Mulder begged Skinner to be on the case and travels across the country to California, to which he has to report back to Skinner by noon, and seems like a really short time frame to accomplish all of that traveling, investigating, and reporting. An even bigger mystery is how he discovered this case so quickly without assistance from Deep Throat or another informant sliding files underneath his door. Not only does he travel quickly from one side of the country to the other, he also makes a pit-stop to a women's prison in Idaho. I guess this was also back in a pre-9/11 world when air travel was easier. I had a similar thought when traveling by train for the first time in December, as the whole experience was very light on security as opposed to the security check points and regulations when flying on a plane.

What makes this episode more than just a typical standalone investigation is a brief appearance from Mrs. Mulder, who I believe was last seen in Season 4. I don't think she even appeared at all during Season 6's "One Son", not even in the flashback sequence that featured Bill Mulder. This proves that Mulder wasn't grasping at straws when linking the case to his sister because his mom was doing the same thing. Whatever the connection may be is not known, yet it was great enough for her to burn photographs and commit suicide. I dug the scene where Mulder comes to the conclusion that his mom was killed by the remaining members of the Syndicate, since he's lost so many loved ones that he can't bear to lose her too. His mom always appeared so cold and even slapped him during one of her appearances, yet it's still his own mother. I think his mom even appeared in that Season 4 episode, "Paper Hearts", just like she does in this episode. If this week's episode is referencing the tone of "Paper Hearts" (there's even a photo the Cigarette Smoking Man had in Season 5!), last week's episode felt like one from Season Two, and "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati" felt a little like a reversal on "One Breath" with Mulder in a hospital instead of Scully, then they might as well draw from the best of the early years if they're going to be borrowing past storylines. Maybe I'm just drawing my own conclusions and believing there are connections like Mulder does on this case, and I could be wrong, but I want to believe it's that Chris Carter is trying to bring the story of Samantha full-circle. But if so, I'd prefer they went the route that could've been taken in Season 5- that Samantha is still alive and held prisoner by the Syndicate. Maybe not a "prisoner" in that she's in a jail cell or a salt mine, but similar to the Stockholm (Helsinki") Syndrome and she was brain-washed by the Smoking Man. It's just my personal preference though, since storyline-wise it makes no sense, because Smokey's "end game" was using Spender as an inside man against Mulder. If he had Samantha all along, he could've went that route instead and had easily won the battle over Mulder long ago.

As for the episode itself, the common thread that Mulder discovers is a line in a ransom note that read, "No one shoots at Santa Claus." It's revelation that some guy is using his Santa's Village disguise to videotape, and then later abduct, children is uber creepy. Even worse than Donnie Pfaster in his underwear in "Orison." After watching this episode again and completing this review, I've come to the conclusion that not only do I enjoy this episode, but it's the most solid effort of the first half of Season 7. I'd place "Sixth Extinction" and "Hungry" just behind it. The best thing of the entire episode might the name given to a character which is called "World-Weary Dad"; where the heck does Chris Carter come up with these names?! I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this two-parter in next week's "Closure" and also the rest of February. All four episodes this month are "new" to me, and not only that, but "X-Cops" is one I must watch with my grandma since she's mentioned it a few times over the years that I've been watching the series in order. Following February, only four more new episodes will remain this season.