Index to all seasons | Abbey Home Page
"I came in search of something I did not believe existed."
Frankly it's not very often that we get a season premiere this Scully focused in so many important ways. What a pleasant surprise for me that "The Sixth Extinction" turned out to be just that. Yes, it suffers from the same problems of many of the part 2 of 3 episodes - in that the real payoffs are usually saved for part 3 (or at least I hope they've been saved). It also lacked a real punch to it's "To Be Continued" ending that I think is the fault of both writer Carter and director Manners. Somehow having Dr. Ngebe (who knowing 1013 we will probably never see again) be the one to find that the craft was mysteriously gone in a rather ho hum fashion fizzled it. However, there was enough interesting character discovery within this hour provided by Chris Carter to make it both exciting and enjoyable for a season opener.
Since Mulder spent most of his time looking dazed and confused when he wasn't playing the laptop bongo, allow me to spend a little time discussing Scully's character in this episode as I think the events of "The Sixth Extinction" are critical. While Scully has always been the skeptical/scientific half of the Dynamic Duo, she has also always been the spiritual half. Her mysticism was always in visions and religious faith while Mulder's was in the realm of the alien and the paranormal. Together they are "science and mysticism conjoined." So, with the appearance of this ship, for the first time the beliefs of Mulder and Scully are both represented in something extraterrestrial. Something that speaks to the things Scully holds most dear: her science in the genetic information, her faith in the spiritual passages it communicates, and her relationship with Mulder in that it is effecting him. It is indeed to her a "beautiful, intricate work of art." So, Scully is in Africa playing Mulder as best she can due to the undeniable truth that there is one big honkin' UFO sitting out there in the water and she feels she needs to make Mulder-like connections to figure out the truth. By the time Barnes appears and counters her "you don't even believe in that" with "nor do you, but here we are," he's not quite right anymore. She's in the process of sorting out what she believes, of reconciling things.
However, she is not meant to find everything. Scully is facing what has to be a devastating shock to her entire belief system. She's digging up a UFO that not only shakes her ideas on extraterrestrials, but also has a direct impact on her spiritual being. I find it interesting that the "warnings" that come to her are suited to her. Biblical plagues that would be familiar are used: locusts, boils, blood (too bad she did not stick around for frogs, that could have been fun) - and yet she perseveres even though the significance can't be lost on her to try to save her friend. It's almost as if she's purposely put the shock she must be feeling on hold due to her fear of failing Mulder. That is until the phantom prophet decides that with Ms. Scully one must take the direct approach. So he flat out tells her "some truths are not for you." This echoed not only what she tells herself early on in "I feel this was meant not for me to find, but for you," but also was a nice reference to what the priest told Scully way back in "Revelations." Except at that point Mulder did not see things because "Maybe they weren't meant for him to see. Maybe they were only meant for you." So, scared out of her wits she knows it is time to go back to DC. She was in Africa long enough to believe, and it's really not surprising the evidence disappears that same night. Let's not forget, one of the triumphs of this episode is Scully marching into Skinner's office telling him Mulder's problem "may be extraterrestrial in origin." I guess we can't expect her to drop the "may be" part of this in one episode, but it's another big step.
For all these reasons I think Scully shows almost unparalleled bravery in this episode. She's alone in a country whose language she does not understand, unearthing something that is against her entire belief system, unarmed except for a machete, ignoring biblical theme plagues, sleeping in a beach tent to do whatever it take to save her dying friend. It's nice to see a mythology episode that speaks so strongly to the bond between Mulder and Scully again. Especially after last season's mytharc mess. I was especially pleased that the bedside scene included the following: "the pieces are there for *us* to put together." As far as the performances go, you've probably gathered by now that I enjoyed what Gillian Anderson did immensely. She even gives us what was, in my opinion, some of her best voice over work as we hear Scully's thoughts about this journey to save Mulder. Then there is Safari!Scully tromping through FBI headquarters in her beach sandals just not giving a damn about the startled looks from her co-workers. What a brilliant entrance. I could have sworn I heard a "so don't f*ck with me" through her eyes alone on the end of that "I've been on a plane for 22 hours" line. Despite all this we all know what the highlight of the episode was. Gillian Anderson just nailing her last scene. That, my friends, is one damn fine actress. I think that's all that needs to be said about that.
