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"You saved the world Scully."
"Yeah, you're right. I did."
And at the end I clapped. First and foremost this is television. It's entertainment. And "Triangle" just entertained the hell out of me. I guess I'll never be an X-Files "purist" by some people's standards. I always seem to love the show's unusual episodes for the breath of fresh air that they are. Mostly though because they are fun, and hold it against me if you must, but I'm just a sucker for fun. Writer/Director/Creator Chris Carter offered this experimental joy ride for the fans as well as the Emmy panel, and this time I really hope he gets his Emmy. He's earned it.
Of course the technical aspects of this presentation deserve special recognition. The use of letterbox formatting was really only the start here. Director Carter decided to give both his actors and the show's newest member of the editing staff, Louise A. Innes, a huge challenge in making most of the episode appear as if it were done in long continuous takes. The editor's task was to hide the cuts from the audience. It was a little easier to fake us out in the shipboard sequences as they were shot so damn dark (one of my only complaints about this episode as it became increasingly annoying) that cutaways were easily hidden in black moments or a journey through steam. The triumph that was act two, however, presented a little more difficulty in giving us that delightful romp of Scullyvision. Here they primarily used a "whip pan" technique to hide editing in a blur of motion. However they were doing it, it worked, allowing us to live a frantic ten minutes of Scully's life.
Which, to be quite honest, has become one of my favorite ten minutes ever on the show. Scully's always been concerned for Mulder when he gets into trouble, but it seems with all that has happened to the dynamic duo of late it doesn't take too much to work her up into "gun ready to go off mode"- so much for the "I'm fine" answer I'm sure Spender would have liked to have heard. Gillian "I don't need no stinking lines, just a camera on my face" Anderson gives us the emotional gamut as Scully cavorts through the hallways swinging through emotions in a big way. When Mulder's in trouble the tigress comes out in this woman. I delighted in the little Scully moments we don't often get to see: her berating herself, her breathless gratitude at Skinner's help, her defeated droop out of Kersh's office, and that hilarious moment in the elevator as she's talking to herself and uncrumpling her little note while the coworker along for the ride gets a full dose of manic Mrs. Spooky for the rumor mill. Give me Scullyvision any day, I love the ride.
It's not surprising it worked so well because one of the things you can pretty much count on from David and Gillian is that if you give them something new or exciting to do they light up the screen. Duchovny gives Mulder a childlike presence throughout, from his giddy "this is unbelievable" discovery to his goofy bliss at the end. I got a chuckle out of Mulder steadfastly trying to convince everyone on the ship about his time warp theory by trying to get them to look at the date on his watch and the like. The funniest thing though was Mulder trying to get 1939 Scully's attention by thinking hey, maybe if I tip my hat and look at her wide eyed THEN she'll recognize me. He's perfect at the episode's end poking at Scully, trying to tell her what he believes happened and finally, having to actually say the words and tell her he loves her after she playfully toys with him ("There's no place like home"). Duchovny and Anderson just nail this scene. It's why *we* love them both.
I've got to take some time to mention Mark Snow's score as well here. Like he did in the movie, he subtly weaves the main X-Files theme throughout the music we heard in "Triangle" . However, I was most delighted by the act four swing score that managed to infuse the entire act with bopping excitement. There was just something about seeing Scully and her Lone Gunmen "posse" searching with that great swing drumbeat that made what would usually be considered an overbearing score perfect. I couldn't keep still in my seat.
We did get a lot of important information this episode as well, or rather Scully did. She now knows Kersh, Spender, and Fowley are all involved with CancerMan and that Skinner pretty much has his nuts in a vise over the past help he's given them as well. Personally, I wish they hadn't gone for the obvious in making Kersh a CSM lackey, but it does set the "you and me against the world" feeling up even more for the heroes. I also didn't buy that goofiness with Skinner in the hospital room. He's afraid to even talk to Scully and yet he has no problems with the one big happy family scenario at the end?
There will obviously be a couple of big debates to come out of this episode, so I might as well weigh in with my take on them and get that out of the way. Was it a dream? Who knows. I'm not writing it off as one though. The Queen Anne did appear so something was up in the Bermuda Triangle. Frankly I like the idea of a freak alternative universe, and kudos for the shot where the Scullys converge and each has one of those patented Scully psychic moments over the event. Next, what about that kiss? What about it? Mulder wanted to kiss her in the movie. He kissed 1939 Scully here in case he never gets a chance with the real thing. I think it is clear by now that he wants to kiss her. I'm really unsure how you could think differently. Though I will grant that the "I love you" does not necessarily mean romantic love I'm glad he finally said it to her. So up the stakes one more notch in the game and off we go.
