A review on the 2^nd movie: Requiem.

The announcer said, "Stay tuned for scenes from the season finale of The X-Files." Then the teaser began. It was a bit odd.

It did my heart good to see Bellefleur, Oregon for the geographic stamp, as I realize that is where the original abductions w/ Billy and Teresa took place. I got excited immediately.

Did you notice the dispatcher said, "All units, we've got a 10-13?" LOL. Unless that is an actual term, and even if it is, I laughed (and nudged a visiting Phile at the reference). That's called "integrated humor." Yay.

Got chills seeing the burning forest, Detective Miles, and the green ooze.

I thought they might change the tag line. I was sort of hoping for "The Abduction is Out There" or "Say Goodbye to Mulder" or "See you during sweeps, Mulder. Thanks for flying the friendly skies and enjoy your flight." Okay, not really, but I really did expect another tag line. Normally, last eps of the season get tag lines. OTOH, if this had been the *last* ep, it would have been appropriate to have kept the tag line. Not a big deal.

Is *anyone* going to watch "Opening the Tombs of the Golden Mummies"? Poor Hugh Downs.

I loved having the auditor there. He didn't take over the show but it was amusing to have him holding them accountable for their alien escapes, as it were. It's about time someone actually started checking on them. Mulder said, "We could start sharing rooms," and Shippers' hearts started beating wildly (of course, they would say M&S have already been doing so, for quite some time, but...). When Mulder said "Nothing has been resolved exactly" in regard to his sister's abuction, and then didn't answer the auditor when he pressed further, I felt enormous relief and joy, b/c it means we still have a chance for a more satisfying "closure" to Samantha's final destination/demise than w/ the happy, starlite children. I didn't buy it then, and I don't buy it now. Too hippydippytrippy for me.

I liked this ep b/c it was very straightforward and didn't lead in all sorts of new and unexplained directions (EXCEPT FOR THE LAST TWO MINUTES, which I'll get to shortly). The auditor and Scully pretty much summarized the mytharc w/ regards to the forthcoming alien invasion (or that which was to be and which might still occur) and the abductions. Scully did note that she was left barren, which gave me pause until those final two minutes. I was not sure why this was information the auditor needed to know.

I had no idea Krycek was in a prison in Tunisia. I was very excited to see Marita there, rescuing Krycek on CSM's order. "Alex. If it was strictly up to me, I'd leave you here to rot, too."
KickAss!Marita!

I loved the fact that Mulder and Scully's job was summarized as "information gathering, something it seems to me you can easily do on the internet." It really resonated, as so much of the show's popularity has of course come about as a result of the internet. And then it's great that M&S actually have to go out and *investigate* the plane crash (though w/out permission).

Nice to see the next generation of Billy Miles and stoner dudes.

Great exchange:
M: Yeah, but I never actually assualted an auditor before.
S: Did you hurt him?
M: I reduced his vision a little bit.

After the call from Billy Miles, Scully turns sassy as they decide,
w/ that wonderful "unspoken communication," to pay Billy a visit.
S: I don't know how we could possibly justify the expense.
M: We'd probably turn up nothing.
S: Let's go waste some money.
They are completely on the same wavelength, going for broke, and this is *not* your seven years ago Scully. :)

Nice to see the Watergate Apartments again. Man, was I afraid we were going to see Diana Fowley taking care of CSM. It was wonderful to see the continuity of CSM dying and to see that, even on his deathbed, he was still interested in "rebuilging" the project Thank goodness, some things never change. And then I thought I would lose it when I saw the cigarette put through the hole in his neck. That was just ghastly.

Terrific special effects when Gary, and later Scully, get spun around in "the energized" area.

I also like the symbolism of having a flashlight burn up, as we've come to associate flashlights (along w/ cellphones) w/ M&S.

Crashes, coverups, denials, abductions. The good old days.

Deja vu all over again, says Mulder. How nice to see the X at the "anomalous electronic disturbance" site.

Scully asked whether the missing detective was "Married? Single?" and Billy says, "Married. New baby." Again, I'm thinking that something's going on here...I just couldn't put it together yet.

Also nice to see Teresa Nemen again. Then Scully gets handed the baby and we see how comfortable she is w/ him and how intently Mulder is watching.

Mulder in black t-shirt. Sweet.

Maybe it was unexpected to see Mulder be sp forthcoming, but my favorite scene is when Mulder lies down next to Scully in bed to try to get her warm. It was romantic in the classical sense. It was about Mulder trying to protect the woman he loves. My favorite scenes are always angst!ridden Mulder and/or Scully scenes, but this was seemed especially true. The ep takes its interesting turn when we find out that it is not *Scully* but *Mulder* who is at risk of being abducted.

I finally got it when Ray turns out to be the bounty hunter (I never said I was quick in figuring out the mytharcs). Everyone was being abducted again, though I still didn't understand why.

"There's no God, only alien. What we call God is only an intelligence much greater than ourselves." I thought that was a powerful statement from CSM to Marita.

