The X-Files: Review: Series 10 Episode 4: Home Again

Mulder investigates savage deaths in Philadelphia on his own after Scully is called to her mother’s hospital bedside…

Glen Morgan goes two for two with his contributions to this short season of X-Files episodes, with this well-judged blend of monster of the week and mythos continuation. Despite the title, there’s no link to the infamous Home episode of the original series (although if you do know what happened to that infamous set of characters in what’s now presumably an alternate timeline, check out the IDW comics!). The episode continues the graphic nature of the show – the deaths are gruesome and may remind you of the way in which the Predator kills its enemies in that film series.

Morgan knows The X-Files inside out, and there’s plenty to enjoy in the case of the week element – when Scully returns to Mulder’s side, there’s a scene in a basement with the two agents using industrial-strength flashlights whose beams cross over (forming… well, work it out!), and you end up with a degree of sympathy for the creature that you might not expect from the cold open.

The episode sees the return of Sheila Larken as Scully’s mother, and while she’s not given a great deal of dialogue, what she has is crucially important, and sets Scully off on a train of thought that ties back into episode 2 (although if ep 2 had aired after this as originally planned, it might have made a bit more sense). The whole episode becomes a reflection on how people are treated, and how they might perceive it. The final scene suggests that a certain teenager could become important to the rest of the series…

Verdict: Another strong episode. 8/10

Paul Simpson