-Tag line: DIE WAHRHEIT IST IRGENDWO DA DRAUBEN. Roughly German for "The truth is somewhere out there." -We've already got our first date mix up of the season. "Drive" takes place on November 15th and 16th and yet Mulder informs us here that the date is November 16th.
-Well we certainly can't say that shooting in Los Angeles made this episode too bright. The ship scenes were mired in darkness. Seems a pity that Carter decided to take a "landmark" event like that kiss and then underlight it so badly you could hardly make it out. I suppose that was all part of the ever tiring game of the not kiss. Chris, honey, the dance has grown tiresome.
-What wonderful luck to have the Queen Mary available to act as the Queen Anne. The beautiful wood paneling and lights of the ship really helped with the period feel.
-I guess 1939 Scully also took German in college. Too bad the actor's who had to spout the lines didn't.
-Scully just can't catch a break as far as her office is concerned. She lives in the basement with no desk for five years and then when she gets her desk she doesn't even rank a cubical. I'm sure it is easy to concentrate in that work environment.
-I was glad to see that Scully's a post-its on the monitor kind of gal. Made me feel a certain kinship there.
-Frank's Fashion Spot: Kudos to the period costumes. We know Gillian Anderson is one of those red heads that can carry off wearing that color red, but Duchovny looked pretty good in the Nazi uniform as well.
-Scully on the edge is not the most graceful of women. If she's not stomping on people's feet in the elevator she's almost falling on her ass sliding around corners.
-It was a fun touch to have the Jamaican swabbo reminding the overly chatty Mulder to "trust no one, mon." -For a change we actually can see the gun bulge in the back of Scully's tailored suit.
-I am confused at one thing. Why Mulder claimed that he saw "Thor's Hammer" when it seems he did not. Or was he just not wanting to say while innocent people were murdered?
-When Scully comes out of Kersh's office you can clearly see the body mike on Gillian Anderson as she does the "what am I thinking" bit.
-And HEY. What happened to that cool new cell phone she had in "Drive"? Don't tell me she lost the damn thing already!
-How annoyingly organized the X-Files office is these days. The things on the bulletin board were so perfectly and pathologically lined up it's as if Spudner used a level to make sure the edges were even.
-Our Little Sailor was busy, busy, busy. If she wasn't swearing to herself she was calling Spender a "rat bastard" . As fond as I am of Spudner as a name for that character it seems Scully is determined to nickname him herself as both incarnations of her refer to him aptly as a weasel. I still think he has all the personality of Idaho's finest export though. And the thought of him having to "do" someone to get information for Scully is too icky to even contemplate.
-Speaking of sailors, it seems Duchovny is becoming the master of almost but not quite saying a certain not ready for primetime word. There's certainly no guessing what he means.
-In the "It's the little things that count" category when Scully was on the phone trying to impersonate Fowley it was almost as if she was trying to get that same pained look on her face that Fowley always seems to have.
-Kudos to Laura Leigh Hughes who has joined the cast as Kersh's assistant. This is a wonderful example of an actress taking a small part for a big ride.
-Yet again we get another fine example of Scully's pathetic lying ability. This time as it stumbles out she even nods at the end as if thinking to herself "that's it".
-The Lone Gunmen and a Volkswagon bus. It doesn't get more perfect than that.
-One thing that this style of filming did make obvious is how often in episodes they have Gillian standing on that box for the takes. She really looks short throughout here without it.
-I know there was some debate as to whether it was a true Mulder ditch in "The Beginning" , but surely this qualifies. He did something "incredibly stupid" without telling Scully. It was an international ditch. She had to jump through hoops to save his ass, and he wound up in the hospital. Seems all the elements are there.
-I'm very glad that the 1939 incarnation had so much essence of our Scully in her. Brassy, tough, beautiful, smart, and full of banter. It was fun to imagine Scully in another era, and I think this woman was pretty close to the truth.
Autumn
"Save your own ass Sir, you'll save your head along with it."