I finally got to finishing watching the 8th season through after so many years of stopping right in the first quarter of it.
This probably was due to the absence of Agent Mulder (Duchovny). I don't know why, but the series kind of lost its magnetism for me at that point.
Hopefully, after such a long time, I'm finally able to double-back and give it the chance it deserved.
My first impression is how good Robert Patrick's acting is. Judging by this criterion alone, I'd say, as blasphemous as it may sound to the die-hard Duchovny's fans, that Patrick's acting is better than Duchovny's. Why would I say that? Well you'd have to be honest and completely impartial to see that obvious detail. First of all, Duchovny's disinterest in the show really started to transpire toward the end of the 5th season, and that obviously showed through. I've always wanted to believe that Duchovny in real life was just as, or at least partially, interested in the show's matter as he was as Agent Mulder on screen. You, that gives the extra credibility and substance to any art form. Of course this is not obligatory, or maybe even necessary, because, after all, this is just acting. But it never hurts to be, either.
Of course Davy became frustrated at the fact that most Hollywood celebs were starring in huge blockbusters and harvesting all kinds of awards, and that seemed to have gotten to him. He was 'stuck' with this show, which apparently 'stifled' his career.
But who can blame the guy? He wanted to be more artistic and flexible as an actor and a write, so he pursued that goal of his, which it didn't pan out all that well...
Patrick on the other hand seemed much more involved in the series than Duchovny.
He was intense, focused, and just as head-on as Duchovny was in the beginning, in addition to slightly superior acting skills.
In this episode a 7 years old boy named Billy disappears one day while swaying on an elementary school swing, shouting to his mom over the hustle of the kids and adults conversing in the playground, trying to get her attention for a second for her to see how fast he was going to and fro on that swing. She, of course, pays little attention to her son, being involved in a conversation with another woman. When she turns her attention toward her son the next moment, she sees the swing empty and goes to look for him. Alas, he's gone and will be so... for 10 years.
At first this episode started off as another alien abduction story, at least that was the given impression. As the story moved on, it became sort of confusing as to where it was heading, leaving the viewer to speculation. That would go on right until the end.
To some degree I was disappointed with the outcome, but then again I was glad it turned out the way it did.
This is another open to interpretation episode, so if you're one of those who's always on the prowl for an explanation, you will be let down a tad.
Fear not, though, for wherein it falls short, it does pay off a two- fold. For example, certain lack of explanation was in one way or another conveniently avoided to make it more realistic, and surprisingly, it did.
We do get plentiful of disclosure just to make do with the bigger picture, and not dwell on the unexplained.