Nothing Important Happened Today

 

Nothing Important Happened Today may be one of the most significant pieces in The X Files puzzle, redefining the series in several different ways.  First off, Mulder is gone, and the only people who know anything about it are keeping quiet.  Doggett and Reyes find themselves completely alone in their investigation into Deputy Director Kersh and even Scully is unwilling to assist them, while Skinner urges them to drop the investigation entirely.  To make matters worse, Kersh may be involved in Mulders disappearance.

 

The episodes teaser sequence seems to be dedicated towards showing off Lucy (Xena) Lawless and the fact that she is guest star in the episode.  Immediately, there is a question of whether she is good guy or a bad guy.  As she strolled into the bar you get the impression that she is just an innocent bystander but when she kills a guy who worked for a water reclamation facility by driving him off of a bridge, things change.  The innocence seems to vanish and she seems more villainish. 

 

The first fifteen minutes or so seem to focus not on the expanding puzzle, but mostly on the aftermath of the encounter with the Alien Replicants and the newer additions to The X Files family.  The introduction of Assistant Director Brad Follmer is nicely done and the interaction between himself and Reyes is done just as well.  Its obvious at this point that the two have a history and brad isn’t quite over her.  Reyes on the other hand moved on long ago.  Doggett is clearly coming around to Mulders viewpoint, seeing himself as a pawn in a much larger game.  Scully is mostly concerned with the safety of her son William, which is understandable considering the circumstances of its birth.  Shannon McMahon’s introduction could have been done better however, as rather than concentrating on her role in the mythology, her screen time was mostly along the lines of “Oh look, Lucy Lawless is on The X Files”. 

 

After seeking the help of Mulder, and finding his apartment empty, Doggett goes to see Scully which is when the story really gets going.  The questions are asked; Where’s Mulder?  Why did he leave?  What’s wrong with William? Following The X Files trademark, not solid answers are given.  The fact that William is able to move the mobile above his cot using only the power of his mind seems to set up a larger story of how exactly did Scully become pregnant and if William is human, alien or even a Government Super Soldier which was being developed.  Lucy Lawless’ screen time did seem far more worthwhile in the episodes second instalment, giving Doggett the answers which he could comprehend.  But as usual, there is more than one side to the story, which is what should be expected from The X Files.  Reyes’ character is a perfect addition to the series, giving the ‘out there’ beliefs that Mulder held for so long, while bringing a new and refreshing twist on it.  Rather than seeing vast conspiracies everywhere, Reyes sees energies pulling people towards their fate.  Her characters beliefs are more like the ones that Scully’s sister Melissa held rather than Mulder giving it that fresh feeling.

 

Nothing much seems to have changed for Skinner, aside from the fact that he knows something about Mulders disappearance.  His silence forces Doggett to try and find the answers himself, looking to the past for the answers.  Doggett makes a few calls to his old military buddies who were in the same company as Knowle Rohrer hoping to learn something which can help him.  Reyes uses her own connections to try and find out what’s going on, but things don’t look good when Brad Follmer hands the CCTV tapes of the night the battle with the Replicants occurred, only to discover that none of the nights events were recorded.  The situation intensifies when Doggett realises that he had no friends within the FBI as a result of his investigation on Kersh, leaving him with very few options.  Luckily when a newspaper clipping finds its way to The X Files office, they receive their first lead, and when Scully discovers Williams ability, decides she need answers as much as they do.  The friendship which has formed between Scully and Reyes shows, as well as Reyes’ intense loyalty to Doggett which does give the impression that there may be more than respect for her colleague.  As Scully examines a body, Brad Follmer enters with an FBI team demanding to know why they are performing an illegal examination of a man who’s death has already been confirmed as accidental.  This whole incident was on the advice of Deputy Director Kersh, showing that Follmer is slowly becoming his puppet within the FBI.  Since he is under investigation, he needs someone who will place the orders he cannot.  When Follmer has a look at the body, its gone which leads him to believe Doggett escaped with it moments before his arrival.  Since Reyes’ loyalty to Doggett is evident, Follmer’s jealousy leads him right back to Kersh, advising that Doggett be suspended from the FBI.

 

It was nice to see The Lone Gunmen back in a more solid role in The X Files, following the cancellation of their own series.  While the cliff hanging ending wasn’t resolved, it did imply that they were able to escape with the fact that Langly’s face still has a bluish tint making him kinda look like an overgrown Smurf.  But the Gunmen add a little comic relief to the episode and show that they still have a place within the show. 

 

As the investigation continued, Scully, Doggett and Reyes were led to a ship which had recently come to port.  As they arrived, expecting to meet the ships Captain, they were attacked by Knowle Rohrer.  As Doggett and Knowle fought, Scully and Reyes headed towards the ship.  Moments later, as Knowle started crushed Doggetts head with his bare hands, Knowles head vanished, revealing Lucy Lawless standing behind him with an axe.  As you would expect from the X Files, her final revelation that she was on their side was short lived, as Knowle Rohrer’s hand came through her, pulling her into the sea.  Onboard the ship, Scully and Reyes discover a lab contained embryos and names of all those experimented on in the Super Soldier program.  Scully desperately searches for her name and that of her son.  But when Doggett discovers a bomb, they must escape before the entire research program is destroyed.  The trio make it to safety as the ship explodes, once again leaving the questions unsolved.

 

The final twist however is not what you would expect.  Mulder left because Scully persuaded him to.  Kersh had told Mulder to leave, but it was Scully who finally convinced him to leave for his own safety.  Once again, more questions are put forward and never answered.  Why did Mulder leave? 

 

Nothing Important Happened Today does a great job of refocusing the series and the new characters all seem to settle in nicely.  All in all, a good X Files mythology episode which contains all the right things to make it an X Files classic – questions, big stunts, something for all the cast and lets not forget a lack of concrete answers.  It paves the way for the rest of the season, raising questions which will undoubtedly be answered at a later date in a way that no one will expect. 

 

 

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