React: A Late-Canon Reviler Gives the Revival a Try (Home Again), Part IV
This is the one Revival episode I was semi-curious about: it may drum up a lot of heartfelt ~emotions~, but my glasses-on-emotions-off side is dying to be intrigued or surprised or… placated.
It’s gotta happen at some point during this series.
Part I (My Struggle I), Part II (Founder's Mutation), and Part III (Weremonster).
Let's go!
HOME AGAIN
It’s Home Again tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime~.
Oh, no.
(Note from the future: Looking back, this sign makes me want to rage.)
…Why are the firemen antagonistically hosing down the homeless?
“You people?” In D.C.? In 2015? Sure, Jan.
This man’s career woulda been over in five seconds.
The firemen’s careers woulda been over in five seconds.
The police wouldn’t be standing by eating food on the job while supervising, what?
Does.
Do the writers remember how police procedurals work?
Do….
Do the writers not care about the casefiles anymore? Well, yes; but… do they not care… at all?
Guys, if I read this in a fanfic I’d have already skipped to the end, skimmed through the last paragraph, and closed the tab.
Solomon Grundy or the avenging Angel of Death or the Homeless Havoc Haver got off a dumpster… truck… and.
I’m not taking any of this seriously.
If the MSR is really good, I’m going to save all my snark for the plot.
It’s a stinky one already.
THE POLITICIAN GUY STARTS SCREAMING, THE BAD GUY STOMPS IN, RIPS HIS ARMS OFF, AND THAT KILLS THE POLITICIAN GUY?? RIPPING HIS ARMS OFF???? REALLY???
And no, he didn’t rip him in half-- he ripped his arms off.
All the homeless people zipped up their tents knowing the dead garbage... thing was coming-- so, do they have protection from it, or are they afraid of it?
Also, why did that soda can crunch up before the garbage truck even arrived? A visual that the Garbage Gargantuan was coming? …Before he actually, physically arrived? Even though he apparently can’t manipulate matter in that way himself? Or hasn’t shown himself to do so, yet?
It’s all kinda… shoddy.
“Sir, are you there?” said the most unconcerned voice on the other end of his discarded phone. …You couldn’t give me… something?
Wait, the garbage truck dropped him off, drove off, then had to drive back, I guess, to pick him up mere minutes later. Less than five. Less than three, even.
That makes no sense.
Here they cooooooooooooooooooooome….
Oh, that’s where these outfits came from. This episode.
Scully still has her middle-aged wine mom low-cut, very unprofessional-- and your girl knew how to be hot and professional back in the day. (I’m not even saying she has to be prudish, I’m saying why that shirt? Leaving it unbuttoned would work for a softer blouse, but hers has stiffer fabric, which makes the shirt bunch weirdly. You can see it particularly in the uneven collar and wrinkled lapels:)
Wait, what’s that weird, discolored stripe on Mulder’s left chest? It’s not a shadow from the tie, I don’t think. Is it a wet patch? A thinning patch of fabric?
Also, yes, this episode is a rip-off of Arcadia, who cares.
“Well, it looks like this person was born with no footprints. …Which is impossible, by the way.” Yes, Mulder, the team knows, THEY ASKED YOU ON THIS CASE. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the cuts didn’t hold too long or end awkwardly. Whoever was in the editing room really hampered the already questionable quality of their material.
Scully’s voice isn’t as “smoker” anymore.
WAIT, WAIT, HOLD UP. NONONONONONONONONO.
Mulder just looks out a window and sees a MURAL of the KILLER??????????
WHAT, DID THE HOMELESS POOL THEIR POCKET CHANGE, BUY PROFESSIONAL GRADE ART SUPPLIES, AND PUT GARBAGE GARY UP ON A BILLBOARD?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
MULDER AND HIS HOMELESS ART, TAKE TWO, I GUESS.
Maybe it was a local artist who heard the homeless stories and put it up, but....
Wait.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Scully has Bill’s name. In her phone. As William.
As.
William.
AS.
WILLIAM.
That was purely to tease the fans because there’s no way Bill goes by William.
Scully doesn’t even call Bill ‘William.’
Wait.
Those aren’t Scully’s nails.
Did the hand model casting department even try.
I WAS RIGHT, oh, look, it changed due to Scully’s ~trauma~, I guess.
The writers and cinematographers and directors didn’t even try.
Why would Scully have Bill in her phone as ‘William Scully, Jr.’ and not Bill? He’s Bill to her, not ‘William Scully, Jr.’ the 2nd, ™.
She didn't: it was a ~ trauma mirage~.
And a badly done one at that.
The writers tried to have a little “oh, look, it’s William!” moment, but the caller layouts are completely different. 'William' is front-and-center whereas the 'William' in 'William Scully Jr.' is shoved off to the left.
They should have done an extreme zoom-in on the ‘William’ part of ‘William Scully, Jr.’, then a snap over to Scully, then a snap back showing Bill's full name. It would get the point across without being nefariously baity.
(Note from the future: This makes even less sense in retrospect.)
Shoddy scene splicing, what’s new?
Bill was in Germany, huh. Guess he’s still in the military.
WAIT.
Maggie, who is in Maryland, next to D.C., had BILL listed as her emergency contact. (Note from the future: Not even that, it's worse.)
Who was supposed to be in Germany.
Instead of her daughter who is in D.C.
~~~~~~Tensions~~~~~~ I see.
