Awards Daily TV

Season 2, Episode 18
Director: James Whitmore, Jr.
Writer: Steve De Jarnatt

It’s admittedly odd that, after all the loss of human life on The X-Files, the appearance of a dead elephant strikes a note of sorrow deep within me. It’s really the first time the show has elicited a reaction other than fear or pure, unadulterated joy. Something of a supernatural variation on PETA videos and the Sea World/killer whale documentary Blackfish, “Fearful Symmetry” dives into territory that many viewers will find incredibly upsetting – the capture and torture of innocent animals for human observation and pleasure. Still, this being The X-Files, the episode tries to take the Earth-bound topic and spice it up with a potential alien-abduction slant. The result? A Frankenstein’s monster of a mess.

In the prologue, a mysterious force tramples through a downtown area, causing mass destruction and crushing the spine of a construction worker. The next morning, a trucker meets the elephant head-on in a bank of fog. He avoids hitting the elephant, which later dies due to exhaustion. Mulder and Scully investigate the nearby zoo which is fraught with drama – animals keep disappearing potentially due to a PETA-like group, a gorilla (Sophie) that communicates via sign language is basically being deported, and the zoo’s animal trainer (known for his cruel treatment of animals) is forced to report to Willa Ambrose (Jayne Atkinson, House of Cards), a woman who cares deeply for the animals. After a member of the militant animal rights group breaks into the zoo, a tiger disappears into a blinding white light, and the animal rights group member is mauled by an invisible force, most likely a tiger. But who’s counting really?

Mulder immediately believes these mysterious events to be the result of alien abductions – kind of an intergalactic “Noah’s ark” as he describes. When the zoo is shuttered, Sophie is boxed up and ready to be shipped out of the country, which is unfortunate because she is the missing link (no pun intended) between the mysterious disappearances and the bright lights – something she communicates via sign language. In the end, Ambrose garners the assistance of the animal trainer to kidnap Sophie, causing the accidental death of the militant animal group’s leader. Mulder tracks down the gorilla and is locked in a room with her. She attacks him out of fear but signs to him “man save man” before disappearing in a blinding white light.

So, the problem with “well intended” episodes like “Fearful Symmetry” – it never hurts to dedicate an hour of primetime television to animal preservation – is that the focus on the message overtakes dramatic credibility. The various pieces of the episode are only connected by the theoretical alien abduction, and I personally found that to be an incredibly weak plot device. Granted, it is The X-Files, and there’s always the sense that they could write themselves out of a corner by being beamed up. The invisible animal segments were intriguing enough, but you definitely have the sense that the writers had a great idea (invisible animals causing mass destruction are super cool – see Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted) but had no idea what to do with it. As a result, the alien abductions are never confirmed, and the invisible animals are never truly explained (maybe in a throw-away moment by Mulder).

What we’re left with is an idealistic episode in “Fearful Symmetry,” one that highlights the dangers and ill-effects of caging wild animals, that ultimately goes absolutely nowhere by the end. What we’re left with is a lingering sense of sadness over the death of innocent animals and a broad sense of confusion over what exactly happened.

Note: Over the next two weeks, the Awards Daily TV Crew will be making the case for each nominee in the Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series categories in random order. We’ll be dropping one each day leading into and through the Emmy voting period. Share/retweet your favorites to build the buzz!

AMC’s Mad Men

Metacritic: 83
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Number of nominations: 6
Major nominations: Drama Series, Actor Drama Series, Actress Drama Series, Supporting Actress Drama Series

If you’re like me, you were plenty irritated when AMC announced they were dividing the final season of Mad Men into two mini-seasons ala Breaking Bad. For one thing, Breaking Bad included a shit-stopping cliffhanger to merit the break. Mad Men included an eerie death/dance sequence that could have been a 1960s GAP ad. Mad Men is not an intense, edge-of-your-seat show like Breaking Bad (last year’s Emmy winner for Oustanding Drama Series), which is why the columnized formula didn’t work as well.

So Mad Men returned in April doing pretty much the same shtick it was doing a year prior. The “premiere” felt like a mid-season episode (which it was probably designed to be). It took about three episodes for the show to find its finale footing, and when it finally did, things really started to pay off. We got resolution from season 1 storylines (Peggy’s admission to Stan about the baby she gave up for adoption) and even followed up with familiar faces (creepy Glen grew up to be kind of hot—and still creepy!). There were sad goodbyes (sniff, sniff, Betty Draper) and welcome departures (Au revoir, Megan!). But most importantly, Don Draper made amends with himself and created one of the most recognizable commercials of all time.

