"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." - Genesis 1:28

Ah, life. It can keep one busy at times, can't it? To think that it's been over a month since "Biogenesis" aired and I'm only able to sit down and write my review of it now. Oh well. I suppose I'm fortunate in that I've had a long time to consider it, this the last episode of the second last season. (I suppose with five months of reruns scheduled until the season premiere, we all have a long time to consider it...) It's hard to imagine that we've reached this point in the series already, that it's been six years since this journey began. But the show is far from dead. In fact, it appears that The X-Files is now experiencing a genesis of its own, charging ahead into the seventh season a renovated and rejuvenated program.

"Will we pass, as those before us, into oblivion, into the sixth extinction that scientists warn is already in progress? Or will the mystery be revealed through a sign, a signal, a revelation?"

Last year, Chris Carter claimed that "The End" would be different from any other season finale we'd seen before. Though the same promise was not repeated this year, I think "Biogenesis" lived up to that claim much better than its predecessor. It was a new start to an old series too bogged down in its own storyline to make sense of itself anymore. It may have lacked the excitement of previous finales, but any shortage in action was amply made up for by the strong story at its core. It was clear, uncluttered, and intelligible, very unlike most recent mythologies. "Two Fathers" and "One Son" made my head spin, but at least they put an end to the disjointed plots we had getting lately, scripts where it didn't even seem the writers knew what they were talking about. The only thing I disliked about this episode was the cinematography. I don't know what they were trying to do with shots like the Super Scully Close-Up at the hospital, but I couldn't help but find it a little strange. I could have sworn she was going to bump into the camera. ;)

Yet all this was accomplished without abandoning the roots of the series. Like most X-Files, "Biogenesis" answered few questions and raised many more. Are we born only to die? Is there a purpose to our existence? These are some pretty deep questions, but not surprising in a series constantly pushing the envelope on the acceptable. In "Biogenesis" they took on yet another controversial issue, finding both science and mysticism in an idea known as panspermia. This notion that life evolved elsewhere and then migrated to earth has always fascinated me, but I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't really matter where we came from. It doesn't matter if three billion years ago our ancestors lived on Mars and not Earth. What does matter is what we have become since then - earthlings. How can you mourn a home you never knew you had? As far as I'm concerned, while an intriguing theory, our origins have no impact on our lives. However, they do make for an interesting discourse. And nothing says "Chris Carter" like a four and a half page monologue. ;)

"Rising to a world population of over five billion people all descended from that original single cell, that first spark of life. But for all our knowledge, what no one can say for certain, is what or who ignited that original spark."

As always, the heart of the story remained with Mulder and Scully, our pseudo Adam and Eve struggling to replenish the Earth with their message of truth and justice. In a story mimicking that of last year's finale, Mulder begins to hear voices, this radio feed to the brain momentarily obscuring his disillusionment with the bureau and his work on the X-Files. This new development raised many questions in my mind - What triggers these voices? Why can no else hear them but Mulder? - but the bigger mystery seemed to be why there was no mention of our friend Gibson, who a year ago was being hailed as "the key to the X-Files." Also interesting to note were the similarities between Mulder brain freezes in "Biogenesis" and season four's "Demons." I wonder if they'll be able to make any correlations between the two episodes, or whether the plot thread brought up in "Demons" will simply be severed as so many others have before. But no matter what the adversity, Mulder was still Mulder. His triumphant "There you have it!" arm gesture in response to Scully's admission that artifacts like the Mars rock can come from outer space confirmed his status as a believer. One second he would be an insensitive dolt ("I'm sorry. I though this was my office."), the next, a mischievous prankster ("Scully, you packing any latex?"). And like all mythology episodes, his motives always came back to his sister. Until he finds her, he cannot rest. Unfortunately, he will never find that rest, for if that day ever came, it would be the end of The X-Files.

"I don't understand you, Mulder. You're willing to pursue any case involving aliens no matter how tenuous the connection. There has to be some limit to your interest... I mean, this endless pursuit of the truth, Mulder, it just doesn't make any sense to me now."

"Biogenesis" marked a changing point in the character of Scully. For the past season, her skepticism in Mulder's theories has become tenuous at best. Now I fear the clasp holding her to her scientific roots is about to break. Faced with such tangible evidence, to refute what she's seen would be unrealistic, unscientific even. And this time she can't just claim her head was in the snow. ;) But at least for one more episode she remained her skeptical self, patiently putting up with Mulder's wild theories and quietly opposing them. I just hope when Mulder asked her to "go ahead and prove [him] wrong" she will. A series with one side of view is not nearly as interesting as one with two. With Mulder incapacitated in the psych ward, Scully got to do the fun work in this show, searching for spy material ala "Wetwired," attending a Navajo healing ceremony (it's got to be embarrassing to have a cell phone in one of those!), and gallivanting all over the world in a long skirt and business suit...now that's smart packing. :P She also got to play the part of the paranoid one, trusting no one but Mulder, and with good reason - when someone uses your real name on this show, you know something's wrong. And after a year of complacency, Scully finally got her digs in with Diana. What she apparently hasn't figured out is that you should never lie to Mulder and Scully. To them, truth is valued above all. But her day will come... ;)

"You're a liar. You're both liars."

"Biogenesis" saw the return of many old characters, some good, some bad, and some ugly. Everyone was there, including Chuck the wonder scientist and the long lost Albert Hosteen, though my favourite had to be Blackmail!Skinner. I'm so happy he gets to be the bad guy again. He was getting too soft for my liking. Besides, now that all the members of the Syndicate are dead, Mulder and Scully could use some more enemies. They never seem content unless surrounded by those out to get them. As the infamous Dr. Claw used to say, "I'll get you yet, Gadget!" Penny and Brain indeed. :) "Biogenesis" was actually very well stocked in the evil department, with Cancerman, Diana, and Krycek all lurking about. I do wonder what Ratboy's new role in the conspiracy is, however. He seems rather important now, murdering one second, and using his nano-bug leverage over Skinner the next. And then there's Diana. :P I can't believe how she's using Mulder for her little reports to Cancerman! Well, I guess can believe that. What I don't understand is why Mulder won't realize her evility. (I don't know if that's a real word, but it fits Diana so well I just had to use it. ;) Please Mulder, wake up and listen to Scully. Diana is *not* a nice person.

"There's someone else on this case - you're not telling me!"

The ending of "Biogenesis" came as quite a shock to me. I was so engrossed in the story, the time seem to fly by. And silly me, I didn't even realize the significance of the UFO until I saw all of it. My mom said, "That's a flying saucer," but I insisted, "No, it can't be." Whoops. :P What a great cliffhanger that was, though. Best of all, they didn't have to "kill" anyone to make it interesting. A classic ending to a season that's been anything but...and of course it begs all sorts of questions, which I'm sure we'll be pondering all summer long. Will Albert survive and help Scully unlock the secrets in the artifact? What will happen to Mulder? And will the evidence Scully's seen finally turn a skeptic into a believer? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

"If there is a beginning, must there be an end?"