Mulder immediately notices the slight change in Scully's voice and intuits Something’s Wrong. Good, good. The bare minimum, but good.
Wait, the EMTs found Bill's number on Maggie, or…?
So, did Maggie not have anyone listed as her emergency contact? ...And the writers want us to think Scully would stand for that in case of an emergency??
Well... that could be a valuable character beat, we’ll see.
Mulder telling Scully to immediately go and her “Yeah”ing and going is a good beat, too. They’re acting more like themselves... they’re acting like a 50-something version of themselves, at least; it’s good.
Don’t ruin this for me, writers. Don’t do it.
Scully’s gone and DID NO ONE THINK TO CHECK THE SECURITY TAPES??? NO ONE’S DONE THAT, YET????? NO ONE EVEN BOTHERED TO LOOK FOR A SECURITY CAMERA???
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
(WHY are we down but looking up into Scully’s face with really weird jumpcuts as she clops out of the building????
WHAT IS THIS.
This is not displaying her anxiety. It’s portraying impending madness.
THERE ARE FOUR. FOUR. MOUNTED SECURITY CAMERAS.
Mulder’s gauging the perpetrator's height based off of basketball players; but is this supposed to be a "heehee, haha, that's weirdo Mulder for ya" bit? Because his method is just... sensible and smart. (The other investigator has a split-second “what’s up with this dude?” expression, but that wouldn’t fit here because what Mulder did was, dare I say, normal.)
None of this is offensive, and it’s not drumming up real anger, so. That’s a win, I guess.
That street art was put up… this morning? THIS? Morning? How did someone scale and paint and get it all done before Mulder and Scully arrived?
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatever. Probably supernatural, anyway.
Mulder stepped in gum, then had the brilliant idea to preserve it as evidence. Smart.
Scully’s at the hospital.
Maggie’s in the hospital, alone. Ah, man.
This scene’s shot really well thus far. It has the right balance of music, the right balance of silence, the right balance of camera cuts.
And it’s immediately ruined.
WHEN MAGGIE GAINED CONSCIOUSNESS, SHE REPEATEDLY ASKED FOR "SOMEONE NAMED CHARLIE" AND NOT HER OWN DAUGHTER WHO LIVES IN D.C.
THIS ISN’T MAGGIE, WHAT.
There had better be a real-- and THOROUGH-- explanation for any of this. Maggie LOVED her little Dana and her daughter Melissa and Bill. But here we’re to assume Charlie has supplanted Melissa as the outcast or Dana as the favorite???
Really.
(Note from the future: Nope. It might be worse, though.)
To me, Dana was her "favorite"-- her "baby girl"-- all these years. The two always drew comfort and strength from each other, growing closer when Captain Scully passed and the other Scullys drifted away or died off.
But now Maggie wants Charlie. To what, right a wrong???
Scully has been shoved into this new reality of her mom not listing her as an emergency contact and only asking for Charlie-- NOT FOR HER, FOR CHARLIE-- and perhaps having suffered from health complications for a while now without filling her medical doctor daughter in on the details.
It’s so. Cruel.
“They’re estranged.”
CHARLIE’S ESTRANGED FROM MAGGIE.
WHAT.
WHERE DID THIS COME FROM.
I knew there were fandom speculations that Charlie was estranged, but I never knew it had confirmation in canon (well, the Revival canon.)
SO.
All this time, Charlie didn’t have a problem with his father-- since Bill is Captain Scully’s carbon copy and Charlie always called or communicated through him-- but with his mother.
What’s Maggie ever done? Honestly, what’s Maggie ever done for this to be her ending? What in canon pointed to estrangement or secrets from her children or whathaveyou?
If anything, this is Tena Mulder 2.0: estrangement from her son, asking for him to come before her death, keeping a health complication secret, dying without providing closure. But that’s not Maggie’s character and never has been.
I don’t understand this, Morgan and Wong or Morgan or Wong. At what point did you think this was the right decision to make for this character??
I can pick up what the writers are putting down-- no one truly knows another person, even if they think they do, etc.-- the FLAW with that logic is, we know enough about a person to notice if they're acting differently or out-of-character. And Maggie has always been a flamingly consistent person: she can’t hide her feelings and doesn’t feel shame in expressing them, she’s terrible at keeping secrets, and she’s torn apart if excluded from her loved ones’ personal lives. These traits have consistently remained the foundation of her persona. Changing them now-- so suddenly and completely-- is poor if not lazy or "hack" writing.
My fury is not solely because I like Maggie and want her to have a happy ending but because that’s not Maggie-- never has been-- and Maggie Scully would never act the way this Maggie has.
Regarding Charlie, he was never portrayed as “separate than” the Scully clan-- that was Melissa-- just always busy on military tour or whatever he was doing. He kept in contact with Bill, he let his sister babysit in Home (heh, Home Again, GET IT), and he sent presents to the family through Bill in A Christmas Carol. Maggie never seemed perturbed or disturbed or saddened or emotional when hearing his name or talking about him; and she would have been if there were something amiss.
“She, she didn’t ask for me, or for Bill, or for her grandchildren?”
The implication here is that Bill has children and Charlie doesn’t-- if Charlie had children, Scully would have assumed Maggie were trying to get in contact with his kids-- her grandchildren-- by calling him. Scully doesn’t say “all her grandchildren” or “her other grandchildren.” Nope.