Given how much the buzz had died down with the AMC darling, I expected the show to go out with a soft clink of an old-fashioned instead of the applause from a Zou Bisou Bisou party, but it did the reverse and clawed its way back into pop culture relevance. Everyone talked about the finale episode for weeks. (I personally couldn’t sleep that night I was so thrilled with the end.) Not many shows can do that. When they’re down and out, they’re down and out (Boardwalk Empire got only one Emmy nomination for its final season).

Of all of the Outstanding Drama Series nominees this year, Mad Men is truly the most iconic. People will be dissecting the shows for years to come. If Breaking Bad won the Emmy for never missing a beat with its tightly-wound narrative, then Mad Men should win for using its missteps to its advantage, for making Don’s quest out west not about drippy Diana (Elizabeth Reaser) but about Don learning how to share a Coke with Dick Whitman. Diana was a red herring for a greater storyline.

The old Don might have found Diana and tried to fix her. But new Don realized he had to fix himself.

This week around the Water Cooler, Joey, Megan and Clarence cast their virtual ballots for the major 2015 Emmy categories. Official Emmy voting starts today, so the Cooler gang decided to lend their expert opinions and advice to those undecided Emmy voters who may need a little assistance. Again, this episode is not designed to be a “Who Will Win” revelation – it’s just who we would vote for if we were in the Television Academy. Also, there is a little unexpected tension in the voting process…

The entire episode is dedicated to our votes, so sit back, enjoy, and send us your votes either here in the comment section or email them to Clarence to be included in a future podcast as we look to see what Awards Daily TV readers would vote for if you, too, had ballots.

Have an opinion or a comment you’d like to share? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @awardsdailytv.

Just as a reminder that on Labor Day’s podcast, we will be kicking off another Water Cooler Flashback with Arrested Development Season Four. Make sure you’ve caught up to it on Netflix so you too can follow along at home.

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Based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Lisa Belkin, HBO’s newest miniseries, Show Me a Hero, focuses on Nick Wasicko, a reluctant mayoral candidate for the city of Yonkers in 1987. Directed by Oscar-winner Paul Haggis, Show Me focuses on one man, but it chronicles race relations of Yonkers with an easy quietness amid a roaring uprising from its residents. While the first hour of this new drama busies itself with introducing a tapestry of characters, the continued drama indicates a strong ensemble to come in the next coming weeks.

Due to the mishandling of federal funds, the city of Yonkers must build 200 units for low-income housing. The good ole white people of Yonkers do not like this decision and Wasicko builds a campaign on the promise that the decision will be overturned with an appeal if elected. When the appeal is very quickly overturned, Nick has a mess on his hands, and, surely, the drama begins to unfold. Nick’s excitement and ambitiousness drain from him almost quicker than his enthusiasm to become mayor. No one said being a politician was easy, buddy.

The first hour of Show Me is a bit trying, to be honest. The court jargon is flying a mile a minute, and one might assume all this mumbo jumbo is a tad boring. Haggis and creator David Simon (The Wire) don’t allow the characters enough time to connect with the audience, especially the residents of Yonkers who would benefit the most from the housing decision. The names of these people are actually unclear as the first episode draws to a close and Nick Wasicko celebrates his mayoral win.

Though the writing may turn off viewers for the first 60 minutes, the acting is impressive and lived in from all of the performers. One of the best elements of the first segment is the relationship between Nick and his confidant, Vinni, played by Winona Ryder. They only get a few scenes together, but it starts to really shine in part II when she expresses her boredom of being out of office. He nods his head sympathetically, but one might wonder if this new mayor is actually listening to his old work friend.

Oscar Isaac proves himself to be the best kind of troubled leading man. His Llewyn Davis was “unlikable” and fickle, and he plays a quiet mad scientist in this summer’s unnerving sci-fi thriller, Ex-Machina. He is an actor who obviously wants meaty material, and Nick Wasicko isn’t one-note or simple. Donning a sleazy, pornstache, his Wasicko is at once eager but easily wearied. It’s going to be fascinating how his character evolves throughout these short three weeks. Isaac seems to resist his own star-making allure with every role he takes on.

