While not the worst episode of The X-Files during “season ten,” Babylon is nevertheless representative of the problems that lie in reviving the beloved series in a limited run format. With one episode remaining, we’ve seen a mixed bag of familiar episodes that focus on conspiracy/mythology, monster of the week, comedy, etc. Spread over an entire year of 20+ episodes, they would somehow fit together; however, spread over a fourth the number, there’s been no consistent tone.
I’m not saying I wish they hadn’t done it, but looking back, I wonder if it would have made more sense to produce a six-episode miniseries that added up to tell one story. Of course, we may have then missed the best thing about Babylon, the reflection of their younger selves that Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) see in new agents Miller (Robbie Amell) and Einstein (Lauren Ambrose). He’s the dewy-eyed believer and she’s the scientific sense of reason.
“He seems like a bright young man,” notes Mulder. “She calls him Miller. Hmmm…” adds Scully. Actually, the new agents lean toward caricatures of the original, more so with Einstein. She’s more overtly dramatic than Scully ever was, and sometimes downright shrill. He’s more quietly restrained about what he believes than Mulder ever was. If their introduction was indeed intended for a possible spinoff, I’m not sure the chemistry would work. On the other hand, it has potential to develop.
When Miller drags Einstein to Mulder’s basement office, he’s seeking someone who can talk to a bomber in a coma, following a terrorist attack at an art gallery in southwest Texas. “What brings you to the FBI’s most unwanted?” asks Scully, who then comments, “I’ve been waiting 23 years to say that.” Einstein pities Scully, while Miller thinks Mulder has a dream job. “Maybe he values her open mind,” suggests Miller. “Maybe she challenges his b s,” responds Einstein.
Interestingly, after they leave with nothing, Scully calls Miller; she has something to try, but they have to meet in Texas. Simultaneously, Mulder calls Einstein; he has something to try, but she can’t go to Texas. This odd pairing of the old guard with the new ultimately teaches lessons to all four. Mulder encourages Einstein to expand her mind about the material world and Scully reminds Miller about what can be done through science. Meanwhile, the terrorist cell prepares for another attack…
What could/should become a race against time doesn’t really unfold that way. Instead, there’s a bizarre trip (literally) that Mulder takes in an effort to communicate with the bomber on another plane of existence. I’m glad I didn’t know about this in advance, because the appearance of three familiar faces was a delightful surprise; I felt like I was discovering something. Overall, though, it’s a poorly placed stunt that I equate with the dinner of serial killers on American Horror Story: Hotel.
It all quickly culminates and concludes, leaving questions that seem too profound for what we’ve just seen. The moral is that words and ideas have physical weight that can incite people. Reflecting upon events, Mulder tells Scully that during his trip, he saw deep and unconditional love. Scully tells Mulder that she witnessed unqualified hate that appears to have no end. How to reconcile the two, the extremes of our nature, is the question of our times. And it gets more preachy from there, in the final moments…
…because, as if there isn’t enough already, Babylon includes a subplot about “ear witnesses” who hear trumpets as some type of reference to Revelations 8.2 and the apocalypse. Or course, this episode was written by series creator Chris Carter; it has his fingerprints all over it. That reinforces my feelings about season ten. The best moments have been the lighter ones, the ones that don’t try to find some deeper meaning in every mystery. While entertaining, Babylon acts more important that it truly is.
