Autumn Tysko's X-Files Reviews

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Never Again

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"This isn't about you. Well maybe it is indirectly."

This episode, while definitely not focusing on Mulder, still does have everything to do with him - indirectly of course. This isn't an easy episode to watch, but it is fascinating. It isn't a happy episode. Mulder and Scully do not behave in the way that in our perfect world we want them to behave towards each other, but guess what? The world isn't perfect. Relationships aren't perfect. Mulder and Scully aren't perfect, and angst abounds. This doesn't, in my opinion, make their behavior in this episode the least bit out of character. This isn't a "Syzygy" with no planets to blame. It was instead an intriguing look into a rough spot in this relationship, their motivations, and both the characters. What writers Morgan and Wong have given us is two characters that we care about and who care about each other avoiding talking about the real problems that they have and what happens because of it. The bloom is off the rose for Scully.

Actually, it has been a long time coming. We've seen hints at this frustration on her part for a while now - the conversation on the rock from "Quagmire", her edgy "what are you going to do?" replies when Mulder orders her around, and her frustration at being continually ditched by her partner. This is about a lot more than desk or a nameplate, it is about control. Scully has always had an interesting history of rebellion against authority from the "Beyond the Sea" cigarette story that she retells here, to joining the FBI against her family's wishes, to the way she has stood up to both Skinner and the OPC folks in the past. It is as if she feels the need to do something out of character to get out of the rut - to keep from swallowing her own tail - to define herself differently from whom that authority figure - that she needs and wants - would have her be.

The Mulder and Scully scenes in this episode were the most painful we've ever had to watch. We open with Scully wandering off after she has been drug out in the middle of the night to listen to yet another one of Mulder's farfetched cases - this one - as she points out later - a "poorly veiled synopsis of an episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle". How appropriate that the "Moose and Squirrel" nickname for Our Heroes shows up at this time because Mulder has never been more the bumbling Moose than he is here - constantly stumbling and saying all the wrong things. As a contemplative Scully ponders her life Mulder blows in like a hurricane telling her all about a vacation he must take and doling out assignments for her. David Duchovny is wonderful in this scene as Mulder moves from accusing Scully of "abandoning" him (like *he* can even begin to talk) to defensive when Scully hits him with "That makes it sound like you're my superior" to petulant as he starts his "you were just assigned" (oooo, cold Mulder) "this work is my life" speech to bewildered hurt when as he asks "You don't want it to be?". Moose is clearly very very confused in his selfish little world as to what to give Scully here. He's stuck on the desk thing.

And why doesn't she have a desk? Why does she have "an area" in the back? I'm surprised it took her this long to start in on Mulder about this. Oops. Sorry, just the Scullyist in me getting worked up there.

So where does an Elvis obsessed investigator go for vacation? Why Graceland of course, but in his attempt to hurt Scully back a little more for his feelings of rejection he won't even tell her where he is going when she asks with resigned emotion in her voice. Spiritual journey indeed. At least the guilt appeared to set in somewhat as he did a cell phone reception dance trying to call just to see how she was doing - though I doubt that was all he was calling for as his next call continues to rub Scully the wrong way. Poor clueless Mulder is at "that special place" complete with a new winner in the scary shades category and wants to share - oh, and check up on her. Bad move Moose.

Above all this is clearly Gillian Anderson's show as she is given the chance to explore a much more personal side to Dana rather than Scully. As usual she gives us work filled with hundreds of tiny moments of brilliance with which she paints this character. So what is Scully looking for here? I don't think that she even knows. She tells Ed "Sometimes I wish I were that impulsive" and his reply "Careful what you wish for" couldn't have been more apt. Somewhat surprised at Ed's initial overture she manages an "I'd like that" answer to his date before her Scully filter kicks in and she thinks it wiser to lie about leaving town. It is only when Mulder sends her over the edge again as he easily tracks her down due to her predictable nature, questions her decisions on the case, and then mocks her about a date that she decides to retaliate against herself and Mulder. "I did as told. As always." isn't the answer for her here - taking a risk is. In the scene where Scully paces and asks Ed out Anderson gives us a great moment of nervous insecurity - unfortunately for her, Ed celebrates the moment by self mutilation.