Show Me a Hero isn’t flashy, but it’s compelling once it gains its footing. The second episode loosens itself up a bit, and Catherine Keener pops up as a stern supporter of the housing appeal. These are great actors. Let’s just hope the material doesn’t let them down.

Having already announced that the semi-sci-fi family drama Humans will venture into a second season, another cluster of eight episodes, this does to a large extent signify the success of the show. In fact Humans appears to be the most successful broadcast on Channel 4 in terms of viewing figures in over twenty years. It started airing in USA and Canada too, running two weeks later than in the UK (it is nice to come first for a change), and has just started in Australia. Here in the UK the marketing campaign heading into this phenomenon was extraordinary, ranging from window display in London’s very own Regent Street, to a TV advert for Personal Synthetics billed as these robots-dressed-as-humans being an actual product / family friend you can own. A convincing, stirring concept indeed, given our somewhat innate fear of machines taking over our planet, but also the notion of having such a presence in our own homes.

Humans tackles this very subject, the disruption and paranoia it can bring to the everyday family environment – as well as some compelling, relevant sub-plots about the background, current dilemmas and unknown future for these synthetics. The prominent family here are the Hawkins: parents Laura (Katherine Parkinson) and Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill), and three children, teenagers Mattie / Matilda and Toby, and youngest Sophie. In a society were this new artificial intelligence dynamic is becoming an ordinary way of life, from the outset the traits of this particular family are made clear, as Joe and Sophie purchase their new synthetic (Gemma Chan), whom they soon name Anita.

Joe is ignorantly blissful about the new gadget, while Sophie is of course as curious and excited as any normal child would be. Back home, Anita is greeted with some hostility by Mattie, a somewhat orthodox reaction to most things at that age you might think, where Toby is more smitten by the attractive physical appearance – again, a standard response from a teenage boy perhaps. Then there is the mother / wife Laura, who never wanted this new addition in the first place, and is annoyed and discomforted by her husband’s decision. We soon realize that family values are extremely important to these people, but is somehow demonstrated through an inner tension built from something we do not yet know long before the synthetic was even a mere notion.

Elsewhere, what we are made to assume are synthetics on the run, a sub plot featuring Leo (Colin Morgan) has a fugitive-style quest for lost synths. Leo is joined by friend Max. Both seem to have characteristics much more related to humans than robots – so your intrigue levels ought to be flashing off the scale even at these very early scenes. There’s police detective Drummond (Neil Maskell), down-in-the-dumps not helped by his disabled wife Jill being more satisfied by her own younger, fitter synth Simon than her own husband. Drummond is professionally partnered with detective inspector Voss (Ruth Bradley), who we later find out is also a conscious synth. Lost yet? Of course, to fill out the science villain parts to some extent, Hobb (Danny Webb), a professor, is perturbed by the missing synths, and seemingly working with government officials to track them down. His own synth Fred soon finds himself in danger too.

The real treat for many might be William Hurt as George, a retired doctor and researcher of artificial intelligence. He has a sweet bond with Odi, a sadly malfunctioning synth, soon replaced by battle-axe synth Vera who seems to be more gestapo than care-giver. George is later visited by Niska (Emily Berrington), yet another conscious synth who was working as an escort before she broke free of that lifestyle to bitterly self-discover.

The build-up and the development of the drama driven by this fascinating subject is delivered brilliantly. As you may have noticed, there are plenty of characters and potential story arcs and back-stories to allow the narrative to leap frog from one group of characters to the next. The Hawkins’ habitat is the front-line plot, as the holes in the family’s bond grow bigger. Anita’s limited slip into human behavior is soon noticed by Mattie, who so happens to be a bit of an expert with all things computer – a hacker you might say. And Laura’s suspicious and anger that Anita is perhaps looking after her kids better than she is continues until she too witnesses distinctly emotional responses from the synth. The main damage though comes when Joe sleeps with Anita, his son Toby unscrupulously covering for him temporarily. Beyond the family drama, the discover that Anita is in fact an old version of a synth and actually corrupted, as former name Mia, is linked right across to Leo and his search. It’s a compelling, frantic journey, switching between genuine suspense, and dynamics of emotional story-telling constantly questioning our perception of these characters.

