It's 1998 in X-Files land, and the new year has left Scully alone as ever.  Although this episode's outcome was inevitable, the death of Emily was still deeply saddening.  Just because you can foresee the death of a loved one doesn't make it any easier to live through.  To understand its purpose, and find meaning in life once again is the only way to move on.  Such is the struggle Scully had to experience this week, as her dream to be a mother was once again taken away.

Like the green blood of a clone, this episode absolutely oozed with religious symbolism.  A parallel to the Virgin Mary, Scully's child was a miracle who vanished upon her death.  However, it seems this miracle was "not meant to be."  The 'gods' who created her did so for purely experimental reasons, not to save the human species.  "Who is a man that can create a life whose only purpose is to die?"  Although both Scully and Mulder agree on this fact, I can't help wondering if Emily did have a greater purpose.  Perhaps she was put here not just to be a lab rat, but also to bring meaning to Scully's life, something she had lacked up until this point.

Speaking of clones, was there anyone in this episode that wasn't a clone?  By the end of the episode I wouldn't have been surprised if Mulder or Scully started bleeding green blood or changing shape.  It wasn't that big of a shock to see Emily start bleeding green blood, since I knew she couldn't have been conceived in any ordinary way, but the doctor too?  And his friends?  Sheesh, if the world truly existed as it is portrayed on "The X-Files", half of the people I know would probably be clones and/or genetically manipulated humans!  Of course, everyone knows that "The X-Files" is simply a television show, and none of this stuff could ever really happen...right?  ;-)

It seems like the writers of "The X-Files" have a personal vendetta against Scully.  Apparently, they're trying to see how much they can hurt her before she totally cracks.  As if an abduction by alien forces that nearly killed her wasn't enough, they decided to give her terminal cancer and make her barren all at the same time.  Now, to add insult to injury, they gave her the one thing she truly wanted, a child, and then ripped it away from her on the very next show.  No wonder Scully doesn't have much to smile about.  Amazingly, though, her spirit still remains strong.  I don't know where she draws all her strength from, but no matter what gets thrown at her, she always seems to come out alright, and more determined than ever to live life her way.  Just listening to the way she says, "Do you think that I'm not trying to save her life?" demonstrates this fact, and shows what a great actress Gillian Anderson is.  She conveys her emotions with a touching intensity that reaches through the television screen into the hearts of her audience.

Not to say that Mulder isn't a great character as well.  Actually, he's been one of those sensitive 90's kind of guys this season.  (Although he can still remain macho and tough by beating up corrupt doctors ;-)  Who could not smile at his attempt to impersonate Mr. Potato Head for Emily, or feel the depth of his caring for Scully as she stands next to a dying Emily.  I loved all of the Mulder/Scully scenes in this episode.  Mulder and Scully just seem to work best together.  It was so sweet of Mulder to testify for Scully at her adoption hearing, although he probably should have told her what he knew about the tests she had gone through during her abduction earlier.  I understand that he did this because he didn't want to hurt her again, but considering that's what happened anyway, she probably had the right to know about it.  It just seems like Mulder never tells Scully anything.  In "Emily", like in "Memento Mori", he found a flask that possibly could have helped Scully, but once again, he said nothing about it.  At least this time he asked her about it, albeit in incredibly vague and hypothetical terms.  Mulder's tender side may be struggling to get out, but some things about him will never change.

Although the writers have been very cruel to Scully lately, I must admit that they did a wonderful job on this episode.  The writing was great - very poignant and moving.  I'm a sucker for monologues, so I loved the opening sequence.  I admit that it was a little weird (okay, it was more than a little weird), but it exposed Scully's thoughts and emotions, and foreshadowed the heart-wrenching ending.  As with most monologues, I'd have to watch it several times to find it's deeper meaning, but I did get this much from it - Scully's life has ended up in the same spot again, all alone.

"It begins where it ends - in nothingness - a nightmare born from deepest fears."

There were a few little things that caught my attention during "Emily".  The first had to do with some of the dates we discovered in this episode.  The first date Frohike gave for one of the retirement home babies was September 25, 1994.  This is the birth date of Gillian Anderson's very own child, Piper, and the reason for Scully's abduction in the first place.  Another date of mention was 10/13/94, not only the date of Scully's abduction, but also Chris Carter's birthday.  But once again, this does beg the question, how was Emily conceived and born in less than a month?  If she was the product of one of those old ladies, wouldn't she take nine months to grow like any other child?  Also, did anyone else think that it was a tad coincidental that of all the women that have been abducted over the years, the only babies they've found (Emily, the little fetus in green goo) happened to be Scully's offspring? Hmmm...something spooky must be going on.

By the end of the episode, the religious symbolism that existed throughout the show was at its thickest.  Scully was quite blatantly compared to the Virgin Mary at Emily's funeral, as was Emily to Jesus.  The transfer of the cross back to Scully was also a powerful moment, perfectly tying into the Christmas season.  I love all episodes that delve into Scully's spiritual side.  For, surprisingly enough, the believer in her is stronger than one would originally imagine.  Although the ending was very depressing (Scully has lost not just a daughter, but evidence of government tampering with human genetics), it was shrouded in mystery and spirituality - a great way to wrap up an episode largely based on those two topics.  However, I still haven't figured out what all that sand was for...but that could probably be an X-File in itself.