AIR DATE:  May 17, 1996
Written by Chris Carter
Directed by  R. W. Goodwin

	Wow!  15 minutes into "Talitah Cumi" I realize this is the reason
why I watch the X-Files and why it is one of the best dramas on tv today. 
It has everything we expect from an arc episode:  Cigarette-Smoking Man
acting as evil as ever, doublespeak between characters, and Mulder's dark
family secret is brought back to the forefront.  Oh yeah, as always it is
confusing as hell on what exactly is going on, but that is what I love
about this show, how it doesn't feed you everything on a silver platter
instead it makes you guess and ponder on the true meaning of what is
happening in the show. 

	"Talitah Cumi" is about Mulder and his family past and how the
actions of his parents affected him for the rest of his life.  In the
episode what we always suspected was confirmed when Mrs. Mulder went to
meet CSM.  It would be hard for us to believe that Mrs. Mulder didn't know
CSM since if her husband was in the picture from "Paper Clip" with CSM,
Deep Throat, and others then she most likely knew them all, since it
appears they were good friends in the past.  It is easy to understand how
Mulder couldn't let himself believe his mother would have associated with
the men he believes are responsible for his sister's disappearance.  It
isn't as if Mrs. Mulder had any choice in the matter since they came with
the marriage.  Who knows if she would have married Bill Mulder if she knew
who he really worked for instead of just the State Department.  The
Mulder's relationship with CSM and his cohorts set in motion the
destruction of their family without them even knowing it since it was the
disappearance of Samantha that began the degeneration of their family. 
The ironic thing is it might have set in motion the destruction of CSM and
his cohorts plans since it was Samantha's disappearance that began
Mulder's interest in the paranormal and into exposing the conspiracy. 
Also, was it me or did there seem to be more indicated between Mrs. Mulder
and CSM than just a casual friendship?  CSM seemed to indicate that with
his talk with Mulder in the hospital and CSM's conversation with Mrs.
Mulder seemed more than just old friends talking about old times. 

	Of course, the frustrating thing about it and all the questions
that have come up through this episode and others is the fact we have at
least another season or two before this all ends so we all know we are not
going to get all the answers.  There is nothing X-Files is better at than
seeming to answers questions while at the same time making us ask more
questions so I have a good feeling this is what is going to happen with
"Talitha Cumi".  What I love about the show is how much it is a family
tragedy story of the children paying for their parents sins, and how much
the sins of the past are destroying their children's lives.  Where the
people at X-Files will go with this is anyone's guess because at the end
of "Talitha Cumi" they seemed to be able to go in any direction.  I wrote
these arc stories are about family tragedy which mainly concerns Mulder's
family and not so much Scully's family since from all we know of Scully's
family her parents were decent people.  It is Mulder's family's past
though that has come to affect Scully in the form of her abduction and her
sister's murder, and for all we know there might be a dark hidden family
secret in Scully's family past.  In the end there really wasn't much for
Scully to do in "Talitha Cumi", but it was to her that Mr. Smith went to
tell her the full story on what is going on in the conspiracy.  It is
questionable whether this two parter will be nothing more than having
Scully act as window dressing as everything so far has had a direct affect
on Mulder with his mother in the hospital and she revealing her knowledge
of what has been going on with the aliens and everything else. 

	A few general comments on "Talitha Cumi":

- I haven't seen a fight scene that badly staged since the days of classic
Star Trek.  It was quite obvious when it was Duchovny and when it wasn't,
and the same can be said for Stephen Williams.  It gets a little chuckle
out of me every time I think about it, especially when I started humming
that old Star Trek fight music to it.  It is just kind of sad that it was
this badly done since we've come to expect better quality from X-Files. 
Oh well, I guess they can't be perfect in everything. 

- I liked the fact that even though Smith is an alien he still has to hold
a job to makes ends meet. 

- When, oh when, will we learn what Mrs. Mulder first name is?  Is it that
hard to come up with a first?  Hell, just pick a name out of the phone
book, but just give this woman a first name.  Wow, I feel better now that
my little rant is off my chest. 

- Boy, after the first season we thought Mulder came from a fairly middle
class family, but after finding out they had a summer home in Rhode Island
on top of living on Martha's Vineyard I think we can fairly assess he
comes from a fairly well off family.  I guess working for the Consortium
paid pretty well for Bill Mulder. 

- Can we now ban for at least a year any movie or tv show using the
Hannibal Cannibal tied up bit to show us how dangerous a person is suppose
to be to everyone around them. 

- I think that alien bounty hunter has gained a few pounds since his last
appearance on the show.  Well, hunting all those rogue aliens can make
your system take a beating.  Oh yeah, why didn't the guard just tell him
that Smith had been released?  Did the CSM just walk out of the prison
with him and nobody noticed it?  I guess it just made a good visual by
having him look into an empty cell. 

- I almost didn't recognize Mr. X in the bright sunlight of Mulder's
summer home backyard.  I think that was that was the best look we have
ever had of him.  It was weird. 

- I liked how Mulder's first priority wasn't having Smith tell him what
has been going on with his sister, but to bring Smith to see his mother in
order to make her well again.  A son's love never ends. 

	"Talitha Cumi" is once again one of those episodes where we get
more questions than answers, and we get more shock at what is revealed to
us about Mulder's family.  At least this year's cliffhanger allows
different directions for the story to go than last season's cliffhanger. 
Mulder's family past is the most fascinating aspect of the X-Files which
is why these are usually the best episodes on the X-Files.  The fact he
has dragged Scully along for his search to the truth is another
interesting aspect since it is obvious her life most likely would have
been better off if she had never been partner with him.  Where CSM fits in
all of this is anyone's guess especially after his complicated
conversation with Smith on spirituality, science and democracy.  It is
just damn unfair of them to make us wait until September to see how this
all resolves itself. 

Claudia
E-Mail: Claudia.Cauchon@unh.edu

Back to Top of Page

Back to 3rd Season Episodes List

1st Season Episodes List
2nd Season Episodes List
4th Season Episodes List

Back to Main X-Files Comment Page