So many things to say about this story, so little time. I don't have time to write a full essay now, so for now I'll offer a placeholder comment that I can come back to later. Here are my three thoughts...
1) Yay Skinner! There are so few stories where Skinner gets to do any investigating that his role in this story meant I was pulling for it from the start.
2) What lovely style. The vividness and the quasi-hallucinatory detail in the story makes me think of Penumbra's writing. Yes, that's a very big compliment.
3) In The X-Files we usually are given a binary choice between the natural and the supernatural. Science or ghosts and aliens, take your pick. Scully or Mulder. What I liked about this story in the end was the way that it offers what I view as a third option, the surreal and the mystical. It would never have done to replace "Requiem" in the series, but it was frankly refreshing to see the story arc taken in a completely different direction. It reminded me very much of the conclusion of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, only that this has fewer interminable special effects shots. Which is all to the good.
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1) Yay Skinner! There are so few stories where Skinner gets to do any investigating that his role in this story meant I was pulling for it from the start.
2) What lovely style. The vividness and the quasi-hallucinatory detail in the story makes me think of Penumbra's writing. Yes, that's a very big compliment.
3) In The X-Files we usually are given a binary choice between the natural and the supernatural. Science or ghosts and aliens, take your pick. Scully or Mulder. What I liked about this story in the end was the way that it offers what I view as a third option, the surreal and the mystical. It would never have done to replace "Requiem" in the series, but it was frankly refreshing to see the story arc taken in a completely different direction. It reminded me very much of the conclusion of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, only that this has fewer interminable special effects shots. Which is all to the good.