So, Charlie’s not a dad, and Bill has more than one kid.
I do understand he was written as the lone guy with a wife (while Bill had a wife and kids) in Beyond the Sea, but times and lore have changed; and I’m disappointed Morgan and Wong or Morgan or Wong didn’t update their memory, too.
In a deleted script, Charlie was also, supposedly, single. And yes, that script was never produced, but I find it interesting that he and Melissa were kind of the “unattached” Scully kids, with Melissa being considered the black sheep and Charlie being considered largely absent.
“Hey, Mom. I’m here. I’ve been where you are. I know Ahab is there. And Melissa.” Um, okay. Something feels off about this, but I can’t pinpoint what.
“And Mom. I’m here.” That part can stay, wow it kinda got to me. Okay, Revival, you got something out of me. Huh. Don’t butcher this.
(‘Kay, so, I thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiink the problem I had with the first statement was that it was a little clunky, a little “remider”y. But it bridges the gap between redundant and old X-Files dialogue, sooooooooooooooooooooo. I’m not sure how to sort it.)
“Bill, Jr.’s” (guess he’s forever called ‘Junior’, huh… that’s kinda hilarious, but also out of character) “here. And William.” Her crying over William a little, realizing she talked about him voluntarily for the first time, is also a nice touch. “And Charlie. Charlie’s here.”
Too bad I’m not invested in Maggie because… welp. Review criticisms above.
“Please, Mom, don’t go home yet. I need you.”
I do wonder why this is called Home Again-- I get it, it’s a wink-and-nod to M and W’s Home title, but the material doesn’t reaaaally sync. Unless, of course, Maggie’s real proud of “her boys”, and is tossing aside Scully’s importance aside because she never had children.... Well.
…Oh, my word, the two politiciany people on the scene are so highschool play. Stop, please. “Are you threatening me?”/”I’ve been threatening you for six months.”/”Well stop.” UGH.
Lady calls police-politician-whoever a name and Mulder jokes, “You married?” and mumbles a little as the lady stumbles over her words explaining…. That’s David-humor, not Mulder-humor.
Mulder having to become the voice of the homeless while hashing out this not-married couples’ couple banter aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand. Snore.
This is like a little Professor Layton sideplot where you can’t pass down the alley you need to get to if you don’t solve a random villager’s puzzle. Groovy.
Random homeless guy says “Band aid nose man” to Mulder and walks off. That’s a clue if I’ve ever been beaten upside the head with one.
Oh, look, the mural’s gone. Groovy.
WHY are we getting a flashback to Scully’s bedside from One Breath? I get it, I do, nostalgia, etc. etc. HOWEVER, I think this scene would have been better served if we heard Mulder’s voice instead of seen his hand because, I don’t know, Scully was in a coma and didn’t see this happening, I don’t think. Unless she had a bird’s eye view above her body and just hovered there for days, I guess.
Maggie has a new coin necklace, ooooooh, the woman without secrets had secrets, ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. Ugh.
Bill called, and Scully finally called him ‘Bill.’
Bill needing to know if Maggie will die before he gets there and demanding expertise from Scully IS a Bill thing to do-- he’s probably not meaning to inflict more trauma on his sister, but he’s never paid attention to what does traumatize her. Nice, nice.
Maggie wanted to remain on life support, nice, nice, that fits with her One Breath experience and Catholic values, good.
That was a REALLY good scene, I will admit. Just having Scully watch someone else’s body be packed up for the morgue while Bill continually leeches answers from her on the other line, I wish that’s how the One Breath flashback had unfolded, too.
OH, it was a band aid, not gum, that stuck to Mulder’s shoe.
Why does the undead man need to wear a band aid on his nose.
Deadman’s neither dead nor undead. ‘Kay.
Scully’s being hyper-vigilant and boundary crossing into "doctor mode" while keeping an eye on her mom. Bored, trying to distract herself with work, nice, nice.
MAGGIE MADE A NEW DIRECTIVE WITHOUT TELLING SCULLY ABOUT IT. WHAT IS THIS, PAYBACK FOR WHAT HER DAUGHTER DID?????? But if this is payback to Scully, why is she ALSO punishing Bill??? Because Bill is being inadvertently punished: he was left in the dark, too, and only called incidentally. And even if that's the case, Scully's punishment is still WORSE. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Because of William???
Sorry, that’s not a Maggie thing to do. She mended fences between her husband and youngest daughter, embraced her despite the chaos of her life, even forgave her after the whole cancer debacle (being kept in the dark then forced into secrecy without the healthy outlet of discussion.)
MAGGIE’S JUST NOT VINDICTIVE, SHE’S NOT. WHY IS SHE NOW????????????????????????????????????????????????
Dudes are collecting the homeless paintings and selling them.
So the painting wasn’t---
OKAY, WAIT.
The mural (plural?) isn't supernatural.
Despite being completely finished and all materials being cleared away before Mulder appeared on the crime scene.
Despite two arthouse dealers swiping it before Mulder even walked away from the crime scene.
Despite them swiping it (hauling a ladder over, climbing it, unpinning the painting or whatever, climbing down, and scooting off) within minutes of Mulder seeing it from the window, checking the cameras, and going out to investigate.
With police swarming everywhere. After Mulder let the head of the team know he wanted to investigate the mural.
What.
Scully’s still dealing with this alone, ‘kay.
