Mulder and Scully’s search for William led them to a murder/suicide, a powerful psychic, and Project Crossroads in The X-Files 11×05

William has been an important part of The X-Files‘ mythology for many years now, and “Ghouli” featured some of the largest developments in that part of the storyline in the entire series. While investigating a strange case where two teenage girls attacked each other, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) soon found themselves on the trail of a teenage boy named Jackson Van de Kamp (Miles Robbins). Since Jackson’s family name was identical to the name of the family William was said to have been given to, Scully jumped to the conclusion that Jackson was actually William. Through a series of visions and symptoms similar to sleep paralysis, Scully became more and more convinced that Jackson was her son. Mulder and Scully’s search led them directly to the Van de Kamp home.

They arrived slightly too late and found both parents and “Jackson” dead. Two men in black from the Department of Defense arrived not long after and declared that they were in charge of the investigation. Before long, the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis) made an appearance in Skinner’s (Mitch Pileggi) office, which led to Skinner warning Mulder and Scully about the dangers of investigating Project Crossroads. Project Crossroads was a DOD project geared towards creating human/alien hybrids, and was revealed to be the name of the project that Scully and many other women had been unwillingly included in years earlier. Despite William’s apparent death, he managed to fake his death and escape by making others see what he wanted them to see.

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“Ghouli” started as a monster of the week style episode but it soon became clear that it was anything but that. After years of teasing the re-emergence of William and connecting that storyline up with the rest of the mythology, this episode finally paid that off in major ways. Not only is William alive and extremely powerful, but he came face to face with his parents while making them see someone else. Scully and Mulder thinking their son was dead led to an incredibly brutal and heartfelt scene in a morgue. Skinner’s motivations continued to be somewhat unclear and shrouded as he was once again seen with the Cigarette Smoking Man. He did warn Mulder and Scully to steer clear of Project Crossroads, but his warning came way too late.

“Ghouli” unexpectedly advanced the mytharc, gave us some much-needed development in the William/Scully/Mulder relationship, and gave us plenty to discuss. Now that our roundtable guests have (hopefully) managed to stop crying, let’s get into discussing this episode!

Soledad (@Solecalvo1) – Physical therapist, sci-fi nerd, X-Files fan for 20 years, smart is sexy.

Briana (@sassy_scully) – PR student. Lover of cheese, bacon and all things Scully.

Trycee (@believeinxfiles) – Hardcore X-Files fan for life.

VP (@Vero_Panaro) – Fan of Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, The X-Files

Vicky (@MrsWilliams1704) – Lifelong X-Files fan, who would sit and discuss the show constantly given half a chance.

Estefy (@GwenefyND) – X-Files / Gillian Anderson fan

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1. Scully experienced a form of sleep paralysis, a condition that occurs when you’re awake but unable to move, multiple times in this episode. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis before? What was your reaction? If not, how do you think you’d react?

Soledad (@Solecalvo1): She experienced hypnagogia, which is a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep that occurs during the onset of sleep, where you can experience multimodal hallucinations and paralysis. It used to happen to me a lot when I was a kid and maybe a couple of times afterward. It usually happened after nightmares, where I was struggling to wake up and thought I had but I couldn’t move and try to call my mom to come help me but my voice wouldn’t work either. It was a horrible experience.

Briana (@sassy_scully): Yes, I have experienced sleep paralysis before. So far it has been the scariest experience of my life. I had to talk myself down and convince myself to not freak out. I ended up falling back to sleep eventually but I’m still petrified that it will happen again.

Trycee (@believeinxfiles): Yes. It was a dream like what Scully experienced. I could feel everything but couldn’t move. I attempted to scream but couldn’t. Had those dreams for an entire year.

VP (@Vero_Panaro): That has never happened to me. But something similar has, and it’s a struggle between what one wants to do and what the body does.

Vicky (@MrsWilliams1704): I’ve experienced sleep paralysis twice and it’s absolutely terrifying. You can’t move or speak and the inability to alert anyone is horrific. In my experiences, I had a shadowy figure standing next to me while I was in bed, their hands outstretched over me. In my head, I was screaming and screaming, trying to alert my husband and couldn’t understand why he wasn’t answering me. Then I finally managed to move a finger and the strangest feeling washed over me and I could move again. I was covered in sweat, breathing heavily and crying. It’s not happened for around two years but as far as I’m concerned, it can stay away for good! Genuinely two of the scariest moments of my life.

Estefy (@GwenefyND): No, I’ve never had that experience, fortunately. I think I’d react like a panic attack.

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2. Both Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny were given some really strong material in this episode. What was your favorite scene? Favorite moment and/or line of dialogue?

