Christmas Carol – Season 5, Ep 6

CHAMBLISS: It’s not mine to accept or reject, Dana. We only make recommendations to the judge. But at this point I’d advise against you becoming an adoptive parent. You’re a single woman who’s never been married or had a long-term relationship.

Me, channeling Spock: I AM IN CONTROL OF MY EMOTIONS. I AM IN CONTROL OF MY EMOTIONS. I AM IN CONTROL OF MY EMOTIONS.

 

 

Season 5, Episode 6: “Christmas Carol”

No. No. NOOOOOOO.

I watch The X-Files a lot, but even I have some priorities. There are some episodes that I’ll never rewatch because frankly, they’re a waste of my time. If it weren’t for the fact that I agreed to review every single episode of this show, I’d be perfectly content with never having to watch “Christmas Carol” and its follow-up episode, “Emily,” ever again.

No. Just no.

I think I’d only watched this episode straight through once before my most recent rewatch for this review. Before, I was happy to forget about it. Now, I can definitively say that I hate it. I hate the idea of it, I hate the experience of watching it, and I especially hate that none of this will even matter that much in the rest of the series.

“Christmas Carol” and “Emily” are so unbelievably pointless in their existence that I can’t believe nobody scratched their heads before submitting the final draft and said to themselves, “Gee, do we really want to film this?”

These two episodes also are painful reminders of one of the biggest flaws of the series: the lack of female writers. The X-Files only had a few female writers throughout the show’s run, and none on its recurring writing team. I wonder, if the script for “Christmas Carol” had been reviewed by a female writer before submission, would the episode have been made?

Hell, you don’t even need to be female to look at this and see how unbelievably messed up it all is. Scully has just recovered from cancer, for goodness’ sake. As wonderfully as the writers wrote Scully’s character, they seem to have no limitations to the amount of cruel, horrible crap this character goes through.

And right there is the very heart of why this episode and “Emily” don’t work. Scully is a strong female character thrust into an unbelievably tragic situation with no agency. Her strength is not highlighted so much as it is necessary – necessary to bear the weight of one horrible circumstance after another. Circumstances that not only limit the control she has over her life choices, but also her body. 

This can’t be blamed on Chris Carter, either. I can only assume he didn’t disapprove of the episode as it was obviously made, but it pains me to know that the trio of wonders Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz even conceived of this idea, let alone put a character they obviously adore through such awfulness. But I guess that’s what male writers do when they love strong female characters. Give ’em more conflict, right? Get that Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

“Merry Christmas, Scully! We got you infertility. Love, John Gilnitz”

What makes it all worse is just how boring it turns out to be. I don’t think it’s ever taken me so long to get through an episode in one sitting. I kept turning it off and doing something else. It’s a shame, because despite all that, there was obviously a great amount of effort put into this one. Gillian Anderson is fantastic. So is Mark Snow’s score. Even the direction is nice, though in my opinion it only contributes to the overall feel of being stuck in a tank of gelatin this episode induces, at least in me.

I’ll elaborate more on all of this when I get to “Emily.” But as far as “Christmas Carol” is concerned: No. No, no, no, no, no.

And what is up with that fetus balloon?!

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Final Score

Final score for “Christmas Carol” is 2/10. It feels dirty giving a Season 5 episode a score this low. But I’m sorry – nope. You know what? I’m not sorry. “Christmas Carol” deserves a 2/10, and it’s getting one.

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Notable Nuggets/Nitpicks

• There are a lot of things in this episode that warrant more than an eyebrow raise. One is the fetus balloon. The other is Mulder’s 3 second appearance. What on earth is he wearing?

• I don’t mind Kresge. I also don’t mind Bill Scully.
• DNA tests take longer than an evening, don’t they? Smart science people, help me out here.
• Yes, Gillian Anderson is flawless. The material is not.
• What the hell? Fetus balloon?

The Post-Modern Prometheus – Season 5, Ep 5

IZZY: Don’t ask me why, but it works.

This episode literally just described itself.

 

 

Season 5, Episode 5: “The Post-Modern Prometheus”

I’ve actually read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley so when I first started this blog I always envisioned this review as this insightful, nerdy literary comparison between the novel and the episode. Well, I’m not going to do that, for several reasons: 1. I’m too lazy, 2. Nobody wants to read that, and 3. I don’t particularly remember enjoying Frankenstein that much so it’s been a good two years since I’ve actually dusted off my copy.

I hadn’t planned to publish this review so soon after “Detour,” simply because I wanted to put a lot of time and effort into it. But when I really thought about it, I realized that taking more time to review this wouldn’t make it any better. When it comes down to it, I’m not sure I can really put into words what makes this episode so good. I could give the usual reasons: it’s different, it’s artsy, the music is amazing, the dance scene, the acting, but none of those things is quite what makes “The Post-Modern Prometheus” great. I think it has to do with – well, not to make a habit out of quoting myself, but it’s what I said in my “Detour” review:

We’re at a point in The X-Files where everyone involved is secure in the writing, tone, and feel of the series. The days of finding its footing are long gone. This is unquestionably an episode of The X-Files and nothing else. I know that might sound strange to say seeing as we’re on the fifth season, but for a show with such a varied amount of topics and stories, tone is essential.

“The Post-Modern Prometheus” is such a frighteningly memorable episode that even if you’ve only seen it once, you remember it like the back of your hand. There’s a familiarity about it that reaches out to pretty much any viewer, diehard fan of The X-Files or no, and sticks with you. I remember being sixteen years old, on spring break vacation, and listening to the soundtrack over and over again in the car on road trips. I remember debating whether or not I should bring the episode up in my senior year English class when we were discussing Frankenstein. I feel like “The Post-Modern Prometheus” should live in the blood of any television lover, whether you’re an X-Phile or not.

Like “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,” this episode is really the story of the guest characters but Mulder and Scully are what make it special. As frustrating as he can be sometimes, I’ve always liked that Chris Carter’s favorite moment in the series is the final scene, when Mulder and Scully dance. It’s a short, sweet, simple, unspoken moment – really, what The X-Files does best.

We also have an amazing guest performance from the incredibly underrated Chris Owens, who I swear was being thrown roles by 1013 at every chance they got. For newbies, Chris Owens played young CSM and will soon play another character you’ll be meeting soon. But my favorite performance of his is the Great Mutato – this deformed, kindhearted, Cher-obsessed, Frankenstein’s monster figure who likes peanut butter and wouldn’t harm a fly. Not even Drosophila. 