Not against that, either, because Mulder is busy and that is a thing he would do, even in his 50s. It’s how he operates. It’s how Scully expects him to operate. It’s how he operated when his own mother was on her deathbed (and after.) So, nice.
Maggie’s gonna get extubated.
The William screen thing keeps happening. Wish it WOULDN’T. At least do a zoom-in or weird camera angle then, not when Scully’s weirdly stumbling down the stairs.
Mulder’s here. That’s nice. Another thumbs up from me.
THIS is how you do character development: both characters acted on their modus operandi, but Mulder has grown enough to set aside time for Scully, to be there for her and help her. This isn’t after her mother’s death or after tragedy or after the truth has slipped through his fingers, this is during the long wait. Mulder’s still himself, but he’s also grown, too; and that growth hasn’t been shoved in our faces or jumped from A to B without proper explanation. Here, we get to see him make the choice and grow as a person. Further, Scully’s reaction lets us know this is NEW for her partner; and that she’s immensely grateful and touched to know he won’t leave her to do this alone.
THAT’s how it’s done.
Case stuff, who cares.
Mulder can’t stay. Scully’s going through it, doesn’t understand why her mother��s done what she’s done. Even Mulder’s surprised.
Disclaimer: this isn't The X-Files of old. These scenes may be good-- excellently acted, not too shabbily written-- but Mulder and Scully still don’t feel like Mulder or Scully. The characters (when not poorly written or wildly butchered) don’t even come close to the essence of IWTB, at times: as badly as that movie fell apart, at least Mulder and Scully retained a spark of their original selves. Here? DD and GA act as twins or doppelgangers. They’re not Mulder and Scully, they’re Clone!Mulder and Clone!Scully who exist separately from the juvenile nature of the cases they investigate, who exist only to sit near each other and talk over their past, and whose very existence and nature are determined by the writing flavor of the week. There’s no cohesion and no point to the plots-- there’s only a hint of Mulder and Scully, and, hopefully, a quiet second for the characters to absorb. And that’s not even a guarantee, anymore.
Mulder following after Scully and gently pulling her back when Maggie needs to be extubated-- good character moment. Scully not caring about the bigger questions right now-- also a good character moment.
The unfortunate darting on Scully’s top makes it look like she’s really cold in that hospital. (What an oddly constructed shirt, anyway. …Kinda just want to stare, marveling that it’s both: stiff and silkyish, has buttons and doesn’t, and isn’t naturally low-cut but is? ...I don’t miss 2015's fashion.)
A Home music number as someone gets murdered? Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
Buuuuut why the lady and not the politician-police-guy? What? Why?
ANOTHER bit of character growth: not only does Mulder show up, but he stays. Ding, ding, ding! Good writer, that’s a good writer!
Though this all washes over and away because it’s in service of a Not-Maggie, so. Consider my investment shot.
Here are the lines I always read in gif sets:
“Back in the day, didn’t we ever come across the ability to just… wish someone back to life?”
“I invented it. When you were back in the hospital. Like this.”
“You’re a dark wizard, Mulder.”
See, those lines coulda been cheesy; but they were tempered and calmly handled. (Good writers, good writers, who’s a good writer!)
“What else is new?” Mulder adds, and laughs at his own joke. Self-deprecation and amusement in that one. And Scully is cheered up a little by it, too. Thumbs up, DD and GA.
Charlie called. Scully begging Charlie to “do what I can’t do” caught Mulder’s attention, as it did mine. That’s an interesting dynamic that could have been explored: she said it quite flippantly; and that’s a VERY big “I’ve just held you back” tell.
Aww, well. A question for a better series, I suppose.
AND Scully thinks Maggie will come back if Charlie talks to their mom. WOW, okay, that’s a lot... and will never be explored again. Ah, well. Again, a better series.
Charlie sounds how I expected him to, huh.
OH, NOW Maggie wakes up.
They all think it’s a miracle and then Maggie thinks Mulder’s Charlie. That made me laugh, I’m sorry. …Or am I?
WAIT, she didn't, scratch that. It's worse.
Maggie came back to say, “My son… is named William, too.”
Um.
Uuuuuuuuuuum.
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM.
She really woke up, recognized both of them, then ignored her daughter, grabbed onto Mulder, and commiserated with HIM about their sons named William. As if she related to all of Mulder’s hardships and gave Scully absolutely zero grace or mercy.
That’s cold.
AND SCULLY’S SO DEVASTATED because she woke up that morning not knowing her mother had effectively cut her out of her life. Because of the past. Because of William.
WAIT. Wait. wait WAIT.
None of this makes sense.
Scully has been seeing ‘William’ all day on her phone. At first, we the audience assume that’s her continual guilt.
It’s revealed Maggie has open wounds over ‘William’, as well.
Maggie wakes up only to utter “My son… is named William, too”, which suddenly introduces a supernatural element to the messages on Scully’s phone.
But the only time Scully’s gotten supernatural messages in the past is from MELISSA.
So did Melissa try to connect with Scully to prepare her for Maggie’s final message before Maggie woke up? Did Melissa do that ever since Maggie collapsed, from the very first phonecall Scully received?
And if that’s the case… did Melissa hang out with Maggie in that forest with Ahab, but try to make connections with her living sister to prepare her?
And if so………………….. That’s the worst possible way to do it, giving Scully new layers of guilt and depression from failing her mother and reliving the moment she failed her son.
