The search for the son Scully gave up for adoption sixteen years prior is the subject of this episode, but somehow I think the story took a massive leap of faith making the connection she was looking for. Apparently there were shared visions between them, but in a country with over three hundred million people, she and Mulder zero in on the very house where Jackson Van De Kamp (Miles Robbins) lived with his parents, both slain by agents hunting down William as well, as part of a story line set in motion with the first episode of Season Eleven. In retrospect too, the Peter Wong (François Chau) connection felt manufactured and forced. If William now knows who Scully is, his real birth mother, why carry on the hide and seek game? For the longest time I've made use of the Malcolm X saying 'If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything', but never knew it was attributed to him until this episode. It might be a good watchword for the writers of the series, as they've been stringing us all along now for a quarter of a century.
14 Reviews
Back on track, I hope
jaz-155527 February 2018
At last
mcmanusaaron22 August 2019
Beautiful.
Liam_12 February 2018
William's story was presented beautifully in this episode. It had a modern feel to it from start to finish. Demonstrates that the X-files has just as much life in it as it ever did. I hope that's not the end for his character.
Great performances from everyone, especially Anderson. Exemplary of how amazing and timeliness the x-files is. The previous episode's pandering to nostalgia I felt was out of place, and perhaps a little misguided. They're two FBI agents working in the field. Who cares what age they are? This show could just as well have started right now, in 2018, and with the right work could have been just as successful.
Great performances from everyone, especially Anderson. Exemplary of how amazing and timeliness the x-files is. The previous episode's pandering to nostalgia I felt was out of place, and perhaps a little misguided. They're two FBI agents working in the field. Who cares what age they are? This show could just as well have started right now, in 2018, and with the right work could have been just as successful.
Everything I've wanted from the revival series
alienf3tus1 February 2018
THIS WAS INCREDIBLE! I was honestly not feeling the new season at all but this gave me so much faith in it. I hope the rest of the season is like this.
God where do I start with this one? The writing was absolutely incredible and the directing by Wong gave it such an amazing updated feel. This is how the next generation of X Files should have looked from the beginning of the second movie.
Anderson is great playing a grieving/worried mother, her performance was probably the highlight of the episode.
Honestly if this is the only good episode this season, I don't care, it was worth the wait (but here's to hoping that there's more like this).
17 years of X-Files converges right here
XweAponX2 February 2018
On May 20th, 2001, William was born.
On April 28th, 2002, Skully gave up William for Adoption, after Former Agent Spender injected him with an 'Antidote" to his Alien heritage.
After the injection, William was not able to move the Buffalo Mobile above his adoptive Crib. And he was supposed to be "Normal". But Skully was told that the Supersoldiers/Alien Replacements would never accept that William was now a Normal Boy, and Skully had to make the hardest decision she ever made. Who knew that she set in motion events that started happening 16 years later, when Skully and Mulder started having Visions of William? And why are we even discussing William, anyway, it's not like Skully is staring to be Obsessed, seems there is a "William around every corner." And Mulder, in Political Correctness, backs off and supports her rather than starting the usual conflict.
As it turns out, Agent Spender was more of an Ally than an Enemy. In My Struggle III, we find out that he has been protecting William's location.
And now everyone is looking for William. Even CGB Spender, who has got Director Skinner fooled into doing his work for him. While Mr. Y tacitly employs Mulder to do the same even as Mulder kicks against the Goads.
Two Girls visit a beat up Ferry at night, and have a messy interaction: They both thought they were fighting a Monster named Ghouli. What is Skully's connection to it? An X-File investigation leads her and Mulder to a kid named Jackson, and some other unwanted people worm their way in. This Jackson kid is severely interesting. Who is he? Skully thinks she knows who he is.
It's hard for the X-Files to be happening in this political environment, everyone wants to interfere. This is true in The X-Files, and in the real FBI. Will CGB Spender release some memo, now?
