With a title like “Home Again”, there was every reason to think that Glen Morgan was going to offer up a spiritual successor to the infamous episode “Home” from the original run.  Instead, this Scully-centric installment takes all her angst over the decision to give up William and amps it up exponentially.  I challenge any longtime fan of the series to get out of this one emotionally unscathed. 

This episode was originally supposed to air after the premiere, and it’s a good thing the order was rearranged.  This would not have worked so well without the time to absorb Scully’s emotional scars from “Founder’s Mutation”.  It also makes sense for Mulder and Scully’s rapprochement to take place after a bit more time together.  Scully’s personal loss now feels like the final step in her journey back to Mulder’s side instead of a quick fix to their issues.  They’re still not entirely healthy for each other, but sometimes two damaged people are in each other’s orbits for good reason.


Frankly, the case at the center of the episode becomes background noise for a while.  As soon as Scully has to face the loss of her mother, and the complicated nature of the broken family relationships that abound among the Scully siblings, it’s hard to pull away from the funereal mindset.  Between the various flashbacks to earlier Glen Morgan episodes where Mulder and Scully had to endure the possible loss of loved ones, there was the constant reminder that Scully’s mother made choices that Scully herself will never fully understand.  Will Scully’s questions be answered?  I almost hope not, because frankly, I think it sends a better message without answers, in this case.

The death of Ma Scully is hard to take, to be sure.  But adding to the emotional strife is the realization that Mulder is far more solicitous of Scully’s feelings in this episode than he has ever been, and somehow that gives it greater gravitas.  This is especially true when Scully comes to the conclusion that the only way to escape her pain is to work on the case; when push comes to shove, that’s where her pain takes her: right back to Mulder’s side.


And that is where the significance of the case itself finally comes into focus.  The victims of the “Trashman” are those who look down on others as being “trash” or otherwise being unwanted or insignificant.  It hits Scully all the harder because of her battered psyche.  This is why “Founder’s Mutation” had to come first; we know that both Mulder and Scully have regrets at having given William away.  Here we see where Scully’s guilt can take her, psychologically, and it’s not pretty.





It’s not necessarily the most deftly constructed of stories; there are times when the “Trashman” side of the equation seems like filler compared to the character work.  And yet, it’s hard to deny that the emotional core of the episode is the real story, anyway.  It’s already more than apparent that the through-line of Season 10 is the restoration of trust between Mulder and Scully, and from that perspective, this is an important step in that direction.