That’s… that’s. Melissa levels of unawareness, but she’s supposed to be all-knowing or less… Melissa in the afterlife, right???? If this is even Melissa????
And if it wasn’t Melissa, WHAT WAS THIS ALL ABOUT?????
Maggie wanted Charlie, she wakes when he talks, she ignores Scully completely-- who’s been by her side since coming back from being on-the-run, supposedly-- and talks about WILLIAM with MULDER.
It’s all so tangled and confusing. And, just. Mean. So unbelievably mean-spirited. To come back from the brink not when your daughter begs you to but because your son called while keeping said daughter and your other son out of the loop-- Bill was called by chance, after all-- and never leave clearer answers or messages or love or anything....
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
Tena’s was the worst death, but this angers me just as much because they did this to Maggie.
Yep, she’s dead.
SHE NEVER SAID A WORD TO CHARLIE, EITHER.
Her estranged son finally called and she died without speaking a word to him, or looking around for his voice, or anything.
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow I’m mad.
At least the episode’s not pretending to be a casefile.
UH OH, here comes the (can’t remember the name, help me out) morgue bed. Scully’s panicking over it, Mulder has to go wrangle her (gently) AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE FELT THE ESSENCE OF SCULLY other than a smirk or a smile. THAT’s Scully-- the fire, the fury, the indignation.
“Margaret” is what Mulder calls Maggie. Can’t remember if that’s canonical, either. Oh, wait, he called her “Mrs. Scully” in the past. Eh, it makes sense he changed it to Margaret.
Wait, does that mean “Maggie” was her husband’s endearment, and everyone else called her “Margaret?” The “Scully” and “Dana” nicknaming duality got a little more layered. If, if, if.
Scully’s beating herself up about William, but at least she says, “That we gave away” which means she considers Mulder a part of herself and her decision (and that he’s drilled that truth into her head until it stuck.)
“Why did she say that?” Because the script told her actress to do so. “Why did she have to say that?” I know, cruel, isn’t it?
Not getting Mulder from this scene, either. David can act, but he’s tooooooooooo… muted, here. Mulder would have given a little more.
The last frame hanging on his face is okay, though. Still too… muted.
Only one type of spray paint on crime scene evidence, one search on Scully’s part, next clue found in three seconds. Because that’s how life works.
Scully still struggling with her mother’s death, not clued in. Mulder whistling after leaving the shop, really subtle, but a fine character tidbit.
SCULLY JUST DROPKICKED THE--
NO.
NO.
NO.
THAT’S NOT HOW PHYSICS WORK.
SCULLY’S LITTLE TWIG ARMS AND LEG AREN'T TAKING ANYONE DOWN-- LET ALONE A GROWN MAN-- WITH A TEENY TWIST-FLIP-KICK MANEUVER, ON STILTS.
WHAT. I thought that scene happened in the computer simulation whatever episode. WHATWHATWHATWHATWHAT.
I can hear 90s David screaming about feminism from here.
The case continues to descend into “who cares?"ville.
The kid gets away because Mulder doesn’t do stairs anymore. And though we're all with Mulder in spirit, this is his job.
“Mulder, back in the day I used to do ‘stairs’ and in three-inch heels.” ‘Kay, Barbie. But Ken didn’t.
“Back in the day…. Scully, back in the day is ‘now.’” …..
………..
……………
……………….
What.
What did that dialogue have to do with the kid getting away and Mulder not chasing him? If “back in the day is now”, then Mulder would have done stairs and caught the kid.
“Back in the day is now” doesn’t make sense even if you two flash your lights over it.
OH, LOOK, THE FLASHLIGHTS ARE CROSSING AGAIN, GET IT.
We’re, like, four episodes in and Mulder and Scully are still slowly getting back in the groove of The X-Files.
OH, LOOK, THE CAMERA SHOT IS HOLDING ON THE FLASHLIGHTS MAKING AN X, DID YOU NOTICE IT YET???? Yes, yes we did.
WHAT WAS THAT. A rubber mask and suit popped out, hit the wall in front of them, and fell back into the shadows????
That was as convincing as the rabbit fur puppets mauling Gillian’s face.
Hurry it up, I don’t care about the case.
Mulder doesn’t do stairs but can kick the door in with one try in his tight, tight Patriarchy Pants.
I can hear 90s David screaming about feminism from here.
Grotesque clay masks, got it. Okay. All right. I’m bored.
A new character, the garbage man, is going on about homeless being treated like trash. ‘Kay.
He’s the artist? What. Doesn’t... what. He wouldn’t have time to put up the art after the murder but before--
Forget it.
Oh, it wasn’t him. They were… supernatural? What.
THIS TRASH GUY MADE A TULPA OUT OF TRASH.
HOW DARE YOU RIP OFF MY TRASH BABY TULPA EPISODE. HOW DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE YOU.
I DIDN’T SIGN UP FOR THIS TRASH RIPPING OFF MY TRASH.
GET OUTTA HERE.
ACTUALLY GET OUTTA HERE. GO ON, SHOO. BEAT IT. SCRAM. GET LOST.
AND NOW THEY’RE SAYING 'TULPA' WAS A MISTRANSLATION????? OH, THAT’S RICH. SO WHAT HAPPENED IN ARCADIA WASN’T A TULPA, BUT THIS ONE MIGHT BE.
THAT’S REAL CUTE.
