Cassandra Spender is returned, and the Syndicate must decide whose side they are on. Or is it already too late?
For anyone trying to jump into The X-Files at this point, you'd be totally lost. The recap of events at the beginning of this episode includes sequences from as far back as Season One, along with bits of Seasons Three, Four and Five. Admittedly it's unlikely Chris Carter really had all this in mind when he wrote The Erlenmeyer Flask, but it ties together pretty well, although with this first effort to actually explain things, there is a lot of information very quickly, and although some of it most of us had pretty much worked out, some of the rest is confusing when you hear it for the first time.
So does it work? Well, yes. We find out who Cancer Man is (or at least an alias). We discover what the black oil is, who the faceless aliens are, and what the colonization plans are. We discover more about Samantha, Mulder's sister. We get more background of the Spender family, and see how things tie together a little better. There are still some things left unexplained, but there's enough information here to keep fans happy.
There are a few minor problems, though. Some of the dialogue is cringe-inducing. When someone says, "They want to take over the universe!" you have to laugh. Also, most of the show's buzz-phrases are crowbarred into the script somehow. There's The Truth is Out There (several times), and Fight the Future amongst others. Secondly, what is Krycek suddenly doing back with the Syndicate after they've tried to kill him? I suspect a hidden agenda, and he'll turn out to be a good guy in the end. Lastly, we need more information of the alien shape-shifters. Have their faces always been sealed beneath their morphing exterior? And what's the concept behind their healing powers?
Still, these are minor glitches in an episode that delivers shocks, surprises, unpleasant sliminess and, finally, some answers. Watch and learn.
****
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