“Ascension” – Season 2 Ep. 6

Mulder: about Scully’s cross necklace: That’s something I never considered about her. If she was such a skeptic, why did she wear that?
Margaret: I gave it to her on her fifteenth birthday.
Mulder: Don’t you want to keep it?
Margaret: When you find her, you give it to her.

Written by: Paul Brown

Directed by: Michael Lange

Original Air Date: October 21st, 1994

Principal Setting: Skyland Mountain, Virginia

Episode Summary: 

Mulder is on a mission to find Duane Barry and get Scully back. With the help of Agent Krycek (or so Mulder thinks), they head to Skyland Mountain from a hint from Duane that he will meet his extraterrestrial friends on top of a mountain. He is getting no support from his superiors, as Assistant Director Skinner thinks it’s getting too personal and he should be off the case. Mulder is on a one man mission to find Scully, and he believes Duane plans to offer her as a sacrifice so the aliens will leave him alone. Mulder finds Duane on top of Skyland Mountain after going on a very daring ride on a aerial tram. Speaking of the aerial tram scene, who puts the speed control on the tram itself?

Although, there are people Mulder isn’t expecting that plan to get in his way. Agent Krycek is doing his best to balance being Mulder’s ally and foe and makes a decision that will cost him. It gives Directer Skinner the only option to reopen the X-Files to bring back what this secret ‘Syndicate’ group fears the most.

Personal Commentary:

“Ascension” is another thrilling ride of deception, desperation and despair as Mulder is finding it hard to have faith that Scully will ever be found. It’s interesting that the viewer knows the truth of Agent Krycek before Mulder does. Even though he has been a pain in the butt for Mulder, you can’t help but feel sorry for him when he is given orders by the Cigarette Smoking Man and given no information on the disappearance of Scully. He almost has guilt in his eyes when the CSM is treating him like the errand boy he has become.

I also found this episode interesting that the writers kept the fate of Scully up in the air on whether she really did get abducted by aliens or the syndicate. I’m leaning on the latter being the truth, just due to having already seen what unfolds the rest of this season, but viewers seeing this when it first aired probably thought she was abducted by the little green men. But then again, why was Duane so ecstatic that they took her and not him if it wasn’t aliens? That’s one of the best things about this show is that there are so many possibilities for the viewer to discuss and decide on at the end of each episode.

Episode Grade: B+

Favorite Scene: 

Mulder’s ascent up the mountain aerial tram is very fun and even cooler knowing Duchovny did his own stunts. That had to be pretty high up when he was hanging from the tram.

Fun Facts:

• David Duchovny provided his own stunts as he hung from the aerial tram.
• When Mulder imagines what they may doing with Scully, you can clearly see a pregnant Gillian Anderson who was only a few weeks away from the birth of her daughter, Piper.

Faces You Recognize:

No famous new faces in this one since it’s a continuation from last episode.