A realized Tibetan thought form would never harm someone or kill.
But what if… hang on with me a second… what if it already did?
This guy willed it, so it happened.
This is giving Scully an idea. Guess she’s gonna manifest Maggie from the dead. Or manifest William from the clouds, I suppose. Or manifest herself a better wig, I reckon.
WHAT IN THE EXISTENCE FLASHBACKS IS THIS. HOW IS SCULLY COMPARING HER SON’S BIRTH TO WILLING A MONSTER INTO EXISTENCE?????? I, I, WHAT. NO. NO, DON’T DO THIS. THIS IS BAD, THIS IS VERY NOT GOOD.
“He came to me,” the guy explains, and Scully now thinks William came to her???
Is… is this a revelation or a mental breakdown????????
“But in the end, he told me what he wanted to be.”
ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW??? IMPLYING THAT WILLIAM WANTED TO BE PUT UP FOR ADOPTION-- SHOWING HIM CRYING IN S9-- IN ORDER TO GIVE SCULLY SOME CLOSURE ON THAT MATTER AFTER HER MOTHER’S RECENT DEATH???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
NO ONE TOLD ME THIS. NO ONE WARNED ME.
THE AUDACITY OF THE WRITERS.
SHAME, ACTUAL SHAME, ON THEM.
…I will take all this back if the script does, but WHAT IN THE WORLD. THIS IS INSANE.
Never have I EVER seen Scully so broken mentally. Wow. Morgan and Wong or Morgan or Wong love her character? I’d think they view her as the band aid on their shoe. Wow.
(Note from the future: They don't take back any of this implication, only gaslight us into believing Scully was thinking a totally other, very normal thing about "responsibility." Which is utter doodoo.)
“All we do, is hold the pencil. All we do, is hold the clay. I think there must be spirits or souls--” GET OUT OF HERE WITH THAT FIELD WHERE I DIED GARBAGE. GET. OUT. YOU BUTCHERED THAT EPISODE THROUGH YOUR OWN SHEER INCOMPETENCE, YOU CAN’T TRY TO REWRITE IT NOW THROUGH ANOTHER LENS TO MAKE US SWALLOW YOUR POISON LIKE PUNCH.
GET.
OUT.
OF.
HERE.
“And if you think so hard, if you want them real bad, they’ll come to you.”
Stunning.
A thought experiment that would be interesting to tap into when explaining the *insert words* of The Field Where I Died’s plot, but is ABSOLUTELY. IRRESPONSIBLY. IDIOTIC. here in light of the sheer amount of trauma you are putting Scully through, right this second.
Full disclosure: I don’t care how many bad things are done to the characters-- I really don’t-- IF those experiences give weight or add to their stories or history. THIS, HOWEVER, DOES NOT.
I’M FURIOUS. I’M SO FURIOUS I MIGHT TEAR UP.
HOW DARE YOU INSERT EXISTENCE FLASHBACKS TO--
i’m done. let’s just move on.
I’m struck anew with how these characters aren’t Mulder and Scully-- not even S9 Scully-- when both scenes are positioned back-to-back.
I just knew this episode would be butchered, but never would I ever….
By the way, to catch us back up to speed, Scully’s having this… revelation while a garbage man rambles about the MURDERING THOUGHT FORM he dreamt into being.
Also, the cuts and flashbacks A. reinforce my disdain of this series, B. are cheesy and corny, and C. are ham-fisted and clunky. You know how it should have been done? Without the flashbacks. Not one soul who is watching this episode needs to be hand-held through Scully’s memories, especially ones we’ve already seen mere minutes ago.
Scully’s clutching her cross after remembering her mom’s words, ‘kay.
I LAUGHED AGAIN.
Mulder’s been listening to this guy and looks over and does a doubletake because Scully’s frozen LIKE THIS:
Mental. Health.
Also, considering what happens to Jackson’s character later on… this episode is kind of implying Scully was so terrified by the constant tragedy in her life that she willed a tulpa-alien-god baby into existence (or WOULD have, if given the opportunity, which is worse) for her own selfish reasons, or for the world’s protection; then yeeted it to the adoption agency, anyway. (Note from the future: This implication doesn't make broad canonical sense, and is kinda reverted, later, but:) ...Which plugs dangerously well into her disavowal of William in My Struggle IV. Which makes me hate Home Again even more.
(Also also, that turns Scully into Arcadia's Gogolak. Stellar writing.)
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh, have to break this down.
If Scully thought William into existence, he wouldn’t be a normal baby in S8. Which he was. He also wouldn’t be a magic baby with independent will in S9 (who is closer to the alien DNA kids in Founder’s Mutation that cut themselves out of their moms to survive, but ANYWAY.) He’d be a thought form controlled by one impulse. A tulpa. Or-- let’s extrapolate-- a Supersoldier like Billy Miles. Which he wasn’t.
If Scully is comparing herself to the Syndicate that brought beings into a tormented existence for their own ends (or to the garbage guy’s intent) and is… freed? by that thought…. She needs help-- not “go to therapy, babe”, no, actual, real, extensive help outside of the FBI and away from work, period, for awhile. That’s so incredibly unbalanced it’s… kinda scary.
Also, again, if Scully willed Jackson into Existence-- say, by touching the alien spaceship?-- the timeline wouldn’t match her late S7 pregnancy-- but what else is new-- but would condemn her for Jackson’s later erratic actions, anyway.
