Well, we finally know the truth. The truth that has been out there for the past five and a half years, the truth that has confounded and inspired Mulder and Scully for just as long...that truth is now clear. At last, Chris Carter has begun the delicate task of connecting the many threads that are the mythology of the show. The previews for "Two Fathers" promised "Full Disclosure," and for once, we actually got that. I have always enjoyed the mystery and the unknown inherent in the conspiracy episodes, but I think it was time we got some answers. By wrapping up all the old, increasingly obvious and bogged down plot lines, the producers are now be free to start something new, something more mysterious than before. We'll never know everything. No matter how many explanations we get, questions are inevitable in this show, for its subject matter, the "truth," is intangible. It's a belief system, and as long as there are believers, the truth will always be out there.

"Dr. Openshaw, congratulations. Your work. It's complete."

When I heard the familiar voice proclaim "Previously on The X-Files" at the start of this episode, I nearly laughed. How can anyone summarize five years in five minutes? Seeing scenes from "The Erlenmeyer Flask" just reminded me of how little Mulder and Scully knew of the conspiracy five years ago. To encompass everything they've learned since then in two episodes seems impossible. But I may be wrong. Some aspects of this wide-ranging, tangled web of a plot still remain an enigma, indeed, haven't even been addressed yet. Why has it been such a slow colonization process? Whose side is everyone on? And where is Mulder's sister? However, many more answers were revealed. "Two Fathers" was a culmination of five and half years of work, an allegory to the show itself. Instead of Cancerman speaking to us, it may well have been Chris Carter. Though I find that a little egomaniacal on his part, this device worked. Such a complicated storyline needed a narrator, and who better to narrate than the mastermind behind it all. Never knowing who exactly Cancerman was speaking to (Himself? His psychiatrist? His dog perhaps?), added a level of mystery to the show...and increased shock value when at last we found out the identity of his audience. In true form, after carefully explaining every aspect of the mythology, we were greeted with yet another surprise, generating new questions, and new mythologies. How is Diana connected to the black-lunged bastard? Why is she the only one he trusts? And is anyone on this show NOT in cahoots with our buddy Cancerman? No wonder she got her nameplate on the office door so quickly...

What did we learn from "Two Fathers?" Not much that we couldn't have guessed already, but enough to clear up several points. Like the abductions, for one. It seems they are the experimental laboratories in which the Syndicate has attempted to create a perfect human/alien hybrid, a flawless hybrid at last realized in Cassandra. (Though that does beg the question, what exactly were the Gregors, or the Kurts? What about Gibson and Emily?) What this doesn't explain, though, is whether these were alien abductions, or a purely human effort. It could be nothing more than a secret experiment whose purpose was nothing more than to continue the Nazi tradition of genetic manipulation, the "Scully" explanation from "731." We also learned more about the so-called "project," an alien attempt to rule the universe. Cancerman has always believed that what he's doing is right, and after this episode, I'm starting to agree with him. The Syndicate is essentially trying to find a way to save the human race, and avert a colonization by alien forces...what could be more noble than that? Besides, would you really want to know if that your backyard was about to be inhabited by little green men? By collaborating with the aliens, the Syndicate has had time to create a Cassandra, an alien/human hybrid immune to the virus, and has had time to find a cure for the black cancer, that pseudo Valvoline with which the aliens have been taking over the universe. It is a nice bit of continuance that the contagion is called "purity". Remember "Purity Control?" Quite a fitting name if you ask me. Our friends the faceless rebels also made a reappearance in "Two Fathers." Too bad. Truthfully I'd be very glad if they just wrote them out of the mythology. The whole idea of a rebel force and an alien war is way too clichéd for my tastes. Still, those rebels are good for one thing - killing off the Syndicate. With the Well-Manicured Man already dead, and other elders dropping like flies, someone stands to gain a whole lot of power. Heck, Krycek could eventually take charge! I mean, the leaders of the Syndicate are old men, and Cancerman's crown prince is proving to be a spineless wuss...so Krycek's in a fairly good position to take over. He's bold, he's handy with a stiletto, and if anyone's going to survive the impending Armageddon, you gotta bet it's going to Krycek.