As is typical of the artsier episodes, much of the storytelling is done through the music, cinematography, and silent moments, rather than spelling it all out for us in the dialogue. The emphatic lightning flashes, the black-and-white, the contrasting diner scenes, the subtle (or maybe not so subtle) comparisons of the townspeople to certain barnyard animals by camera shot, these are all so good and so wonderful and if he didn’t frustrate me all the time I’d send Chris Carter a thank you card and some roses.

“The Post-Modern Prometheus” is one of those highly praised episodes that I don’t think could ever be called overrated, because it’s just so wonderful. Still, I’m glad they only tried something like this once. They tried it and it worked and the result was outstanding, but had they gone for it a second time, I’m not so sure the outcome would have been as deliciously memorable. I can’t say that for sure, of course, but an episode as one-of-a-kind and supreme as this is hard to replicate. It deserves every bit of praise it’s been given.

And Chris Carter, if you’re reading this…thank you.

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Final Score

Final score for “The Post-Modern Prometheus” is 10/10. Though it may seem like I’m giving out perfect scores like Halloween candy, I want to remind you all of something I said very early on in this blog: I don’t give this score lightly. 10/10 is reserved for a truly amazing piece of television. It’s just that The X-Files has a lot of those. It’s a truly amazing show. ❤

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A Notable Message

Rather than try and do the pointless task of listing notable nuggets from “The Post-Modern Prometheus” (the thought alone makes me laugh), I want to instead send an end-of-year message to you wonderful group of people: X-Files fans. Particularly the group I’ve met through Twitter, the #XFRewatchCrew. Don’t make me start getting misty-eyed.

But seriously. 2015 was a difficult year for me in a lot of ways, but damn if it wasn’t one of the most dynamic years of my short, almost 20-year-old life. I did something I never thought would happen, and found real friends on the Internet. I’ve even met up with some of them in “real life.” I’ve hosted rewatches, I’ve had discussions, I’ve ranted, flailed, cried, laughed so hard my sides hurt, and fangirled over the coming Revival with every one of you. Together as a fandom we fought against stupid, bonded over the power of the red speedo, and disproved that silly thing Chris Carter said. There was drama, there was hilarity, there were genuine heartwarming moments. My 2015 online was one for the books.

Bring it on, 2016. And bring it on, January 24th.

Detour – Season 5, Ep 4

MULDER: It’s open. (SCULLY enters with tray of cheese and mini bottle of wine.) Who cut the cheese?

SCULLY: Since you won’t be making it to the conference ….

MULDER: Partaaayyy!

SCULLY: However, I must remind you this goes against the Bureau’s policy of male and female agents consorting in the same motel room while on assignment. (opens wine)

You know – that policy we violated on our very first case together.

 

 

Season 5, Episode 4: “Detour”

I’ve made no secret of my love for Star Trek on this blog, and I have a certain fondness for episodes I’ve come to call “Star Trek” episodes – ones in which Mulder and Scully face a strange phenomenon in an unfamiliar environment. These episodes mostly crop up in early seasons – think “Ice,” “Darkness Falls,” “Firewalker,” etc.

Some of these episodes are more successful than others, and this “Star Trek” formula was certainly an early season thing, almost dying out completely after Season 2. “Detour” is a welcome return to this formula, and is probably the best of this type of episode the series has to offer.

If you like “Darkness Falls,” you’ll go nuts over “Detour.” It’s got everything we like to see in a Mulder-and-Scully-go-to-the-woods kind of episode, on steroids: because this time, instead of casually mentioning the recent disasters that have occurred (such as the weak handling of Scully’s abduction in “Firewalker”), the struggle for survival becomes an integral part of the episode’s theme.

“Detour” also brings back something we haven’t seen in an unbearably long time: humor. (I’m not counting “Unusual Suspects.”) In “Detour” Mulder and Scully actually smile. They make jokes. They flirt. There’s cuddling. At the same time, there’s an intriguing mystery here and lots of running, chasing, shooting, and suspense. I can’t ask for more.

Like “Pusher,” “Detour” is another one of those episodes that’s almost difficult to discuss because its enjoyability really can’t be put into words and I’d much rather be watching it than talking about it. Still, what kind of reviewer would I be if I used that excuse to get out of discussing such a beloved, wonderful piece of television? A lame one, for sure.

One of the first things I noticed about “Detour” on my most recent rewatch is simply how comfortable the episode is. We’re at a point in The X-Files where everyone involved is secure in the writing, tone, and feel of the series. The days of finding its footing are long gone. This is unquestionably an episode of The X-Files and nothing else. I know that might sound strange to say seeing as we’re on the fifth season, but for a show with such a varied amount of topics and stories, tone is essential. There are probably dozens of television episodes in which people go investigate mysterious, red-eyed creatures in the woods, but only one is going to have two characters bond over “Joy to the World.”

Speaking of which,”Detour” gets a plethora of points for this exchange:

SCULLY: Mulder, you need to keep warm. Your body’s still in shock.

MULDER: I was told once that the best way to regenerate body heat was to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with some body else who’s already naked. (Snuggles closer.)

SCULLY: Well, maybe if it rains sleeping bags, you’ll get lucky.

(MULDER looks up at her.)

SCULLY: Have you thought seriously about dying?

MULDER: Yeah, once, when I was at the Ice Capades.

SCULLY: When I was fighting my cancer, I was angry at the injustice of it and its meaninglessness. And then I realized that that was the struggle – to give it meaning.
To make sense of it. It’s like life.

MULDER: I think Nature is supremely indifferent to whether we live or die. I mean, if you’re lucky you get 75 years. If you’re really lucky you get 80 years. And if you’re extraordinarily lucky, you get to have 50 of those years with a decent head of hair.

SCULLY: (chuckle) I guess it’s like Las Vegas. The house always wins. (She breaks the bullet open.) Oh! Ta-da.

MULDER: Go, girl.