It is interesting that the Most Obstruction Mulder and Skully are facing comes from the DOJ this year. The last time the DOJ directly interfered with an X-Files investigation? Was in the season 1 episode "Shadows", when Mulder and Skully tried to interview Lauren Kyte.
There is a lot I want to say about this episode, I can't. All we really know is that William was hidden for fear of Supersoldiers/Alien Replacements. We know Magnetite can kill Supersoldiers. And that for some reason, Spender injected William with Magnetite. After escaping the Military, Mulder hid until 2008, when he was called in as a consultant to help figure out some grisly murders related to a Russian Body Part factory. And then Skinner finally reopens the X-Files, Mulder and Skully have been tooling around amid hints of William and alternate Alien Invasion scenarios and a new threat from the Cigarette Smoking Man and some new guy named Mr. Y. But if you want to see why this is possibly the most important episode of The X-Files ever, that's up to you watching it.
I would love to see the Supersolder arc finally get topped off or even explained, even more about this thing with Langley being alive in some sort of AI. So many X-Files, so little time. And unless we can talk Gillian out of quitting, this will finally be it.
Oh Yes, Fringe was very much influenced by The X-Files as someone else suggested, the 1st half of the first season even employed Darrin Morgan who wrote the Mandela Effect episode. "The Former X-Designation" as it was put in "A New Day in an Old Town".
On April 28th, 2002, Skully gave up William for Adoption, after Former Agent Spender injected him with an 'Antidote" to his Alien heritage.
After the injection, William was not able to move the Buffalo Mobile above his adoptive Crib. And he was supposed to be "Normal". But Skully was told that the Supersoldiers/Alien Replacements would never accept that William was now a Normal Boy, and Skully had to make the hardest decision she ever made. Who knew that she set in motion events that started happening 16 years later, when Skully and Mulder started having Visions of William? And why are we even discussing William, anyway, it's not like Skully is staring to be Obsessed, seems there is a "William around every corner." And Mulder, in Political Correctness, backs off and supports her rather than starting the usual conflict.
As it turns out, Agent Spender was more of an Ally than an Enemy. In My Struggle III, we find out that he has been protecting William's location.
And now everyone is looking for William. Even CGB Spender, who has got Director Skinner fooled into doing his work for him. While Mr. Y tacitly employs Mulder to do the same even as Mulder kicks against the Goads.
Two Girls visit a beat up Ferry at night, and have a messy interaction: They both thought they were fighting a Monster named Ghouli. What is Skully's connection to it? An X-File investigation leads her and Mulder to a kid named Jackson, and some other unwanted people worm their way in. This Jackson kid is severely interesting. Who is he? Skully thinks she knows who he is.
It's hard for the X-Files to be happening in this political environment, everyone wants to interfere. This is true in The X-Files, and in the real FBI. Will CGB Spender release some memo, now?
It is interesting that the Most Obstruction Mulder and Skully are facing comes from the DOJ this year. The last time the DOJ directly interfered with an X-Files investigation? Was in the season 1 episode "Shadows", when Mulder and Skully tried to interview Lauren Kyte.
There is a lot I want to say about this episode, I can't. All we really know is that William was hidden for fear of Supersoldiers/Alien Replacements. We know Magnetite can kill Supersoldiers. And that for some reason, Spender injected William with Magnetite. After escaping the Military, Mulder hid until 2008, when he was called in as a consultant to help figure out some grisly murders related to a Russian Body Part factory. And then Skinner finally reopens the X-Files, Mulder and Skully have been tooling around amid hints of William and alternate Alien Invasion scenarios and a new threat from the Cigarette Smoking Man and some new guy named Mr. Y. But if you want to see why this is possibly the most important episode of The X-Files ever, that's up to you watching it.
I would love to see the Supersolder arc finally get topped off or even explained, even more about this thing with Langley being alive in some sort of AI. So many X-Files, so little time. And unless we can talk Gillian out of quitting, this will finally be it.
