Quiet down now children! I have another story to tell you before you go back to church for communion. Dana, please sit down. Thank you. This story is about an special type of angel, an angel called a seraphim. A seraphim is special because it has four heads - one of a bull, one of a lion, another of a eagle, and the last of a man. One day a seraphim came down to earth and met a beautiful woman. They fell in love and had four daughters together. These daughters were called nephalim. The nephalim had the souls of angels, but because they weren't meant to be, they had horribly deformed bodies. Seeing their suffering, the seraphim asked God to take them back to heaven. He agreed, and they've been there ever since...

The inspiration for "All Souls" may have come from a half- remembered story heard in Sunday school, but it resulted in a very meaningful X-File. This episode was an important step in the series as a whole. Faith was tested and renewed, old wounds began to heal, and a new understanding of spirituality was brought quite literally to light. David Duchovny jokingly said that this episode was an attempt to reach out to the "Touched by an Angel" crowd, and share in their good ratings. However, it had a much greater purpose. "The X-Files" has made other religion-based episodes before, one of my favourites being "Revelations", and they all accomplished something no other type of episode could. They exposed to us something that is strong and powerful, yet rarely brought to the surface - Scully's spiritual side.

"I've seen things. Things that made me question whether larger forces are at work."

One thing I often find missing from "The X-Files" is Scully's spirituality. She has strong religious convictions, yet we almost never see them, the cross around her neck being the only evidence. We would never have known Scully had been going to church for the last few months had it not been for "All Souls." I guess all these years with Mulder have made her reassess her own capacity for belief. I'm glad she's rediscovered her faith, for not only has it helped her bring her life into focus, it's aided her in healing after Emily's death. Though Scully has never mentioned Emily since the show named after her, I believe Emily has always been with her, her memory subconsciously gnawing away at Scully. She obviously never forgot her (how could she?), but for the first time in many months Scully has taken a step towards accepting Emily's death, and perhaps, her own lonliness.

Scully's emotional confusion and vulnerability in this episode clearly shows her struggle to overcome Emily's death, and come to terms with her own beliefs. It is terrible to see someone experience such mental anguish, but that is what makes Scully the complex character she is. The internal struggle within her as she attempts to merge faith in God and faith in science is one of her most vital character traits. One thing she is able to take comfort in all of this is, as usual, her work. She didn't bring Mulder into the case until she absolutely needed him, and when she did, she insisted it be *her* case. Being the strong person she is, she was able to pull it off. But she is human. I wonder if Mulder was right when he expressed his worry about Scully's feelings tempering her judgement. She's a strong person, but when things get this personal, sometimes you have to step away.

"I saw Emily. She came to me in a vision."

"All Souls" was truly the most spiritual X-File I've ever seen. Then again, though it's rare that "The X-Files" makes a episode revolving around religion, in many senses each week is a spiritual quest for our fearless duo. The question of whether aliens exist and the search for the answer is in a sense the same as the question of God's existence. The war between alien and man being waged in the world of "The X-Files" parallels that of the millennial old war between God and the devil. So I shall rephrase. This was one of the most religious X-Files I've ever seen. As in "Revelations", Scully played saviour in the fight of good over evil, and rescued a young person from the devil. "All Souls" had churches, angels, nephalim, seraphim, and devils. Heck, it was even told in the form of a confession! Actually, I enjoyed that aspect to the show. Seeing the story told in retrospect was an interesting way to go about it. However, I did find it slightly confusing at times. What's this? An innocent girl dead because of Scully? How'd that happen? I realize it would probably make more sense on the second viewing, though, and that only gives me a good excuse to watch it again!

"You have one bonafide, super-crazy religious wacko on your hands."

One point I found faintly troubling in this episode was the harsh contrasts between Mulder's skeptisism and Scully's belief. For some reason, Mulder is as unable to believe in religion as Scully is in the paranormal. Yet Scully throws herself just as blindly into her faith as Mulder does in the search for little green men. I just have to wonder why. How can two people believe so firmly and so deeply in one thing, but be just as adamant in their incredulity in another? Maybe that's what faith is... I wouldn't have minded this switch in belief so much if it hadn't been so complete, and so upfront. At least in some X-Files Scully is able to admit she *might* see Mulder's point of view, but when the roles are reversed, that doesn't seem to happen. When Mulder's a skeptic, he's a skeptic.

"Scully, aren't you the secret squirrel."

Finally! In "All Souls", we finally got a few good relationship moments between Mulder and Scully. Except for a brief oasis in "The Red and the Black", this season has been devoid of any shippiness for a long time. "All Souls" wasn't the most romantic of episodes, but it did have its points. The depth of Mulder and Scully's relationship was something that was quite evident throughout the show. Mulder picked up on Scully's vulnerability right away, seeming almost scared by it. This was not the Scully he knew, and he wasn't quite sure how to treat her. Luckily, Scully told him what was making her feel the way she was. That is a testament to how far their relationship has come. They're actually able to communicate, expressing their feelings to each other instead of keeping them all bottled up. The shoulder hold was an example of that bond. It looked as if Mulder could actually feel Scully's pain when she told him of her visions of Emily. Although, I do wonder if that shoulder hold would have been something more if the two of them hadn't been in a crowded police station. ;-) One thing is for sure - they know each other like no two others can. They are the true definition of best friends, just like a moose and a squirrel. ;-)

Although this episode was meant to be a deep and meaningful show, the writers still managed to throw in a few in-jokes. I'm glad they did. It added a bit of humour to what could be at times a somewhat depressing show. It was nice to see continuity play a role in this episode. The writers remembered Mulder's penchant for porn ('A Decade of Dirty Delinquents'...some suspect, Mulder), and how good he looks in sunglasses. I'll have to thank the costume designer for throwing those in this episode. He looks absolutely faboo in them! They also remembered Scully's Apollo 11 keychain. I didn't get a clear view of it, but when she dropped her keys, I did see a large disk-shaped keychain reminiscent of her birthday present from last year. I'm surprised they remembered that - the continuity in this show has in the past been kind of wonky. It's funny the things they remember. I also found Scully's confession to be slightly ironic at times, though I'm not sure if that was the intention. When asked if she had a sin to confess, she responded, "Father, I'm an FBI agent." Hmmmm...since when was that a sin? ;-)

For years we've seen glimpses of Scully's faith. Though not always obvious, it's been a constant in the series from the beginning. Her spirituality is as integral to her character as her necklace is to her wardrobe. I can't imagine a Scully without that cross - I also can't imagine a Scully without faith. As much as she wants to be a skeptic and explain away everything with science, she knows there are some things that can't be explained; they must simply be accepted. Faith has been able to give her something that science has not - comfort in the face of hardship. Losing a daughter and being alone for so long can damage many people, but luckily, Scully has gotten through it. That's what faith is for. Faith to believe in yourself and in God...and faith to believe in a TV series that continues to deliver these messages despite all those who initially condemned it.

"Science only teaches us how, not why."