“Trust No 1’ is an attempt to recapture some of the feel from the glory days of The X-Files by playing with the emotional bond between Mulder and Scully in the midst of a government conspiracy. One would hope with chris carter and Frank Spotnitz penning the script, it would be successful. Alas, hopes are dashed against the jagged rocks below. I blame poor characterization and plot holes large enough to pilot a flying saucer through.
It is revealed that wherever Mulder is, he has access to e-mail. He and Scully have been exchanging mushy correspondence that sound like a conversation between two love struck teenagers who only have Facebook to hold them together. Both declare their profound loneliness. Doggett and Reyes show up with news they have been contacted by an anonymous government agent who has classified intelligence on the super soldier program, but will only give it to Mulder. Scully gets the idea this is a way to bring Mulder safely out of hiding.
At the same time, Scully hooks up with who she thinks is a woman escaping her abusive husband. It is a ruse. The woman’s husband is an NSA agent who is ambiguously part of the super soldier program. They have been spying on scully. They became aware of William’s special powers. When the couple discovered their newborn shared those powers, they wanted to contact her.
They are being pursued by the same guy claiming to Doggett and Reyes he wants to see Mulder. Terry O’Quinn stars as the guy, dubbed Shadow Man by the few fans who were still around at the time. Shadow man is O’Quinn’s third and final character on The X-Files. the character has hints of both Peter Watts from Millennium and John Locke from Lost.
Shadow Man leads Scully on an elaborate journey to meet him. When she does, he reveals that he knows everything about her and Mulder, right down to the night they slept together in “all things.” He wants her to arrange a meeting with Mulder. Against the advice of Doggett and Reyes, she does. Naturally, it was all a trick to lure Mulder into the open to be killed. Mulder, supposedly on a passing train, is never allowed to disembark as Shadow Man, now revealed to be a super soldier, is hunted down and killed.
I said above there are two major problems with “Trust No 1.” the first is characterization, particularly with Scully. What in the world has happened to her? I can forgive her being a weepy teenager over Mulder’s absence, but the poor judgment she demonstrates is unforgivable. There is the major point that she allows her loneliness to overshadow her thinking in arranging to meet Shadow Man. After eight+ years of dealing with government conspiractors and insider informants, she ought to know better regardless of her emotional state. Someone gets killed every time even when it is not a trick. But there are minor issues, too. At one point, the woman whom scully took in picks William up out of his crib. Scully, who has at this point been given a heads up by Doggett things are not kosher, pulls a gun on her. You do not pull a gun on a woman holding your baby as a shield! While we are at it, when you are a 5”’ 3” woman being chased by a 6’2” super soldier, get in the car you are standing beside instead of running away on foot. You are not going to make it otherwise. I hate it when Scully is written so poorly.
The other problem is plot holes. If Shadow man knows everything about Mulder and Scully down to the names of their college sweethearts and the night they slept together, why can he not find Mulder himself? Why did he have scully go around her elbow to get to her tush in order to meet him the first time, but later show up at the train station armed in spite of FBI agents crawling all over the place? Shadow man cannot decide where and when to be an all-knowing, invincible warrior. In spite of those points, the worst is that we know Mulder is not going to make an appearance because David Duchovny is off the series. It is impossible to build up anticipation when you already know the outcome.
But going by the lower standards of the final two seasons, “Trust No 1” is quite solid. The shippers in particular are happy with it. Overall, I do not see much point in it beyond proof that a super soldier can be killed. Nothing is added to the overall story arc and I cannot suspended disbelief enough to care how much Scully wants Mulder to return. It is not going to happen, folks. Not until the powers that be beg Duchovny once the series is officially cancelled in a few more episodes to star in the finale.
Rating: *** (out of 5)
“Trust No 1’ is an attempt to recapture some of the feel from the glory days of The X-Files by playing with the emotional bond between Mulder and Scully in the midst of a government conspiracy. One would hope with chris carter and Frank Spotnitz penning the script, it would be successful. Alas, hopes are dashed against the jagged rocks below. I blame poor characterization and plot holes large enough to pilot a flying saucer through.
