731 ('Mythology'): The Train One (only way to describe it. . .)

While I feel 'Nisei' is the more exciting plot-wise then '731', '731' is definitely the more action packed. But amongst all the action there is a lot of things we figure out about what exactly is going on in the worldwide conspiracy with aliens, humans, hybrids, and experimentation. And, I didn't even have time to mention it in the last episode, Scully meets some people who help her recover some of the memories from her abduction (in what feels like centuries ago in 'Duane Barry').



Directing ace Rob Bowman takes a less story-heavy episode and provides some of the best tension X-Files has to offer. I wish the X-Files would stop killing its uber-cool assassins (Crew Cut Man bought it after two episodes. . .and he whacked Deep Throat) because Stephen McHattie's Red-Haried Man just exudes tension. In a sequence that lasts almost the whole episode, the physically outmatched Mulder hols Red-Haired Man at gun point and you just know, at any frickin' minute, that McHattie is going to bust out and beat some Mulder ass. . .and he does.

But like Crew Cut Man, he gets bitched-killed before he could really do some serious damage in the mythology. Damn. Another one bites the dust! We also get a nice little cameo from CSM at the end which helps to tap us on the shoulder and go 'sure, Red-Haired Man is dead but. . .I'M STILL AROUND! MOOOHAHAHAHAHA'. So major props to the layers of villainy exposed in this action packed mythology episode.

I do have to say though that by introducing a rogue element to the alien-hybrid thing (the Japanese) it sure makes this whole mythology get more confusing then it needs to be. So let me try to get this straight: the US military is using alien technology to create more advanced HUMAN technology. The US is also using a leper colony to before genetic experiments and CREATE human-alien hybrids using alien DNA. Their is a world-wide syndicate who works WITH the US but their is also a rogue element of Japanese scientists, originally part of the Syndicate, that are dabbling in human-alien hybrids and the US is willing to send kill-squads out to destroy them. I love the X-Files but I'm not sure I got all this right. All I know is guys in black suits are killing Japanese dudes who created a hybrid *shakes head*.



And let's not forget, of course, Scully's misadventures with the US military. It is revealed here that Scully might not have been abducted by aliens at all but by the train-riding human/hybrid experimenters including the Japanese scientist Dr. Shiro Zama and that all the little creatures we've been seeing around for the last couple seasons aren't actually aliens but human hybrids. Hmmm. I'm really glad a train blew up in this one because as much as I like things explained to me. . .sometimes this myth arc gets a little too heavy. Classic episode regardless.