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"It's on the video Mulder. I can't prove it was you, but I know what I saw."
What I saw was "Written by John Shiban". All by himself. Imagine that. It appears that Mr. Shiban has penned his best solo script. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did I believe "The Pine Bluff Variant" to be an entertainingly written, exciting episode, but despite the fact that it tended to land on the plot heavy side, it was well paced and gave all the characters interesting things to do. No character was shorted this time around. Even though this was technically a Muldercentric episode, both Skinner and Scully played active and important roles. Plus, there was no annoying nurse in a bad wig (a la "Elegy") to discount an otherwise well done outing. Nice work John, please keep up the effort.
While the main focus was on Mulder, this episode brought the return of the always popular wonder partner Action!Scully. Scully was just so damn focussed right from the start. You have to actually pity Mulder a bit for trying to pull one over on her at this point in the game. I loved the way Duchovny played Mulder in these deceptive moments as if he knows he is in trouble, not even able to really look her in the eye as he lies, sits apart from her in meetings and studiously ignoring her queries. I adored the way Scully was written here. Let me count the ways: No longer to be content to be ditched she follows Mulder, she confronts, she is suspicious, she is angry, she never betrays, she uses a clever ruse with the desk clerk to find out information, she doctors Mulder, she discovers medical information, she stands up to her superiors. This is the Scully I love. You go girl.
I think it was a mistake to have Mulder in a mask for his big crisis of faith moment. Yes, director Bowman closes in as best he can on the emotion, and yes, David Duchovny tries his best to act through those two eye slots, but still something was missing and we were robbed a more effective moment of MulderAngst. Not that the torture scene was not enough (and I'm not even one of those Mulder torture fans) - this whole scene from the flip "Pepsi challenge" on was intense, painful and well acted. I only wish that they'd broken his ring finger.
The character interaction between the partners that we had was dead on. The scene in Mulder's apartment with the "You're in pain", "If you keep pulling it around like that" dialogue and the end where Scully explains to a perplexed Mulder how she recognized him stood out. Though I must admit the Dynamic Duo was more than a tad stupid in thinking that Mulder's apartment would not be under surveillance. Granted, they left the lights off, but still.
Mitch Pileggi's Skinner is used much more than we have seen him this season and this episode continues to solidify his stance with Mulder and Scully. It is obvious that Scully's trust is fully restored in him by her desire to tell only Skinner the results of her findings (even though he isn't very careful with what he says even after he takes her off speaker phone). Still, in the same way we have seen Scully become more and more paranoid as the years have progressed, Skinner is clearly following the partners down that dark path. Pileggi brings a subtle edginess now to his interactions outside of the trusted circle of three.
I was pleasantly surprised by this episode, and I hope that this is a continuing trend as we close in on the movie.
-Retread Alert: August Bremer, the terrorist who freed Mulder, was last seen as the park ranger in "Jersey Devil".
-I have the feeling we are never going to find out Bremer's part in this. I predict in the grand scheme of things the reason he gave Mulder that lame traced gun excuse and then let him go in the end was that he was a ... plot device.
-I must also give Shiban a continuity nod for letting us know that the terrorists approached Mulder because of that "Patient X" conference rant about the government he went on.
-I had a love/hate relationship with Mark Snow's score in this one. On one hand I enjoyed the ticking, urgent sense it held, but on the other it just seemed overly repetitive.
-We have a date stamp, but it is a bit odd. The arrest record in the teaser showed a 4/7/98 date for Haley. What I can't figure out is why he is roaming about if he was so dangerous.
-Our Little Sailor: Swearing!Scully was quite busy tonight (well Carter keeps telling us this is a long trailer for the movie) - I counted two damns and a hell.
-So, Bremer warns his fellow Spartans that witnessing a murder of a Federal Agent would make the accessories so they all stay behind? What does bank robbery, terrorism and releasing deadly bio-toxin make them? Naughty?
-The task force was chosen for lack of exposure in terrorist circles? I thought Mulder & Scully both met terrorists in "Tunguska".
-The Dunbar theatre was showing "Die Hard With a Vengeance". You can say that again. Hope the popcorn those folks had was at least fresh.
-Speaking of the movie theatre I'm still confused as to how they all died. If it was the money (and I am guessing the dead folk were from the next showing as Bremer came in at the end of one), how did the projectionist bite it? Were they serving popcorn before the flick? Judging from how quick the guy in the park died I'm surprised people had time to get to their seats.
-Mulder was so far deep undercover that there was not even a Lariat sticker on his car.
-The microfilm that Mulder provided contained the same image over and over and over. That was helpful.
-Mulder can't ever be bothered to find a light switch when entering a basement but by God he'll turn the hotel one on and off and on and off in the middle of the day when it obviously does not work.
-If I could turn back time: During the bank robbery when the bank officer first unlocks the back door to meet the "Brinkley" truck it is 9:45. Later when he is opening the safe the same clock reads minutes earlier.
-Sleepy!Scully wakes up at 6:04AM just in time to see a maid leave Mulder's room. What time do these maids at the Aaron Burr Motor Court start in the morning anyways? I hope the rest of the lodgers put out their "Do Not Disturb" signs to thwart this eager beaver.
-Frank's Fashion Spot: I knew Mulder was undercover the minute I saw those tan pants. On the Scully side it looks like she's got a new light blue double breasted suit, but my God those heels. To this day I am stunned she can walk, let alone run in them.
-I know he is a bachelor, but isn't it about time Mulder washed his windows? X has been dead over a year and a half and the tape residue is still there.
-Nice to see those landing light flashlights back. I've missed them, though they are most effective in a darker setting. Why didn't they just turn on the lights in the theatre? Not as creepy?
-Psychic!Scully is back again. Apparently now she dreams up case solutions as she wakes up and knows that the bio-hazard was on the money. Or maybe she was just hungry and dreaming of pizza again ...
Autumn
"Are you the wife?"
"Not even close."