Soledad: Personally, my favorite parts were Scully apologizing over William’s apparent dead body and the last bit when Mulder and Scully watch the surveillance video and realize he had made contact. The first scene was very emotional. Being a mother myself (I have a 4 year old kid), I could only imagine how incredibly painful it would be to be in her shoes. All that guilt she carried for so long for the decisions she made (and lately questioned) and the exquisite pain to finally realize the outcome of those decisions. But then, as it’s always the case with this wonderful show, there is hope, as we see Scully and Mulder with such a look of pride watching their kid turning out to be such a survivor and with the interest to reconnect with his biological family again. After all the plot inconsistencies during seasons 8-9, this episode feels like a great solution and a long-awaited reunion that started last season with “Founder’s Mutation.”

Briana: This was a really strong episode for Gillian in particular. The scene that sticks with me the most is the moment when Scully realizes that she just had a conversation with her son. Her body language and facial expressions did all the work. Beautiful. James Wong killed it, as per usual.

Trycee: My favorite scene was the end with Scully talking to William and not realizing it and then the intimate reaction between her and Mulder. I also adored all of the MSR moments that showed them as a couple, a loving couple.

VP: The last scene is still my favorite. Very exciting where Scully and Mulder see that their son is alive and well. Scully’s face said it all. The scene where Scully speaks to William’s body was so painful! I cried a lot! Gillian Anderson deserves all the awards!

Vicky: Can I just choose the whole episode? It was just sensational. From start to finish it was just stunning. Both David and Gillian knocked their performances out of the park. You could feel the emotion just pouring off the screen from both of them. If I had to absolutely choose, I’d have to choose the morgue scene when Scully poured her heart out to the body of the boy she suspected was her son. Gillian Anderson’s performance in that scene alone was heartbreaking and emotional and I was reduced to tears. My favourite line was Mulder saying “you have no idea my state of mind.” It just showed that even though he had to stay strong for Scully, he was badly hurting himself. Even during the worst thing a parent could go through, he was putting Scully and her needs first and that’s why I love him. He always has and always will put her first.

Estefy: Well, the whole episode was amazing and so moving but the scene at the morgue was so heartbreaking. Although we knew that Jackson/ William was going to get up, to know that the first encounter of Scully with her son was to find him dead was very sad and the words she told him…OMG! I’m still so moved by that scene. Gillian’s talent always leaves me speechless. Also, the final scene when Scully saw her son talking to her, you can see the happiness on her face and the relief of knowing that he is ok. We know how she felt for years about giving up her son, the guilt she felt, and now she knows he doesn’t hate her and he thinks she is a good person. That makes me feel so emotional.

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3. We learned that the Department of Defense is after William and they appear to have kill orders. Do you think the Cigarette Smoking Man wants William dead and was responsible for the order to kill him? Or were the men in black from the DOD a separate faction trying to clean up their mess?

Soledad: I think Cigarette Smoking Man wants to control him, not kill him. I think the men who killed William’s parents were either working for CSM to recover William (I think, at one point, he experimented with him but escaped) or sent by Ms. Price to kill them all to ensure the failure of CSM’s plans.

Briana: I don’t think CSM wants him dead. I think he wants him alive but only to use him. The people supposedly from the DOD are from a separate organization that wants to get rid of William and others like him.

Trycee: CGB didn’t seem to know this was happening with William or else wouldn’t Skinner have been involved. He wanted Skinner to find him. They were highly aware of who William was. My question, why did the Van De Kamps move from Wyoming to Norfolk, Virginia? What’s there? Why so close to D.C. and all the secret organizations or agencies? Were the Van De Kamps involved with the DOD?

VP: CSM want to find William but I don’t think to kill him. He wants it for some of his plans.

Vicky: Now we know about Project Crossroads, I’m of the belief that the Cigarette Smoking Man’s efforts to kill William are to cover up the Project. William is the key to creating the vaccine that will effectively end the CSM’s plans of repopulating the earth. Why would the CSM want to keep him alive if he’s the metaphorical spanner in the works? We know that the CSM isn’t exactly loyal to family after what he did to Jeffrey, so why would he not attempt to remove his biological grandson from the picture if it affected his plans? The only person the CSM cares about is himself and knowing that he’s the most powerful person on the planet.

Estefy: This is a good question. I’m still so confused about if CSM is protecting William or not. But he knows that Mulder is closer than ever so when that happens he always does something to try make sure Mulder does not come close to the truth.

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4. We were finally given a name for the project that Scully was unwillingly a part of: Project Crossroads. How do you see Project Crossroads being important in the mytharc going forward? Do you think there are others like William out there or is he unique?

