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"You're just making this up."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you work on the X-Files and you just want to write off
your motel."
Well, this was writer Frank Spotnitz's version of writing off his motel. There was an X-File in there - even with a moral "man vs. nature" theme thrown in, but it certainly was not the appeal of the episode. I've got to share something with you folks. I'm worried about Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz. Though I am absolutely positive that Chris Carter wrote "Redux", ever since then I've had this odd feeling that perhaps Vince Gilligan has taken over the writing staff and killed off the other writers or shoved them under the bed strapped to a board or something. If it weren't for all the running in "Detour" I swear I'd be putting an APB out on Spotnitz. Maybe there was just some sort of Gilligan teamwork seminar this summer that was held where they discussed building a script on characters rather than bodies and explosions. Whatever it is, I'm thankful - and to be honest - without the wonderful character interplay this episode would be a rather silly monster of the week. Thank God for the Mulder/Scully "Outward Bound" program because the red-eyed moth/mud/tree boys of Ponce de Leon who seemed like a cross between "Predator" and the XF novel "Goblins" didn't do a whole lot for me. I'm glad to see the monster of the week back. I'll be even more glad when there is at least a scary monster instead of a necessary evil.
Every single time I get a glimpse at other agents on the show I am again glad that the X-Files is about Mulder and Scully. This time we get a snapshot of another male/female team. The enthusiastic car pool partners on their way to their yearly adventure of office furniture at another exciting "FBI Creative Team Seminar" had me feeling for Mulder. Personally I have no idea why Mulder and Scully were going to that seminar anyway. Even though, as Scully notes, Mulder could stand to work a little on his spoken communication skills, I tend to agree with him on this one about their unspoken communication. Team work isn't exactly something that has been a huge problem for these two when the chips are down. The dichotomy of them building a tower out of bodies later on versus the other partners bonding over their pencil sharpener triumph had me laughing out loud.
However, it is apparent that there were still some communication issues. While Scully thought they'd blown off the seminar to have their own little wine and cheese "par-tay" by breaking those "consorting" policies, Mulder isn't going to be distracted from surfing www.predators.com with his amazingly high speed modem just to talk about the twelfth grade love of his life. He'll just ditch her with a smile. All the more wine for her.
So, OK, let's talk about the sure to be soon dubbed "conversation in the forest" scene. For me, unabashed character junkie that I am, this was the highlight of the episode. Not only did we get the traditional short-throw-away-post-really-dramatic-mythology reference in the Scully cancer musing, but there was UST so thick you could cut it with a knife. I'm sure there are plenty out there that wish it were raining sleeping bags that night. Scully seems more comfortable than ever with Mulder throughout this episode. She's there with him stride for stride, innuendo for innuendo. She's given up hiding reactions to his jokes and actually smirks if not smiles at his humor. She plays his Flintstone games and humors him. Losing that tumor sure has lightened the two of them up. I loved Mulder's "I don't want to wrestle" line as Scully decides to keep him warm without the luxury of the sleeping bag method. Her care for him, complete with the soft "sorry" when she accidentally hurts him while attempting to stroke him is a big warm fuzzy. However, when "can't carry a tune" Scully relents to sing to Mulder much to his and our shock, that, more than anything, showed how much she really cares.
The monster was, as I mentioned earlier, weak. Why they were attacking people at all and especially in their homes, was too pat. The Blockbuster Video encroachment answer or that if you came to the forest they will track you down at your home or motel was hard to swallow. Plus, as eerie as the hole that Scully fell down was - why were the people kept alive to die? What was the point there? A warning as Mulder mentions? If you want to warn people I don't think hiding the bodies is the smartest route. Here's hoping our next monster has as much depth as the characters.
-Retread Alerts: Lots of them here. One of the surveyors in the beginning was the young version of Johannsen in "Piper Maru". The hunting father has been seen as Scully's hypnotist in "Blessing Way" and a NASA guy in "Space". The mother was seen in the "Young at Heart" courtroom.
-Love the way Mulder escapes from the rent car from hell with a "Thank you Jesus" - maybe Scully's faith has rubbed off a bit.
-Frank's Fashion Spot: Why in the world did Mulder bring a parka to Florida for a business trip to a hotel based seminar? It looked pretty funny with him in that jacket and Scully in a light coat. Sorry, but that part of the south just doesn't get that cold too often - even if it was in the forests near Tallahassee. Also, while I like the black jeans on Scully I'm starting to wonder if she has any actual blue jeans in her closet anymore.
-We had two first timers behind the scenes for this episode. Another new editor (seems like there has been a bit of turnover in that part of the staff) in Casey O Rohrs and a first time X-Files directing stint for Brett Dowler.
-Mulderism I could have done without: "Who cut the cheese?"
-The ending may be classified by some as a bit of a Scully ditch of all things, but as she is going back to the motel and actually *packs* for Mulder I just can't count it as such. My God, do these two have no secrets? They pack each other's bags now as well?
-Where do they find these motels? High speed internet lines, mini bars with wine and cheese, and velvet matador paintings. I've got to find this place in my travels...
-Our Little Sailor: Swearing!Scully was busy this episode.
"So it's not man and it's not animal - what the hell is it."
"What the hell's happening here?"
"What the hell is it Mulder?"
Just gearing up for the movie I guess.
-For a change this time Scully loses her gun. Not that it would do her much good at this point as she'd pretty much shot or pulled apart all her bullets.
-The first gratuitous reference to the FOX network during the alien autopsy thing was funny. This, despite the Walt Whitman crack, was a little too self-referential.
-All that Spotnitz running managed to wind dry Mulder's hair. When Michelle disappears and Scully calls him we see him running towards her with the wet look, but by the time he arrives seconds later he's blown dry.
-I didn't know experienced forest guides had given up the compass in favor of the Hansel and Gretel method of finding your way home.
-The X-Files writing staff needs to stop falling back on the "cell phone doesn't work here" plot device. Sorry, but in this day it works almost everywhere, and that near to Tallahassee it is highly unlikely the phone would not work. I've called out from the middle of forests plenty of times - in fact there is a huge problem with 911 calls coming in now from stranded hikers in the wilderness. Time to figure out a new way of cutting them off from their favorite communication devices.
-Anyone else have a bit of a problem imagining Mulder and his Dad as "Indian guides"?
-Speaking of which, if these two are going to go to a seminar why the hell don't they go to an outdoor survival one? For all the time they spend in the woods with nothing good ever happening it would be nice if between the two of them they could start a fire. Not that Scully's little bullet plan wasn't amusing and for a brief second a flash of entertainment.
-Anyone else get a kick out of Scully, her hair mussed, chomping down on forest berries?
-"Joy to the World" is an interesting choice as Scully's singing debut. Not only do the lyrics she sings have an odd Mulder/Scully meaning - (i.e. "was a good friend of mine, never understood a single word he said"), but I feel sorely cheated that we missed Scully singing the second verse to Mulder: "If I were the King of the world, Tell you what I'd do, I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the wars, And make sweet love to you". You can't tell me that would have gone without comment...
Autumn
"There has to be a scientific explanation for this."