Humans combines the boat-rocking and acclimatizing of robots and humans co-existing, with the adrenaline of the conspiracy, chase plot. As well as a steady balance of emotive responsibilities, the show adds drops of justified violence, often shocking in the context of what is a very grounded production. Niska actually kills a client of the brothel when she has finally had enough (the swine does ask her to pretend to be young and scared). She is also close to stabbing another man later until she hears him speaking of his small daughter. And when Jill is unable to fight off the sexual advances of her synth Simon (after she had instigated the intercourse), unwanted husband Drummond is the one to batter Simon to the ground, destroying him. Sadly, that for the couple it is not quite a knight in shining armor moment.

The whole thing is, I won’t say completely resolved, but kind of. There is still plenty to think about and perhaps even more of a journey to behold some of these characters. As things are brought to a boil, the major synths (Niska, Leo, Fred, and of course Mia / Anita) are assisted by the Hawkins family, who in the end, in spite of their preconceptions, have all played a part in this roller-coaster ride. The show’s closure overall doesn’t throw too many awful or upsetting twists at you, but does certainly leave the book open for further reading later.

From the initial, clever advertising (I know for a fact those Personal Synthetic ads blew a few human minds), to the trailers leading up to the first episode, Humans has delivered an alternating degree of drama, ultimately television entertainment feeding to our own desires and intrigue. Well-designed, and with little opportunity for a break-down in plot or character invested interest, this crams a significant amount into the eight episodes, and suspect we are already digging deep to our conscious minds to wonder where it might go next. Here’s hoping it at least keeps to this kind of standard and packaging.

So it’s come down to this…

The Television Academy begins the two-week voting process on Monday, extending it until Friday, August 28 at 10pm PST. Emmy voters have had access to an online viewing site since the beginning of August, allowing them to uniquely stream series and actor tape submissions without stacks and stacks of DVDs to plow through. The two-week voting window may seem narrow, but remember that the voting process is uniquely online, something the Emmys have done before without significant issue or noise. Very different from the noisier Oscar voters who apparently don’t know how to log into their email accounts.

The biggest and potentially most impactful change this year is the broadening of the Emmy voter pool. In previous years, a “blue ribbon panel” of Emmy voters was selected, and the smaller groups would determine the winners. These voters were a microcosm of the larger Television Academy body, so the Emmy winners were often more unpredictable and potentially eschewed the broader tastes of the Academy community at large. This year, anyone in a specific peer group (actors, etc) can vote as long as they demonstrate no noticeable conflict of interest and they have watched all submissions within the category in which they’re attempting to vote.

The ramifications of this change could be huge. More likely now than ever before, the winners could be more buzzed, more popular shows than in past years when the final voting pool was approximately 200 members. Now, thousands of Television Academy members have the right to vote as long as they meet the pre-defined criteria. So, what does that really mean in terms of winners? Well, you’re less likely to see a left-field Julianna Margulies Lead Actress win as in last year’s ceremony (doubly so this year since she’s not even nominated) and more likely to see a buzzier candidate win. Does this mean Taraji P. Henson has it in the bag thanks to her broad character appeal and her seemingly everywhere persona? Or does it open up Viola Davis’s perceived lead thanks to a win in the similar voting structure of the SAG Awards? Does it make it easier for Jon Hamm to win based on his personal likability and “it’s time” awards narrative? Does William H. Macy win for his likability as well?

In terms of series winners, the focus should be on series with broader appeal as well. Much like the Oscars, the Emmys dangers on becoming even more of a popularity contest now that the voter pool is open to the entire Television Academy membership. As much as people would like to disagree, I personally think the case for Modern Family to repeat becomes even stronger with the change in voting strategy. The past Emmy winner is the only show in the Comedy Series nominees with broad appeal. As I’ve said before, it’s the only series you can show anyone without alienating a viewer. Plus, every single other nominee in the category can be considered a “niche” show: too political, too indy, too silly, etc. Modern Family, the most watched series of the group, doesn’t offend, and, given its large cast, it has something to which nearly everyone can related. Plus, it’s the most openly emotional series of the bunch. I know the Internet doesn’t want to hear it, but, frankly, I don’t think the Emmys really care.