I only realized it on this rewatch, but that’s actually a very nice continuation of the characters’ struggles from “Redux II.”  Scully’s still struggling with the meaning of life through spirituality. Mulder’s spiritual crisis has left him with a shaken sense of purpose. He’s become a bit nihilist since the events of “Redux II.” Mulder’s comment about Nature’s indifference is in my opinion not really reflective of Mulder’s general attitude throughout most of the series, except for this chunk of Season 5 where he’s a bit disillusioned. It’s very, very subtle, but it makes sense, don’t you think?

This whole scene, the famous “conversation on the log,” is just…well, to put it mildly, it’s perfect. From the writing to the delivery to the beautiful cinematography, you can put this on your list of favorite X-Files moments any day. It’s certainly on mine.

I especially love how the camera switches to a zoomed-out version of the same shot at the very end of the scene, putting Mulder and Scully in this almost larger, cosmic context. Okay, I’m probably reading too much into that. But it looks beautiful, doesn’t it?

This is honestly one of those episodes I can’t think of a single flaw, problem, or nitpick. I mean, maybe I could if I thought really, really hard about it, but I don’t want to. Why would I? There’s no question: “Detour” is just a gem.

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Final Score

Final score for “Detour” is 10/10. Joy to the world.

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Notable Nuggets

• Like many before it, this entire episode is a notable nugget. I’m not even sure where to begin.
• Scully looks so disappointed when Mulder pulls yet another ditch on her wine and cheese partay. I can’t pretend I’m not a little mad at Mulder for that. Imagine the flirting!
• The amount of “Scullaaaaaay!” in this episode could warm even the staunchest Noromo’s heart.
• When Scully says “I’m not going to get tired,” you believe her.
• “I wouldn’t go far!” “Mulder, you never left my sight.”
• Although I do have to question Dr. Scientist Scully immediately consuming the first wild berry she sees. Hope she wasn’t sick on the car ride back.

 

Unusual Suspects – Season 5, Ep 3

MULDER: Yeah I am, thank you, I just … mmm … I have these weird ideas in my head that I can’t seem to shake.

FROHIKE: What kind of ideas?

MULDER: Weird ones.

Some things never change. Like Mulder qualifying his statements with other cryptic, unhelpful statements.

 

 

Season 5, Episode 3: “Unusual Suspects”

How is everyone feeling after the cancer arc? Like your insides have become a decimated wasteland? Good. Because apparently, the writers felt that way too. This episode, we’re turning our attention from Mulder and Scully to focus on everyone’s favorite Nerd Trio, the Lone Gunmen.

If you want my opinion, it’s high time the Gunmen got an episode of their own. For one thing, they’re immensely enjoyable and entertaining characters, and they’re probably more like you and I than we’d like to admit. For another, we don’t know much about them. Where did they come from? How did they get into the business of government conspiracies? How does Mulder know them?

The result is…well, it’s kind of what you’d expect from a Lone Gunmen-centered episode. It’s funny. It’s charming. It’s awkward. Like the Lone Gunmen themselves.

It’s also a tad bit clumsy, especially with the jokes. They’re funny, but a lot of them are clearly thrown in for fan service and are repeated a few too many times (such as the Kung Fu joke). There’s a bit of did she/didn’t she with the character Susanne Modeski, but for some reason she acts just insane enough that I can’t take her paranoia seriously like I do with someone like Mulder. In a way, I guess that makes Susanne a perfect romantic match for one of the Gunmen.

All of these are minor complaints, though. I love this episode’s storylike quality. We hear Byers recount it instead of seeing it happen in real time. Byers as the innocent dragged into the mess works perfectly, especially since Byers is already the human personification of a huggable teddy bear. The banter between Langly and Frohike is great. I love seeing Mr. X.

Another thing I love? Innocent 1989 Mulder. Oh, give me more of that awful early 90’s hairdo.

“Unusual Suspects” is way campier than a normal X-Files episode is. But it’s the Lone Gunmen, what did you expect? In a way, this is the perfect respite after the cancer arc. It gives Mulder and Scully a much needed break and the fans will be rewarded for their patience with the next episode, “Detour.”

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Final Score

Final score for “Unusual Suspects” is 8/10. It’s not perfect, and honestly in the grand scheme of things you’ll probably forget about it half a season from now, but it’s the Lone Gunmen. You gotta love it, and you gotta love them.

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Notable Nuggets (and Nitpicks)

• So…how do the Lone Gunmen make their income? Do that many people read their magazine?
• Mulder ripping his shirt off in a crazed, drug-induced frenzy is something I could stand to watch again.
• Why weren’t the Lone Gunmen killed by Mr. X? They saw everything. Was he secretly amused by them?
• The “I heard it was a lone gunmen” moment is gold. GOLD. So perfect.

 

Redux – Season 5, Ep 1

SKINNER: Why don’t you tell me something, Agent Scully. Why don’t you tell me what you’re doing here.

SCULLY: I want an answer from you.

SKINNER: I want an answer from you!

SCULLY: This isn’t your job!

Um…no offense, Scully, but I believe it is his job. He is, after all, your boss.

 
 
 
Season 5, Episode 1: “Redux”

You all have no idea how excited I’ve been to start reviewing Season 5. Season 5 is the season The X-Files is clearly excellent television, not just a really good show. It’s the season that earns all its praise. And to start it off, we have one of the very best episodes the show ever did, and one of the very best television episodes I’ve personally ever seen, “Redux II.” Words cannot describe how good this episode is. It’s everything television is supposed to be: engaging, developmental, suspenseful, exciting, meaningful, well-acted, well-directed.

There’s just one little problem: I have to review “Redux” first.

What is one supposed to do after finishing up reviews on a season, poised and ready to write a beautiful glowing review on one of their favorite episodes of TV, when they have to first review its less exciting predecessor? It’s not that “Redux” isn’t good; far from it. It’s just that Chris Carter, for whatever reason, decided to save all the emotional moments, the moments when the characters actually sit down with themselves and face everything they’ve been going through, for the last half.

I suppose the main purpose of “Redux” is to un-hang us from that cliff they tried to drop us from at the end of “Gethsemane.” I admit that “Redux” bothers me a little because it almost puts the character development on standstill in order to further the plot. I realize that there was really no way to get around that, but I had a hard time watching that first scene where Mulder hides out in Scully’s apartment, especially since it’s so emotionally distant from Mulder crying on the couch the episode before. The whole point of turning Mulder into an emotional wreck was to make the idea of his suicide more believable. At the beginning of “Redux,” however, Mulder’s back to action and the audience (well, at least this audience member) is left scratching their heads and saying, “Was that it? Was that the culmination of Mulder’s spiritual crisis that shook the very foundations of his belief system leaving him grief-stricken and possibly depressed at the notion of losing his partner?”