How much will I miss hearing Mulder shout out "Scully" for half a season? (Or "Mulder, it's me.") I also am not surprised that Mulder understood that the abductions weren't random. However, there was no way he could know that b/c of the alien activity in his brain, *he* was being targeted, not Scully. I'm glad Scully figured it out, and I'm sorry he took her so long.

Bounty Hunter always gets away. Sigh. I wish the alien had killed him in The Unnatural last year, instead of the other way around. Of course, then there would have been *another* Bounty Hunter.

I couldn't believe Mulder called Skinner Walter! I guess he had really given up at that point. Whenever the basketball appears, you know Mulder is either really bored or really discouraged.

Great line:
Skinner: You could bring home a flying saucer and have an alien shake hands with the president. What it comes down to Agent Mulder is...they don't like you.

What was nice in this scene was:
Skinner admitted that his contribution to the FBI was dubious. That he who first brought Mulder and Krycek together b/c of Scully's abuction brought them together again. And *this* time it wouldn't be b/c of Scully but Mulder. I really wanted to see Mulder take Krycek out.

Krycek says, "I want to damn the soul of that cigarette smoking son of a bitch." And who of us hasn't thought the same thing! I also liked Marita calling CSM Cancer Man. They don't call him that very often.

Although it was wonderful to see the LGM back on TXF (Hail, hail, the gang's all here) it felt a little bit forced. It was sort of like a Very Brady Abduction.

How poignant for Mulder to say, "I'm not going to risk losing you" (followed by movie music) and Scully answering, "I won't let you go alone." Unfortunately, he left b/f she had a chance to stop him, and fortunately he will be back next year, in one form or the other. I don't think I could have tolerated it if DD had decided not to come back. Scratch that. I would *not* have been able to.

Mulder looked fine in his blue jeans (and it's been quite a while since he's worn a pair). Well, he wanted to be comfortable for his flight.

I think using the "anomalous brain activity" as the key to who got abducted was a brilliant solution and a fine example of continuity for a change. In addition, after Mulder enters the energy field, he slowly approaches and then enters the light and looks up, as Scully once did w/ Cassandra, obviously *not* under his own control (or else he would have gone after the Bounty Hunter). Terrific parallelism. I was especially thrilled that Skinner *finally* saw the ship take off (and again, more movie music), b/c now he is a true believer, realizing that Mulder is on the ship. I hope Skinner gets a lot of air time next season.

Now here's where it gets murky for me. The scene w/ Krycek, Marita, and CSM is note perfect, as Krycek "sends the devil back to hell." CSM continues to think that his mission is heroic, and whether he lives or dies, he will not have perished in vain. Now we need to see whether or not Krycek works *with* Scully and Skinner or against them (I'm going w/ the former). And Krycek and Marita stepping over CSM indicates that *they* will be the ones assuming power, one way or another. However, for some inexplicable reason, CC then decides to throw in the hospital scene and the pregnancy. We *know* that Scully is going to find out about Mulder's disappearance and will make it her quest, so no surprise there. In fact, she would make it doubly so b/c she would feel herself responsible for his abduction; he went back to Oregon to protect *her*. What, then, is the pregnancy doing there? Is it b/c CC feels that a woman cannot be whole unless she has a child? And have we not already deal w/ this issue vis a vis Emily/All Souls? Why must this be revisited?

Furthermore, not only does it take away from her search for Mulder (b/c she is pining for him but at the same time estatic at her own fertility...was it not enough for her to merely have to deal w/ the angst of his disappearance?), but it calls into question *how* she was able to get pregnant (Was it Mulder? I doubt it, and if so, then she will be trying to find the baby b/c it's his...that shouldn't be the reason! Was it CSM's? Then we wonder if she would want to have it at all. Was the Bounty Hunter at all responsible?) but how this will affect her ability to search for Mulder and the fact that she will be torn over her and her baby's well being's and Mulder's. Was this necessary to introduce? I think it's bogus and completely gratuitous and while it didn't take away from the power of the episode, or my interest in seeing how S8 will play out (much to my surprise, I might add, but it's clear 1013 still has something left to show us and answers to reveal), it infuriated me. Then again, what's an episode w/out a ponderous CC monologue (guess he didn't have enough information to give us one at time of filming) or something that infuriates?

So I am waiting for someone (and I'm not counting on CC) to tell me *why* we need a pregnant Scully and why this had to occur in the last ep of the season (I am assuming this is what would *not* have been stated had a S8 not been given the go ahead).

But I did love this episode, and I will pine for Mulder until he returns. And I should add that the last two minutes were beautifully acted (MP as well as GA showed off their acting chops)--they just weren't appropriate, IMHO.

And thus another season ends. Why do I let 1013 torture me this way?

As a postscript, I hope that Vince Gilligan gets even more creative control next season, and I wave a sad farewell to Now and Again, a series that ended far too soon...here's hoping another network picks it up.

See you next season. :) Maybe. :)