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"You and your pretty partner seem awfully close. Do you work well together?"
Finally, the answer to this question is once again a resounding yes. Yes. Yes, they *do* work well together. Thank God. In a final sweeps month present to us we are given an episode full of our team functioning as just that - a team. I never thought I'd be so happy to not hear "Mulder, it's me. Where are you?" Finally, an episode where cell phones are used to actually call other people. I went on the record last year as liking Vince Gilligan's "Soft Light", I liked the way he wrote the character interaction in that script. Last night he gave us an even more finely honed effort.
Instead of writing a Mulder episode or a Scully episode he gave us both characters intensely involved as the script played out. It seems to me that we've been seeing more of these "monster of the week" episodes that have really been able to capture the audience emotionally instead of relying on only frightening us for their emotional resonance. Personally, I find Mulder holding a gun on Scully much scarier than a flashlight lit trip down a creepy hallway. As one of those who has been concerned about the turns the partnership has taken of late, forgive me if I go on an even more than usual character bent for this review.
The teaser was fun - you just knew something was up when "Misty" is the Muzak playing in the supermarket, and Pusher loads up his cart with Mango Kiwi Tropical Swirl Boost - no one's gonna kick sand in this guy's face anymore - and he even bought V8, so he wouldn't have to later say "Wow".
Robert Wisden does a nice job with Modell - especially using his voice well. We feel the soothing tone he uses to distract the deputy. His phone conversation with "Frank Burst, the guy with the great name" is a masterful moment.
I'm sure that this episode is destined to become a favorite in the hearts and minds of those who hold on to hopes of "someday" for Mulder and Scully. It is full of wonderful touches both big and small. Scully sleeping (and drooling) on Mulder's shoulder during a late night stake out, their heads together constantly as they shared phone calls, her pained worried look as Mulder decides to go in alone ("Smile Scully") with the emotional hand grasp, and then, of course, the last ten minutes of the show - from her video induced separation anxiety, to that amazing hospital scene, to the tender fumbling hand holding at the episode's end. Some might even speculate on the fact that it was much easier for Mulder to pull the trigger on himself than Scully.
Even their usual argument (or should I say discussion) over the case was somehow more comfortable. We start with yet another glimpse into "Spooky" Mulder's truly astounding profiling ability as he surprises even Scully by nailing the Modell description with great accuracy. He does know what "makes guys like [Modell] tick" - though she does get to surprise him with the FBI bit. That "whammy" bit was too much fun. Mulder a bit irritated with her wondering what her "big theory" is and her agreeing with him, in her own Scully way, but "looking for an explanation a little more mundane than the whammy." Hey, it's Scully. She just can't leap onto the whammy bandwagon too quickly can she?
One of the more interesting things I found about the hospital standoff scene was that in a way the battle of wills that was going on was not between Modell and Mulder, but Modell and Scully. Modell latched on early to their connection and was awaiting her arrival for the real games to begin. Modell and Scully are fighting with each other to be the one that reaches Mulder, exemplified in the "Mulder, no" "Mulder, yes" exchange. Modell is invading Mulder's mind via trickery: "She shot you ... payback time. Shoot the damn spy." Scully is entering Mulder's mind via their connection: "You and I can just walk right out of this room." I believe that is is only via this teary angry emotional avenue that she takes that Mulder is able to resist for as long as he does - enough to warn her to run - and long enough for her to come up with the smart solution of pulling the alarm to break the moment.
Mitch Pileggi again makes an appearance as Skinner, and they do a good job of integrating him into the story. However,it seems that one of his main functions this season is to get consistently pounded - this time by little Holly - how embarrassing. I guess we have a whole new classification of episodes now "Skinner in Jeopardy".
-FYI, the reference made by Mulder about "Yojimbo" is to a famous 1961 Akira Kurosawa film about a samurai for hire which became the inspiration for "A Fist Full of Dollars".
-It was so easy to become distracted by the World Weekly Informer headline of "He's Back: Flukeman Found Washed Up in Martha's Vineyard" that you may have not noticed the picture of the scantily clad woman with the man in the upper right corner. Now, I'm not giving the definitive on this, but I must say the resemblance between those two and say Gillian Anderson and Chris Carter was quite striking. Then there was the tagline "Depravity Rampart on hit TV Show". Hmmm.
-Liked the OJ slap. S:"So, he's a killer and a golfer." M: "Rings a bell, huh. Let's go G-woman". Gotta love that G-woman thing too.
-A little moment. Scully shaking her hands from the heat as she worked on the burn victim. It's the little things that count.
-Svengali on the TV set - too cool, though it would have been cooler if they didn't even point it out.
-Nice touch to use the same FBI security guard we saw in "The Blessing Way". Was it perhaps a teeny bit of foreshadowing that the buzz of the detector seemed to bring the guard out of his trance?
-I guess they've been listening, because it's obvious they know now we like our lady in red. The low heeled "stakeout" shoes also seem to be a new staple.
-Anyone else have a "Tooms" flashback with Mulder on the stand and Scully grimacing in the audience?
-"Hey, your shoes untied. Made you look."
Autumn
"Please explain to me the scientific nature of the whammy."
Which may replace "Would you smell Mr. Jarvis" as my new
favorite Scullyism