And, well, no. This isn’t it. But that’s why “Redux” is deceptive. It puts off that culmination for an episode to explain how all of what we just saw went down and where it’s going. It’s like the scrolling text at the beginning of Star Wars, except it’s in the middle.

Don’t believe me? Try counting the monologues. This episode has so many monologues that it’s almost humorous. And they’re all very distinctively Chris Carter.

MULDER: Let the truth be known though the heavens fall. The web of lies entangling us can now be connected back to the very institution which brought us together. The facts supported by a byzantine plot, executed by someone inside the FBI who, if named could be tied to the hoax meant to destroy me.  And to the terminal disease inflicted on Scully. In four years, I have shared my partner’s passionate search for the truth. And if my part has been a deception, I have never seen her integrity waver or her honor compromised. But now, I ask her to lie, to the people that lied to us. A dangerous lie to find the truth. To find the men who would be revealed as its enemy…as OUR enemy. As the enemy within.

MULDER: The military connection to the conspiracy we had pierced was now undeniable. The man who lay dead in my apartment worked for the Department of Defense at its Advanced Research facility. What I might find here, I was uncertain of. But my crime had provided me access. As long as they believed Scully’s lie, that it was me lying on my floor, I might learn truths here. But, if our lies were discovered, both Scully and I would be discovered with them. 

MULDER: I had come here looking for answers hoping not only to lay bare this conspiracy against the country and the men behind it but to finally learn the truth about the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrial life.  Now with what I’ve heard my beliefs seem more and more improbable. The possibility of a cure for Scully somewhere inside these walls is my only hope but if I might find it and somehow save her the very existence of such a cure would mean with certainty that I had believed in a lie from the start. 

SCULLY: I had no way to reach Agent Mulder to tell him what I had discovered – an unidentified microscopic life form whose very existence held the possibility of revelation. Was this organism extracted from the ice which had entombed the alien corpse, the germ cell that might give proof of extraterrestrial life, or was it just the opposite? The scientifically engineered creation of a chimera, an unclassified biological product designed to set up a hoax manufactured to create a false set of beliefs that have long driven Agent Mulder? I now begin to realize that the answer to this question might exist within the life form itself, biological proof of this connection to the cancer invading my body to a virus living inside this organism to which I had been exposed during my abduction three years ago.

SCULLY: The cruelest ironies are those consecrated by the passage of time, chanced and occasioned by shocking discovery. I had joined Agent Mulder because of my background in the medical sciences. My assignment was to question his work, to debunk his investigations, and rein him back into the FBI mainstream. Now, as fate would have it, I am calling on these very same skills to prove that he has been the target of a scheme orchestrated by someone close to us in the FBI. Someone we have trusted above all others. Involved in a highly organized plot to keep a dangerous secret from the light of day. I could only guess at what Agent Mulder may have uncovered on his own, what he may have found to confirm or deny what he has long held to be a conspiracy to control the public inquiry into government’s knowledge and contact with an alien race or races. If he had hoped, as I do, to learn the identity of those who sought to destroy us, I had, with the discovery of this unidentified microorganism, what could amount to forensic evidence. Hard and undeniable genetic evidence of the connection between the conspirators and the cancer which has now metastasized in my bloodstream. I have few short hours to conduct these tests before I must appear before an FBI panel to explain myself. And as I am ready to lie to them about Agent Mulder, I am also ready to confront them with proof.  Proof extracted from this tiny organism that could blow open a conspiracy of global consequence.

MULDER: If Agent Scully and I had been led to believe that the conspiracy meant to destroy us has its roots in the Department of Defense, that fact seems all but irrefutable now. I have gained access to a large storage facility by a hallway connecting underground to the Pentagon. On hundreds of rows of shelves are materials that reveal nothing to me of a cure for Scully’s cancer. And now, as I have reached the terminus of this space, what appears to be an old and antiquated filing system seems my only hope of finding what this man Kritschgau has assured me exists. If his own desperate hope for his son’s cure has eluded him, I now share his desperation. That among these drawers is a sign, a glimmer, some small confirmation that the journey which has brought me here has not been in vain.

SCULLY: If my work with Agent Mulder has tested the foundation of my beliefs, science has been and continues to be my guiding light. Now I’m again relying on its familiar and systematic methods to arrive at a truth, a fact that might explain the fate that has befallen me. An investigation that began without, now turning within. Taking cellular material from the unidentified life form and isolating a virus contained within it, then matching the DNA from this virus with that which I believe has caused my cancer. I hope a picture will develop. A picture that might confirm my darkest suspicions about the source of this disease invading my body in hope of obtaining evidence that its cause is not without blame, even though its cure remains unknown. If science serves me to these ends… it is not lost on me that the tool which I’ve come to depend on absolutely cannot save or protect me… but only bring into focus the darkness that lies ahead.

Riveting, huh?

It’s not that these monologues don’t contain valuable material. They do. If nothing else, they provide us a decent glimpse into Mulder and Scully’s separate tasks but unified goal. However, it gets annoying really fast, and it certainly doesn’t help when Chris Carter throws in phrases like “byzantine plot,” and my personal favorite, “terminus of this space.” I feel like I’m hearing Mulder and Scully’s diaries. Show, Chris, don’t tell.

One thing I don’t like about this episode is Scully’s hostility towards Skinner. Skinner has put his life on the line way too many times to warrant that kind of reaction from her. The audience doesn’t think it’s Skinner; why does Scully?

One thing I do like about “Redux” is how Scully focused Mulder is. He makes it very clear that the thing he wants most in the world is a cure for her cancer, not to find Samantha. It’s a good reminder of the message from “Paper Hearts,” that Mulder has to take care of the people in his life first. And it’s certainly squeal-worthy for any shipper.

So. That’s “Redux.” Let’s move on. 😉

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Final Score

Final score for “Redux” is 7/10. Plot, plot, plot, and more plot. If you like plot, this one’s for you. And it’s a necessary episode, I suppose. But I’d rather move on to the heart of the matter.

