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"A madness shared by two."
I enjoyed this episode on a number of levels, both as a stand alone effort, but especially for what I perceived its place to be in the grand scheme of things. First and foremost I thought it was creepy - in my opinion not the easiest thing to do given the massive potential for cheesiness with the monster. I thought the teaser was marvelous with director Kim Manners using that effective overhead shot to travel through the buzzing drones of these insignificant workers in their colony. I'm glad they fuzzed out the bug shots. Making it jittery and jumpy like something you think you see just out of the corner of your eye. By the time Brian Markinson as Lambert gives that sweaty, high strung whisper of "it's here" I thought we were in for some good old fashioned scares.
I also like the way writer Gilligan and Manners infused the episode with sights and sounds that remind one of bugs. Everything from the way Pincus was fidgeting with his hands as Mulder interviewed him, to the buzzy tone on all the recordings, the rewinding tape, and the music on the television had that effect.
However, when all was said and done, what stuck with me was that for a monster of the week (and how much more monster of the week can you get than a giant attack bug) I found it an excellent lead in for the season finale and the movie this summer. Why? Well, because it so nicely highlighted what has long been, in my opinion, one of this series most intriguing journeys: Scully's eroding skepticism. While the journey has not been as quick as some would like, and has certainly has had its setbacks, the progression has long been there. The first and easiest pill to swallow was the conspiracy angle which she did long ago, gradually becoming more and more drawn into the huge nature of it along with the resulting paranoia. However, ever since her testimony in "Terma", complete with the description of an extraterrestrial organism, she's been also moving in fits and starts towards the idea that just maybe there might be something to this little grey men thing after all. I've perceived her going back and forth this season on the paranormal - believing one week, hard edged the next - as the character desperately trying to hold on to her defining world view. Her fight back against the erosion occurring - her descent into what is Mulder's paranormal madness.
In Vince Gilligan's script we see that whole struggle in one episode. She pushes back and pushes back against this "madness", but when the chips are down and it all becomes clear that it really has to be the two of them against the world - Mulder and his "one in five billion" -she sees what he sees. She shares what the world sees as madness. I don't see the ending of this episode (and it should have ended when the elevator doors closed - enough with the tacked on forced "creepy" endings already) as her dismissing Mulder or the experience as much as admitting their place together - a madness shared by two. Perfect setup, as it seems pretty clear to me that over the next several chapters of the X-Files tale we are going to have what will amount to Mulder and Scully fighting alone united against the odds. I also believe there is a payoff in the works as far as Scully is concerned: her moving closer and closer towards a place where she will be confronted with undeniable proof and will also believe - certainly not in everything (we can't have that) - but I bet lizard aliens rank pretty high on the list.
There were really nice performances this episode from both our leads. I thought Duchovny was excellent in his screaming bed bug terror as he tried to cajole the nurse through his panic into letting him loose. Duchovny and Anderson certainly got a lot of mileage (above and beyond Scully and Mulder's frequent flier miles back and forths to Chicago) out of their scenes together. The partnership issues going on throughout this story were quite intriguing. It was nice to see Scully push back at the start with her "you keep saying 'I'. I heard 'we'" and I think some of the latent resentment of being left, coupled with getting tasks over the phone (something about an immediate hang up after "I appreciate it" dilutes the sentiment a little), added fuel to their confrontation. I really like the moment Anderson had in this scene when she does the big mental "whoops!" to Mulder's admission that he had seen the monster and asked "Does that make me sick too?" I got the feeling that if Mulder had just stuck around instead of walking out that they would have been able to come to better resolution than the "absolutely not" / "I'll prove it without you" standoff they were in.
Instead, what we get is them acting at odds until Mulder is locked up in the psycho ward. Scully, as usual, plays dumb with Skinner while about to burst a blood vessel silently fuming over her assigned autopsy while Mulder runs off without sleep on a bug hunt. That's effective teamwork. However, all this general crankiness is worth it for me for the hospital scene. That last exchange boils down to its very essence what makes this partnership what it is, and when Mulder's "you have to believe me" speech is delivered with that pleading face complete with the admission that she's it on the planet for him - well - "absolutely not" turns quickly into corpse flipping and Action!Scully to the rescue.
While I certainly wouldn't rank this episode a classic, or even one of Gilligan's best, I do appreciate it for saying some interesting things about the characters while something went buzz in the night.
-Retreads Galore: Brian Markinson (who did a spectacular job of portraying Gary Lambert's descent) gets a much better script this time around than when we first saw him in "Born Again". I'm sure everyone recognized Agent Rice from "Pusher". Also Mr. "Dial and smile" was covered in lots and lots of makeup to play Harper in "Dod Kalm". It seems they only have one actress in Vancouver capable of playing a newscaster in the X-Files - the Massachusetts reporter from "War of the Coprophages" apparently got a better news gig in Chicago after reporting from Houston way back in 1977 during "Space" (quite well preserved isn't she).
-Talk about your fast work. We don't call them the dynamic duo for nothing. Skinner gives them the assignment at 9:12AM and by 12:14PM that day Mulder has managed to get from the FBI building to Oak Brook IL, interviewed Pincus, started a profile and returned to VinylRight. Meanwhile, Dana "Evelyn Woods" Scully has, after a call from Chicago, scanned through hundreds of old case files looking for a simple phrase buried within them. More impressive still she has joined Mulder in Chicago by (according to the cafeteria clock) around 2:30 that afternoon. You certainly can't accuse these two of dawdling.
-We've get an episode date stamp when Mulder writes the day of the Oak Brook crisis on the map: 5-10-98.
-Call me jaded, but I'm just amazed that they had Mulder's fingers bandaged in this episode. It is almost as if they actually remembered the events of the previous episode. Weirdness.
-What's up with "Monster Boy"? It's OK when he digs up werewolves or goatsuckers or mothmen or killer trees, but God forbid Skinner should ever assign him a case without him getting all pissy about it. Remember FlukeMan Mulder?
-Frank's Fashion Spot: I just love Scully in a double breasted suit and that new lavender one at the end was to die for. Speaking of dying someone should give Skinner's "patriotic" ties a quick burial at sea. I don't know how many different flag ties the man has, but I could do with out the oval flag design we saw this week.
-I really liked the long hand held camera shot when Scully arrives in her Lariat rental for the hostage situation. The only odd thing is that the road behind her appears to be completely blocked off so God only knows where she is arriving so quickly from.
-I just loved the line: "I'm not addressing you. I'm addressing the actual people over here, OK?"
-In the it's the little things that count category: nice reaction shots by Gillian as she watches the hostage crisis unfold. Especially when she first sees Mulder on the monitor and momentary relief turns to fear again as she sees the immediate danger he is in.
-I'll have to guess Scully just had not had her morning coffee yet and that was what provoked the silly question "Mulder, why didn't you take the day off?"
-Well we finally have a catch phrase for Skinner. It's no "Mulder, it's me", but he seems to be saying "I'm at a bit of a loss here" with regularity.
-I'm glad we never saw Scully's final answer to Skinner when he asks what she saw. Just the "it was dark" qualifier and a nervous pause. She knows. We know. Now bring on the finale.
Autumn
"I told you so."