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"Scully, for God’s sake it’s me!"
"Mulder you may not be who you are."
"Ice" is an X-Files episode with a lot of texture. On the surface it can be (and has been) compared to the horror classic "The Thing", but this episode is so much more than that obvious reference. Writers Morgan and Wong with the able help and tight - almost claustrophobic - direction of David Nutter deliver a landmark journey into the paranoid from the first season. "Ice" touches on many themes that have become X-Files staples (trust, paranoia, isolation and partnership) all wrapped up into a tense and edgy package. These themes are all first presented in the particularly cool teaser that sets a creepy tone by witnessing a foreshadowing standoff between partners that ends with a double suicide as a last gasp of humanity. This picture is referenced in both worried fantasies "If we don’t kill it now we run the risk of becoming Richter and Campbell with guns to our heads" and in reality later as Mulder and Scully pull their guns on each other for the first time. Little did we know at the time that this would not be such a rare occurrence.
"Ice" has always been a favorite episode of mine because it is the first to really delve into the most valued prize in the X-Files universe - Trust. It is something that will be revisited again and again to the point that a breakdown of trust between the continually isolated team of Mulder and Scully has become the show’s biggest threat. In the X-Files it is not the word "love" that has all the power. In fact, despite the fact that Mulder and Scully do obviously love each other (setting aside the debate as to whether that love is platonic or romantic at its root), they don’t use that word out loud. Their emotional investment seems to hinge on whether they are trusted by the other.
This is one of those rare X-Files episodes where paranoia causes our heroes to let emotions ride close to the surface throughout. Even before they head off to the Icy Cape, Scully is visibly shaken by what she sees in the video (ah, for those good old unjaded days before horror was an every day occurrence). At least she hasn’t lost her wits by this and is able to offer a quick SRE (Scully Rational Explanation) in the form of severe isolation disorder. Even though Mulder is uninfected we rarely see him this agitated without some outside influence (or at least something to do with Samantha). The characters spend their time jumping at the slightest thing and arguing forcefully. To have Mulder and Scully actually yelling at each other about their alternate theories loud enough for people in another room to hear illustrates just how oppressive the atmosphere at Ice Station Worm has become. When Hodge confronts them about the argument and Scully’s stress level we just know things are bad because Scully says "Yes, I’m fine." Never a good sign.
Still, despite the arguing and stress, Mulder and Scully remain a team as they try to connect in a friendly manner before heading off to bed. Even as the big show down escalates after Murphy’s body is found, Scully is initially defending him. It is only when he starts waving his gun around that she draws hers in one of the great scenes in this episode. The pain in their faces as they find themselves pointing their guns at each other is a real testament to what Duchovny and Anderson can bring to an emotionally charged scene. They continue to deliver the goods later in a scene thick with unspoken emotions as they intently whisper their conversation: "Now I don’t trust them. I want to trust you". "OK, but now they’re not here." As Scully and checks Mulder’s neck for signs of illness relief washes over her until he surprises her by grabbing her and performing the same check. This is a wonderful scene in the history of their partnership and ends with them emerging as a united front.
Mark Snow contributes heavily to "Ice" with an echoing bubbly score that adds to and focuses the tension nicely. John Bartley shows his talents again in the dark and the shadows and the glowing red lights of the emergency lighting. The special effects are simple yet very effective. After all, the monster here is really the effect of the circumstances on those involved more than some alien meal worms.In they "we’ll let these things slide" department we are never quite sure why the spooky patrol draws this assignment in the first place - there is no paranormal indicator on the tape, just an obviously unbalanced person. Maybe Mulder is correct in his assessment that they are either considered by this point brilliant or expendable. I also enjoy imagining just how much slice and dice Dr. Scully had to do on the bodies to find these worms if they were located deep in the brain as she suggests - and how a dog passes a brain worm in it’s stool is an alien medical mystery. While I generally liked the supporting performances in this episode I did find Felicity Huffman’s Da Silva a bit too over the top at times (even for someone who was worm infected). Her exaggerated breathing when Scully surprises her and especially that wild squealing frenzy at the end I could have done without. However, the biggest issue about this episode has always been trying to figure out how in the hell Da Silva was infected. The only indication I have ever seen is the fact that we see her coughing as that worm that is pulled out of Bear releases its black poison. Other than that your guess is as good as mine.
-Ye olde wall thermometer in the teaser reads -34 degrees Celsius which by my math is really really cold and yet they are running around without their shirts on. I certainly hope it reflects outside temperature.
-Fashion Watch: While Scully in retrospect always looks a bit frumpy at the start of season one she is wearing one of her smarter suits when we first see her here. This is also a big episode for Mulder/Scully casual wear with Mulder sporting a sweater layered over shirts and Scully alternately in a black body suit top or white tank top under an oversize flannel shirt. The casual wear - or rather lack of heels on her part - really does accentuate the height difference between the dynamic duo here no matter how high she tries to tie that silly pony tail.
-Date stamp: The transmission date for Richter’s call was November 5, 1993 and Mulder says they are there "a couple of days" later.
-Where in the world are Mulder & Scully watching that video? Apparently this was before the days that the X-Files office merited its own VCR setup so they are relegated to a classroom featuring wanted posters and a map of West Virginia. It is filled with enough equipment for Mulder to rip a page off a printer for no particular reason.
-For the most part Mulder’s advice to "bring your mittens" was a bit premature. The Vancouver weather doesn’t do them any favors here as Nome Alaska, despite the fact that Mulder and Scully are swimming in parkas, comes off as a beautiful, clear, warm place with no trace of snow in mid November. (Thank God they had that one blizzard stock shot for the Icy Cape). The end is good for a laugh as we watch the actors rubbing their hands to ward off the cold and yet no breath is visible from their mouths (like say it was in the Florida based "Humbug").
-I don’t see what good that little identification formality did at the beginning as the ID Da Silva flashes has no picture on it. Well, at least we learned that even Mulder and Scully’s parkas have that built in inside badge pocket.
-Maybe it is just that I am a football fan, but I’ve always enjoyed the character bits they gave Murphy. That "Fouts is God" line cracks me up every time.
-Action!Scully works on her flying tackles for this episode. The first time she’s successful as little old Scully brings down Bear after Mulder is bonked on the head by a stool jar of all things. The second time when she tries to stop Da Silva she hits nothing but floor. Ouch.
-I’m a bit surprised that Hodge survived this trip to the arctic. After all he did say "No you’re wrong. It’s impossible." to Scully about one of her autopsies which is usually as good as signing your own death warrant and wearing a red shirt on this show. At least she gets to put a real huffy look on her face about the accusation. Like Scully would be wrong about an autopsy. She’s wrong about some things, but they usually don’t have to do with her work as a doctor. Plus, I can’t for the life of me figure out why they are wasting their time arguing about ammonium hydroxide when they should be talking about that bug in the blood.
-Scully shows us she can be a quick tempered little sailor’s daughter here when she jumps on Hodge with "What the hell are you trying to say?"
-Ever wonder if Mulder was jealous that it was Scully that got the room with the scantily clad hot rod babes adorning the walls? Scully didn’t seem to be enjoying the room at all sitting there barricaded in the corner...
-Those microscopes were pretty cool. Every time someone looked through them the magnification magically changed. Sometimes it was 100, sometimes 200, others 300. All without adjustment.
Autumn
"Leave it there."