This episode opens with the burial of Mulder. It's tough to watch, as is most of this episode. The season 8 mythos has been depressing to say the least: Mulder being tortured Hellraiser style in a spaceship while Scully is battling with her pregnancy - basically half horror-show half soap opera with a bunch of cryptic dialogue and threats and double-crosses and oh there's Krycek again BUT now, finally, there's a chance Mulder can be saved. Well unfortunately he isn't... at least not for the bulk of the episode, which is filled with everything I previously mentioned. It's just... weird, for an X-File episode... everything is so dark and brooding, bleak, hopeless, and it's all expository. There's no Mulder sarcasm to be found, which was fine for the beginning of season 8 because Doggett turned out to be a damn good character, but this episode in particular is absolutely dreary, and it's not just because of the lack of Mulder.
This episode's sole purpose was to move the plot forward. Here are the plot advances of this episode: As the title suggests, Mulder was dead, and now he's alive. Krycek is still a dick (but still somehow captivating). Doggett is offered a better job and thinks about it. Everyone's life is at stake. In short, it's all melodrama - vital to the plot of the show, but melodramatic nonetheless. I mean, it's watchable because you're invested in all these characters and are anxious for what will happen next, but literally nothing happens. Where are the aliens? Where's the government conspiracies? DeadAlive is nothing but the characters moping around. The only interesting thing going on was the fact that Billy made a recovery somehow, but that was never really explained, so it's basically a waiting game until it happens to Mulder.
I want to love this season so much but this episode is all style no substance. Atmospheric but hollow. Worth a one-time watch if you're dedicated to the mytharc, but make no mistake: There is no X-File here.
This episode's sole purpose was to move the plot forward. Here are the plot advances of this episode: As the title suggests, Mulder was dead, and now he's alive. Krycek is still a dick (but still somehow captivating). Doggett is offered a better job and thinks about it. Everyone's life is at stake. In short, it's all melodrama - vital to the plot of the show, but melodramatic nonetheless. I mean, it's watchable because you're invested in all these characters and are anxious for what will happen next, but literally nothing happens. Where are the aliens? Where's the government conspiracies? DeadAlive is nothing but the characters moping around. The only interesting thing going on was the fact that Billy made a recovery somehow, but that was never really explained, so it's basically a waiting game until it happens to Mulder.
I want to love this season so much but this episode is all style no substance. Atmospheric but hollow. Worth a one-time watch if you're dedicated to the mytharc, but make no mistake: There is no X-File here.