4X08 - Paper Hearts [REVISITED]

Summary

Vince Gilligan sets out to pose a more down to earth explanation for Samantha's disappearance and definitely succeeds. This episode is one of the series' most outstanding examples of a self-contained story that allowed both characters to shine. As I write this in "present day" (during the airing of a season eight that is destined to live in infamy), just thinking about this episode is enough to make me ache for times gone by. Has Gilligan even written anything comparable since? (Outside of the apples to oranges comparison to Bad Blood?) His antagonist was perfectly created, slimy yet convincingly "nice". Every single one of Mulder's actions — even the questionable ones — is consistent with what we know of his character. Moreover, every single Scully reaction is supportive, even as she attempts to pull him back at every turn. She succeeds in doing this without being harsh or insensitive. I found it amazing that I was able to feel what every character was feeling, from Mulder's need for a conclusion to his extended nightmare, to Scully's wish that he might find it, to Skinner's concern that he'd risk too much in his search, and finally, to Roche's desperate need for release from his imprisonment, both physical and mental.

The only end there could be,
given the circumstances

There's not much to add that hasn't already been said in various other quarters, but I did want to point out that when I decided to conduct a re-watch of TXF, this was the first episode that I pulled out. It's not a secret that I suffered a nasty "break" with the show and avoided it totally after season eight, to the inclusion of the series finale and the 2008 movie. So when I decided to step back into the world, I wanted to land somewhere safe, and I knew it would be with Paper Hearts. (Oh, and to answer my own question — about what Vince Gilligan has written that's comparable since — I hear he's done okay with a little series called Breaking Bad...)

To address the only real criticisms of this episode, I would have to say that in all fairness to what evidence Mulder may or may not have dismissed about the various "Samantha sightings" to this point in the series, none of them have proven out that she is indeed alive. (Despite ABH saying so in End Game and the Ghost of Papa Mulder saying "she's not here" in The Blessing Way.) Various clones are not her and the so-called original in End Game may or may not have been her. If cloning is so perfectly possible in the TXF world, it could have been accomplished with tissue taken from Samantha before she was abducted by aliens, The Project, or a vacuum cleaner salesman.

I have more to say about Paper Hearts in my Top Ten list.

Best or Worst Moment

The scene that consistently comes to mind when I think of this episode is the one of Mulder in the morgue with the remains of the young girl that he and Scully have just discovered. He's somewhat relieved that it's not Samantha but in the next moment, he realizes with barely contained emotion that it's still someone who likely has family waiting for her. Just another fine display of Mulder's innate empathy towards others. And in the end, he still doesn't know what happened to his sister.

Original Rating: * * * *
Revised Rating: * * * *