Revelations

I'm a big fan of X-Files but felt this episode was pretty bad. They always make religion so weird whenever they try to incorporate it in the show, and make people who believe in religious affairs to be wildly strange. The role reversal of Scully being the believer this time was pretty awesome but overall this episode had a lot of plot holes and I really didn't enjoy it.

The thing that I realize now is that what's the most supernatural in this show doesn't come from aliens, ghosts or whatever but is simply the work relationship between Mulder and Scully. In real life, colleagues aren't compassionate, witty, helpful or supportive. Finding one like them is as difficult as seeing a real alien! It's true still that now Fox and Mulder become more and more intimate, especially Scully who can show bits of jealousy when a cute babe deals with Mulder.

Next, with such a great but limited formula (investigating paranormal), i expected to see the show cannibalize itself, as one producers said. But I'm surprised it comes as soon as this third season. Frankly, a lot of episodes look like very much plots of the previous seasons. A few managed however to be innovative: "the walk", "oubliette", "pusher". The season stinker are ""Teso Dos Bichos", "Hell Money": nothing really start there and the episodes drags endlessly in the dark. A lot of praise goes to Morgan scripts of "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose", and "José Chung's From Outer Space" but I don't found them very riveting. The latter is also unintelligible, as the real alien abductor needs a spaceship for going into inner earth!

Sure, in this season, the mythology gets more powerful. If some episodes offer amazing, deep visions and conspiracies, sometimes its a bit too much macabre soap opera (abducting a sister, killing a father and another sister) and the endless fights with Skinner are boring! Above all, the narrative has reached the breakpoint because the more they knew, the more they return to "simple" paranormal cases! At last, one companion book of xfiles (not the Genge's which sucks!) answers what I took for another failure: if Mulder and Scully are still alive, it's not because of the clumsiness of the Syndicate, but because they want it: with the duo alive, they have the best plumbers on earth to look after their leaks!

About the production, the thing that is evident in this season is that the show opens to a lot of know faces, my best being Fletch's ex- girlfriend (will you find her?).

With all this, I pick this episode for my season winner: dealing paranormal with religion is a dangerous step for the show. Indeed, if Christ is now on earth (i like his "You will" answer to Scully's invitation to meet again), pursuing aliens becomes senseless, as the creator is the same for humans and aliens. Strangely, Mulder is totally close to faith and don't seem to wonder who create the aliens?

No aliens here, the show goes back to the supernatural and in this case focuses on faith (Christianity in particular). I enjoyed the blending of reality and fantasy (or is it?) to bring about a sense of realism, but more so the thought-provoking message delivered.

While we have the usual suspense, investigation, and chase scene we've come to expect from The X-Files, we get an almost role-reversal with Scully and Mulder, whereas Mulder is the one who can't believe in something extraordinary because of its tie to religion.

In the end, Scully makes a very human confession while opening up a number of questions for consideration. Excellent conclusion to a surprisingly deep episode.

What sets this aside is that we have a role reversal where Scully becomes the believer and Mulder the one who questions stuff, which makes him come across as a colossal tool.

Scully's religious belief can be traced back to Beyond the Sea and having visions of her deceased father.

Other than that, this is usual and tired. Stigmata, fake and real touches of god. And a mysterious killer on the loose.

If you swap the context, here religious, it's the same detective stuff as any number of episodes: there's a lot of running between places, piecing a plot and trying to prevent the final crime. Facing larger powers at work.

Bo-ring. Go to Marjoe if you want a chilling look on faith, a 70s documentary on (then) the 'world's youngest minister'.

Hot on the heels of the wonderful two part Nisei/731, comes Revelations, after those two excellent stories, I found this one a little lacking. It's still a good watch, and has a plot you'll have seen several times on different types of thrillers.

It had a very dramatic few moments at the very beginning, and like me, you may feel as if you're in for something pretty big, truth is it just doesn't really lead to anything, I thought the ending was a little flat.

Several things are implied and suggested, and as always you're allowed to make your own mind up as to what to think.

Solid acting, I thought that Kenneth Welsh was rather good here.

I forget sometimes that I'm a cynical Brit watching an American series, and we do have some very different ideas, particularly when it comes to religion, maybe that's a factor in my thoughts of this one.

Decent, not a favourite, 6/10.