Scully has, as we've all speculated, been living the life of a nun since joining the X-Files. For those who don't know "Glengarry Glen oss" came out in 1992. From what we know her last and perhaps only long term relationship was with an older authority figure which falls in with her "there are other fathers" comment along with Mulder. So, Scully opts for the crummy bar as it is a good place to go when you're feeling down, has a few drinks (though is not drunk), waxes philosophic about her choices, and then decides to act impulsively - not by sleeping with Ed, but by getting the tattoo she deserves - in what turns out to be a scene with surprisingly sexual overtones. When they go back to Ed's place and she tries to play Doctor the episode cops out in ambiguity - I'm not saying that Scully should have slept with him, but for some reason they were afraid to even do more than imply a kiss despite all those serious looks and heavy breathing.

Now we reach "the morning after" and despite not getting any that's not how it looks to the other detectives much to her chagrin. We learn about hallucinogenic ergotism and Action! Scully gets another workout. She wasn't too successful despite fighting pretty darn dirty - you'd think Scully of all people would know better than to run into the bathroom on The X-Files - she is rewarded by being tossed into a door. Thwap.

As if we didn't have enough pain on the show we have that chilling final scene as Scully returns to her still deskless office even more depressed than when she left. In an astoundingly insensitive move fueled by his confusion over her behavior Mulder jokes about her second appearance in the X-Files. "All this because I didn't get you a desk?" No, Mulder all this because you didn't have a clue.

Random Musings

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-This again was one of those times when all that brouhaha over an episode before it airs seems just so silly to me in perspective. How folks can continue to judge things that they haven't seen themselves on obviously exaggerated hearsay always amuses me. The "reshoots" rumor among others was false, and frankly I didn't need cancer as a motivation for Scully.

-The "stunt" casting of the show with Jodie Foster playing "Winky" the wonder tattoo worked for me - it was clear that Foster relished her chance to lend her voice - her maniacal laugh as Ed prepared to make Scully flambe' combined with that music and the fire lit cinematography was really quite eerie. How dare that tattoo call Scully a "cheap redhead" though.

-What *COOL* music choices. The Pretenders "Tattooed Love Boys": "I get tattoos because I need it.". The Partridge Family singing about wanting to be wanted (frankly if my neighbor was playing this that loud and then I had to face Jehovah's Witnesses I might be tempted to kick her door down without Jodie Foster's help), and in the last bar scene a song by the group X.

-The bird cage liner for the Partridge Family girl was *too* funny. A mock Entertainment Weekly featuring a picture of Co-Executive Producer Bob Goodwin with the headline "The Wisest Man in Hollywood".

-I spotted a time line reference on the report Mulder hands to cully. The case was opened January 13, 1997.

-Anyone else get a kick out of the names Mulder handed her? I caught references to various vodkas including Smirnoff and Popov.

-Who can blame her for not wanting to go to Philly. Not only was the case weak, but the ever sensitive Mulder booked her a middle seat.

-So the "Batphone" in The X-Files office is complete with a big "X" on their special hotline.

-Talk about your "red light" district that tattoo shop at night just glowed.

-I don't know about you folks, but I think there is *plenty* of room in that office for another desk. If Mulder knew what was good for him he would have at least had her name on the door by the time she returned, but nooooo.

-Did we really need to have a permanent reminder of Millennium indelibly marked on Scully's back?

-For the people out there who will insist that Scully slept with Ed (and you know they are out there) I offer the following evidence: not only does he wake up on the couch and she in the bed, but in the morning she still has on her pantyhose when you see her bare feet. What woman would have sex and then put pantyhose back on - I rest my case.

-You'll find this URL for the Forensic Information Database in Scully's bookmark file: http://fbi.lab.rl.fns.gov/FORENSICS/chem/haluc.drugs.html

Autumn
"I've always gone around in this circle."

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