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PLOT: Doggett is shot, and evidence points to Reyes as being the prime suspect.
Parallel universes have always been intriguing in science fiction lore. Comic books such as the old Superman and Batman titles have shown an alternate Earth where our heroes actually have some semblance of a normal life as well as being crimefighters. The "Back to the Future" trilogy suggested a parallel universe by having a mother fall in love with her future son than her future husband. Some of the most bizarre X-Files episodes in the last couple of seasons feel like they were made in a parallel universe. So the concept is applied to the latest episode, "4-D", as in the Fourth Dimension. I'm sure the fact that he lived in apartment 4-D was just a coincidence.
Besides leaving us with numerous questions in how this doorway works and how Lukesh ever discovered it, "4-D" sets up another strong Reyes episode that further highlights her intuitiveness and strong feelings for Doggett. It definitely was much more consistent in that regard than last week's "Daemonicus," where Doggett ended up taking center stage by the end of the episode. No such problem in this one as Robert Patrick had a relatively easy episode by being laid up in bed for most of his scenes.
Again, we are dealing with a very delusional villain in Lukesh, who craves a certain power but is pure evil. He shows no remorse for his crimes and even kills his own mother after she threatens to expose him. That's rather ironic considering her constant nagging and mettling was an obvious influence on his choice of victims and the "trophies" he keeps. Through some dumb luck, Lukesh is able to literally enter another world to vent his own inner frustrations and anger.
Though earlier episodes have informed us that Doggett and Reyes have a certain shared history involving Doggett's son, we still have no real clue as to how close they really are. Considering that Doggett visited Reyes on the day she moved into what appears to be a rather luxurious apartment, it's not difficult to believe that they certainly are good friends off duty. The shock shown in Reyes' face when she encounters an unconscious Doggett only strengthened that belief. Besides revealing her heartfelt concern for Doggett, Monica also shows us that she is honestly affected by it as well. When the evidence points the finger at her, Monica is deeply offended that anyone would believe that she would purposely hurt her partner.
Until Reyes surmised her parallel universe theory, I found it rather interesting in one scene where Reyes, Scully, Skinner and Follmer went to the hospital to visit Doggett after he was set up with that rather strange technological device to communicate with. Follmer told Scully and Skinner in no uncertain terms that Doggett never mentioned them, only Monica. That was a rather strange comment considering the previous episode hinted at Doggett's own longing for Scully. Is it possible that this parallel Doggett may not have worked with Skinner and Scully? The teaser showed Follmer, Doggett and Reyes working on what appears to be a non-X-File type case, since Lukesh was suspected of being a serial killer, nothing paranormal. Reyes is undercover in this scene. How often did Mulder and Scully ever go undercover on their cases?
I'm not really sure what to make of Follmer thus far. He is very reminiscent of the irritating Agent Spender, but Follmer has the authority to back up his threats. Follmer seems to like to swing that authority around at a drop of a hat even treating fellow A.D. Skinner as a lowly Agent rather than the same rank. What exactly are his motives? He just seems to want to walk up that promotional ladder without any true concern for whoever gets in his way, even former lovers. Are we supposed to be enamored with this guy? Yet, I'm not sure if the writers are that certain of what to do with him, either. In the season premiere episodes, he acted like the typical straight shooter. He wasn't willing to sacrifice his career to help Monica or her partner. In this episode, he seemed like a reluctant ally.
As for Reyes, this is the first true episode where she seemed more like a full character than just something nice to look at or chuckle at her amusing little insights. Thus far this season, she has seemed the most consistent character than even Doggett. Like Mulder, Monica is willing to believe in alternative solutions to a mystery and definitely had a wild one in her parallel universe theory. However, unlike Mulder, she is not willing to scream her beliefs out to anyone that will listen if she doesn't have any real evidence to back it up. In fact, she only confided in Doggett even if she knew he wasn't going to believe it. Again, the writer is wanting to show how close she and Doggett truly are in their partnership.
I'm not exactly sure what Scully's role was in this episode. "4-D" seemed to show that Doggett and Reyes can very well carry episodes without her direct involvement. Other than her medical expertise and some support for Monica, I really didn't see a reason that she needed to be in the episode. That's sad to say considering that she is the link to the past, but then again, if this series is going to have a future, that link may not need to be so pronounced at times. Besides, I thought she had an assignment teaching classes at Quantico.
Though "4-D" was compelling to watch, the plot certainly had enough holes in it. Wouldn't the Lukesh in the alternate reality be similar to the one whom Follmer killed? Why didn't Lukesh just escape to the other reality if he knew that the FBI was watching him? What exactly happened to Doggett when his alternate self (the one who was shot) appeared in his reality? Is the alternate Monica Reyes, who had her throat cut and tongue taken, still alive? Why is that particular alleyway the door to the other universe? Why was the alternate Doggett willing to sacrifice himself so that Monica would get back her Doggett? Questions upon questions...
In the end, this was another enjoyable episode. Unlike Season 8, it seems the writers are more willing to use the stand-alone episodes as character builders for Reyes and Doggett. That makes it much more interesting to watch than just another mundane "been there, seen that" villain. Erwin Lukesh is certainly no Donnie Pfaster or Eugene Tooms. His presence definitely was needed to help move the story along, but it was the strong characterizations of Doggett and, particularly Reyes, that made "4-D" above average and very watchable.
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