"Home Again"

The latest episode of “The X-Files” continues the trend of mixed results. The character stuff was powerful. Scully got her chance to shine this time around, sort of how Mulder got the focus last week. Where Mulder’s journey was a crisis of faith, Scully fought this time around with regret and doubt. The only thing that dampens this side of things this time around is that the William story-line has always been a hazy one.

And, this week the monster stuff was also, again, really good. It will likely not go down as one of the most memorable creatures in the series, but the concept is fascinating.

First, you have the art and creativity idea. How powerful is art in human culture? This story has hints of the old Golem myth, but immediately transcends that. The fact that the creature was “neither organic nor inorganic” took things a bit too far, though. It was trying to be clever but just ended up being silly. That said, the visual concepts of this monster—the trash truck, the graffiti, and the creature itself—were all really well conceived.

Overall this episode tried to take on too much. Homelessness, parental challenges, Scully’s regret were already straining the story. Then they added in the trash/recycling commentary—which was in itself an interesting consideration—and the whole thing toppled under the weight.

It remains great for fans, though, just based on the character, relational stuff. I’m going to miss this when the six episodes are over. How are we going to fulfill this reawakened hunger come March?