It’s the 5th episode of 6 in The X-Files revival. This one HAS to be about the mythology right? RIGHT? Wrong. That puts a lot of pressure on the finale to deliver some real revelations, but the most unfortunate thing is how disconnected episode 5 – Babylon – feels.
SPOILERSÂ INCOMING
Today, I’m going to give you more of a review than a recap. Why? Rather than rehash details you probably already know, I’d rather give you a bunch more of my thoughts. So, let’s go.
Right off the bat, I was concerned. As soon as the young man praying came on screen, I had a thought not dissimilar to the bowl of petunias from Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy: “Oh no, not again.” Surely The X-Files, a premiere example of eschewing expectations on television, wouldn’t throw a simple suicide bomber plot at us. But they did. Still, I retained a bit of hope that they might end up having a more deft touch with the subject matter than more heavy handed attempts.
Sorry to burst any remaining bubbles, but this episode is anything but deft. The idea of introducing doppelgängers for Mulder and Scully is far from new, most memorably having been done in the atrocious episode featuring Kathy Griffin that I won’t name for fear someone might watch it. Miller (get it? It sounds like Mulder!) and Einstein (get it? Scully knows everything!) are a bit better than some iterations, having the Mulder-like be the calm one, and the Scully-like be the energetic one. Still, the characters are bland and underdeveloped, existing only to agree or disagree bluntly with their counterparts.
Anyways, the suicide bomber is still alive. The set up for the rest of the episode involves an unbelievable lack of communication between partners. We expect this with Mulder and Scully, but Miller and Einstein appear to be at least as dysfunctional as our usual heroes. The comedy feels forced at best, and Einstein’s hostility is unrealistically strong.
While Scully’s idea is medically routine, Mulder’s is absurd even for his standard. Again, it feels forced. He wants to take magic mushrooms and enter the nether realm and make contact with the bomber to prevent further death? Of course stranger things have happened on the X-Files, but usually there’s at least some scientific thread to hang on to.
Mulder’s mushroom trip is maybe the most absurd thing to happen on the X-Files, and that’s saying a lot. Sadly, the whole suicide bomber A plot didn’t put me in the mood to really embrace Mulder’s sweet line dancing. In a silly episode? Sure. But the serious subject matter really didn’t gel with the silliness in Babylon.
And then, the problem magically solves itself. Mulder comes up with the location of suicide bomber school, but he also never took any magic mushrooms. What? Nobody did anything to solve the case, and the characters even say as much.
Even the wrap up of the episode with Mulder and Scully makes little sense. The whole story just meanders to and fro without a cohesive line from A to B, making this another misstep for the revival as a whole.
Paul will recap each week’s episode of The X-Files – so stay tuned right here for more. Be sure to also check out our recent recaps of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and The Flash!