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Notable Nuggets (and nitpicks)

• The science parts of this episode remind me of Season 1’s “The Erlenmeyer Flask.” Also, if you’re a scientist and you’re approached by Scully for help with something – run. You’re probably due for a convenient car crash or visit from an assassin soon.
• Why is Scully’s only cancer symptom the Inconveniently Timed Nosebleed of Doom?
• Kudos to John Finn, who plays Kritschgau, for remembering all of that dialogue.
• That part where Mulder enters the Pentagon room from the “Pilot” is so well done. It’s shot in a way that makes you remember that exact closing scene from “Pilot,” even though it’s been four seasons.

Redux II – Season 5, Ep 2

SENIOR AGENT: You can and you will!

MULDER: I can’t do that sir, because the Section Chief is the man I’m about to name!

Mic. DROP.

 
 
 
Season 5, Episode 2: “Redux II”

“Redux II” is just about as perfect an episode of television as it’s possible to be. Whenever I hear complaints about The X-Files, worried rumors about the upcoming revival, whenever I ruminate on mistakes made in later seasons and mourn the loss of scenes and ideas that could have been, I turn on this episode and my doubts vanish. Or, perhaps better put, I am able to feel good about the future of my show because I know that somewhere, the thoughts and ideas that produced this masterpiece are still swirling around in Chris Carter’s head.

Remember from my “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” review when I said that if someone tied me to a burning stake and threatened to kill everyone I loved if I didn’t name a favorite episode, I’d probably say “Clyde Bruckman”? “Redux II” is an example of an episode that makes that a probably. The flames might reach my ankles before I’d be able to choose.

But enough gushing. Let’s get down to business.

If “Gethsemane” was setting up this spiritual crisis for Mulder and “Redux” was explaining the nitty-gritty plot details behind this crisis, “Redux II” is the episode everything hits home. Mulder’s crisis of belief and doubt isn’t resolved, but he realizes there’s something far more important to him, something he’s about to lose.

As we’ve already seen in the past, Mulder is willing to trade almost anything if it means saving Scully. You might remember similar behavior in “One Breath,” during which Mulder worked tirelessly to save a dying Scully but was forced to face his own feelings regarding the matter.

“Redux II” is similar, but it’s different in several ways. First of all, Mulder’s very clear on his feelings regarding Scully, and he says so in the opening scene.

SKINNER: You’re looking pretty good for a dead man.

MULDER: I’m only half dead.

Mulder’s been down this road before. When Scully dies, half of himself goes too. Simple as that.

Secondly, where “One Breath” was about Scully but still very much Mulder’s story, in “Redux II” Scully faces her own spiritual crisis as well. Literally. There is apparently more controversy than I thought surrounding Scully’s religious background among fans, something I was surprised and rather disappointed to see. I suppose that’s a problem in our society as well – it’s hard to imagine how someone so scientific could also be religious. Scully, too, seems to have a difficult time reconciling the two. While we never really see any specifics concerning Scully’s religious beliefs like we do her scientific ones, we do see her driven to a point where logical, scientific thought can’t be her “guiding light” anymore, as she monologued in “Redux.”

It’s not clear in what way Scully relies on her Catholic faith beyond prayer, but I don’t think the episode is trying to relay some grand Christian message. Rather, Scully’s journey here is all about finding another source of strength that may not follow your natural instincts. Even more so, it’s about reevaluating the entire concept of “faith.” Scully has faith; she just expresses it through science, not in spite of it.

SCULLY: I’m so sorry… I fight and I fight and I fight… But I’m so stupid.

MRS SCULLY: What? What is it?

SCULLY: I’ve come so far in my life on simple faith, and now when I need it the most I just push it away. I mean, why … why do I wear this? (Scully holds up the cross necklace) Why do I wear this, Mom? I put something that I don’t even know or understand under the skin of my neck. I will subject myself to these crazy treatments, and I keep telling myself that I’m doing everything I can, but it’s a lie!

MRS SCULLY: You have not lost your faith, Dana.

I personally love this exchange. Scully recognizes that she’s “come so far on simple faith,” and I choose to interpret this as not merely meaning her religious convictions but also her faith in Mulder and her willingness to join him on his relentless search for the truth. This faith in him has brought her far in life.

Not everyone feels the same way, however. Enter Bill Scully, Scully’s older brother, who is famous for appearing in 4-5ish episodes and yet somehow leaving a scar on the collective mind of the fandom. Seriously – does anybody like this guy?

Sigh. Call me an outsider, but I just don’t get the hatred launched at Bill Scully. True, he’s mean to Mulder, but that’s more of an excuse to hate him, not a reason. Truthfully, I think Bill’s anger with Mulder is very warranted. He doesn’t understand everything the two of them have been through, he doesn’t realize how deep their relationship goes, and from his perspective he’s already lost a sister to Mulder’s quest and now he’s about to lose another one. Wouldn’t you be a little pissed off?

I think Bill is there as a foil to Mulder because while both of them obviously love Scully very much, one has given up on her and one hasn’t. Bill seems to think that Scully is doomed, while Mulder, despite feeling depressed and down on himself, can’t give up on Scully. It almost seems like that’s a literal, physical impossibility for him.

Poor Mulder’s having a rotten day. His belief system has been shaken, Scully is dying, the FBI is on his tail, and CSM once again comes out of the shadows to dangle Samantha in front of Mulder like a ball on a string. And this time, CSM wants to make a deal with Mulder: join me, and I’ll save Scully.

(Side note: That sounds a lot like Star Wars, doesn’t it?)

I think we can safely say it isn’t CSM who saves Scully. I’m not really even sure it’s Mulder who saves Scully. What saves Scully is a miracle. Chris Carter is a big fan of miracles, sometimes for better or for worse, but I like their application here, especially because it’s not necessarily religiously charged. It may be for Scully, but it’s very clear it’s a miracle for Mulder, too, and we all know Mulder’s no altar boy.

The interactions between Mulder and Scully in this episode are both wonderful and heartbreaking. Wonderful because they show a display of intimacy that will warm the cockles of even the most stoic Shipper’s heart, and heartbreaking because Scully’s literally on her deathbed, just like in “One Breath.” Except this time, she can talk.

