“The X-Files” has returned to FOX. Join Mieke Zamora-Mackay as she recaps episode four, “Home Again.”
There’s a mysterious and vicious killer on the loose in the city of Philadelphia. The Band-Aid Nose Man is a thought creature gone amok. Created by a local street artist, the rotting, maggot-infested monster, goes around killing those who seek to take advantage of the homeless. Mulder is on the case. Meanwhile, Dana’s mother is dying, stirring in her memories and guilt about having given up her son, William, for adoption.
If that seems all rather disconnected to you, then you’re feeling how I’m feeling. What the hell was this episode for? To me, it feels like the writers filling up a gap in programming by tying up loose ends that didn’t need to be resolved. As a writer, I’m always reminded to cut out unnecessary scenes. This entire episode, in my humble opinion, was unnecessary.
Okay, I am not heartless enough to dismiss the death of Margaret Scully, but was there any true compelling reason for us to see her die? Was it necessary to remind Mulder and Scully of their son through her last conscious words? What about Charlie, the estranged brother? This is the first time I’d even heard of him. What was the purpose of that? How does this move the story along?
Sure, the monster scenes were pretty suspenseful and gruesome. But, really? It’s like a gratuitous sex scene. There was no need for it.
This is the fourth episode of the six in this season. At this point, things should be ramping up. Instead, this disappointing episode was a waste of valuable story-telling space.
