S10.E04: Home Again

[AntiBeeSpray]

MULDER AND SCULLY INVESTIGATE A MURDER OF A CITY OFFICIAL ON AN ALL NEW “THE X-FILES” MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, ON FOX

Episode Written and Directed by Glen Morgan

Mulder and Scully are sent to investigate the murder of a city official, which it seems no human could have committed. Meanwhile, Scully deals with a personal tragedy, which brings up many old feelings about the child she gave away for adoption in the all-new “Home Again” episode of THE X-FILES airing Monday, Feb. 8 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (XF-1002) (TV-14; L, V) CC-AD-HDTV 720p-Dolby Digital 5.1

Cast: Gillian Anderson as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully, David Duchovny as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and Mitch Pileggi as FBI Asst. Dir. Walter Skinner

Guest Cast: Sheila Larkin as Margaret Scully, Tim Armstrong as trashman, Daryl Shuttleworth as Daryl Landry, Peggy Jo Jacobs as Nancy Huff, Alessandro Juliani as Joseph Cutler, Chris Shields as Detective Dross, Gary Sekhon as Forensic Tech, Sachin Sahel as Jack Budd, Veena Sood as Dr. Louise Colquitt, Jannen Karr as Nurse Taillie, Seth Whittaker as Fitzpatrick and Daniel Jacobsen as Proudley

 

Source: http://www.spoilertv.com/2016/01/the-x-files-episode-1004-home-again.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

This is your thread for talking about the fourth episode in the six episode series of the X Files.

[HalcyonDays]

SpoilerTV - S10:E04: Home Again - Promotional Photos

[CofCinci]

Gillian is a gifted actress, right? Where was she tonight?  Watching this terrible episode I felt so embarrassed for her.

[Primetimer]

Golem? Damn near killed 'em!

Read the story

[benteen]

What an awful episode.  What the hell was even going on?

[AimingforYoko]

Gillian is not down for the broad strokes. Leave that to Duchovny.

I don't have the canon memorized, did the X-Files previously do a golem episode?

[maplebrew]

They did do a golem episode although off hand I can't remember what season it appeared in. 

 

It wasn't a terrible episode but the two story lines were not a good fit despite the effort to link them. 

[Bastet]

Uh oh.  Spoil me, please -- why was it awful?

 

(I'd heard it was good other than Mrs. Scully, more William mentions, and "Fox."  Now I'm nervous.)

 

They did do a golem episode although off hand I can't remember what season it appeared in.

 

Kaddish, a season four episode that bores me to tears.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Bastet

[Tardislass]

Eeep! Well I liked it..as much as an unsolved and rushed last 5 min ending can be. Properly scary..and the Downtown song playing when the woman was coming home made me laugh. 

 

It wasn't perfect but it was enjoyable and emotional. 

 

Now next weeks preview..with the two young agents who look and fight just like M&S used to?  I think I'm going to need a soft pillow to scream into then.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Tardislass

[Italian Ice]

I thought Gillian did a fantastic job. 

 

It was a weird episode to try and do two different things, but Gillian did great. The flashbacks to when Scully was in a coma just got me. I loved their relationship here in this episode. In the end, it's always Mulder that's there for her. Always. 

 

And yeah. I hope they find William, for her sake

Edited February 9, 2016 by Italian Ice

[CofCinci]

Uh oh.  Spoil me, please -- why was it awful?

Dana cried for an hour over William but Gillian was completely disconnected from the material.

[SmithW6079]

Gillian is not down for the broad strokes. Leave that to Duchovny.

I don't have the canon memorized, did the X-Files previously do a golem episode?

Yes. A Hassidic woman's husband is murdered, and he comes back (I think his father does the spell).

Watching this, I'd forgotten how X-Files could be seriously scary. I live alone, and I was creeped out.

I'm glad others agree that Gillian Anderson was truly awful in her crying scenes. Like seriously bad.

[janeta]

Good MOTW. but i wasn't feeling the rest of the angst.

Good crack about the 76ers. :-)

[Guest]

I liked it fine.  I like the monster of the week episodes much more than the myth arc.  I thought it would have been stronger if they focused on monster of the week and dropped the personal angst.  Killing off Scully's mother so she could have a lessen about her child didn't really add anything we didn't get in the first two episodes.

Edited February 9, 2016 by ParadoxLost

[riverheightsnancy]

I liked it, but its X-Files, so I am just happy it is back.

[FormerMod-a1]

That was a very gross and a very sad episode.

 

And what is up with Dana's brothers never showing up for anything?  Yes, the one was estranged, but still.  They're mom was in the hospital on her death bed and their sister was left to deal with it all alone.

