One Son

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PLOT: Mulder and Scully are put into a situation where they are in disagreement while trying to stop the Syndicate's plans.

Okay, was it me or did you see *anything* that mentioned Samantha's whereabouts in this episode? Ha! I knew it! I didn't see one thing that even remotely resembled a revelation of Samantha. This was supposed to be part of "Full Disclosure," right? Then why am I feeling like everyone left the restaurant, and I got stuck with the bill?

If anything, Carter and crew forgot that one little detail pertaining to Mulder's sole drive to find the truth. They even mentioned Samantha in "2 Fathers" when Cassandra informed Mulder that the woman he met last year (in Redux II) was not his sister. That's great. So where is she? "Up there...with the aliens." Great answer! Now tell us where she really is! How aggravating is that? When most every other bit of the conspiracy is revealed, the one most important to Mulder is not even mentioned in this episode.

True, an alien invasion is definitely something to worry about in the overall scheme, but Carter and crew forgot the one thing that help hook many of us from the pilot episode: Samantha's abduction. The only thing we know for certain is that Samantha was part of the Syndicates' many abductees including Cassandra Spender, who were "sacrificed" for the alien/human hybrid experiments. But it doesn't give us or Mulder any reassurance as to her whereabouts or any other form of closure.

Another irritating thing is that Mulder doesn't seem to care. True, his brilliant mind figured out what all the experiments were about and that his father was very much a part of that conspiracy along with Cigarette Smoking Man. Yet, Mulder is more concerned with whether a former lover, Diana Fowley, is really not whom she appears to be or that Scully is acting uncharacteristically "emotional" around him. We all know that when Season 5 began, Mulder witnessed many of the conspiracy elements under the Pentagon. He was more than convinced that his entire quest has been one big hoax and that Samantha was either dead or living another life. His undeniable trust in the paranormal was severely shakened. Mulder's off-handed remark in "Post Modern Prometheus" about "not believing" in aliens anymore was even shocking to Scully. She is trying to prove there is a scientific explanation for paranormal events not necessarily that there is no aliens. Her exposure to many events in the X-Files over the years has proven to her that science can't explain everything but very much believing in the strength of Mulder's beliefs. What happens when Mulder doesn't believe anymore? The feature film changed his views back to believing. But it certainly made him forget why he started his quest for extraterrestrials to begin with.

The most interesting part of the episode was undoubtedly the beginning after the CDC broke into Mulder's apartment and took them into some military facility. There definitely was some interaction going on in the shower scene between the two, but both shied away from any verbal responses though there was one originally scripted but obviously edited out. Mulder's "aromatherapy treatment" remark was hilarious, and the look that Scully gave Diana was priceless. Why is it that Mulder trusts Scully implicitly but when Diana is involved, his hormones get in the way? It is so obvious that she is not one to be trusted, but Mulder does even when Scully digs up the dirt along with the Lone Gunmen's help. It takes Mulder running into CSM at Diana's apartment to fully grasp her involvement in the conspiracy.

But is it too late? The good thing is that Spender literally gives back the X-Files to Mulder and Scully right in front of A.D. Kersh and A.D. Skinner. The Syndicate appear to be dead since photographic evidence shows that the alien rebels definitely interceded. Yet, noone really won. Mulder feels just as lost and confused as ever, and when we finally have something *good* to say about Spender, he ends up taking a bullet from his own father. The loose ends were not really tied up well in this episode, and Samantha's whereabouts are just as convuluted as ever.

So where does the show go on from here? With the overall conspiracy dead, it appears that an alien invasion will still take place. Though the alien/human hybrid angle may not be part of the program anymore. CSM is still alive and later episodes suggest that a new Syndicate is in place. There was no real resolution to Mulder's status with Diana, but it is undeniable the animosity that Scully has for the woman. Mulder, as usual, does not seem to take his partner's feelings into account when he has to choose between someone he has known in a "biblical sense" to someone who may very well be his soulmate. When it comes to affairs of the heart, Mulder is still clueless. So we'll just have to tread down the road less travelled with the rest of the X-Files universe.

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