Drama Series is trickier, and I’m not exactly sure how the broader voting window really affects the winner here honestly. All the signs point to Game of Thrones as your winner: most nominations (including Direction and Writing), most watched, buzziest, etc. Does the broader voting pool effectively eliminate the bias against fantasy series (Lost being the only show with fantasy elements to win the big prize – of course that was in its first season before the central mythology of the show nearly derailed it)? With a reported 20 million viewers an episode (all-in, including HBONow and HBOGo – I’m assuming Emmy voters aren’t pirates), it’s by far the most watched series. Even as a fan of the series, I still can’t shake the feeling that, as great as this season ultimately was, it’s not The Season to reward the show.

It’s hard to gauge the popularity of its competition too. Since Netflix refuses to issue meaningful metrics on their viewership, it’s impossible to gauge just how popular shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black really are in comparison. Downton Abbey is most assuredly a highly rated show, but no one really feels that deserves to even be in the running, let alone to win. Homeland Season Four is exciting, and they’ve picked strong representations of the best of the season in their Emmy selection pack. But has it been tainted by Season Three? Will Emmy voters go for it just because it’s a better season? Once you’ve been down the problem path, it’s difficult to return to the winner’s circle. Better Call Saul has its supporters, but it’s Mad Men that comes up most often as a direct competitor to Game of Thrones. Will the Academy want to reward the series yet another Emmy win though? It’s not like last year’s winner Breaking Bad where a quality series that caught the zeitgeist after being nearly ignored in the Drama Series race for so many years. Mad Men has won multiple series trophies already. Does anyone think it deserves another?

Of course, the broadening of the voting pool could not impact the series categories as much as it would the acting categories. Voters have to prove they’ve watched all six online submissions for each show in order to vote in that category. Simple math tells you that voters have to watch 42 drama episodes and 42 comedy episodes in order to vote in that category. That’s a lot of television watching for people working long hours on now-filming fall series or the occasional films.

It’s a lot of television watching for anyone.

Season 2, Episode 17
Director: Rob Bowman
Writer: Frank Spotnitz

“Colony” bleeds into “End Game,” thus concluding the newest X-Files double feature, if you will. It ends just as you want these things to end with the second episode expanding on the ideas of the first part and escalating them to newer, dizzying heights. Whereas the “Duane Barry” / “Ascension” pairing started on such a high note that it became impossible to sustain, “End Game” amps up the suspense, the scale, and the ideas introduced within “Colony.” It’s a fantastic one-two punch that provides not only some of the best work in the series but also serves to strengthen The X-Files‘ emotional backbone.

The prologue kicks off as an American sub discovers the assassin’s spaceship from the first episode. After given orders to shoot and destroy, they are attacked, and all systems flatline, effectively leaving them stranded underwater beneath the Arctic ice shelf. It’s a chilling (no pun intended), claustrophobic beginning to the episode, and it appropriately sets the tone for what’s to come. We then revisit “Mulder”  (the shape-shifting assassin) as he attempts to beat information out of Scully. He takes her prisoner and later has her call the real Mulder to establish an exchange: Scully for Samantha. Samantha gives Mulder some backstory about the assassin/bounty hunter: he has been sent to erase a collection of cloned alien colonists who are degrading their genetic makeup by mixing it with human DNA.

The exchange happens on a deserted bridge in Maryland. It is a tense sequence with Skinner and an FBI sharpshooter positioned in the nearby woods to take out the bounty hunter by shooting him in the base of the neck. Samantha agrees to be exchanged for Scully (more on this later), but the sharpshooter only wounds the assassin who pulls Samantha into the icy river below. The next day, Samantha’s body washes ashore, and, as it begins to warm, it deteriorates in a manner similar to the doctor clones from “Colony” – it’s not the real Samantha. Meanwhile, Mulder tearfully tells his father that Samantha has been lost again, and his father blames him for the event, leaving a note from Samantha which points the remorseful Mulder to a women’s clinic. There, he finds the truth: Samantha was another clone, and there are more of her in the clinic. Unfortunately, the assassin finds his way there, blows through Mulder, and burns down the clinic, killing the clones in the process.

Mulder proceeds to track down the assassin to prevent him from returning to his home planet by finding the submarine from the prologue. Scully uses both Skinner and X (who engage in an epic fight sequence) to find Mulder’s location, but she’s nearly too late. Mulder runs afoul of the assassin in the submarine and, after attempting to shoot him in the back of the neck, is infected with the viral blood of the alien, which is toxic to humans. The alien escapes in the submarine, narrowly killing Mulder in the process. This returns us to the first scene in “Colony” where Scully saves Mulder’s life thanks to her recently obtained knowledge of the virus. Mulder awakens, shaken by the experience but with renewed faith to keep looking for his sister as the assassin revealed she is still alive.