[Tardislass]

I liked it fine.  I like the monster of the week episodes much more than the myth arc.  I thought it would have been stronger if they focused on monster of the week and dropped the personal angst.  Killing off Scully's mother so she could have a lessen about her child didn't really add anything we didn't get in the first two episodes.

 

CC said this season would be about the meaning of families and what is a family? The offing of Mrs.Scully leaves only CSM so there's got to be some kind of confrontation with Mulder and him. Not saying I like it.

[Bastet]

Dana cried for an hour over William but Gillian was completely disconnected from the material.

 

I wouldn't blame her; I'm certainly over it.

 

Okay, time to start drinking ...

[Tardislass]

That was a very gross and a very sad episode.

 

And what is up with Dana's brothers never showing up for anything?  Yes, the one was estranged, but still.  They're mom was in the hospital on her death bed and their sister was left to deal with it all alone.

Well Bill Jr. was always a jerk..But I think Dana was more upset about her mom not asking for her. I gather that her mom and her never got that close relationship back after William was adopted.

[shapeshifter]

Was I the only one who, upon first seeing Alessandro Juliani, thought of his role in BSG and thought: "Well. At least he has two legs again"?

I thought there was some nice symbolism, but it kind of fell apart around Scully's story.

I laughed at "The Bandaid Nose Man."

It was good enough that I *might* catch up on the ones from this season that I missed.

[FormerMod-a1]

Well Bill Jr. was always a jerk..But I think Dana was more upset about her mom not asking for her. I gather that her mom and her never got that close relationship back after William was adopted.

I agree that's one of the things Dana was upset about, along with her mom dying of course.  I was just saying I was upset at her brothers not visiting their mom on her death bed nor in supporting Dana at all.  They both  just suck.

[Tardislass]

I agree that's one of the things Dana was upset about, along with her mom dying of course.  I was just saying I was upset at her brothers not visiting their mom on her death bed nor in supporting Dana at all.  They both  just suck.

Agreed.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I thought the episode was quite good - it felt very much like a classic X-Files episode to me, and I loved seeing Mrs. Scully again.  To me, this episode - more than the others - captured the themes of loss that were so prevalent during the first run. I really liked it a lot.

 

The trash man thing could have come together better, I will admit it.  But it was clear that this was one of those episodes where they were less concerned about how the monster came to be and more about what the monster was saying about Mulder and Scully.

Edited February 9, 2016 by eleanorofaquitaine

[janestclair]

So, not only is this is another thought form, it's yet another thought form made out of garbage.  Yes, there was the golem in Kaddish, but there was also the trash monster in Arcadia.  Wasn't that supposed to be a tulpa too?  That said, Band-Aid nose man (who really needed a more terrifying name) was scary as hell.  He ripped people to pieces for god sakes.  That's hardcore.  And one was ripped to pieces over the jaunty strains of "Downtown".  Shades of Home, anyone?

 

I thought Gillian played the initial phone call beautifully.  I loved the scene when she and Mulder are at her mom's bedside and she asks if there was ever a case where someone got willed back to life, and Mulder was basically like, "I invented that."  Killed me. 

 

I could still do without the William stuff, but after all this, I hope we eventually do get some resolution on it.

[Guest]

The trash man thing could have come together, I will admit it.  But it was clear that this was one of those episodes where they were less concerned about how the monster came to be and more about what the monster was saying about Mulder and Scully.

 

I thought that part of it was thin.  It boiled down to both the artist and Scully not confronting what they created.  That was a stretch in figuring out what the monster symbolized.

 

I was just happy to be creeped out in the beginning.  And the scenes between Mulder and Scully were solid. 

[xaxat]

So now we know who Banksy is.

 

I can understand what they were trying to do, but the differing tones of the two plots clashed to much for me.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I thought that part of it was thin.  It boiled down to both the artist and Scully not confronting what they created.  That was a stretch in figuring out what the monster symbolized.

 

I was just happy to be creeped out in the beginning.  And the scenes between Mulder and Scully were solid. 

 

Yes, I agree that the plot around the monster - or actually, the resolution to it - was pretty thin. 

 

I had pretty much bailed by the time William happened but Scully's focus on him doesn't really bother me. I think it makes a lot of emotional sense for the character and to some extent, shows how both of them have evolved.  To be honest, since William does exist, this scenario - with him being raised elsewhere - but with Scully and Mulder dealing with the emotional aftermath makes the most sense and is most true to the show's themes.

[lumberjackdexter]

This episode was fantastic if you:

 

A) pretend Chris Carter could write

B) could take a time machine to before Chris Carter knew what a GoPro was

C) stop Chris Carter from watching How to Sell a Banksy

D) all of the above

[SmithW6079]

That was a very gross and a very sad episode.