The dying Scully is only concerned for Mulder and his upcoming hearing. She’s worried that they’ll prosecute him because of the dead man in his apartment, and even as she’s lying there dying, even as she is going through both physical and spiritual torment, she tells him this: 

The world doesn’t deserve Dana Scully.

Mulder, of course, can’t let her do this. But he actually doesn’t tell her this right away. He has to come to a realization of his own first – about his own life, his belief, and his agency. And about how far he’s willing to go for both of them.

MULDER: Scully, I can’t let you take the blame. Because of your brother, because of your mother, and because I couldn’t live with it. To live the lie, you have to believe it. Like these men who deceive us, who gave you this disease. We all have our faith, and mine is in the truth.

SCULLY: Then why’d you come here if you’d already made up your mind?

MULDER: Because I knew you’d talk me out of it if I was making a mistake.

Or, better put, he came there because he knows they’re in this together. Because he’s doing this for himself and for her. Because they are each other’s capital T Truth.

This show.

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FInal Score

Final score for “Redux II” is 10/10. I think this is the point in the show where the viewer starts to realize that you’re not really watching a show about aliens, you’re watching a love story. It’s not even a romantic one yet, but it is about love. “Redux II” captures everything that gives this show its heart. It’s not the aliens, it’s not the conspiracies. It’s Mulder and Scully and the love they have for one another.

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Notable Nuggets

Oh, there are too many.

• The hearing scene at the end is one of my favorite moments in the entire show. It’s perfectly paced, perfectly acted, and I just love how the music builds and builds, heightening the suspense. And when Mulder drops Blevins’s name, I always jump up from wherever I’m sitting and give an emphatic fist pump (usually accompanied by an aggressive “HELL YEAH!”).
• “Tobasco sauce. Cures anything.” This, my friends, is not true.
• I used to not like the Samantha scene, but now I actually think it serves the story well. Samantha is increasingly becoming a distraction rather than a goal for Mulder and it’s nice to see Scully remain his main focus.
• That last scene where Mulder breaks down crying is very touching and well performed.
• Gillian Anderson is a goddess sent down from above to kill us with her facial expressions.
• And at long last, we are FREE of the cancer arc. Break out the champagne.

Final Thoughts on Season 4

I’m going to do something a bit different for this “Final Thoughts.” You guys have been hearing me blab about Season 4 for months. You don’t need to hear from me anymore. Instead, I want to hear from YOU.

So this time, there’s going to be no final score, no episode awards, nothing like that. I am curious, however, to see what everyone’s favorite episode is. So here’s what we’re going to do. Cast your vote in this poll for the best episode of the season. Then leave a comment saying what you voted for and why (of course, you don’t have to do this last part, but I’d love hearing from you). Let’s see what you guys make of Season 4.

And if anybody votes for “The Field Where I Died” I’m kicking you off the site. Just kidding…maybe.

Cast Thy Vote. What is your favorite episode of Season 4?

Note: If you leave a comment, please comment on the blog post, NOT the poll itself. Thanks!

Gethsemane – Season 4, Ep 24

BILL: Sorry I’m late. My ship got stuck in traffic. (Everyone laughs.) You get my birthday card?

SCULLY: Yes, I did. Thanks for remembering this year.

BILL: Well, once a decade..

Does everyone forget Scully’s birthday? Mulder only remembers it every four years (see “Tempus Fugit”) and apparently Bill Scully forgets too. Is it that hard to remember? February 23. February 23. February…

 

 

Season 4, Episode 24: “Gethsemane”

I don’t have many regrets where The X-Files is concerned, but boy oh boy does this episode make me wish I wasn’t a Baby Phile. This has got to be one of the greatest cliffhangers ever made, and yet I can’t be sure because I never got to experience it as one. I’ve spoken to many Philes who say that the months between Seasons 4 and 5 were absolute torture, and I believe them.

It’s funny, because in a lot of ways “Gethsemane” doesn’t deal with a whole lot we haven’t seen before, at least on the surface. We’ve seen the Mulder-is-possibly-dead thing before, even as a season finale (“Anasazi”). We’ve seen alien corpses, frozen wastelands, and angst all before.

What makes “Gethsemane” and its two follow ups “Redux” and “Redux II” different, however, is two things: Scully’s cancer and Mulder’s spiritual crisis. Not to sound dramatic, but both of our agents are dying. One is dying physically, and the other is dying mentally/spiritually.

I’ll address Scully’s cancer in our upcoming two episodes, but here I want to focus on Mulder for a minute. This isn’t the first time I’ve detected signs of depression in Mulder, and it won’t be the last. Now, I want to be clear that I am by no means an expert on mental illness, and diagnosing fictional characters with real-life illnesses is in many ways a silly and unnecessary task. But every time I watch this arc, I always think the same thing: Mulder is depressed. He’s entered in a gray haze of existence where everything around him seems to be dying – his best friend and partner, his work, everything he’s believed in. It’s knocked Mulder off his center and he can’t get back up. Life is pointless.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s back up. Mulder calls Scully away from a family gathering to investigate the supposed discovery of an alien corpse. Mulder seems to expect Scully to be as gung-ho about it at he is. Instead, he gets nothing but indifference.

MULDER: You think it’s foolish?
SCULLY: I have no opinion, actually.
MULDER: You have no opinion?
SCULLY: This is your holy grail, Mulder. Not mine.
MULDER: What’s that supposed to mean?
SCULLY: It just means proving to the world the existence of alien life is not my last dying wish.
MULDER: What about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? This is not some selfish pet project of mine, Scully. I’m as skeptical of that man as you are, but proof… definitive proof of sentient beings sharing the same time and existence with us, that would change everything. Every truth we live my would be shaken to the ground. There’s no greater revelation imaginable, no greater scientific discovery.
SCULLY: You already believe, Mulder. What difference would it make? I mean, what would proof change for you?
MULDER: If someone could prove to you the existence of God, would it change you?
SCULLY: Only if it were disproven.
MULDER: Then you accept the possibility the belief in God is a lie?
SCULLY: I don’t think about it, actually, and I don’t think it can be proven.
MULDER: But what if it could be? Wouldn’t that knowledge be worth seeking? Or is it just easier to go on believing the lie?
SCULLY: I can’t go with you, Mulder.
MULDER: Can you at least take a look at those core samples? Tell me if they’re a lie? That’s all I’m asking.

