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PLOT: Mulder finds new information concerning Samantha's abduction, and with Scully's help, finally finds peace.
I have some rather mixed feelings about "Closure." On its own merits and as a conclusion to a two-parter, it is another incredible emotional and dramatic experience and ranks among the best the series has ever offered. Yet, when it is to be a part of the overall myth of the series, it falters, and the sense of closure that Mulder feels at the end of the episode is not entirely felt by this particular fan and, undoubtedly, to many X-Philes as well.
Citing the good points first so as not to take away from the scope of the episode: I found that this was a tour-de-force performance by David Duchovny. He was able to convey the emotional roller coaster needed for Mulder to make the audience fully aware that there is still a huge and very open scar that has never healed and has had more salt poured into it with the suicide of his mother in "Sein Und Zeit." If the sudden loss of his only living relative was not enough of a trauma, he finds further evidence of his missing sister's whereabouts. The passion Mulder has in finding his sister is never deterred, though he was admittedly distracted with his mother's death.
The need for Mulder to have closure was never more evident than when after field agents exhumed 24 small graves at the Santa Claus village, he was dejected to find that Samantha was not among them. Compare this to his reaction in "Paper Hearts." When John Lee Roche reveals to Mulder and Scully the grave of one of the two remaining and unidentified girls he murdered as Samantha, Mulder could not even wait for other field agents to exhume the grave. He furiously dug away at the site, because he could not prolong his suffering any more. Roche had further reignited the fire that burned within Mulder for Samantha. Not surprisingly after the incident, Mulder still kept up the hope that his sister was still alive, and only he can find her.
After Mulder meets Harold Piller, who claims to be a psychic that can help with the Amber Lynn LaPierre case, he hears a familiar tale of "walk-ins" and "starlight" that Kathy Lee Tencate had also mentioned to Mulder. Based on this rather vague reference, Mulder starts to believe what Piller is telling him including a visit from Mulder's dead mother. I must admit that was rather exceptional. The effect of seeing the dead Mrs. Mulder standing only inches away from her son was very effective if not rather chilly. This is the kind of paranormal event that attracted me to the series in the beginning. There was even more of it at the dilapidated Air Force Base. It was one powerful image to see all the souls who were associated with that one place dating back to at least World War II. It certainly would have been interesting to find out what each of them may have experienced at the base. Judging from Samantha's own diary, it may not have been very pleasant.
All of these images and the obvious resolution that will come from it is what made "The X-Files" stand out from most science-fiction series. There is an emotional connection to the audience that makes us care what the characters are going through. Earlier in the series, it was Mulder's pain of losing his sister at such a young age. Then Scully went missing and came back only to develop cancer. And both lost people very close to them. The emotional baggage they carry has helped make their larger-than-life characters more realistic in our eyes as well as continue that emotional connection so crucial to fans.
Unfortunately, that is where the flaw of this episode lies. The emotional connection of the audience to Mulder and Scully is very powerful. We have witnessed their trials and tribulations, especially when it came to Samantha. Though it was an absolutely wonderful episode on its own merits, "Closure" felt rather empty when compared to the other mytharc episodes dealing with Samantha's disappearance. How can we forget the excellent Season 2 episode, "Paper Clip," where Mulder and Scully found a *recent* tissue sample in Samantha's file? Then there's the other Season 2 masterpiece, "Colony/End Game," where the Bounty Hunter confirmed to Mulder that Samantha was still alive. Since he was ready to bash Mulder's head in, he had no reason to lie. And as recent as "Two Fathers", when Cassandra Spender affirmed that Samantha was alive. What can we believe from all of this? That Carter and Spotnitz may have been biting off more than they could chew with stretching the Samantha saga all this time.
It certainly doesn't help to know that Smoking Man knew
very well that Samantha was dead or so he says when he came to visit Scully. Actually, he *believed* she was dead, since he has
no idea of her whereabouts any more than Mulder does. From the recollection of the ER nurse who last saw Samantha in 1979, she
described Smoking Man coming to take Samantha away. However, just like Amber Lynn LaPierre, she was no where to be found.
Hence, this little detail nags at me. There is no physical evidence of Samantha other than a diary and medical reports. But they are
inconclusive and give no real clues to Samantha's whereabouts.
I did like that Scully was using all her resources at the Bureau to help Mulder in her own way. She gets a Bureau expert to examine Mulder's deep-regression hypnosis sessions. This little detail was rather interesting. Why after all these years do we only now find out that there was a *video* tape of Mulder's sessions? Yet, the expert did not believe that Samantha was abducted by aliens any more than Scully does. And what he said made sense. There were 16 years separating Samantha's disappearance and Mulder's regression therapy. As he indicated, Mulder had many possibilities roaming around in that brilliant mind of his. It's kind of strange that something as extraordinary as aliens would be what he believed the most. Possibly since this was the most acceptable explanation to Mulder that would result in Samantha still being alive rather than the other more plausible one: that she had been taken and was violated in some way prior to her death.
Nevertheless, it was Scully who finds out that the Smoking Man had more than a passing interest in the Mulder family. And she also discovers that Samantha was admitted into a hospital in 1979. The only bad thing was that Mulder was too much in his own dreary and confused state to fully appreciate her devotion to his quest. She knows that the only way for Mulder to finally find peace is to find every avenue that Samantha may have passed and revealed herself to the world.
The ending was very impressive both visually and dramatically. Mulder knows that he has reached the end of a long road and says so. He has finally opened up to the truth: His sister died a long time ago. How she died and what exactly happened after that is very much debateable. Yet, it doesn't take away from the sheer poignant moment that a painful chapter has finally closed for Mulder. He is free and ready to go on with his life. Where that may lead since the series is obviously coming to an end is going to be interesting to find out.
It is difficult to ignore the holes in this resolution regarding Samantha. This plot reminds me of the weird show, "Twin Peaks," which has been recycling on the Bravo channel along with "Moonlighting." Everyone wanted to know how Laura Palmer died, and we only found out later that creator, David Lynch, didn't know either. Though Chris Carter is much more consistent, even he can tend to be ambiguous when it came to Samantha. It was his brainchild to have Mulder lose a sister, which would help channel his interests in the X-Files. Yet, when a resolution is finally had, it doesn't seem like it fits with everything else that was revealed before. Can it be another misdirection? With this show as of late, I certainly wouldn't be surprised.
Still, the characterization by David and Gillian was very much on in this one. These two play off each other very well, and the writers know that. It makes this episode bittersweet in a way. The most cherished of X-Files has finally been resolved (at least in Mulder's eyes). That just makes it even more sobering to know that the season is almost over, which also means the series. And the two most wonderful characters ever created for television will be no more. At least, until the movies come out. Nevertheless, it will be a sad day in TV Land when this show finally goes. Let's hope that the final episode doesn't leave us disappointed.
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