There has always been a lot of discussion about what is the best season of "The X-Files," but it seems like most people are in agreement that this is the one. It's the one that apparently features consistently great episodes that both serve as great week-to-week mysteries and help enrich the overarching lore that the show has been so eager to establish since its inception. My excitement for this season was certainly very high, especially after that pretty good cliffhanger that ended the previous season. And while this episode is certainly a welcome return for these characters, it seems to struggle a little at first.
This episode feels like it was deliberately made as two different ones that were then unnecessarily mashed together in post. Whereas Scully's storyline is full of intrigue and presents some of the show's classic mysticism in the form of a bit of a run from the government, everything that has to do with payoff from the cliffhanger and Mulder's journey in this episode comes across as filler that simply has to give us some answers as to what actually happened during the finale. It ends with the promise of better things to come and David Duchovny does have some legitimately good scenes in the episode, but his storyline overall felt like an unecessary detour from the important stuff. Scully's storyline, though, is the show at its best, and it presents more than a few great opportunities for Gillian Anderson to show why she is the soul of this show. Her skills are so wide that she can easily go from emotional and grief-stricken to confident and ready to kick some butt. The episode gives Scully some of her most interesting work to date, with this almost feeling like an apology for what they did to her in the previous season, where she was often reduced to a simple damsel in distress. She's no damsel here and she's capable of carrying the plot forward and providing answers that both she and the audience are thirsting for. To have this episode end with a cliffhanger felt like a bit of a cheat, but it does build good anticipation for the next episode.
"The Blessing Way" presents two vastly different storylines, both in themes and in quality as they feel so disjointed that it seems like two different episodes. Mulder's storyline is necessary for the plot, but unnecessary for this story that's being told here, while Scully's arc finally gives her some well-deserved opportunities to shine once again.
This episode feels like it was deliberately made as two different ones that were then unnecessarily mashed together in post. Whereas Scully's storyline is full of intrigue and presents some of the show's classic mysticism in the form of a bit of a run from the government, everything that has to do with payoff from the cliffhanger and Mulder's journey in this episode comes across as filler that simply has to give us some answers as to what actually happened during the finale. It ends with the promise of better things to come and David Duchovny does have some legitimately good scenes in the episode, but his storyline overall felt like an unecessary detour from the important stuff. Scully's storyline, though, is the show at its best, and it presents more than a few great opportunities for Gillian Anderson to show why she is the soul of this show. Her skills are so wide that she can easily go from emotional and grief-stricken to confident and ready to kick some butt. The episode gives Scully some of her most interesting work to date, with this almost feeling like an apology for what they did to her in the previous season, where she was often reduced to a simple damsel in distress. She's no damsel here and she's capable of carrying the plot forward and providing answers that both she and the audience are thirsting for. To have this episode end with a cliffhanger felt like a bit of a cheat, but it does build good anticipation for the next episode.
"The Blessing Way" presents two vastly different storylines, both in themes and in quality as they feel so disjointed that it seems like two different episodes. Mulder's storyline is necessary for the plot, but unnecessary for this story that's being told here, while Scully's arc finally gives her some well-deserved opportunities to shine once again.