5X07 - Emily [REVISITED]

Summary

At least we got Mulder back for this one, along with some action outside of calls from beyond the grave. There were some dramatic moments in this one that highlight very personal aspects of the relationship between Mulder and Scully, primarily their need to shelter the other from unnecessary pain. We learn that Mulder has withheld the infertility evidence from Scully all this time (speaking of, what did he do with that sample from Memento Mori??) to protect her from a reality that he didn't feel she needed to know, while Scully really didn't want to involve Mulder on the case ("Why didn't you call me sooner?") at all.

Did Mulder know what Scully would find in the casket?

The setup from Christmas Carol (where I got the feeling that folks in San Diego are way beyond devoted to their jobs even though it's Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day) leads into this one, on the surprising revelation that Emily Sim is actually Scully's daughter. (By the way, the "calls from beyond the grave" that set this story arc into motion didn't work for me, especially as this story ended up being tied to the TXF mythology.) In revisiting this two-parter, I am going with my gut and giving the whole thing just two stars.

It's been said elsewhere but I can't help but add my own two cents to the whole "sloppy continuity" thing. I can accept mistakes that are minor because over the course of many years, things are sometimes just remembered wrong. But on the matter of Scully's necklace — which played such a key role in One Breath (and even 3) — we deserve to have someone care enough to go back and check the facts. But the bigger faux pas turned out to be Mulder's statement that "she was missing for four weeks" when he related the facts of Scully's S2 abduction. I have a suspicion that whoever wrote that line simply "decided" that four weeks was sufficient. (I don't know, did the creators behind TXF ever have a "concordance" like Star Trek did?) That blunder affected my enjoyment of an otherwise great scene.

On the other hand, a not-so-great scene was Mulder's bitch-slapping and roughing up of Dr. Calderon. Yes, Mulder has his moments, but this one was over the top and not at all consistent with the character. I hope it wasn't all for the sake of a lame "I'll be back" joke.

Finally, been there, done that: everything magically gets cleaned up by the super efficient alien conspiracy guys. From clearing out any evidence of pregnant old ladies to stealing Emily's body, it's all gone, once again. Back to square one. A whole lot of angst over the holidays for not much return.

Picayune Peculiarities

I have a question. All of this wasn't FBI sanctioned, as far as I could tell. Scully fell into the case and it turned out to have a personal connection. So who on earth was paying for all of the MRIs and such that were being done on Emily? Especially when it appeared as though no one even had a clear idea on who had the right to make any decisions on her behalf. Not going to happen in real life...

Best or Worst Moment

I liked the interaction between M&S in the chapel after Emily's service. It was touching how Mulder came in after the fact to drop off the flowers and pay his own respects, allowing the family their privacy. And I liked how Scully chose to return with him, despite how she might still feel the need to pull away from him during such times.

Original Rating: * * *
Revised Rating: * *