And what is up with Dana's brothers never showing up for anything? Yes, the one was estranged, but still. [Their] mom was in the hospital on her death bed and their sister was left to deal with it all alone.

I thought Scully asked him what time his flight from Frankfurt was, so it sounded like he was in Germany (or maybe Kentucky).

[Stuffy]

This episode was fantastic if you:

 

A) pretend Chris Carter could write

B) could take a time machine to before Chris Carter knew what a GoPro was

C) stop Chris Carter from watching How to Sell a Banksy

D) all of the above

I thought it was written by Glen Morgan.

[Tardislass]

This episode was fantastic if you:

 

A) pretend Chris Carter could write

B) could take a time machine to before Chris Carter knew what a GoPro was

C) stop Chris Carter from watching How to Sell a Banksy

D) all of the above

Glen Morgan was the writer.

[Prevailing Wind]

He needs Wong.

[SparklesBitch]

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one. The monster was sufficiently scary and I liked that there was a touch more gore than usual, but not too over the top. Also, I really got a kick out of all the digs at Philly. I've lived in this city for going on 7 years and everything they pointed out was accurate from the 76ers sucking to the ever present confrontational nature of people to the fact that certain areas of downtown constantly smell like urine. It makes me laugh to think that that sort of creepy street art is so ubiquitous here that nobody would bat an eye at it. I mean, there is beautiful street art here too, and in fact there's a gorgeous mural of spring scenery on the side of my favorite bakery/ice cream parlor a few blocks from my apartment, but yeah, Philly has issues.

 

But back to the episode....I thought Gillian knocked it out of the park, as per usual. The initial phone call from Bill especially broke my heart. I was so glad that Mulder showed up at the hospital to be with her. I was going to be angry if he stayed away chasing the monster. Loved the scene where she asked if they ever ran into anyone that could will someone back to life, and Mulder saying he invented it.

 

That being said, I thought the connection between the monster and Scully giving away William was weak at best. It was reaching....and reaching really far. However, she finally repeatedly said "our son" in reference to William, so that was nice.

 

And that last scene with the Scully monologue (why does the dialogue have to be so clunky??) while Mulder just sits there and then just kind of awkwardly gathers her into his arms? I don't know....I felt for Scully, and for her sake, I really hope that they at least find out that William has been okay this whole time, but I cringed my way through that scene. Mulder barely looked affected to me. I just can't make myself care about anything related to William, but I completely understand why it would tear Scully apart so much, and I care (probaby a little too much) about Scully's happiness, so he needs to be happy and healthy. I feel like after all of her guilt about giving him up for adoption, even while knowing it was the right thing, if she finds out he's been harmed or is dead anyway despite her best efforts, that will be the thing that destroys her for good. Selfishly, even for the sake of the story and even if Gillian can sell it, I don't want a permanently destroyed Scully. She's been through enough already. They both have.

 

On a related note, though....how in the world does Gillian manage to do that one perfect tear thing? She's such a pretty crier. It makes me think of back in the day when I was involved the L&O: SVU fandom and someone dubbed poor Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) the "Queen of the Unpretty Crying" or something like that. It was mean, but incredibly funny at the time because it was so accurate.

[Mama No Life]

Liked the Xfile...seemed about right.

 

Liked the Ma Scully/William thread.

 

Did NOT like them together. At all.

 

Don't know how GA even got that last line out about treating William like trash without vomiting. So stupid it hurts my feelings.

[lumberjackdexter]

I thought it was written by Glen Morgan.

Then you've narrowed it down to either B or C. 

[Prevailing Wind]

 

how in the world does Gillian manage to do that one perfect tear thing?

Bernadette Peters can do that, too.  I saw her on some show singing "I don't know why I love you like I do" and that single tear rolled down her cheek; it was very moving...until I saw her do the same thing on another show.  It was her shtick for that song and I felt used.

[Tardislass]

Sometimes people just need to let their emotions out without being told it's okay, etc. That is what I thought Mulder was doing in the last scene-just letting her vent. To me Mulder or DD either has the poker face or the crying face. DD has never been exactly great in the emotional range.

 

 

However, I am glad that this show is exploring William. To me it makes them more human and less the superhero FBI agents.

 

However, if CC tries to extend the William storyline further, I won't be feeling so charitable.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Tardislass

[AntiBeeSpray]

Liked the Xfile...seemed about right.

 

Liked the Ma Scully/William thread.

 

Did NOT like them together. At all.

 

Don't know how GA even got that last line out about treating William like trash without vomiting. So stupid it hurts my feelings.

 

I think it was in regards to her giving him away. She felt like when people throw out their trash. It was metaphorically speaking.

 

I loved tonights ep. It reminded me of why I loved the X Files. It was wonderfully acted and paced and the writing was good. 

