AIR DATE:  February 8, 1999
Written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz
Directed by Kim Manners

	The one thing you can say about "Two Fathers" is that at least it
made some kind of sense and overall was a fairly decent episode.  The only
problem was it concentrated too much on a character who never fully
developed beyond being a one dimensional antagonist of Mulder's.  Why
should we care that Spender finds out the truth about the alien invasion
conspiracy and his father's role in it since he never showed any principle
that he believes in anything. At least Cigarette Smoking Man (CSM)
believes what he is doing is right even if it isn't in the best interest
of humanity.  The only thing Spender believed in is his hatred of Mulder
and everything Mulder stands for.  This season should have been building
up to this point instead of doing body switching episodes and having
Scully and Mulder become Ghostbusters.  What has Spender been doing in the
X-Files other than shredding cases and looking for his mother?  It appears
Chris Carter and gang want us to care that Spender's whole world has
collapsed because of what he found out, but just as it didn't work when
they tried to have us believe that Mulder suddenly stopped believing in
aliens, it doesn't work here with Spender.  A little character development
would help this episode quite a bit. 

	Somewhere in this episode was Scully and Mulder who were led back
to Spender's mother, Cassandra Spender, who now is the link they need to
put everything together.  Fortunately for us and Mulder, Scully still
cares about the X-Files and does the necessary research to put everything
together instead of wasting her time playing basketball as Mulder did.  It
was Scully who instigated everything in this episode from getting Mulder
to visit Cassandra Spender to finding the necessary documents to get a
clearer idea on what is going on.  It is times like these that makes me
truly miss the passionate Mulder who would do anything to find out the
truth.  It would be hard to believe that the Mulder of years ago would
have been playing basketball instead of investigating this case.  Yes, I
do understand people change, but if it wasn't for Scully willing to do a
little extra legwork they would be no further in this case.  It gives the
appearance that Mulder doesn't care about anything.  If he is so concerned
about losing his job then the last thing he should be doing is cutting out
on his job to play basketball which would only give them another reason to
fire him.  Maybe in the second part he will get his passion back. 

	Some miscellaneous comments on "Two Fathers":

- I guess this shows how much I've come to identify Brian Thompson as the
alien who does all the killing when I quickly notice he wasn't in the
credits and I could only think he had to be unavailable for the job. 

- I still can't figure out why the rebel aliens seem to think that setting
people on fire is an effective way to kill them without anybody noticing.
Also, I still don't see how mutilating your face will protect you from the
black oil since we have seen in previous episodes that it doesn't enter
into people that way, but instead enters through the skin.

- How can you always tell a Chris Carter script?  Whenever one of the
characters starts to give a speech instead of talking like a real person. 
The only point for CSM's little speech in the beginning of the episode was
to bring up to speed everyone who doesn't follow the show closely and was
totally lost in the movie. 

- I'm hoping the second part will explain how Spender betrayed CSM since I
didn't see how he did in "Two Fathers".  Everything I saw in the episode
made it appear he did everything CSM asked him, from not investigating any
X-Files cases to catching Scully and Mulder in his office.

-  It was about time Skinner asked Spender what we have been thinking
this season which was what has he been doing in the X-Files other than
looking for his mother.  I especially liked how Skinner takes Spender to
the train car first before taking him to his mother who he has been
looking for over a year.  Nice to see Skinner cares.  

- Funniest line in the episode was when CSM says Mulder and Scully have
gathered so much evidence against them in the X-Files.  Funny I never saw
that because every time they did gather anything it always disappeared.

- The director, Kim Manners, should choose his establishment shots more
carefully next time because he used an establishment shot of the F.B.I. 
building that was obviously shot in the summertime from the fully green
leave trees outside the building while in every other establishment shot
it appeared as if it was early spring.  From St. Mark's hospital to Elder
#2 Silver Spring's house where it appeared the trees were blooming. 

- Very funny of Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz and Kim Manners having
Cassandra Spender eating green jello. 

- The guard of Cassandra Spender reminded me of Lisa Marie from the movie
"Mars Attacks" when she gets into the White House.  I kept expecting to
see her blow up into green goo.

- I guess Cassandra Spender must have forgotten how much Mulder had
brushed her off last time they met because she sure was excited to see him
again.  Also, I would like to thank Cassandra Spender for confirming what
I always thought about the so-called Samantha Mulder that CSM had brought
to him in "Redux II".  At least I hope that is the case because I have
missed his search for her since he seemed to just give up after that
meeting, and I can't believe he would trust CSM so much that he would
believe she was his sister.  I did like the pained look Duchovny gave
Mulder's face when Cassandra Spender mentioned his sister, showing it
still hurts him.

- One of the first things I would have done after Cassandra Spender told
me that CSM was my ex-husband, I would have asked his name.  Instead we we
see Scully and Mulder find out his name from a computer database.  What a
copout they don't give CSM a first or middle name.

- If Mulder was so concerned about being found out he was checking out
these files why didn't he go to the Lone Gunmen since we know from past
episodes they could have hacked in, but that would take time and we
wouldn't have them be caught in Spender's office.

-  Where was Kersh in this episode?  His absence was too big a hole.

- When did Krycek become such a champion of the conspiracy plans?  It
always seemed as if he had his own agenda and he didn't particularly like
the Consortium.  What does this all have to do with what he did to Skinner
and the nanonites?

- Second funniest line in the episode was when Krycek tells Spender that
CSM is a great man.  Has Krycek been replaced by a clone because in last
season's episode, "The End", he was ready to kill him.

- Hey, Scully never had her name on the basement door such as Agent Fowley
does now.  Oh yeah, what a surprise Fowley is working with CSM.  Here was
another poorly developed character who we don't care about or who she
betrays. 

- I'm glad to see those stairs next to Mulder's old office door have yet
again mysteriously disappeared.

- Spender truly is a wimp and CSM is right when he says he pales in
comparison to Mulder.  He lets himself be used by CSM in ways Mulder never
would have allowed himself to be used. 

- Lucky CSM knew Spender would blow the job of killing the alien so he
sent Krycek along to help him out.  It would have been good though if
Spender had been killed the last thing he saw was the alien's face.

- I got a little worried there when Skinner looked into Cassandra
Spender's hospital bathroom because we all know what happens in bathrooms
on the X-Files.

- Having Mulder pull the gun on Cassandra Spender was a bit much for a
cliff hanger.  Also, if those were the bad guys outside Mulder's door why
would they be wasting their time banging on the door instead of just
busting it down.

	"Two Fathers" was a good conspiracy episode because Chris Carter
and Frank Spotnitz didn't add anything new to it.  Maybe they have finally
realized it is time to wrap things up.  Well, I hope they realize this
since this whole thing should have been wrapped a few seasons ago and they
should have moved on.  Poor character development of certain key players
brought down this episode and Mulder's lack of interest didn't keep
matters.  Otherwise I'm hoping my worse fears aren't realized and
everything goes back to the way they were with Scully and Mulder failing
to get any hard evidence on the Consortium.  Its not that I didn't enjoy
"Two Fathers", but ever since the fourth season's episode "Terma" I've had
a hard time taking these episodes as seriously as I used to because of the
way they have thrown facts at us without any clear understanding on how
they are going to work them into later episodes. 


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

2/8/99