Release

After almost finishing season 9 I can say whole heartedly that we were not fair to Robert Patrick, John Doggett or season 9. This episode solidified that for me.

Fantastic characters, especially Cadet Hayes....

With the series quickly coming to an end, the X-Files writers decided to tie up all the loose side story lines. Release ties up Doggett's personal story about the abduction and murder of his son.

I've always admired the X-Files' willingness to mix things up. They add the element of titles to various scenes of the episode; namely, The Tip, Ashes, A Message, and Release. It's almost as if they're dividing the episode into chapters of a book.

Mark Snow adds a beautiful piano score to this episode that is very touching. I wish it could have been used in more of the episode. The man is a master. Kim Manners, who directed this episode, has some very poignant shots, especially of Cadet Hayes' apartment. His direction is very fine in this episode.

The guest character of Cadet Rudolph Hayes is very intriguing and interesting. His facial expression is very unique, as if he is purposely trying to keep his mouth shut, whenever he's not talking.

Barbara Patrick, Robert Patrick's real life wife, plays his ex-wife of the same name. She does an all right job, nothing spectacular. The one line of hers I didn't like is when she tells Scully that Doggett could have something with Reyes but he won't let her in. Why would Doggett's ex-wife know anything about his relationship with his female co-worker and why say anything to Scully? The writers just wanted to do one final reference to Doggett and Reyes' relationship. The line doesn't fit and shouldn't have been used.

I felt that the resolution to Doggett's storyline was rushed because of the decision to end the series. Was Follmer meant to be a part of this storyline from the beginning? Maybe this was intentional by the writers, but Cadet Hayes said that he had another message, then he asks to be taken back to the institution. We don't see him again or hear what the message was. Maybe Hayes told Doggett where to find Regali. It felt too abrupt how Hayes left.

Release is a very fine episode resolving Doggett's son storyline. Robert Patrick does a great job, especially when telling the story of his son to Cadet Hayes. However, I felt that this storyline needed to be fleshed out a bit more for it to have more of an emotional impact. As it is, Doggett finally receives closure with his son's death and that's all that matters.

I've seen the kid on an episode of Firefly as well. Here, he was born to play this part. I haven't seen him much after 2014, I always wonder what became of actors like this, who basically got their breakthrough parts accidentally.

We were introduced to John Doggett's son in season eight's "Invocation" with the equally brilliant Rodney Eastman ("Sammael" from the Millennium episode "Powers, principalities, thrones and dominions"). All we knew from that episode, was that Doggett had a son who had passed away, sparking Doggett's special interest in children's cases, which was part of his work when he was a cop in New York.

Poe is apparently an FBI cadet "Rudolph Hayes" who has special insight into violent crime, he can piece together a profile from microscopic pieces of evidence garnered from things like bodies and photographs of murder scenes. Even the dirt underneath a corpses fingernails, with this person every detail paints a larger picture, The smaller the detail, the larger the picture.

As we go along we realize that this person is highly obsessive, there is a reason for this.

The lid is also blown off of A. D. Follmer's relationship to a New York City mafia thug who apparently never gets charged with any crime worse than jaywalking even though he is constantly involved in heinous crimes. There is a reason for this as well, and as Monica Reyes was dating Follmer during that time, she starts piecing together things that she has seen, and it paints another ugly picture.

But all things being equal, nothing is as it seems. Not Hayes, not Follmer, and not this case, where a tip sent to Doggett is the very small beginning of a huge avalanche.

This episode is the culmination of a slow burn introduction that over the course of several episodes in season eight and nine, we get told the entire story about Doggett's son and the grisly circumstances and people surrounding his death. This was cleverly seeded in episodes like "Invocation", "Empedocles" and "John Doe". And because the story was told over a length of time and in small pieces, it gives this episode revelatory power, which would have failed if the wrong actor had been selected to play Hayes. Everything about the portrayal was perfect, Poe added a permanent scowl to the character of Hayes which gives an impression of seriousness. And when the doors are blow off of this case, we find out exactly how serious.

Robert Patrick's real life wife Barbara appears as John Doggetts ex-wife, and this little bit of reality adds more believability.

-- Release --

One of my all time favourite X-Files episodes.

For all those who are complaining about season 9, I recommend them watching the four last episodes (William, Release, Sunshine Days & The Truth) - they are all some of the episodes I remember best from this brilliant TV series.

This episode is not about aliens and UFOs, it's a kind of mystery/detective episode - where Dogget is trying to find a serial killer. Everything in this episode is so well made, the acting is brilliant and the story is truly fascinating. And then it's the music...

.. simply one of the best classical scores I've heard. I get goosebumps whenever I hear the classical anthem in this episode.. it should probably have been played even more. It get's you into the right mood right from the very beginning to the last emotional scene..

I recommend Release highly, even for those who don't like X-Files as well.... Full score from me. A must see!

This episode is just like Putin when you ask him about the Russian doping scandal. He will talk sublimely for three-quarters of an hour, but you won't learn anything about it except that the two main witnesses are already dead.