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"How come you two went your separate ways?"
"I'm a pain in the ass to work with."
"Seriously, Mulder."
"I'm not a pain in the ass?"
Ah, Jerry Lamana, the original X-Files "red shirt". This episode has the distinction of being the first of too many to kill off one of Mulder or Scully's ex-partners, ex-lovers, friends, mentors, family members, pets, lab assistants, fish, house plants ... well, you get the picture. Turns out, it is even more dangerous to be Mulder's ex- partner than his current one. Maybe that's why Scully sticks with him.
"Ghost in the Machine" comes across like an interesting idea poorly executed. It was as if writers Gordon and Ganza knew they wanted to make this scary computer story, but just didn't have the background or time to research to make it effective. The amazingly modern COS computer comes off looking like a "2001" wannabe throwback to the 70s with silly blinking red lights and that strobe-like colored window that served no purpose but to look somehow "cool". It even has that same annoying drone of a voice and when it begs "Brad, why?" all you have to do is insert "Dave" and you too can have the poor man's Kubrick flashback. There are too many technology mistakes in this episode to even list them all, and even the human element was stereotypical. That whole "scruffy" vs. "neat" minds and the rich bespectacled techno- geek who looked like his millions could not buy him a comb or a shave was just too much. We get the scruffy thing already, no need for stereotypes. When he whines in jail about them making him wear shoes I just wanted to smack his scruffy little head. I know it was for the audience, but it really bothered me when they had the actor speaking his lines as he typed them as well when communicating with the COS. It just made the scene even more silly.
The more interesting part of this episode was not the computer, but the whole ex-partner dynamic. When Jerry dies so does a lot of the story as we then move to dopey jail house drama scenes where COS is compared to the atom bomb (they did get the bomb part right) and they plot the death of this thinking machine. Too bad Jerry had to take that elevator when he did. There is this odd undercurrent at the start when Mulder is greeted by him with a hug and Mulder keeps shooting Scully these looks like he's afraid of how she might react to meeting an old partner of his. Still, it tells us something about Mulder the way he reacts to this guy who is so desperate he steals from his friend - he continues to help him and play along (I really enjoyed his silly grinning reaction to "taught him everything he knows") despite the fact that it becomes quickly obvious that when they were partners Jerry was indeed just "tagging along". Does he feel sorry for Jerry or is it affection that causes him to do this? It's nice to see that Mulder is more evenly matched in the partner department these days.
Scully's reactions to this whole thing are a bit more predictable. It's nice to see that she can recognize Mulder's work already even when recited by another agent (especially seeing as it was not one of his "out there" theories). When Jerry dies, she reacts in typical sympathy to Mulder's loss but becomes concerned that he is not dealing with it. She twice tries to drag him away from the case - once by shutting off the monitor and again by literally dragging him to the side to try to talk about Jerry - then carefully insinuates that a trip to the therapist might be a good idea. I'm sure this won't be the last time she thinks a shrink could do him some good. Mulder's reaction to this is to take off and pursue the case on his own - yes folks, a ditch of sorts. Look how irritated he is when she finds him in the middle of the night about to enter the building alone. As usual, it's a good thing she showed up when she did instead of him going on with his little lone wolf plan.
I will say that I liked Agent Scully's introduction to the wonderful world of duct work - ah the perils of being the little one when it comes to plan B: If the door is rigged, shove your partner in a vent. Good thing our Scully is a good shot and doesn't go to pieces in a crisis. She survives unscathed, but not quite as perfectly coifed as usual - instead looking every bit like something the cat drug in. From a character perspective, there is an important moment here as she openly disobeys authority to side with Mulder despite threats to hold her accountable. It is moments like this that helped her quickly move from potential adversary to trusted partner in the early shows.
-Yet another reason to stay out of the bathroom is Drake's murder, but seeing as though it is such a fancy bathroom I can see how it was tempting to enter. He does get to bust up that mirror in a rather dramatic fashion though.
-This episode also marked the use of one of Mulder's informants in a non-mythology episode. In Deep Throat's first reappearance we learn that not only have he and Mulder worked out an arrangement at this point, but that he is obviously well placed within the Defense Department.
-Looks like they used the same location for all the outdoor shots no matter where they were supposed to be. You can see the same elevated rail in the background for all of them.
-Scully in her oh so practical pjs falls asleep reading a book in this episode. For those who are interested it is "Obstacle Course" by J.F. Freedman. Sort of an interesting choice as it is a coming of age story about a youthful foulmouthed sex obsessed teen boy in Annapolis who likes to sneak out to the Naval Academy obstacle course. Somehow I figured her more for the Patricia Cromwell type. I guess there is a Navy tie in ...
-I've always thought Gillian Anderson does a good job capturing just the right amount of fuzziness in her voice when she answers those late night phone calls.
-We learn both Scully's ID number (which is somehow different from her badge number that she gives later in the series) as well as her home phone number. ID: 2317-616. Phone: (202) 555-6431.
-Speaking of the phone, the big question is why she has her computer on her main line when it is obvious she has a second line that she uses to call out to report the computer breaking in.
-Also, why didn't her phone ring the first time the COS system dialed her, but the bigger question is, of course, how in the hell COS can turn her monitor on remotely. OK, OK, I'll stop with the computer nitpicks.
-The time stamps are screwed up on this episode. Even though we know it is near Halloween from the office pumpkin and Scully tells us verbally her field journal entry date is October 24, 1993 when COS accesses the file the date stamp is 9-16-93. It is amusing that she keeps her little notes in c:\xfiles.
-I guess Scully has just gotten to the point where she is discovering the wonderful world of her amazing bottomless pockets as she can't seem to remember what pocket she keeps her money in yet. She must've accidentally checked the flashlight/badge/keys/pen/latex glove pocket first.
-Gillian Barber makes her first appearance on the show in this episode as the "Iron Maiden" - whose name even gets a chuckle out of Scully. She plays cancer victim "Penny" in later episodes.
-In the ever changing floorplan that is Scully's apartment, this week's incarnation has her having to go through her bathroom to get to her bedroom. Well, it's just as interesting to see the total redo they obviously did on Mulder's office which these days in no way resembles what we saw here.
-I liked the way they switched to a videotape like look for showing us things from the camera's perspective on the elevator. It was a nice touch.
-I'm certainly glad Mulder has, for the most part, significantly cleaned up his desk for subsequent episodes because in this one it was a total disaster even sporting old half eaten food.
-I was reminded of that blonde joke about the white out and the monitor when Scully takes a pen and actually draws on a screen to make a point. You can even tell this was not the first take as there are other circles visible to the left.
-Frank's Fashion Spot: Sure it is late, but Scully shows up at the Eurisko building looking much more frumpy than usual in the odd combination of a suit with an untucked flannel looking shirt. Why bother with the heels unless she's still smarting from feeling so short when she had to take off her shoes at Brad's house.
-Lucky those kids are in good shape - I'm surprised they aren't stumbling more after trucking up 29 floors in the middle of the night.
-It's always interesting to look at the stuff on Mulder's office wall, but for the life of me I can't figure out what is paranormal about a tire track.
-Fun moment: Mulder's "Open Sesame" as Scully practices ignoring him.
Autumn
"I was gunnin' for a basement office with no heat or windows"