The day was October 13, 1973. Young Chris Carter was celebrating his 17th birthday, eating cake, opening presents, and watching his favourite television show, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." Little did he know that a global holocaust was in the works, an agenda carried out by a group of government conspirators in a desperate attempt to save themselves from an alien invasion. For one young boy, also celebrating his birthday on that fateful day, the sacrifice made by these conspirators would take away his sister, a loss that would remain with him always. Years before The X-Files ever aired, a flame was lit in the hearts of those two young men. This flame would drive, inspire, and motivate them, one to find the truth, and the other, to expose it on camera.

"Are we going to be able to talk to somebody who can tell us what this is all about?"

"One Son" was about the past, the present, and the future. Flashing back to the origins of the conspiracy, we were given a glimpse into the minds and motives of the Syndicate. Too bad I missed most of this opening monologue. I was too busy laughing at Cancerman's "Elvis" hair to listen to the complex, and sometimes convoluted words of Chris Carter. I got the general drift, though - aliens, big bad government meanies, sacrifices, yadda, yadda, yadda. But the past is soon left behind as we jump forward twenty-six years to learn of the outcomes of that beginning. Colonization is impending. A hybrid, built by mistake, is already complete. Cancerman and his cronies need only get on the big cell phone to the sky and the entire human population (save them) will be wiped out in short order. Not surprisingly, this doesn't bode too well with many people. Mulder, convinced the Syndicate has been using helpless people in an attempt to save themselves, and the rebels, unwilling to let the aliens infect their perfect race with mere humans, are both dead set against colonization. Their solution? Kill Cassandra, or else everyone dies.

However, Cancerman and his buds remain confident they are the heroes. They participated in such a grand, wide-ranging conspiracy not to save themselves, not to look after their own interests, but to save the world. This has been very "painful" for them. Nevertheless they carried on, stalling, resisting, secretly working on a vaccine to save the human race and allow Mulder to see his sister. Can you hear the strains of a violin playing in the background? Only one problem - the colonization is still imminent, and Mulder hasn't seen his sister yet. Whoops. So what lies in store? Eternal slavery under the hands of ferocious aliens. Yeah! :P There will be a national emergency called, the result of a mass infection by the bees, and the takeover will begin. This, of course, we already knew, but I guess Mulder couldn't believe it until he heard it directly from the horse's mouth. Luckily for us, an unexpected event has put these plans temporarily on hold. The alleged "safe base" the Syndicate put their trust in became the sight of another massacre by the flame throwing rebels. Even though they've tortured and killed countless people, I almost feel a little sorry for them. As Kersh put it, "The loss of life here...it's beyond words." But we're not safe yet. Cancerman and Diana managed to escape, and Krycek's still wandering about causing havoc, so we're left with a Syndicate trio, alive and as nasty as ever. And hey, if this whole colonization thing doesn't work out, they could always form their own band... ;)

"Sorry son of a bitch. You don't get it, do you? It's all going to hell."

The X-Files just wouldn't be The X-Files without the periodic death of a major character. Can you even imagine a mythology episode in which all the people involved are left unscathed? Accordingly, "One Son" had lots of death and destruction in it. The rebels fried just about every major Syndicate member to a crisp, Mulder sacrificed yet another rental car to his cause, and our new friend Spender bit the bullet. Alas, we hardly knew ye. Just when he finally understood, when he redeemed himself by giving the X-Files back to Mulder and Scully, he died. Darn. But he should have seen this coming. By going to bat for moose and squirrel, he essentially signed his own death warrant. What a naive little boy...then again, it's not *entirely* his fault. It probably doesn't help to have a father who has to take the elevator up to get to work. I guess that soft spot I thought I saw showing in Cancerman's facade was just a mirage. Any notion that Cancerman is a good guy is definitely shot (ooh, bad pun). He's still "the biggest bastard of all." And while Mulder may have a "lingerie fetish," Cancerman is not without his own obsessions. What side the players in this conspiracy are on seems to be of no consequence to him, as long as they remain loyal to that side. Such a value system may seem noble, but his fixation with honour and loyalty is almost perverse. That he would respect his arch enemy while hating his own son for this ideology does not seem right. Gosh, what love and respect there is between characters on this show...such an appropriate episode for Valentine's Day. :P

"Mulder this stinks. And not just because I think that woman is a...well I think you know what I think that woman is."

