Redux II

Member Comments

"There has been a sudden change in the series, and the path it will undergo, and the truth has never seemed so attainable, so within reach, as it does now, after the stunning revelations of the brilliant "Redux II". Fox Mulder's quest has now a gleaning of fact, of wonderful truth and beauty inside of it, that the light he so tries to achieve and cherish, that small grain of fact and knowledge, is out there. The words we have heard uttered over the course of the past two episodes, "Gethsemane" and "Redux", are now brought full circle in this momentous episode, which will forever change the series. There are questions answered and, in the tradition of the cryptic nature of Mr. Carter, questions raised, but the mystery of Samantha Mulder has been somewhat resolved. We still know very little about the experience after her abduction, or little of her parenthood, but we know that she has lead a life without Fox Mulder, and that she has children, a husband, and her own purpose. Perhaps she will one day call her brother, seeking knowledge of her past, if only to want to aid her family in moving on from the trauma of her abduction. Bill Junior, Scully's older brother, has proved himself to be a number-one S.O.B. I have little sympathy for him, who, in a time of grief and mourning, chose to lash out at someone who was obviously suffering greatly over Scully's disease and her impending death. For someone who said that Mulder was 'a sorry son of a bitch', Bill has proved himself to be lower than that. On the other hand, Margaret Scully has proven herself to be the backbone of the Scully clan, being wonderfully strong and supportive of her daughter and her decisions, wanting to be a help to Scully even in the most down parts of her illness. She is a survivor, strong and nurturing, and grieving though more worried over her daughter than herself. Maggie remains my favorite family member of either agent, having little respect for Bill Mulder, Mrs. Mulder(still no name, Chris), or Bill Jr. Sadly, I never saw enough of Captain Scully to make a decision about him. And now, what of the possibility revealed tonight that Samantha is Cigarette-Smoking Man's child? I still have my doubts on the validity of that statement from Samantha. What it appears to me is another lie on the behalf of the CSM to persuade Samantha to stay with him. Before I delve into the most intriguing piece of this episode, I want to take the time to mention the incredible acting by both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Both actors provide a light and a hope that is inextinguishable and radiant, and their emotions turn this episode into a masterpiece of writing, direction, and perfect talent. Without the combined talents of Duchovny and Anderson, this light would never be so glorious to behold. And now, onto the meat behind this story... Scully's cure. Was she healed by her science, the experimental drug injected into her bloodstream to ensure her survival? Was it Mulder's desperate salvage from the Department of Defense, the microchip re-inserted into the base of Scully's neck (which will, I'm sure, never show up in any metal detector... So much for the continuity of television) that rescued her? Or was it sheer faith in God, the prayers for her life and the hope and peace within that brought Scully's cancer, science's "demon possession", into a state of remission? Perhaps, as Mulder said, we will never know. I would like to think that it was sheer human strength that saved Scully's life. The strength of Mulder's love for her that found the "cure" from the Defense building. The strength of the human spirit to battle disease through research, patience, and medicine. And the strength of a woman's faith in God, or simple faith in the mercy of life and death, combined with fate and destiny. And the episode has certainly made the NoRomos and NaXis uncomfortable, while we Shippers rejoice at the love we see in this episode. I'm sorry, but the emotional value in "Redux II" is impossible to deny. There is genuine love, fear, and concern between both agents throughout the course of the episode, as all is brought to light, and life is celebrated in the end. Perhaps "Redux", which means rebirth, is used in many contexts this episode. We see the rebirth of Mulder from his "suicide", as is the obvious comparison. But we also see the rebirth of Samantha, who has lead a life believing she is someone else, that there is only one man who cares about her, discovering that there are others who love her and care for her. We see the rebirth of Dana Scully, brought from the claws of death and forced to make serious decisions about her life and the path she will walk down, for in the end, the decisions about her treatment and her disease are her own. No one can make them for her, and Scully is the only one who dictates how her life will play out. There is a rebirth of the show, leading us down on a new path. To quote Scully from "Paper Clip", "I've seen the truth... Now what I want are the answers." We know the results. We have seen the ends... What of the beginnings? And there is a rebirth, a new beginning, a true 'redux' of Mulder and Scully combined. They have stared into the abyss together, and have walked away to live another day. What is in their future? Is it the love that we witnessed tonight? Is it a faith, an indominable hope that we hope to see again? After all they have been through, this is the most harrowing of occurences, and neither agent will ever be the same again. In forty-five minutes, we have seen the rebirth of an entire series, all through the course of "Redux II". May we celebrate life, and remember love, as we continue to watch this show and the two people who propel it."
-Annie J.-

"If I was allowed to give this episode more of a score, I'd give it a 20 on a scale of 1-10. "Redux II" goes on my top 10 X-Files list. This episode answered so many important questions which brought up even more questions. The appearance of Samantha was a turning point for Mulder because this time, he didn't lose her because she died, but this time, Samantha ran away from Fox by her own decision. I couldn't believe that Scully finally returned to her faith and this was a sign that she really was near death because this is a situation that many people go through when close to death. Also naming Blevins as the man inside the FBI was just pure genius and came to shock everyone. The "death" of Cigarette Smoking Man just elated me but this as we all know, cannot be. 3, that's right, 3 kisses. I'm in Shipper Heaven. The scene in the dark hospital room where Mulder is greiving by Scully was so well done and brought me to to tears. David has to win an Emmy now. This was a smart and wonderfully written episode by Chris Carter."
-Lisa K.-