[SparklesBitch]

Don't know how GA even got that last line out about treating William like trash without vomiting. So stupid it hurts my feelings.

 

Preach! What was that about?

 

Forgot to mention....is anyone else dying to know why Charlie was estranged from Ma Scully? We barely hear anything about him for nine years, and now he's estranged? I'm so curious!

Edited February 9, 2016 by SparklesBitch

[eleanorofaquitaine]

Preach! What was that about?

 

I think that was about Scully's feelings of guilt and responsibility. Objectively, Scully knows she didn't throw William away. But she feels responsible for him, still. After all, like the Trash guy, she did go to great lengths to "create" William and yet, she ultimately had to send him away for his own safety. But she probably still feels a lot of guilt about that because she and Mulder went on to live their lives.

 

I mean, the connection to the MOTW was a stretch but I found Scully's comments about her feelings about William understandable and true to the character.

[HalcyonDays]

OMG, the Trashman ripping apart those bodies!! Like trash! The people deserved it, but what a way to go...

 

Poor Scully, losing her mom. Giving up William has really messed her up, and these new cases are pushing her to finally decide to track down her kid.

Loved Mulder being by Scully's side. When he called, and she looked up and there he was - *sigh*

 

I will say though, this episode they were very un M&S-like. Even Mr HD commented on it. They didn't seem like M&S. And I was kinda thrown off by how everytime Scully was crying, Mulder didn't say a word to her. Weird.

 

But good COTW, good comeuppance, good creepy factor.

[festivus]

I don't have much to say about this episode except that Scully broke my heart.

[AntiBeeSpray]

OMG, the Trashman ripping apart those bodies!! Like trash! The people deserved it, but what a way to go...

 

Poor Scully, losing her mom. Giving up William has really messed her up, and these new cases are pushing her to finally decide to track down her kid.

Loved Mulder being by Scully's side. When he called, and she looked up and there he was - *sigh*

 

I will say though, this episode they were very un M&S-like. Even Mr HD commented on it. They didn't seem like M&S. And I was kinda thrown off by how everytime Scully was crying, Mulder didn't say a word to her. Weird.

 

But good COTW, good comeuppance, good creepy factor.

 

Un M & S like? I disagree on that. They felt like they did back in the day to me. They felt un M & S like to me during Founder's Mutation. No chemistry or history at all. 

 

As for Mulder not saying a word... he was letting her talk, taking on her burden. He was being a grown up. I couldn't have been more proud of him.

 

Apart from what you mentioned, how did they seem off to you guys?

[lumberjackdexter]

Bernadette Peters can do that, too.  I saw her on some show singing "I don't know why I love you like I do" and that single tear rolled down her cheek; it was very moving...until I saw her do the same thing on another show.  It was her shtick for that song and I felt used.

Unless the mascara runs I don't believe it.  

[90PercentGravity]

When I saw the episode wad called "Home Again"I thought it was going to tie into "Home,"so I was pretty distracted waiting for that reveal that never came.

Did anyone else think the monster looked like Peyton Manning?

Edited February 9, 2016 by 90PercentGravity

[JWalker]

As far as the William storyline is concerned the writers have two choices. Go on torturing Mulder and Scully this way or give the storyline some kind of resolution. Hopefully the latter.

Edited February 9, 2016 by JWalker

[uoflfan]

I tuned in a bit late but loved the episode and the flashbacks to seasons 7 and 8. I truly think this is leading up to a connection between CSM and WIlliam. I'm certain that old bastard knows exactly where William lives and wouldn't be surprised if he is William's surrogate grandfather. The finale is supposed to be a cliffhanger. My alien DNA predicts another short season next year. lol.

[lumberjackdexter]

When I saw the episode wad called "Home Again"I thought it was going to tie into "Home,"so I was pretty distracted waiting for that reveal that never came.

Did anyone else think the monster liked like Peyton Manning?

yes

 

http://www.nbc.com/sites/nbcunbc/files/files/styles/nbc_gallery_slide/public/scet/photos/61/10817/SNL_1494_Payton_Manning_300%20Shoot_1.png?itok=UL0LApdc

[AntiBeeSpray]

As far as the William storyline is concerned the writers have two choices. Go on torturing Mulder and Scully this way give the storyline some kind of resolution. Hopefully the latter.

 

I'm hoping for the latter too, but it most likely won't be in this season.

[Jac]

I haven't seen this yet, I have to wait until I get home from university and it goes up on Hulu, but nothing I'm reading here is making me excited. I didn't like the golem plot the first time they did it in Kaddish which was one of the weakest episodes in the very good 4th season and I was spoiled for Scully's mum's death and wasn't particularly impressed it was happening either. I'm still going to watch because X-Files but I'm disappointed especially considering how good last week's episode was.