“End Game” covers a lot of territory, but it moves seamlessly and swiftly. The various set pieces (the bridge exchange, the submarine, the fight between Skinner and X) are substantial pieces of work both expensive looking and essential to the overall story. This episode feels like a turning point for the series in multiple ways. First, the metaphor of and consistent usage of ice or cold represents Mulder’s hardening sensibilities throughout Season Two. The government interference with The X-Files, Deep Throat’s death, Scully’s abduction – it all blended together to shift Mulder’s mindset, to make him resentful of his search for “the truth.” But Scully’s constant support and literal thawing of Mulder’s frozen body illustrates his renewed resolve, basically that he has warmed again to the idea that the truth is indeed out there, that is his sister is indeed alive, and that he must continue to search for her. It also further melts the icy professionalism between Mulder and Scully, something that admittedly has been happening for several episodes now. But with yet another attempt on Scully’s life and with Mulder’s near-death experience, the two appear to be completely linked now. There is no separating them.

Then, in terms of the craft of filmmaking, “End Game” feels like the most expansive episode they’ve done yet. It’s a signal that those financing the series realize what they have on their hands, and they’re starting to fund it well enough to take it to the next level. The episodes appear more polished, more assured in their cinematic qualities. I would argue that the two episodes could have been spliced together and made into a complete film that arguably would have been a better experience than the eventual films that came later.

Still, I do have a few quibbles with the episode, nothing terminal but minor annoyances. First, I remain unconvinced why the assassin had to remain tucked away in the submarine until Mulder found him. What exactly was he waiting for? Dramatic tension, I know, but there is apparently no stopping the creature, so why have him wait in hiding taking on the appearance of a submarine crew member? The bigger offense in the series is something I mentioned with my “Colony” review: the persistent victimization of the heroine Scully. She is made a plot point once more as she is kidnapped and used as bait by the assassin. Scully is smarter than that, but the writers felt it was still appropriate to make her the “damsel in distress” yet again, an event underscored by Scully’s cowering in Mulder’s car after being released by the assassin. The event wouldn’t seem so egregious had the director not chosen to include that shot. As it is, it feels cheap and out of Scully’s character.

Still, “Control” and “End Game” pack an amazing one-two punch as The X-Files further matures as a television series. Perhaps the most surprising event of the episodes was Mulder’s regression to boyhood in front of his disapproving father. It gave David Duchovny the opportunity to showcase a side of Mulder we’ve rarely seen, childlike vulnerability. It’s a reminder that the most important aspects of long-standing series aren’t necessarily the wiz-bang special effects but the emotional truths explored with characters you’ve grown to deeply appreciate. Emotional connections are sometimes the greatest special effects of all.

Season 2, Episode 16
Director: Nick Marck
Writer: Chris Carter

The X-Files hit its first series 2-part episode a few back with “Duane Barry” and “Ascension,” which detailed the probable alien abduction of an endangered (and pregnant) Scully. It’s the first one we’d encountered, and the effect was significant. Watching the two back to back certainly gave a more cinematic sensation – something The X-Files would legitimately attempt a few years later with their big-budget motion picture. With “Colony,” they attempt the same effect again, and, while the episode is intriguing and entertaining enough, it feels a little soon to be jumping back into a continuing storyline.

“Colony” begins with an apparently injured Mulder checked into a field hospital suffering from hypothermia. As doctors place him into a bath for treatment, Scully bursts onto the scene warning the attending physicians that the cold is the only thing keeping Mulder alive. As if by cue, he begins to flatline. Cut to two weeks earlier, crew on a freighter spot a UFO hovering above them that seems to crash into the sea. As they rescue the sole occupant, the event is reported as a downed Russian fighter, but the pilot re-appears in Pennsylvania and attacks a doctor by stabbing him in the back of the neck, causing the doctor to bleed a bubbly green substance and die. Mulder and Scully are pulled into the events after an anonymous source sends Mulder a series of clips illustrating the deaths of other doctors. Photographs show that all three doctors are identical, and other identical doctors exist in multiple locations.