"Death of Cancer Man. Cancer. Remission. William B. Davis is the portrait of sophisticated government secrecy. His insidious acting ability made it seem like there were hundreds of dark secrets rolled into every cigarette he smoked. I beleive William B. Davis' character warranted a more truly (hack, cough) bizarre and interesting death than the tobacco assasination (tobacconation?) offered to him. Anyway, I'm glad he's dead. Killing off characters is a good thing for the show. It adds to the dark paranoid mystery. X-Files should keep you guessing. Samantha? Is that you? Like I said, keep you guessing. You really should be left not knowing what will happen. Predictability = Standard Television Fare. The X-Files is a welcome exception to the rule and although this episode gets a six from me, a six for the X-Files is still ten times better than any other drama series on television."
-Michael B.-

"Okay, I take back any bad thing I said or thought about "Redux I", "Redux II" more than made up for it. I have nevr seen Duchovny and Anderson act better. I had a feeling the the CSM would claim to be Samantha's dad. Wow, I bet he's fine though. I am very happy with the way they cured Scully's desease. I'm biased of coarse, but the way they did it was perfect. Can you believe it, Samantha finally found (and I do think that was the real Samantha) and we find that she doesn't want to be found...poor Mulder. The end was great when Mulder told who was behind the conspiracy and they were showing both Scully and the CSM, the only part I didn't get was when the guy walked into is room and was shot, I'll watch it again today and try to figure it out. This was the best season opener they have ever had and I hope the rest of the season is going to be as good as this episode."
-Eileen A.-

"The second episode of the fifth season, not to mention being the 100th episode of the X-Files, has come to shock many of the viewers, involving the death of Cigarette Smoking Man, the murder of the FBI Section Chief, and the reversal of Scully's terminal cancer. All that pulled off in one episode.. WOW.. I think that this may have been one of the coollest episodes aired so for, but my favorite still is the Flukeman -- He just can't be beat.. :) As for Scully and Mulder, I assume that their lives will be back to normal. I did see two strange things, however, in the episode. I, along with everyone else, caught that little peck on the cheek from Mulder to Scully. That's never happened before, and Mulder cries 3 times (I think.) Let's hope next week's follow up can match the intensity of 'Redux II'."
-Ryan C.-

"Well, the first part of this series of episodes, I gave a 9. The second I gave a 7. This one deserves much higher than a 10! "Redux II" was amazing! Definelty one, if not the best, X-File ever! I never thought that anything could top Memento Mori. Boy, was I wrong! Duchovny's performance was dazzling. "Redux II" was, in my opinion, one of Duchovny's best acting. Anderson, as well, turned in a great performance. Though we usually don't get to see a lot of Pileggi, he turned in a great performance. Mark Snow's music, as usual, was remarkable, and, to all shippers, we got to endulge in 3 Mulder kisses in 1 episode! Overall, this was an amazing episode and end to the three-parter."
-Christina O.-

"This. Was. An. AMAZING. Episode. I am totally blown away by this one! It had me smiling, crying, and wanting to choke people all in forty odd minutes. Samantha was heartbreaking, but it was a great way to show that Mulder's life will go on. And the cancer was dealt with BRILLIANTLY. Mulder's emotions for Scully choked me up every time he kissed her, HOW+many+times. The Mulder/Bill confrontations was wonderfully done. And the cinematography on this was great! As was the music! Great episode! I'd give it an eleven if I were allowed!"
-Kristin P.-

"This was a really great episode. Outstanding plot and conflict. Poor Mulder. Glad that Scully's cancer is in remission. Hopefully Mulder will be able to find his sister again, if that was really his sister! Evil Blevins! Good that he got shot. 'How 'bout them Yankees?'"
-Lauren H.-

""Great! Finaly we don't have to wait until we find out the truth about Scully's cancer! But I was dissapointed and very upset (alright I was crying!) that the CSM died. I hope that, that wasn't the truth and that he is alive. Great acting!"
-Ula B.-

"The rule of The X-FILES: If you don't find a body, they aren't dead. SMOKING MAN IS ALIVE! Oh yeah! And I think he is Mulder's father, too. Then again that would be a little too much like 'Star Wars' so I don't know."
-Sean A.-

"I was so surprised that the smoking man was killed!!!!! That was the first time I've ever seen Mulder cry!!!! This one was GREAT hope to see more like it."
-Ryan D.-

"I loved this episode! It brings up questions I never thought I'd have to ask myself. This is a great episode!"
-Colleen C.-

"I was almost crying for the way Mulder was being towards Scully. How whippy can they get!? It was great!"
-Jamie B.-

"I really liked this episode, but there was a whole lot going on. It was a little hard to follow."
-Ryan B.-

"This is one of the best episodes ever made. It was masterful."
-Eric R.-

"Now this was the sweetest episode I have ever seen!"
-Meredith M.-

"The most powerful episode ever!"
-Jamie C.-

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