Soledad: I think Scully was the only survivor of that project assuming the MUFON women who died were in it. I think there were many parallel projects to reach the common goal of hybridization (another one was where Cassandra participated). I think CSM monitored Scully as a test subject and repaired her fertility in order for her to purposefully conceive with Mulder a natural hybrid, thus ensuring his family lineage as part of the ruling elite. I don’t think William is unique because we already saw Kyle and Molly’s powers in “Founder’s Mutation,” but I think he is The Founder and the most powerful hybrid there is out there.

Briana: I don’t think it’s that important now seeing as we are nearing the end of the show. I definitely think there are others out there just like him. He’s not alone.

Trycee: Yes. Scully wanted to know after William was born. She will need to know now. I believe he was unique. The aliens were attempting to recreate him but I believe he’s special because both parents were exposed to alien DNA themselves with Scully being abducted and Mulder having survived black oil. So I think that was the unique combination that created him.

VP: Just as Scully was part of that project involuntarily, I think more women were too. So I don’t think William is the only one.

Vicky: In “Redux II,” we saw Mulder break into the DOD facility in the Pentagon and stumble across a room full of women who were clearly going through the same procedures that Scully went through in “Ascension.” The same procedures were going on for decades though, so do I believe that William is unique? Yes. I think that Scully’s gene tampering was successful and she was also the only one who received the benefits of the CSM’s scientific knowledge, as per “En Ami” and “My Struggle III” and therefore the only one to conceive. With what we know about the project, I can’t help but wonder whether the plan that was established in the original run for creating alien/human hybrids was ever really over. But who knows with the CSM? I’m not entirely sure that at this point that he knows what he wants.

Estefy: I think it will be important for the next meetings with William. William is special and probably the first but maybe there are others like him.

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5. William appears to have a powerful psychic ability that lets him make others see whatever he wants them to see. Do you think that ability is what the Cigarette Smoking Man wants him for or does he want him for his DNA? Maybe both?

Soledad: I think he wants William because of his DNA and his powers. He thinks William is an asset for his plans, a powerful weapon to control and use against his enemies in the face of resistance. But if he follows his biological father’s steps (Mulder), he’ll try to kill him because he will turn against him.

Briana: I would say he wants him for both. I don’t think CSM truly understands everything that William is capable of but he definitely wants him for his abilities and his DNA.

Trycee: I think CGB wants him because of the Prophecy. The Prophecy says that if William’s father lives, he will cause his son to turn against the aliens. But, if William’s father dies, he will fulfill his destiny with the aliens. CGB needs him in order to create the end, which is what CGB wants. Scully said that William was immune. CGB is already immune without having found William yet. So, it’s not DNA he’s after. It’s William abilities.

VP: For both things. I think CSM has a plan for William. But William runs with the advantage that he can make people see what he wants and in that case, CSM can’t do anything. It’s not going to be easy for CSM to have William.

Vicky: I don’t think the Cigarette Smoking Man’s reasons for wanting William are that altruistic, to be honest. The CSM knows that William (aside from Mulder and Scully) is the one thing standing in the way of his plans to repopulate the planet in his image. So in that respect, why would he want William to stay alive, grandson or not? William’s DNA is the key to creating a vaccine against the spartan virus and the CSM won’t allow anyone or anything to prevent the spread of the virus. I honestly think that the CSM’s reasoning for wanting to get to William is as simple as stopping the boy from preventing the apocalypse.

Estefy: I think it’s a capacity that he developed by himself. I mean, he was created as a special child and when he grew up was discovering his own abilities but of course, something forced by what CSM wants to his own convenience.

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6. Scully and William had a face-to-face meeting in this episode but William disguised himself as the doctor that was in charge of Project Crossroads. Were you hoping for a more direct face-to-face meeting or was this satisfactory for the time being?

Soledad: I think the approach was realistic because William has to come to terms with issues involving his adoption. I think he will disguise himself as some people in further cases and even assist his parents as a way to get to know them and get used to their new dynamic little by little.

Briana: I’m not going to lie…I’m a tad bit disappointed. As a long time fan, I expected it to be a more direct face-to-face meeting. I was hopeful for more. I think what James Wong wrote was beautiful in its own way but I expected things to be different. Great scene though!

Trycee: That was amazing. He doesn’t know Scully. So given his abilities, he gets to talk to her, feel her out, without revealing who he is. It’s genius, actually.

VP: I expected another reunion, but this meeting between them I loved. Above all, the last scene. Although they can’t be seen, Scully and William will continue to have this connection between mother and son. The ideal scene would be Mulder and Scully with their son and happy.