"A man should never live long enough to see his children, or his work, destroyed."

I hate you, you hate me, we're a dysfunctional family... True to its name, "Two Fathers" concerned families, in particular, the Spender family. I almost feel sorry for the little weasel now. The poor guy's stuck with a domineering father who would rather use him as a whipping boy than care about him. Spender is Cancerman's "chance to preserve [his] legacy," a token heir, but nothing more. What a miserly old coon. But that's where my sympathy for Spender ends. I mean, even after all the "fighting chances" he has been given to "prove his father wrong," he still can't win. Given an ultimatum between his own courage and the love of his father, Spender failed. Stabbing faceless aliens just isn't his thing, I guess. So now he'll most likely die. And just when I was starting to like him... ;) But I have hope. The new knowledge he has gained comes with sacrifice, and the sacrifice of his mother is not something Spender seems too willing to comply with. I guess he should have read the small print before signing his blood pact with daddy dearest. (Though you would have thought the "I, Jeffrey Spender, hereby forsake any claim to my soul..." might have tipped him off.) His mother is the only thing he cares about, and the truth about her abduction the only reason he stayed on the X-Files. My hope is that after experiencing first hand such striking evidence, he will believe, and will save the X-Files, one decent gesture in a life that is now certain to end prematurely.

"I just want the truth."
"The truth is out there Agent Spender."

But The X-Files wouldn't be The X-Files without Mulder and Scully. Again, their presence, their interaction, and their fervent devotion to their cause invigorated the show. The basketball banter helped lighten the serious tone of the episode, and gave David Duchovny another excuse to shoot some hoops. Home girl Scully didn't have such luck, though. Decked out in the ever-present formal wear, she looked as out of place as ever on a basketball court. And it's just about impossible to go one on one wearing pumps! ;) Still, The X-Files is a drama, and by far the most important aspect of this episode was the dramatic impact on Mulder and Scully's lives. They have had "opportunities" presented to them countless times, but there was a different mood associated with it this time. Mulder and Scully weren't offended by it, or infuriated, or spurred to action...they were instead cautious, reflective. In this game, the stakes are high. It's become personal for nearly every player involved. For Scully, the truth about her abduction has driven her on. It's almost become more her cause than Mulder's. As Cassandra aptly put it, "I guess I wouldn't have believed it either...but it happened to me." However, I don't see any reason for Scully to start believing in aliens now. She may believe in the conspiracy, but after the evidence presented by Cassandra, the evidence of the train cars and the doctors, I see no reason for her to think this project is anything more than a purely human enterprise. For Mulder, his dedication to the work stemmed from the loss of his sister. In an episode full of explanations, that was one topic I felt lacked a conclusion. The search for Samantha is the basis of the whole series, but it's also the one subject they've never fully revealed. I could have guessed the Samantha we saw in "Redux" was not really her. But then who is she? Perhaps Cassandra will help clear up that point. November 27, 1973 is a day that brought great loss to Mulder's life...but the connection it formed with Cassandra may finally bring him understanding.

"I could never have scripted the events that led us to this. None of us could. All the brilliant men. The secret that we kept so well."

The mythology of The X-Files is its trademark. Every spring, summer, and fall, we've been treated to episodes dealing exclusively with the plot at the heart of the series - the government conspiracy to conceal the truth about extraterrestrials. During these episodes, we've been exposed to clones, green goo, shape- shifters, black oil, hybrids, bees, implants, abductions, and abductees....to name a few. Now the gurus behind the show have decided it is time to explain some of these things, and piece together a tangled mess of plot lines that has at best intrigued viewers, and at worst, disillusioned them. That all the pieces don't necessarily fit together is inevitable, and does not bother me. It isn't supposed to make sense. Besides, isn't it much more fun trying to come up with your own explanations? That they tried to put it together is all that matters. I miss the old feeling of the unknown, of new questions being raised with every episode. Everything dies, even a plot line. Now is the time to wrap up these antiquated, predictable, and hole ridden stories, and give us something new to chew on. I don't care what the truth is, just as long as it's out there.

"This is the end. I never thought I'd hear myself say that after all these years."