There is so much to talk about in this exchange, and it really helps to actually watch it, to see the facial expressions and whatnot (for instance, watch Mulder’s face after Scully says “dying wish”). It also brings up an interesting point about Mulder’s views on God, which we haven’t really addressed since Season 3’s “Revelations.” Here, Mulder seems to equate God, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, with aliens. The interesting thing about this is how much Mulder seems to be trying to justify his search for aliens as something impersonal, when we know as well as Scully does that it’s not. Because of “Demons” just before this episode, we know how truly, deeply personal it really is.

You’re going to be seeing that word a lot in the next few reviews – personal. Personal is a scary, scary thing, especially for Mulder and Scully. Even leaving out the most personal thing they both have (their relationship), Mulder’s connection to aliens isn’t so much about scientific revelations or great truths. It’s the manifestation of his personal pain and suffering. It’s the reason he searches for the truth, but it’s also the reason he suffers.

Now, imagine if something you’ve suffered and worked for years to prove is suddenly disproven. Wouldn’t you go a little crazy?

I don’t want to make it sound like Michael Kritschgau is the most convincing character ever, because I sure as hell wasn’t convinced by him, and I’m not so sure Mulder was, either. But everyone has their breaking point, and Mulder’s had enough. He’s had enough and he’s heard enough. He’s been on this merry-go-round of lies, deception, and suffering too many times to handle, and something in him just breaks.

And then, of course, there’s the final straw: Scully is dying. If there’s one thing that matters to Mulder more than his ongoing quest for the truth, it’s Scully, and his guilt over her condition is higher than ever. Add that to his already unstable mental state, and you’ve got to wonder if maybe Jose Chung wasn’t exaggerating when he called Mulder a “ticking time bomb of insanity.”

I’m exaggerating to make a point, of course, but to me Kritschgau isn’t convincing enough to warrant this spiritual crisis in Mulder. This is a gray cloud that’s been brewing in Mulder’s head for a long time. One wonders if Mulder would have even continued his investigations into the paranormal for very long if not for Scully. How long could he have gone on alone?

It’s at points like these I wonder if the Syndicate really knew what it was doing by pairing Scully with Mulder, or if they stumbled across a golden opportunity to destroy his life by accident. It’s hard to say which, especially since it’s clear the writers weren’t sure themselves. Did they really expect Scully to debunk Mulder’s theories, or did they realize she would be a beacon upon which Mulder would attach himself, a steady, guiding force that, if taken away, would reduce Mulder to a depressed, empty shell?

It’s hard to say, but I certainly don’t think the Syndicate could ever have predicted the bond between Mulder and Scully, how deep it would run. In a way, it doesn’t matter much, because, when it’s all said and done, it’s that bond – or the threat of it being broken – the series keeps returning to.

Nothing Michael Kritschgau says convinces Mulder that everything he’s believed in has been a lie. It’s Scully who does that. Once Scully tells Mulder that her disease was given to her because of him, that’s when he goes over the edge. That’s what he can’t handle.

Or, sort of. We’ll see in the next two episodes where this spiritual crisis goes. But, as we bid farewell to Season 4, know this: sh*t’s definitely getting real.

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Final Score 

Final score for “Gethsemane” is 9/10. It’s a fantastic Season closer. Even the technical stuff, which I didn’t really talk about, goes above and beyond. The music, cinematography, acting – it’s all great. It’s exciting and suspenseful, and that cliffhanger. THAT. CLIFFHANGER. It must have been hell to wait for Season 5.

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Notable Nuggets (and Nitpicks)

• So, let’s get this straight. Michael Kritschgau knows Scully has cancer, yet he still tosses her around like a ragdoll? What an asshole.
• Scully is probably the best liar in the world. Dying of cancer and able to put on a performance like that. Kudos.
• The score for this episode is so epic. Also the cinematography is beautiful.
• Poor crying puppy dog Mulder.
• Everyone take your hats off to Season 4 – it’s been a fun ride. Season 5, here we come!

Demons – Season 4, Ep 23

MULDER: N-no, but I, uh… I woke up on the floor with a pounding headache.

As we will all do when the revival comes in January. It’s getting closer, my friends.

 
 
 
Season 4, Episode 23: “Demons”

“Elegy” gave us a very emotional episode for Scully as we head towards the end of the season. Now, it’s Mulder’s turn. “Demons” follows in the footsteps of “Paper Hearts,” which was a Samantha episode that had little to do with the mythology. In “Demons” the mythology sort of comes back, but it’s all within Mulder’s mind.

“Demons” is a super important episode, and its placement is crucial. We’re heading into a three episode arc that puts our agents through the runner, both physically and emotionally, and the most devastating storyline thus far – the cancer storyline – is hitting us full force.  I think it’s very tempting to look at this as Scully’s journey and Scully’s struggles. But it’s Mulder’s too, and “Demons” reminds us just what is at stake for Mulder here.

Watching this episode for the first time is an experience. It’s almost a classic “whodunnit” story, except that both Scully and the viewers are fairly certain it wasn’t Mulder. The trouble is, of course, that Mulder’s brain may not be functioning normally. Who’s to say what somebody would do if that’s the case? How can we control our actions if we don’t have control over our own mind?

“Demons” continues a common theme for penultimate episodes of the seasons – not believing what you see with your own eyes, due to some sort of brain malady or other outside force which affects your perception. Since The X-Files is all about trust, this kind of psychological trauma is very emotionally charged. Think Season 3’s “Wetwired,” and for you X-Files veterans, Season 5’s “Folie a Deux” and Season 6’s “Field Trip.” Even Season 7’s “Je Souhaite” deals with tricks and illusions. All of these episodes happen right before the finale, and most of them deal with one or both of the agents seeing something they think is real, something that undermines their perception of the world.

In “Demons,” Mulder has flashbacks from his childhood, all involving his sister Samantha. He sees a man with a cigarette talking to his father, he sees his parents and this cigarette dude arguing, he sees his sister. As he has these flashbacks, however, he unknowingly travels to places he’s supposedly never been and, most disturbingly, wakes up in a strange motel room covered in blood.

Scully, of course, is in protective mode. What I love about Scully in this episode is how certain she is that Mulder didn’t kill anyone, even though the evidence seems to point in his direction. She knows him too well by now and she has full faith in him. Her compassion for Mulder in this episode should be a lesson to us all. Although let’s face it, it would have been much easier for Mulder if he had just gone to the hospital right away, like she suggested.