And therefore, Scully becoming pregnant in My Struggle IV would have to be an actual, literal miracle because she didn’t taint it with a thought-form or alien DNA or any other thing this episode or Founder’s Mutation or the other Struggles are suggesting.
Any of these possibilities are foul. If William exists, he’d have to be a normal baby (as he was until the writers changed him) or it would crumble the very meaning of his birth and the leadup to it from Requiem to Existence.
It. just. doesn’t. make. sense. and. continues. to. be. cruel.
Scully now thinks she’s responsible for “making the problem” and Mulder’s like “huH” and “UHOH” at the same time.
Okay, let’s say M+W or M or W take the aforementioned implication back: this scene is utterly and unfathomably cruel, a cherry on top of the other cruelty they put Scully through this episode.
I’m gonna say it: at least Chris Carter gave William to Scully.
“You’re just as bad as the people that you hate,” a.k.a. "You did a bad thing by playing god and creating life only to abandon it."
Thanks M+W, I really needed “Scully comparing herself to the Consortium” on my list of Unexpected Things to Hate, that was nice.
NOW the tulpa’s going after the politician-policeman. Not before killing the woman who wanted the homeless on the streets if they preferred, but after, now that he's moving them into a nicer facility.
Oh, the guy’s soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo evil because one of the homeless people's dog’s temporarily at an animal shelter. Well, yeah it was kinda evil to separate them (temporarily.) Had to make politician-police dude eviler, I guess.
He smells something bad, oh, nooooooooooo…………….
Guys, gonna be honest. How’s this politician-police-whoever guy bad? He’s callous, but he’s moving the unhoused into housing where they can, hopefully, have better access to resources to get back on their feet.
…What’s the moral here? That no one treats them like people, therefore the tulpa or thought form will kill indiscriminately? Even if the homeless might be benefiting? That the garbage man just didn’t like HOW policeman-politician-whoever was operating, so thought up a tulpa to kill him and the others?
Slow clap for the stupidest morality tale I’ve seen in a bit.
I. just. Can the writers craft an episode where the homeless are actually being victimized?
Oh, wait, the 90s already did that. Huh.
Poli-man’s about to be murdered. Mulder and Scully arrive and gently jaunt down the hall towards his screams. That’s cute.
They were literally FOUR. SECONDS. too late. Then don’t express a sense of remorse or whatever that they were. And this guy isn’t villain- enough to be given zero remorse, c’mon, save that for the big 'uns.
Tulpa’s vanishing instead of walking away, I guess.
Scully’s too calm for acknowledging they just heard politician-policeman die. He was screaming for help and you two didn’t speed up. 100% they wouldn’t be able to pass the FBI field tests. A witness-victim-whatever just died because they were FOUR SECONDS late, that shouldn't have happened.
The gymnastics of this plot, summed up:
Monster always leaves band aids behind, I guess.
Garbage man made the band aid sculpture’s face into a smiley so it's gone forever, I GUESS.
Wait, LAKE SCENE??
THAT’S IT???
THIS IS IT??????????????????????
“I know now why Mom asked for Charlie even if he was out of her life.” OH, THIS HAD BETTER BE GOOD and not A. “she’s a mom, so she loved and missed him” or B. “she created him so he mattered.” Because neither of those answers explains what she did and didn’t do or say to the two children that stuck by her.
*sharpens harpoon*
*THUNK*
I KNEW IT.
SHE WANTED TO KNOW BEFORE SHE LEFT THAT HE’D BE OKAY.
Then WHY did she ignore Charlie on the phone and TALK TO MULDER while laying on another layer of guilt about William WITH HER DAUGHTER, who'd been pleading for Maggie to come back to her, RIGHT THERE???
Just because Maggie “gave birth to him” doesn’t mean anything.
Like.
Guys.
Of course she wants to know her son’s okay, of course. She raised him, she loved him, etc.
But. But but but.
If she’s the loving mother we all knew from the OG series that SUDDENLY took a dive into secrecy and distrust and guilt-tripping, there would have been signs. Scully missed all of them, didn’t even know her mom had her living will signed by other veteran sailors (AND WHO ARE THEY?), doesn't even know what the quarter lore is.
You can’t have Maggie want to know her baby’s okay while actively neglecting and ignoring the others. You can’t.
*sharpens second, third, and fourth harpoon*
“She made him. He’s her responsibility.”
*THUNKKITY THUNK THUNK*
OH. MY. WORD.
THIS IS SO TWISTED.
Scully is now being guilted for giving up William, AGAIN, because she needs to "take responsibility" for him.
Canonically, she gave him up because she was taking responsibility for him-- to protect him, to take care of him.
And whether that decision was justified or not-- it wasn’t-- S9 Scully and IWTB Scully and pre-this-episode Scully and Mulder made the best they could of that decision for their son’s sake.
A.k.a. Responsibility.
HOW DOES THAT TRANFSER ONTO MAGGIE? What responsibility does she have to take?? Perhaps she drove Charlie away?? But none of her behavior thus far would have driven him away.
So, not only has Maggie’s character been harpooned on her deathbed, but her past off-screen behavior must also be harpooned in order to justify that "responsibility" line: a.k.a., she must have been a horrible person to Charlie, and must want to take responsibility for that action now.
Because “responsibility” doesn’t fit IF Charlie walked away of his own accord for his own reasons, separate from his mother’s actions or behavior.