Oh Yes, Fringe was very much influenced by The X-Files as someone else suggested, the 1st half of the first season even employed Darrin Morgan who wrote the Mandela Effect episode. "The Former X-Designation" as it was put in "A New Day in an Old Town".
At long last the question of William is getting an answer
predphd1 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In season 10 of The X-Files there were only two episodes worth keeping: Glen Morgan's excellent "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were Monster" and James Wong's "Founder's Mutation". The latter episode began to address (in Wong's typical unsettling fashion) the series' biggest dangling truth by asking what was the cause and effect of Scully's miracle pregnancy in Seasons 7-8. The promise of "Founder's Mutation" is followed up in in Wong's written and directed Season 11 installment wherein Scully is suffering from waking visions of an elusive shadowy figure she believes to be the grown son she gave up for blind adoption 16 years ago. Those visions call her and Mulder to the site of an apparent Monster of the Week attack involving two teenage girls, each convinced they are doing battle with a multi-limbed, mucus-covered, toothy creature named Ghouli. Soon however, it becomes apparent that nothing is what is seems as a young man who bears a striking resemblance to the shadowy figure in Scully's visions emerges as a central figure in an attempted cover-up by the Department of Defense and the Cigarette Smoking Man of a discontinued eugenics experiment called Crossroads. Anderson is her usual brilliant self as a guilt-ridden, bereft mother trying too late to reconnect to the child she gave up long ago. Duchovny's performance is restrained yet pivotal as he investigates the young man whose interests, attitudes, and behavior bear a striking resemblance to his own.
Excellent episode
josua_daniele11 February 2018
Wow!! This new season is really great!!! Excellent episode! Man, they should be doing more seasons! This one is better than season 10 (I loved season 10)! This episode is like the old X Files. Mythology and MOTW episode at the same time! Wll done! Keep going!!
Ghouli
bobcobb3014 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This episode was very reminiscent of Fringe (which I guess was "influenced" by The X Files, so in a roundabout way was authentic) but it was an okay premise. We had someone imagining monsters to throw off his attackers, but the way they did it with Scully at the end was really weak.
Gillian Anderson's sobbing was pretty good acting over what she thought was her dead son, but to reveal William this way was a mistake.
Gillian Anderson's sobbing was pretty good acting over what she thought was her dead son, but to reveal William this way was a mistake.
Could've been better (+overabundance of product placement)
kuarinofu1 February 2018
Wow, this season is just all over the place. We're only halfway through, and the episodes have ranged from complete and utter trash (ep. 1) to being interesting (ep. 3) to reaching gold status (ep.4) and back to mediocrity (ep. 2 and this one).
David and Gillian both deliver some good performances (Mulder's dialogue with Skinner and Scully's "monologue"). Skinner is sort of downplayed in this episode but it feels like he's being set up for something big later on. The second part of the episode kind of doesn't make any sense in terms of plot and mostly the motivation of the DoD operatives. It is still important that you watch it cause it establishes a lot for the ending of the season (as well as Season 10).
The plot wasn't well done overall, but the product placement, my god, there's like 2 or 3 scenes in this episode SPECIFICALLY WRITTEN to showcase the features of the stuff they're selling. It's so obvious it hurts, like come on, connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot from the car you're advertising FROM a tablet YOU ARE ALSO ADVERTISING. And they focus on these shots too, Jesus Christ. If the first episode felt like a 45 min long trailer, this one feels like a 20 min commercial within an X-files episode.
David and Gillian both deliver some good performances (Mulder's dialogue with Skinner and Scully's "monologue"). Skinner is sort of downplayed in this episode but it feels like he's being set up for something big later on. The second part of the episode kind of doesn't make any sense in terms of plot and mostly the motivation of the DoD operatives. It is still important that you watch it cause it establishes a lot for the ending of the season (as well as Season 10).