Vicky: I actually liked the way their initial meeting played out. I didn’t think I would, but I did. William knows that he’s different, knows that he has a connection to Scully from the outset, probably even suspects that she’s his birth mother and as a result, wants to suss her out and see whether she’s part of the agency that wants to kill him. Once he knows what she is to him, he wouldn’t want to put her in harm’s way. He’s probably as curious about her as she is about him. Scully put William up for adoption to keep him safe and I believe the way this storyline played out was his way of keeping his parents safe. However, he is still Mulder and Scully’s son and the inherent curiosity at meeting them, that would have been passed on in his genes, would have been overwhelming. The look on Mulder and Scully’s faces at the end, knowing their son was safe was just beautiful.

Estefy: I’m waiting for a more direct face to face meeting but I think they will wait to the final episode to show us that so special and awaited moment.

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7. James Wong wrote and directed this episode. He’s one of multiple veteran writers/directors from The X-Files asked back for this season. What did you think of the episode overall? Did you find the developments in this episode to be believable and consistent with what’s been previously established?

Soledad: I loved this episode. I think it was clever because it first looks like a MOTW episode but it turns out as an emotional ride into a much-needed part of the mythology. It’s wonderful to watch the whole mystery develop and realize that William created an X-File to safely lure his parents into indirectly finding him. I think the portrait of William was really consistent of what I would expect of him being as a child of Mulder and Scully. I mean, he´s dark, extremely intelligent, curious and with a profound survival instinct just like their parents. I also liked that he looks more like Mulder’s son than Scully and has as many personality traits as his father. I’m eager to watch more.

Briana: The writing in this episode was phenomenal. Wong has never let me down and this was the episode I most looked forward to. I found the plot in relation to William and Scully to be very believable considering what we know. Consistency has never been an issue for Wong.

Trycee: I thought it was absolutely intriguing and emotional. I absolutely loved it. We not only got to see interaction between mother and son, disguised as it was, but we got to see his life. He’s flawed and it was very believable. It was great.

VP: We looked forward to this moment, that meeting, and it was really amazing. It was a great episode.

Vicky: I truly loved “Ghouli.” I thought the way it played out from start to finish was just perfect. It was heartbreaking, emotional, intense, creepy…everything that The X-Files should be. I genuinely cried for half an hour while watching it. The developments in the storyline were welcomed. Having Skinner say that the hybridisation scheme had been going on since the 70s was a nice throwback to what we believed to be true from the original run. I liked how this little gem of a mytharc episode was slap bang in the middle of the series too. I adored the dynamic between Mulder and Scully and how Mulder continuously put Scully and her needs first. Everything about the episode was just stunning.

Estefy: I feel that this episode continued according to the mythology that was being treated in the old seasons. William has one of the most important roles in the whole series. So this episode was one of the most wanted episodes. It’s my favorite from this season so far.

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Final Verdict: The reintroduction of William and everything that came with him resulted in one of the strongest and downright emotional mytharc episodes in years

The mythology of The X-Files has splintered and expanded for over a decade. Sometimes that’s produced some incredibly intriguing developments. Other times, it’s been an exercise in frustration. “Ghouli” managed to fit into the former category. Not only that but James Wong, who wrote and directed the episode, was able to brilliantly tie the current version of the mytharc to the version that was established in the show’s original run.

After years of teasing and dodging important questions about Mulder and Scully’s son William, “Ghouli” finally provided some answers and much-needed emotional depth all while tying the present to the incredibly complicated past. Both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were given a ton of well-written material to play with, and neither of them disappointed. From Scully’s absolutely heartbreaking apology in the morgue to her (believed to be) dead son to the more subdued, quieter pain that Mulder was going through, “Ghouli” packed a serious emotional punch. While the episode didn’t answer all of the questions it followed up on, it finally allowed Mulder and Scully to interact with their son, even if they weren’t aware of it at the time.

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The biggest weakness of “Ghouli,” and it’s a minor one, is the lack of a direct face-to-face reunion between Mulder, Scully, and William. What James Wong wrote was beautiful and highly effective. But the lack of a direct conversation between the three may leave some viewers disappointed and wanting more. With William on the run, it seems likely we’ll be seeing him again before the end of the season.

“Ghouli” successfully advanced the show’s mythology in both intellectually and emotionally satisfying ways. What will William’s ultimate role in the mytharc be? Will he help save humanity and stop the Cigarette Smoking Man? We still need a lot of questions to be answered but we can’t wait to see what’s in store for Mulder, Scully, and William moving forward.

THE X-FILES returns next WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7th at 8/7c on FOX.