Given the premise of this episode, I'll grant you that the timing on this one is a bit on the circumstantially wonky side. However, these write-ups are long overdue and I'd like to get at least one step closer to putting this one to bed.
Rather than dealing with aliens or monsters, this episode pits the agents against a radical Muslim terrorist cell. It should come as no surprise that there was a bit of backlash about the way the religion is portrayed. Now, Scully does throw in a line about how extremists are hardly indicative of the whole, and the terrorist's mother seemed good-hearted and genuinely sympathetic, but the overall execution was still flawed.
I was kind of disappointed to see the two Muslims in the opening be the ones responsible for the bombing. They were so easy going and every prayer they made was innocuous and positive. It seems like you could have easily had it be the work of others, with both he and his friend being victims of the attack, even if you were to say that it was radical Islamic terrorists who were responsible.
Or, if the episode's plot hinged on it being that guy, the writers could have used the black oil as a way to explain the behavior, especially given the drastic shift from "casually nomming on a PB+J" to suicide bombing. It would also bring back the myth arc, which has been surprisingly absent this series.
Those in the Muslim community shouldn't feel too bad, though. This episode stereotypes everybody. The Texans are all stereotypes, the doctor treating the terrorist spouses heavy handed strawperson dialogue, the Homeland Security agents are walking cliches (though at least nothing seemed to come from the "infiltrator" angle that was implied), and even the two guest FBI agents are stereotypes.
Yes we're introduced to a young male "believer" agent named Miller (Get it? It's similar to Mulder) who is played by Robbie "Firestorm" Amell. He is partnered with a red-headed female scientist and doctor agent (Get it? She's like Scully) named Einstein (because she's smart!)
Yeah, this episode is sorely lacking in subtlety. Both Amell and Ambrose (who plays Einstein) do what they can to give their characters distinct traits, but they are hindered by factors outside their control.
The episode isn't without its plus sides, though. Some of the banter is amusing. We also get to see Mulder trip out on shrooms. It was a fun sequence that led to some amusing cameos. It kind of wasted William B. Davis, but we got to see the Lone Gunmen again in a sensible context.
Also, the episode had a solid soundtrack. More shows need to find ways to incorporate Tom Waits' music into episodes.
Oddly, the episode doesn't really have much in the way of supernatural phenomenon. Mulder's attempt to use psychotropic drugs to communicate with someone who is comatose in order to uncover a future plot is about as close as the episode gets.
There is the thing with the trumpets, but nothing's ever done with it. It's basically an afterthought that is used to bookend the episode. It's a shame too, as it made for a great omen that big things beyond either agent's comprehension are about to happen. It would also follow up on the botched "end of the world" plot that the show tried to do with 2012. If anything, the show should have opened with that and built up something over the course of the season. Instead, you get the feeling that the whole thing is going to get rushed, what with only one episode left. I've heard mumblings that another season might be coming, but that has yet to be determined.
This episode had problems. There are things to like, but the writing makes it something of a mess. It's especially bad as you'd think that they would want momentum going into the big finale. Instead, it's a bit of a dud.
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