Duchovny doesn't have much to do this episode, but does a fine job with that haunted nutso look, especially in the initial confrontation with Skinner. Mitch Pileggi proves again he's at his best when acting off Anderson though. He always hints to us that on some levels Scully just scares the hell out of him. He does a nice job of showing Skinner's remorse and guilt at his actions when faced with Scully's determination to get to Mulder.
Some characters did not do so well in Carter's little tale through no fault of the actors really. I can't say I understand why Carter felt it necessary to bring back of all people Kritschgau. Did Scully's absence somehow require another "non-believer" to make his formula work? I've always been amused at Carter's claims that he did not want the X-Files to seem like a soap opera and yet his latest creation Diana Fowley lacks only a Snidely Whiplash mustache for all the hissing she seems intended to create. I suppose we were intended to draw a parallel between Fowley's and Scully's bedside moments with Mulder. Scully shows her love through action. Fowley must confess her "love" if that's what it is called. Since as we all know when you love someone you leave them for five years, betray them, steal their job, hook up with their worst enemy, and conspire to harm innocent women including the people closest to them. Yup, that's the way to catch your man so you can be together. Hey 1013 boys? I don't really care to look inside Diana Fowley to know her reasons. What was all this really? Some plot to get back at us for not liking Marita? Sheesh. Mimi, you're a fine actress. Get another gig. This one is beneath you.
In the guest roles I especially liked Jo Nell Kennedy as Dr. Ngebe. She brought a real dignity to the part and it was nice to see Scully get the chance to interact, however briefly, with another professional woman. However, I'm surprised Michael Ensign returning as Dr. Barnes didn't resort to rolling his eyes around in his head to look goofy as it seemed like he was employing every over the top technique in his grasp to appear unbalanced. Let's pray he doesn't rise from the dead too, because I've had enough of his melodramatics.
Carter also falls back on some of his "this will be a cool moment" habits in which he interjects things into the story. Yes, they can be interesting, but usually serve only as a slight of hand bridge to help him to the next plot point and are never touched on again. I think the mysterious raising of the fishes and zombie machete man fall into these categories. I hope I'm wrong and the resurrection powers of the craft are explained, but I'm not holding my breath. Or did Zombie!Man and his little fish friends fly the spacecraft away so we wouldn't have to worry about those pesky artifacts any more and could get back to the monster of the week grind as quickly as possible? So I guess the long and the short of it is that as a middle episode I was very thankful to see some important ground covered on Scully's journey to believe. However, I feel the episode could have been tightened up a lot more with writing that had a purpose more than just to manipulate the audience to either squirm, cheer, or go "dude that was cool." I prefer it when Carter chooses to let us think for ourselves.
-Leave it to Scully to slum it in style. Why one person needs a tent large enough to hold at least one ring of a circus is beyond me. Well at least it did afford her all that floor room for bodies and pictures and the like. Hopefully it was on sale at the Ivory Coast REI. -The locust plague certainly did make for an entertaining teaser. I liked the look on Scully's face when she went back in the tent. Sort of "note to self: bug netting," but I'm sorry we missed the part where Scully apparently set off a really big Die!Bug!Die! bomb that makes dead insects dramatically stick to all surfaces. And I bet she was sorry for all that yelling after getting a lovely taste of locust tartar.
-Mulder, not to be denied his little bit of screaming drama, decides the best way to pass Skinner a "help me" note written in blood on his best frock is to strangle him and bloody his nose. Maybe he hasn't quite forgiven him being Krycek's puppet.
-We are told Mulder is experiencing "episodes of aggression, sometimes against himself." Perhaps that explains why he went into the loony bin with Elvis hair and by this episode it looked like a cruel guard had left him a Flowbee to experiment with.
-Thank God they kept telling us we were in Africa every time we saw that beach. Otherwise I'm sure we would have all assumed we were back in that Georgetown hospital again and someone had just tracked lots of sand in.
-Speaking of the obvious, this episode made it even more unbelievable that this craft was not discovered earlier when huge chunks of it were even resting on the beach at certain tide levels. I'm not sure how effective Scully's crack crew and their crude hand tools were really going to be unearthing this thing though. Too bad she shot her wad on fashionable tight beach wear, the trip, and the deluxe tent complete with solar panels and could not afford better excavating equipment.
