This episode was a lot like the story in 'Field Trip' in which everything going on with Mulder (and Scully) turned out to be a hallucinatory experience. Here, Mulder dreams of an idyllic life after being infected with an alien virus via the infamous 'black ink' from prior seasons. The virus has been reactivated by exposure to a unique source of energy emanating from an artifact discovered in West Africa bearing Navajo markings and passages from the Koran. Forgive me if it appears that the mythology arc of the X-Files seems to be wearing out it's welcome. I enjoyed them earlier on, but the constant back and forth on whether the existence of UFO's and extraterrestrials is real or not tends to make the story line somewhat weary.
What Mulder goes through in his dream state supports the title of this episode - 'Amor Fati' - a Latin phrase that means 'love of fate' or 'love of one's fate'. It carries an acceptance of events or situations that occur in one's life, something that Mulder has never been content with regarding his missing sister and the endless search for the truth about aliens. That Mulder would settle into that sort of existence defies everything we've come to learn about him over the prior six seasons of the series.
And then, just like that, Mulder is back on his feet after Scully issues her challenge to "Get up and fight the fight". It didn't seem credible to me that Mulder would make that quick of a recovery after being nearly in a coma for a good length of time. The revelation of Albert Hosteen's death, and especially Agent Fowley's murder off screen added another surreal element to the episode, more of a convenient way to dispense with unneeded characters for the continuation of the series. But then again, if Deep Throat could make it back for this story, who says they'll never show up again.
What Mulder goes through in his dream state supports the title of this episode - 'Amor Fati' - a Latin phrase that means 'love of fate' or 'love of one's fate'. It carries an acceptance of events or situations that occur in one's life, something that Mulder has never been content with regarding his missing sister and the endless search for the truth about aliens. That Mulder would settle into that sort of existence defies everything we've come to learn about him over the prior six seasons of the series.
And then, just like that, Mulder is back on his feet after Scully issues her challenge to "Get up and fight the fight". It didn't seem credible to me that Mulder would make that quick of a recovery after being nearly in a coma for a good length of time. The revelation of Albert Hosteen's death, and especially Agent Fowley's murder off screen added another surreal element to the episode, more of a convenient way to dispense with unneeded characters for the continuation of the series. But then again, if Deep Throat could make it back for this story, who says they'll never show up again.