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"How many historic events have only the two of us witnessed together Ronald? How often did we make or change history? And our names can never grace any pages of record, no monument will be in our image, and yet, once again, tonight the course of human history will be set by two unknown men standing in the shadows."
I was actually quite prepared to not like this episode much - after all I am an admitted unashamed Mulder/Scully purist, and with no Moose and Squirrel to entertain me I was afraid this one would tank. However, I decided to take it for what it was - a character study. It wasn't an X-File, it wasn't scary, but it was interesting. Not a classic episode, but something I found solid and entertaining without being hokey. Actually, I've always thought that CancerMan was painted in a bit of a "sympathy for the devil" light on the show - now we see that in full force. Motivations are always interesting. No one is evil for evil's sake. In this we saw the human side of "the most dangerous man alive".
From the beginning where we see a neon lit, rat infested room, we learn that we will find out "possibly everything" - and, more importantly, who CancerMan wants to be. We learn he is an orphan of a cancer victim and a communist spy - and that seems to make him hate communism ("the most heinous personification of evil mankind has ever confronted"). JFK is killed for failing to protect, and, despite being an "extraordinary man", MLK is killed for communist leanings. What we really find out though is that he is just a man who believes in sacrifice, but is longing for a second chance.
There are a couple of amusing themes here. Of course the smoking thing - from "No thank you sir, I never touch them" to that first Morley to that whole patch thing.The other fun theme is the movies/rejected writer idea. Old CM would rather read a trashy novel than see a great movie, and so he uses "I love the movies" as his cover for Lee Harvey and even goes to a movie (with a significant smoking theme) to light up his first Morley. He tells his MLK cohort to "go to a movie or something" and says he "couldn't care less" about the Oscar nominations. All he really wants to do is write - and frankly, after 30 years of rejection (and let's be honest that "burn it" letter was just as silly as the one that loved it) - who wouldn't be a bit evil. How funny that his final acceptance is from a shady magazine that Frohike would subscribe to. Plus, just who does CancerMan resign to anyway? After all he even hides his existence from presidents.
I am most afraid that this episode will bolster those "CancerMan is Mulder's dad" folks. Let me remind you, that while he may believe it to be true and gazes fondly at Mrs. Mulder and little "my first word was JFK" Mulder, Bill Mulder also believed Fox to be his child. Nothing was set in stone and only DNA tests will tell. Though if taste in ties is a genetic indicator we may be in trouble.
Time line issues once again. So, while this episode, with a birth date for Cancerman of August 20, 1940, does fit into the "Field Where I Died" frame, once again "Apocrypha" is totally hosed. You know, I have to admit I find it quite irritating that they can't even be bothered to make the mythology episodes match up - really, how hard is it? It just comes across as very very sloppy to me. So, yes, at least it is apparent that Morgan & Wong pay attention to their own episodes. We have a nice tie in to the president dying insinuation of "One Breath" and the E.B.E. death of "E.B.E", but the funniest thing I saw was poor Lee Harvey trying to buy a root beer - must be fate pal.
- An in-joke for us pause button freaks - Dana Scully's lovely Einstein Senior Thesis is actually filled with conspiracy and references to the MJ-12. No wonder she was assigned to the X-Files. The moment with him eavesdropping on their fist meeting was quite amusing though.
- How funny that the first words we hear are Scully saying "Not everything is a labyrinth of dark conspiracy" - and then the words sure to make "little puppy dog" Frohike tingle "Look at you - you're shaking." Frohike's paranoia was hilarious - esp. his threatening to kill Byers for saying his name and the whole CSM 25 bit.
- Deep Throat is named "Ronald"? Well, I suppose it was better than some of CancerMan's pseudonyms - Raul Bloodworth, Jack Colquitt, and of course Mr. Hunt. If Fox were his son that would make his name Fox Hunt, so it can't be true, right?
- So, we finally find out the Lone Gunmen's publication name: The Magic Bullet. How appropriate that they find the real grassy knoll shooter.
- I thought once again during this episode how inappropriate the tag line change was for "Teliko". A great change here would have been a repeat of "Trust No One".
- The switch to black and white for the MLK section was (while it certainly did not bother me visually) a bit too heavy handed thematically. Oh, I get it... black and white...
- As a proud and happy Denver Bronco fan, I have to say I am now worried that CancerMan might not like them either. At least during his Forrest Gump riff there weren't any signs that said "Post no Broncos".
- Apparently CM has had his thumb on the FBI for a long long time - all the way back to 1968.
- You have to wonder about Deep Throat in retrospect now. "I'm the liar, you're the killer".
- I was surprised to learn that the "project" was Bill Mulder's - so much so that the living EBE could advance it decades. (At least the "Death to EBE resolution" was #1013).
Autumn
"I can kill you whenever I please. But not today."