This is Not Happening, the overly used phrase in the X-Files, is also an excellent episode from season eight. It's not that "this is not happening" is a bad phrase, it's just that some of its uses are a bit contrived, especially in this episode.
In this episode, Scully is having dreams of Mulder in the spacecraft. The interesting thing is that that is exactly what is happening to Mulder. Do they share some kind of special abduction connection that allows her to see what is happening to him?
In an effort to find Mulder, Doggett brings in an old acquaintance of his, Monica Reyes. She is smoking, which is an ominous thing in the X-Files, and she doesn't shake their hands. I found that to be quite odd. She just stands back when Doggett introduces her to Scully and Skinner. But we see immediately that Reyes is an odd duck, talking about how spiritual she is and she has a lot of intuition for things. We quickly see that Reyes is a female Mulder, though she comes to her weird conclusions in a different way from Mulder.
It was nice to see Roy Thinnes return as Jeremiah Smith, the nice alien that likes to heal people. At first we see him running around in Nike shoes, showing only the shoes. The episode put too much emphasis on the shoes he was wearing, as if knocking us over the head with the fact that Jeremiah Smith is the one wearing the Nike shoes. I don't think the audience is that dense.
In a rare instance, Skinner calls Scully Dana, trying to be more sensitive, I suppose. It still sounds odd to hear her first name.
The acting is top-notch in This is Not Happening, especially by Gillian Anderson, as they get closer to finding Mulder, and her emotions start affecting her objectivity. The episode was billed as the return of Fox Mulder, so the end doesn't really shock you as maybe it's intended to, because we know that Mulder will be in future episodes. Though the ending does leave you puzzled as to exactly how they're going to bring him back. But, for sure, the return of Mulder is a good thing that IS happening.
In this episode, Scully is having dreams of Mulder in the spacecraft. The interesting thing is that that is exactly what is happening to Mulder. Do they share some kind of special abduction connection that allows her to see what is happening to him?
In an effort to find Mulder, Doggett brings in an old acquaintance of his, Monica Reyes. She is smoking, which is an ominous thing in the X-Files, and she doesn't shake their hands. I found that to be quite odd. She just stands back when Doggett introduces her to Scully and Skinner. But we see immediately that Reyes is an odd duck, talking about how spiritual she is and she has a lot of intuition for things. We quickly see that Reyes is a female Mulder, though she comes to her weird conclusions in a different way from Mulder.
It was nice to see Roy Thinnes return as Jeremiah Smith, the nice alien that likes to heal people. At first we see him running around in Nike shoes, showing only the shoes. The episode put too much emphasis on the shoes he was wearing, as if knocking us over the head with the fact that Jeremiah Smith is the one wearing the Nike shoes. I don't think the audience is that dense.
In a rare instance, Skinner calls Scully Dana, trying to be more sensitive, I suppose. It still sounds odd to hear her first name.
The acting is top-notch in This is Not Happening, especially by Gillian Anderson, as they get closer to finding Mulder, and her emotions start affecting her objectivity. The episode was billed as the return of Fox Mulder, so the end doesn't really shock you as maybe it's intended to, because we know that Mulder will be in future episodes. Though the ending does leave you puzzled as to exactly how they're going to bring him back. But, for sure, the return of Mulder is a good thing that IS happening.