The plot wasn't well done overall, but the product placement, my god, there's like 2 or 3 scenes in this episode SPECIFICALLY WRITTEN to showcase the features of the stuff they're selling. It's so obvious it hurts, like come on, connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot from the car you're advertising FROM a tablet YOU ARE ALSO ADVERTISING. And they focus on these shots too, Jesus Christ. If the first episode felt like a 45 min long trailer, this one feels like a 20 min commercial within an X-files episode.
Gillian Anderson cannot speak
treborbasset27 July 2021
The story of Scully's son, William, has been a flop in most of the episodes it's been a part of throughout the X-Files, even if you binge watch them all in a short space of time. This episode in particular was boring and lacks any kind of emotional punch. I simply do not care. The plot is uninteresting and has no stakes.
Gillian Anderson seems to be a worse actor now than she was in the 90s. Perhaps the biggest issue that is increasingly difficult to ignore is the fact that every line is delivered as a whisper. I don't know if she was suffering from a medical condition during filming, but if so, they should not have filmed it. She cannot hold scenes and is not believable when she tries to show emotion. In most scenes she comes across as wooden and like she doesn't want to be there.
Gillian Anderson seems to be a worse actor now than she was in the 90s. Perhaps the biggest issue that is increasingly difficult to ignore is the fact that every line is delivered as a whisper. I don't know if she was suffering from a medical condition during filming, but if so, they should not have filmed it. She cannot hold scenes and is not believable when she tries to show emotion. In most scenes she comes across as wooden and like she doesn't want to be there.
Choice of William cast and William plot
comm-121 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Is it a x-file why William looks 10 years older than he supposed to be and has brown eyes and dark hair?
We learned earlier that he has blue eyes and Scullys colors.
The actor has visible beard growth. 17 year olds are more babyfaced. His clothes looked like from a kid in the 90s. Kids today have a totally different style.
But the most akward plot choice for me was, that a kid whos parents where shot a few days ago caused by the kid himself somehow says with a smile that he wants to see the world now. That is a very fast recovery.
We learned earlier that he has blue eyes and Scullys colors.
The actor has visible beard growth. 17 year olds are more babyfaced. His clothes looked like from a kid in the 90s. Kids today have a totally different style.
But the most akward plot choice for me was, that a kid whos parents where shot a few days ago caused by the kid himself somehow says with a smile that he wants to see the world now. That is a very fast recovery.
What Happened to Gillian Anderson's Voice
mboyd19863 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
If she can't talk, why have her in the show.
If all she can do is whisper, why have her in the show.
If her voice is so croaky that you can't hear a damn word she says, why have her in the show.
Either get her some medical help and fix her voice or get someone else to play the part.
I know she's getting on a bit, but that's no reason to let her ruin every episode because you can't understand what the heck she is saying.
No more X-Fi8les on TV for me. I'll wait till I can download it with subtitles.
No more X-Fi8les on TV for me. I'll wait till I can download it with subtitles.
My predominant feeling when watching it is embarassment and awkwardness
stunt-797-756651 February 2018
I'm watching it thinking...what is it? Who are man & woman reciting odd sentences and waiting. I look away... I ask myself-is it X-files? No...I answer, the people are androids talking stuff quickly and whispering useless words by heart.
Guys look alike like actors I saw decades ago, sometime where acting was acting.
I look at background, my mind wanders, gets bored, I don't care about a plot-I'm watching with deepning embarassment like I would have watched my granma naked, looking away, thinking that I'm not supposed to watch it-it's wrong. It shatters my memories of Scully and Muldee. And bores to death. Directed to millenials generation it shows its emptiness and misery. I feel sick and throw up to a basket.
Scully cries here and it's most pathetic acting I ever saw and heard. Made me sick.
Stupid music, dumbest plot. Anderson must have throat cancer or sth and it hurt my ears to hear her.
All goes deeply south. I feel embarassed.
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