Valentine's Day indeed... Just leave it to Diana to completely undermine a relationship that has survived six years of near death experiences, abductions, inner battles, and flukemen just by her presence. Mulder and Scully have a bond based on mutual trust and respect, yet whether Ms. Fowley's around, that bond becomes meaningless. I won't say, "Oh what horrible man Mulder is for not putting Scully before Diana," because he's not...he's just a bit blind. Diana's the horrible one, the one thing that really infuriates me on this show. To be fair, it's not really Diana the person that I'm angry with. It's just that whenever she's around, Mulder acts completely out of character. The way he "believes in her on simple faith," while he "trusts no one" else simply does not make sense. Perhaps he has a hard time letting go of the past, whether the past is a long lost sister, or an old flame. I only hope the events that took place in this episode managed to open up his blinders a bit. Thank heavens Scully decided to express her true feelings and then do something intelligent and research Diana. After hearing all the evidence of Di's little side trips to Tunisia and the European MUFON groups, I don't think the lame "I know her Scully, you don't," excuse will fly anymore. If Mulder "knew her," he does not know her now, a point I've been trying to telepathically project through the screen since "The End." What I'd really like would be for Diana to do something really nasty in front of Mulder to show him what the witch she is. I think then he'd finally believe what Scully has been imparting to him...even though she's only proven her friendship and loyalty countless times, while Diana has never returned that favour. Then again, if that happened I couldn't yell obscenities at the screen anymore. And that wouldn't be any fun! The old dramatic ploy of the "other woman" has worked remarkably well in achieving its goal - conflict between and within the characters - and who doesn't like a little melodrama once in a while?

"At some point you just have to accept that the only way those you love are going to survive is if you give up."

"One Son" brought with it great change, in the conspiracy, and in those involved in the conspiracy. The X-Files is very good at evoking emotions, and the overriding mood of hopelessness and despair played out well in this episode. The changes in Mulder's character only magnified the climate of melancholy already present. Such a large shift in opinion and values is rare to see in just one episode. The Mulder we used to know - light-hearted, confrontational, and utterly devoted to his cause - greeted us at the start of the episode, cracking jokes in the quarantine, and shoving a gun down Cancerman's throat. But for once, he settled down and listened to what C.G.B. was telling him. His threats ("Stop it now or I will stop it.") began to seem half-hearted. Soon after that encounter, the old Mulder was gone, replaced by Mr. Depresso, resigned, listless, and carrying the weight of the world upon him. I can understand why he might feel that way, why he may begin to question the "futile" course he has been on, and give it up to save humanity. What I don't understand is why it took him so long to realize this. He's known about the colonization since the movie, he's "had answers for years," but it's only now struck him that his quest might have a few problems in it? Whatever the cause, a major paradigm shift has occurred in his life. It seems possible he might give up his cause all together. I only wonder if someone else will take it up. Spender tried to, but got a bullet in the chest for his troubles. Scully could, I suppose, but she seemed as resigned as Mulder by the end ("Sir, I wouldn't bet against him."). Speaking of Scully, there wasn't much of her in this episode, was there? That's not surprising for a mythology episode, but the fact the conspiracy shows have usually centered around Mulder has always struck me as odd. Scully has as much stake in it anyone. If it became her crusade instead of Mulder's, perhaps we'd get The X-Files instead of the Mulder and his sidekick Scully show.

"There must be some kind of mistake. I signed up for the aromatherapy program."

You just knew I couldn't go through a review without mentioning the quarantine. :) With or without the shower scene, it was one of the best parts of this episode. Confused, chaotic, charged, and full of high emotions it made for an interesting and exciting opening (sorry Chris - your monologue just couldn't compete). If only they'd stuck to the original script, it could have been great. Originally the shower scene included a few flippant lines, with a "My my" from Scully and a "Right back at ya, red" from Mulder, but they got cut. And they would have been so appropriate! Instead Mulder ended up looking like a pervert. Oh well. I did enjoy the personality switch between Mulder and Scully, with Mulder asking Scully to settle down instead of the other way around, and the irony in Diana's apologies to them after bursting into Mulder's private apartment, spraying them with fire extinguishers, and whisking them off to scrub them down and burn their clothes. Thanks Di. That "sorry" really helped. Now if only I could find a way to make her look as awful as Marita did... ;)

In this two-parter, they promised us Full Disclosure. After "Two Fathers," I really thought we were going to get it. But just like the movie, a lot of promises fell flat. Sure, we learned more about the colonization, but no more than we already knew. Yes, we learned the true motives of those involved in the conspiracy, but we never learned anything more about Samantha, lots of round plot lines brought up years ago couldn't fit into the square holes now made for them, and countless people ended up losing their lives for a truth that seems as if it will never make sense. So let's get on with it. Let's leave these antiquated, muddied plot lines and get on to something fresh and original. If we can't get Full Disclosure, at least give us closure.

"The future is here and all bets are off."