Mulder and Scully play beat the clock to save these seemingly twin doctors from their assassin, a shape-shifting being who is easily able to assume the appearance of anyone he’s seen. As the assassin finds and murders more twins, Mulder receives a phone call from his parents and returns home to Massachusetts where his alien-abducted sister supposedly reappears. She and Mulder re-connect as Scully further investigates the mysterious assassin and the twin doctors. Scully finally stumbles upon a lab that contains large vats of a viscous green fluid and what appear to be tiny cloned babies. The lab is eventually destroyed by the assassin, but Scully finds the remaining four doctors who are reportedly Russian clones. Taken into custody, the doctors are nonetheless murdered by the assassin in prison as he, naturally, assumed the identity of an authority figure. Scully and Mulder finally reconnect as she receives a phone call from him – just as “Mulder” knocks on her hotel room door.

As I’ve said before, it’s difficult to gauge the merits of a story when you only know the first half of the tale. Without knowing the end game, the juxtaposition of Mulder’s returned sister and the cloned doctors seems to overstuff the episode. The focus is clearly on the doctors’ storyline, so, after a year and a half of episodes during which Mulder pines for his missing sister, Samantha, it’s odd to only receive five minutes of screen time dedicated to the story. If it is her… Still, I’m very intrigued as to where the second part of the storyline goes and, particularly, how the two halves truly mix together.

Otherwise, the shape-shifting serial killer is effectively scary, particularly when he impersonates Mulder at the end of “Colony.” Is it a new turn of events to place Scully in mortal danger again? Not really. In fact, it’s a little tiring to see such a strong woman placed into danger situations demanding rescue by Mulder time after time in Season Two. Scully’s character arc has shifted from one of strength and resolve in Season One to one of the damsel in distress in Season Two, a little bit of a step back if you ask me.

See all photos over at Deadline. Here are a few of the more impressive ones from the upcoming Season Six. Season Five competes at the 2015 Emmy Awards in September.

Season 2, Episode 15
Director: Rob Bowman
Writer: Howard Gordon

Voodoo, if you’re even slightly inclined to believe, is a creepy and unsettling thing. The fear of the unknown symbols, language, and artifacts instills a sense of dread that is as compelling as any actual magic. That fear of the unknown drives a lot of the unease in The X-Files‘s “Fresh Bones,” a slow-moving episode that, despite the persistent influx of voodoo, never really takes hold until the very end.

Mulder and Scully are contacted by the widow of Private Jack McAlpin, a Marine who in a fit of madness drove his car into a tree and died on impact – the second local soldier to seemingly commit suicide. A voodoo symbol was found on the tree and was also seen on a shell buried beneath the soldier’s house and in the first soldier’s suicide. Attempting to perform an autopsy on the Marine’s body, Scully instead finds the emaciated corpse of a dog. An imprisoned Haitian, Pierre Bauvais, seems to have knowledge of the events and gives a thinly veiled threat to Scully and Mulder if they continue involvement in the case. On the way back from the base, they nearly run over McAlpin who is absently stumbling along the road, leading Mulder to believe he was zombified. Another soldier tells Mulder and Scully that Colonel Wharton, the local commanding officer of the processing facility, is abusing Bauvais in retaliation and, eventually, has Bauvais beaten to death.

Mulder and Scully continue the investigation and eventually are made the target of voodoo tactics themselves. A local boy, Chester, earlier sold them a voodoo charm, which comes in handy when Wharton is seen performing voodoo rituals over Bauvais’s coffin. In a massive hallucination, Scully sees a man crawl out of a cut on her hand and strangle her while Mulder is made the victim of Wharton’s magic. Scully grabs the charm, and the attacking entity disappears. Bauvais’s spirit appears and neutralizes Wharton. As Mulder and Scully leave town, they discover Chester was killed in a riot six weeks earlier. The episode closes with Wharton being buried alive.

A voodoo X-Files episode is a thing we need for certain. Yet, “Fresh Bones” spends an great deal of time exploring the convergence of a North Carolinian military culture with Haitian voodoo subculture, and the mixture of the two isn’t entirely successful. Mulder and Scully spin their wheels in the plot, and X even manages to show up mysteriously at one point, offering nothing to advance the overall plot. It doesn’t really come together until the end when things accelerate dramatically, and voodoo hallucinations, magic, and an eerily lighted graveyard take center stage. THAT is the voodoo-tinged episode of The X-Files I anticipated, not the bloated three-quarters leading into it.