Also, “responsibility” doesn’t fit PERIOD with either scenario: Scully already took responsibility for William when she sent him away (as stupidly as that decision was written, it wasn’t written for any other pretense) but Maggie DIDN’T take “responsibility” because she didn’t even apologize or question or talk to or whatever with Charlie. She did it WITH MULDER, and even THEN she was urging HIM to take responsibility of William, if anything.
Know what’s worse? They’re saying all the pain Scully is going through (and put Mulder and her family through) is because she hasn’t taken responsibility for William, and that she needs to go find him and make it right. IGNORING THE FACT THAT IT WAS REVIVAL MULDER, NOT SCULLY, WHO PUT WILLIAM BEHIND HIM. IF ANYTHING, IT WAS SCULLY WHO TOOK RESPONSIBILITY ALL THESE YEARS.
Which means Scully is culpable for everyone’s emotions and pain and trauma because she gave her son away for his safety. AND I DON’T EVEN AGREE WITH HER DECISION-- there’s no way she would have given William up, and most certainly not that way-- BUT YOU WRITE SCULLY INTO AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION, THEN PUNISH AND REVICTIMIZE HER AT THE HANDS OF HER OWN MOTHER IN ORDER TO "OWN UP" TO "RESPONSIBILITY."
I’m... pretty mad.
I should be furious, really, because this does unfathomable damage to… everyone. But My Struggle I's and Founder’s Mutation's brain rot runs deeper-- by comparison this is a 0.5 to its -1,000,000.
At least we know what the coin necklace date was supposed to mean: the date Charlie walked out of Maggie’s life. “Responsibility” and all that garbage.
“She wanted us to be responsible…. To make sure William’s okay, even if we can’t see him.” That is NOT what Maggie said, and that is NOT what she meant. “My son… is named William, too” was a commiserating statement spoken to MULDER, indicating he, like her, suffered from an estrangement. And who would be the enforcer or creator of that estrangement? The same woman who broke up with Mulder over depression (before he had a meltdown or breakdown, despite knowing his history of suicidal tendencies.)
The Revival does Scully (and her mother… and Mulder…) so dirty it’s. Ugh.
Can someone knock Not-Maggie's ashes over onto the ground or something? That way she can join her brethren, the dirt.
Let’s be honest, this Home Again should have been further down the season. ‘Cuz if Babylon’s next… guess they didn’t look for William.
Scully’s smoker voice makes its first appearance, ugh. Code broken: GA uses smoker voice when Scully is feeling teary or depressed.
UGH.
“...To keep him safe. That it was for his own good to put him up for adoption. But I can’t help but think of him, Fox.” The requires the special 'what', *ahem*: WAHT.
“I believe you will find all of your answers--” ALL. OF. YOUR. ANSWERS?
“And I will be there when you do.” WHEN YOU DO?! What is she, an elementary school teacher holding Mulder's hand while he explores around the gymnasium??????????????? Where’s the Scully who insisted this was her quest, too???? ...wwwwwWHAT.
This is. This is. Guys. Why.
“But my mysteries… I’ll never have answered.”
Um. Scully can’t figure out how to find William?
She can’t, just, go back to the agency and offer to connect with her son? 2012’s over-- the world might end, still, but CSM’s dead (as far as she knows), APPARENTLY there are no aliens or Supersoldiers, and no one’s cared about her and Mulder getting back on the files.... Where is THIS coming from???? Just ring up the agency, Scully!
UUUUUUUUUG.
“...If he’s ever been afraid, and wishes I were there. Does he doubt himself, because we left him?”
While Scully continues to speak, I must add: Mulder looks like a browbeaten 50s housewife. I love watching DD’s acting as much as GA’s, but David’s giving nothing here. I KNOW it’s a direction issue because he’s been consistently this key the entire episode (except for the... comedy or “dark wizard” scene) so SOMEONE wants Mulder to be this way. But.
But it doesn’t line up with his character from the previous eps.
And the previous episodes don’t line up with each other.
And all the Revival eps. don't line up with IWTB.
Or S9.
Or canon.
Etc., etc.
“What… questions does he have of me? The same that I have of this quarter?” Um. I thought we concluded that was the date Charlie walked out.
Isn’t Scully the investigator, here? Maggie kept that quarter necklace secret, Maggie kept her health secret, and Maggie only wanted to talk to Charlie-- ergo, Charlie’s connected to the quarter necklace. And if it’s not his birthday, it’s the date he left. Ergo, voila.
“And I want to believe--” yeah, yeah, yeah, “--that we didn’t treat him like trash.”
This doesn’t match.
The writing treated him like trash because Scully was written to give him up for no reason. (Perhaps "like garbage" is a fun dig at CC's decision, but Scully ends up taking the damage for it.)
Scully herself didn’t treat William like trash-- she was trying to protect him.
In short: writers = trash; Scully = not trash. Scully’s decision = trash, Scully’s canonical reason = not trash.
Are we following canon now, writers? Have you caught up WITH YOUR OWN SHOW?
Mulder decides against talking, opting to pull her into a hug, instead.
Um.
Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhere’s the reassurance, Mulder. You reassured her in Founder’s Mutation quite soundly, but not. Here. When she’s in crisis.
Groovy. Stellar. Ugh.
...WELP, that’s the end, I GUESS.
CONCLUSION
What. was. that.
Thanks for reading~
Enjoy!
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