-Personally, as irritating as Carter's monologues and voiceovers can sometimes be (see "Biogenesis" teaser), I've always liked the ones that were meant to represent Scully's journal entries. As in "Memento Mori" they are a personal glimpse we rarely see. Plus, I doubt she'd tell Mulder in person he has a "beautiful mind" even though it's been clear from the start the spark between these two starts with intellect.
-Frank's Fashion Spot #1 (Frank loves it when there is more than one I am sure): Ah c'mon. You all know what #1 with two bullets is. You knew it from the previews. Apparently our Dr. Scully decided push up bras and tight T's was the fashion statement to make in Africa. So this week's nod goes to machete wielding WonderBra!Scully with the open long sleeve shirt. (Don't even get me started with that hideous short sleeved shirt). Frankly I'm surprised the bra wasn't black. White shirts never stopped her before.
-And while we're talking about Scully and fashion it certainly is nice to see the return of feds in frames. Hopefully, the Mulder glasses lovers will have their own little treat soon enough.
-Language fun fact: we learn that in some African dialect "Aaaaaarrggggg aaaaahhhhhrrrr arrrrr aiiiiiiiiii" translates in to "Help...Help me. The water. It boils." Hmm. Who knew?
-And thank God Scully had the sense to yell in English to men who did not understand her to take that man to the hospital. I'm sure they were on their way to the Jiffy Lube before Dr. Bossypants stepped in and guided them.
-God knows I loved the movie score, but I really wish Mark Snow would have granted us a little bit more original composition for the season premiere. I'd like to hear some new stuff using that lush string sound. For some reason hearing movie retread music always pulls me out of the moment, and I don't think that's the intention.
-Mulder certainly is his mother's son. He's taken lessons in cryptic bedside writing. I'll bet by the time he was finished writing that (and it looks like he had to erase and start over because he ran out of room the first time) he wished he was writing "Krycek" or even "plam."
-What, does Kritschgau sleep right behind his door? Skinner barely has time to knock before he whips it open and whines about it being six in the morning when the screen legend just told us it was 5:05 AM. I'm thinking someone was too busy feeling sorry for themselves and their lost government pension to remember daylight savings.
-And what is this bull about Mulder asking Kritschgau to do him a favor? He inserted himself into the equation last we saw him and claimed he was doing it for his son. Yet now it is all Mulder's fault? Whiner. Who forgot all this? The character or the writer? -I find it hilarious that while Kritschgau is telling us Mulder has become "all brain" all Mulder is missing is the drool. Between that and Bongo!Mulder with the UFO beat you can dance to perhaps there's a song in it: "Hey now, you're an All Brain, get your gown on, go crazed. Hey now, you're a Frock Star, remote view on, get dazed..."
-Someone needs to tell Scully that if your mother says running with scissors is bad, running with a machete is really not a good idea.
-What exactly is Barnes referring to when he tells Scully she's already under suspicion? Is there some law against killing locusts in the Ivory Coast? It's pretty clear who is the wacko in this picture.
-Speaking of, that brings us to Frank's Fashion Spot #2: Dr. Barnes falls squarely into the "Fashion Don't" column with his beach wear. He should have taken Scully's Banana Republic lead. As it is, he further convinces us he's crazy by wearing that hideous shirt buttoned but once mid chest over a rather unflattering V neck T. Ack.
-At least Dr. Barnes was able to provide Scully with his Ancient Navajo Secret Decoder Ring such that she could discover that even the aliens do not know how to spell adenine.
-Never thought I'd see Mulder reuse a "Hell Money" joke, but he also quipped "who you gonna call" in that episode.
-Amazingly enough, even though 1013 still thinks women wear push-up bras to bed, they actually made Scully look like she was in Africa hair and make-up wise. They even let the mole show. Then again, despite the fact she almost always had a long sleeve shirt on, she never seemed to sweat like everyone else. Well, baby steps. Maybe someday they will let her sleep without a bra again.
-What is Fowley, some sort of twisted school teacher? "Let me see you hands" indeed. I liked Skinner better when he was ordering her around instead of letting her get all self- righteous on him.
-Oh and one couldn't help but notice Fowley immediately assumed the position she was most familiar with when Mulder started seizing.
-Can I just say how much pleasure I got out of watching Scully bide her time until she could smack the hell out of Barnes with that chair. You go girl.
Autumn
"How can I reconcile what I see with what I know?"