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"Babylon" is the fifth episode of the tenth season of The X-Files.

Synopsis[]

THE POWER TO BELIEVE TURNS OUT TO BE THE STRONGEST FORCE THERE IS ON AN ALL-NEW "THE X-FILES" MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, ON FOX

When an art gallery that's showing potentially offensive artwork is bombed, Mulder and Scully seek some way to communicate with the comatose bomber in order to prevent a future attack. Meanwhile, a pair of younger FBI agents on the case (guest stars Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose) push Mulder and Scully to examine their own beliefs as Scully seeks answers from neuroscience and Mulder from mysticism in the all-new "Babylon"

Summary[]

After terrorists bomb an art gallery in Texas, FBI agent Miller visits agent Mulder to ask for his assistance or advice on how to communicate with one of the bombers who is on life support. He believes the man has information on other terrorists in the same sleeper cell. Both Scully and Miller's partner Einstein scoff at the request. Miller and Einstein leave for the airport empty handed.

Each unaware of what the other agent is doing, Scully flies to Texas to work with Miller to attempt to measure the suspect's brainwaves as they ask him questions while Mulder convinces Einstein to administer him psychedelic mushrooms in an attempt to communicate with the man on another plane of existence.

During Mulder's trip, he dances out of the hospital to a country music bar where he sees AD Skinner and The Lone Gunmen celebrating with him. He then has a seductive encounter with Agent Einstein before the trip sends him to a rowboat captained by the Cigarette Smoking Man wielding a whip. He sees a woman holding the terrorist.

Mulder wakes up in the hospital and Skinner tells him that he's crossed the line and Einsten reveals she only gave him placebo pills. While walking out of the hospital, Mulder identifies the woman from his trip and brings her into the suspect's room. Noora, Shiraz's mother, attempts to communicate with her son via the brainwave rig Scully has set up, but Shiraz dies.

With no hope remaining to communicate with Shiraz, Mulder concentrates deeply on his trip to remember the words Shriaz muttered. With Arabic translation from Miller, Mulder is able to recall "Babylon Hotel" which is where the FBI finds the rest of the sleeper cell.

At the airport in Texas, Einstein and Miller share a moment of mutual respect. Back in rural Virginia, Scully visits Mulder and they talk about mother love and the nature of God.

References[]

Texas; Virginia; God

Background information[]

  • This episode marks the first on screen appearance of The Lone Gunmen since the ninth season finale "The Truth".
  • This episode was originally the fourth episode in the Production Order, but aired as the fifth.
  • This is the only episode in Season 10 not to include a flashback or footage from the original series.
  • When Special Agents Miller and Einstein walks in Scully says "Nobody but the FBI's most unwanted". This is something that Mulder says to Scully when she knocks on the door and enters the X-Files office for the first time on the Pilot episode. Scully then goes on to say "I've been waiting 23 years to say that."
  • Agent Kyd Miller is named after David Duchovny’s son, Kyd Miller Duchovny.
  • The storyline involving two agents who are Mulder and Scully look-alikes is reminiscent of the storyline in the seventh season episode “Fight Club”.
  • When Mulder takes the capsules in the hospital room with Agent Einstein, he opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue to show that he has swallowed them. His facial expression is similar to the famous photograph of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out.
  • During his drug trip, Mulder imagines hallucinates he is lying on a table similar to the Alien Glass Examination Table shown in the alien abduction scenes in the second season episode “Duane Barry”.
  • The scene in which Mulder is having his drug trip was intended to be longer, but was edited down due to time constraints.
  • The sequence where Mulder wakes up in the hospital after an extended flight of imagination to find Skinner at his side is reminiscent of events in the sixth season episode “Triangle.”
  • The closing sequence commencing with an overhead shot that pulls way out and eventually shows the entire planet, is similar to the Mulder-and-Scully-in-a-boat ending in The X-Files: I Want to Believe.
  • Actor Dean Haglund was not only flown in from Australia, where he lived temporarily in 2015, for his appearance in this episode, but a wig was made especially for him as well as for Gillian Anderson. Haglund had cut off his long hair after the end of the original series and has been wearing a short haircut ever since.

Goofs[]

  • During the opening sequence, the two terrorists speak to each other in Farsi. However the terrorists speak in Arabic during all other scenes, including when Shiraz speaks to Mulder during his drug trip.
  • Mulder refers to the Bible's final book as “Revelations” (plural), rather than the correct name “Revelation” (singular).
  • Mulder cites as an example of "failed prophecies in the Bible" that God told Adam if he ate of the forbidden fruit, he'd die - and yet he lived 930 years. "Top that," Mulder challenges. This is not a “failed prophecy” because, as Mulder himself states, Adam did eventually die. If Adam had not eaten the forbidden fruit, according to the Bible, then he would instead have lived forever.

Cast and Characters[]

Music[]

When Mulder takes the pills, music plays in the background.

  • Somethin' Bad (with Carrie Underwood) by Miranda Lambert
  • Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus
  • Honky Tonk Badonkadonk by Trace Adkins
  • Misery Is the River of the World by Tom Waits

Other songs that play on this episode are:

  • Secret Heart by Ron Sexsmith
  • Ho Hey by The Lumineers

Cast[]

Starring

Guest Starring

Co-Starring

External Links[]

Episode Navigation[]

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