X-Files Episode Guide: Emily

Written by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban & Frank Spotnitz

Directed by Kim Manners

From the moment this episode opens, with the same kind of tortured prose we've come to hope only Chris Carter was capable of creating, we get a very quick glimpse that the conclusion of this two-parter will have the same perfunctory feel that we've come to expect of the X-Files mythology. And unfortunately, that's more or less what we get from Emily.

When Mulder arrives on the scene, we quickly learn a lot about how this episode's going to go. First of all, even when Mulder doesn't use the word 'alien' when talking about what he now seems to believe is going, no one's going to believe him. But then again, why should they. The first thing he says is that Scully was abducted for four weeks, when the writers have been saying it's been three months ever since it happen. We expect the mytharc to be more haphazard, but now it seems the writers aren't even trying to use continuity in the episodes we've already seen. And sadly, the episode falls into the same pattern we've come to expect of the mythology---- Mulder goes through all of the action, while Scully stands around and does the research.

But it's so much worse this time. Now Scully has to go through the rigors of being in a hospital episode, which was bad enough during the cancer arc, and now she has to stand around hopelessly and watch this child---- who she only realized was hers a week ago----  die, despite any efforts to try and treat her. It's always horrible in any series to watch a child die, but we feel far less empathy for Scully or her daughter, because this is one of the blandest and most ordinary children in the history of television. She barely says anything, she doesn't smile or react, and while this is understandable given the horrors she's forced to undergo in the two-parter, it does very little to help the viewer feel anything for her. So once again, the writers are forcing Gillian Anderson to carry this episode. And while she does her level best, with the exception of a moment where she virtually quivers with rage at a social worker trying to remove her from caring for Emily., what she does mostly is express dismay and get all weepy, emotions that we don't expect or particularly like for either Scully the character or Anderson the actress. (Considering that the writers of this episode would stick it out until the end of the series, you'd think they'd have used this as a template for what not to do when Scully became pregnant. You'd be wrong.)

What Mulder is doing is at least a little more interesting, as he tries to find treatment for Scully's daughter. His expression of rage at  Dr. Calderon is one of the high points of the episode, and some of the stories that he tries to follow in order to find out who gave birth to Emily is potentially fascinating. Unfortunately, none of it comes of particularly well. For one thing, there's the fact that now that Mulder no longer seems to believe in aliens, basically that's all we seem to be seeing. Calderon is killed by an alien stiletto, he shows up in the hospital in order to treat Emily, and then escapes by morphing, Emily seems to have alien blood---- the mytharc probably wouldn't have been able to explain any of this, but at least Mulder would've tried. For another, there's the fact that all of these interesting ideas are never followed up on again, though at least that can be blamed on the way the mytharc turns.

And finally, there's the fact that all of this seems to be an exercise in futility. Because Scully's only reaction to the horrors that her daughter seems to undergo is to let her die. This should be seen as a great act of bravery; what it feels like is the writers trying to wrap up a two-parter with no loose ends, even if that means the death of a child. Even the funeral sequence, while poignant, is spoiled by one of the biggest plotholes in history. Apparently, the people behind Emily's existence cleaned up all loose ends by removing Emily from her coffin--- but left Scully's cross behind. Because they're so compassionate.

There are just so many minor flaws in this episode, it almost completely erases how powerful Christmas Carol was. Scully's family, that was part of the great strength of the last episode, is practically non-existent here. Indeed, it comes as a huge shock in the final that we realize that Dana has finally become an aunt while all of this has been happening. John Pyper-Ferguson, who was also a tower of strength, is, as soon as Mulder arrives on scene, regulated back to the level of law enforcement figure #1. And Anderson, who was so great in the last episode, just seems to be regulated back to the hospital scenes of the cancer storyline. We never even get a real explanation as to why Melissa was making all of these phone calls from beyond the grave.

But what is perhaps is the most offensive about this story is that, with a single exception that will happen later this season, Emily is never referred to for the remainder of the series. Not during Scully's entire pregnancy, not during the horrible experience with her real child, not even in what was ostensibly the series finale. We know that Scully has the habit of repressing things rather than dealing with them, but you would think that an event of this significance would be something that she would have to deal with again.  That she doesn't makes this entire practice seems a little like a waste of time. You'd be willing to accept this as part and parcel for the mytharc, if the human cost hadn't been so enormous.

Emily isn't as wretched as some of the mythology episodes would be. But considering how good the first part was, and the potential it had, it seems like the writers did what they did with so many two parters, once the toys were taken out of the box in part one, they had no idea how to use them in part two. Considering what the costs were, one almost wishes they hadn't done it at all.

My score: 2 stars.