Like many great episodes, the best part comes at the very end. This scene is one of my all time favorites from Season 4. Scully runs into the house to confront Mulder. He points a gun at her – a parallel to when she pointed a gun at him in “Wetwired.” We hear gunshots. We see Mulder’s face as he fires the last bullets. The camera pans outward to show Scully, standing right behind him. Then she does this.

It’s friendship. It’s love. It’s what these two hold onto when the world around them is going to pieces. Samantha’s disappearance is the source of so much pain and anguish for Mulder – which, because of all the plotty mythology stuff surrounding the event, it’s easy to forget. But his sister’s disappearance is a tragedy, a wound, Mulder’s been suffering for years alone. Now he doesn’t have to.

It’s like Scully said in “Max” – “No one gets there alone.” I like to think that “Demons” amends that statement slightly by saying “No one suffers alone.” At the very least, Mulder and Scully don’t.

Bring the tissues.

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FInal Score

Final score for “Demons” is 9/10. I docked a point because the whole thing about Mulder seeing a doctor for treatment isn’t quite as well developed as I would have liked, and it seems rather pulled out of thin air and not too well resolved. But overall, this is a wonderful, underrated episode and holy hell does Mulder look hot in this one.

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Notable Nuggets

• I mean, seriously. SERIOUSLY. LOOK AT THAT WHITE T-SHIRT. This is about as good as it gets, folks.
• Also, can we talk about how Scully walks in on Mulder in the shower?
• We have another appearance from the very underappreciated Chris Owens as CSM.
• Mulder’s flashbacks are a bit trippy, don’t you think? I guess it makes sense, but put that in a music video.

Elegy – Season 4, Ep 22

CHUCK: No. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I … I lied. I lied but I’m just a human being.

Aren’t we all, Chuck. Aren’t we all.

 
 
 
Season 4, Episode 22: “Elegy”

With the exception of “Leonard Betts,” we have yet to see a standalone episode that has much to do with Scully’s cancer. Her cancer mostly shows up in the mythology, and it goes almost forgotten in the standalones. Which is why I thank the X-Files gods or spirits or whatever that “Elegy” exists. Without it, the cancer storyline wouldn’t hit so close to home, I think.

Because of the absolute monster of a three-part mytharc we have coming up, it’s very easy to forget the episodes in between the famous “Small Potatoes” and the season finale, “Gethsemane.” Our previous episode, “Zero Sum,” was good, but the next two episodes, “Elegy” and “Demons,” are in my opinion two of the most underrated episodes of the series. “Elegy” in particular is just a hauntingly gorgeous episode of television. The painfully tragic story of Harold Spuller and the girls he can’t save is a quiet meditation on death and loss – something Mulder and Scully are very close to facing.

I don’t remember liking “Elegy” quite so much the first time I saw it as I did when I watched it most recently. I certainly wasn’t planning on giving it as high a score as I’m about to give it. Whatever flaws it does have – and it has a few – it gives us the most emotional exploration of Scully’s cancer since “Memento Mori,” and takes a rather dark turn from the sad yet hopeful message that “Memento Mori” brought us.

Namely, Scully is dying, and right now there’s nothing that she, Mulder, or anyone else can do about it. This episode doesn’t scream this at you. No one comes out and says, “Scully, you’re dying.” But, if we are to believe what Mulder says about seeing ghostly apparitions – and I think it’s a safe bet to say that Scully does believe him, at least a part of her does – then what Scully sees in the bathroom is a painful and quiet reminder that time is running out, and the seemingly inevitable is approaching.

Mulder doesn’t hold her hand in this one, either. We don’t get the gentle Mulder at the end of “Memento Mori,” holding a sick and exhausted Scully in a warm, hopeful embrace. Instead, we get an angry – maybe frustrated is the better word – Mulder who is facing the same situation: Scully’s dying, and there’s nothing he can do about it. Although Mulder probably suspects it long before Scully tells him about the apparition, when she gets another Nosebleed of Doom. He just chooses to tread lightly, at least until the end.

Mulder and Scully, as I’m sure you’ve realized by now, don’t talk much. You’ve heard it a million times – their relationship is largely unspoken and can’t really be put into words. But this time, Mulder thinks, is the exception. Scully needs to talk to him about this. Even if she doubts what she sees, doubts seeing the ghosts, she can’t doubt what it means and Mulder knows that. Scully seeing (and not believing) the apparition is not, as you might initially think, the most important detail for Mulder. Rather, it’s the fact that she didn’t tell him about it that frustrates him.

MULDER: You can believe what you want to believe, Scully, but you can’t hide the truth from me because if you do, then you’re working against me … and yourself. (his voice softens) I know what you’re afraid of. I’m afraid of the same thing.

Mulder doesn’t care about what Scully believes. He cares about Scully. And Scully, though she momentarily expresses doubt towards Mulder’s reasons for wanting her honesty, knows this. The truth Mulder wants from Scully has nothing to do with science, or aliens, or believing this or that. It’s the truth that’s locked in the meaning behind all of those things, or rather, the truth Scully hides within herself. What she can’t bring herself to face.

Perhaps somewhat strangely, this ending conversation between them – which is admittedly one of my favorite scenes of the season – makes me think of the ending of Season 2’s “Irresistible” and the famous hug. Mulder lifts Scully’s head up, helps her cry. Here, Mulder is essentially doing the same thing. He’s just doing it from a place of greater pain and frustration because he knows he’s about to lose someone he loves so much.

We’ve got some jolly times ahead of us, haven’t we?

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Final Score

Final score for “Elegy” is 9/10. Yes, I realize there’s a whole other part of this episode I didn’t talk about – the actual case. I think it’s good, and would have made a fine episode on its own, but it’s really the Mulder/Scully dynamic in this episode that warrants its high score. I’m not wild about the crazy nurse plot twist, either. It erupts too quickly and isn’t resolved very well.

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Notable Nuggets

• The look on Mulder’s face when the Nosebleed of Doom appears is heartbreaking.
• Puppy bowls a strike. Go Mulder!
• Let’s just appreciate the fact that Scully is able to overtake an attacker whilst dying of cancer. That’s my girl.