1X04 CONDUIT

"The boy stood on the burning deck,
Whence all but him had fled;
The flame that lit the battle's wreck,
Shone round him o'er the dead."
Felicia Dorothea Hemans from Casabianca

"She would never say where she came from
Yesterday don't matter if it's gone
While the sun is bright or in the darkest night
No one knows, she comes and goes
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday, who could hang a name on you
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you."
Ruby Tuesday by the Rolling Stones

"Oh, Ruby, don't take your love to town."
Kenny Rogers

SYNOPSIS

SIOUX CITY, IOWA
A teenage girl is abducted in the forest while camping with her mother and brother. The case parallels Samantha's abduction in Mulder's mind.

SCULLYVISION

Again, we're brought into the case when Blevins informs Scully on the events of a teenage girl's disappearance. Scully sees Samantha's file for the first time, and it had to hit her. A young girl taken mysteriously from her home. And by seeing who initiated the file: Fox Mulder. She knows going in that he's going to be taking this case very personal. It isn't very long before it's confirmed, when she sees Mulder sadly touch photographs of Ruby in Darlene's home.

When Darlene, Ruby's mother, asks Mulder to verify that 'they took her, didn't they', Scully watches him to see what he will tell the distraught woman. She's probably a little more than relieved when he didn't answer. But, Darlene, a woman who has spent her life knowing they're out there and had taken a photo of a spaceship in her youth, sees Scully's skepticism, and verifies one thing to her. She'd seen that look of skepticism a lot.

Scully's still protecting Mulder when she gives him grief for antagonizing local law enforcement, both professionally, and personally. Mulder's getting testy with people who aren't on his side, aren't believers, aren't willing to accept that Ruby had been abducted by aliens, just as his sister had.

The scene in the library was a great Scully moment. Tessa, another teenage girl who knew Ruby, gave Scully a plausible, earth-bound reason for Ruby's disappearance. According to Tessa, Ruby left town with her boyfriend as she was pregnant with his child. Mulder's not interested, Scully is riveted with open eyes and hanging on every word.

Scully's reaction to the bartender is priceless, doesn't believe his beliefs, but he does have that grossly scarred ear. Once again in the episode, she's surrounded by believers.

Her naivete in still in force about the government when she hands over Kevin's 1s and 0s sheet. But, to giev Scully the benefit of the doubt, they did break into her room in the early morning hours. Most would be a little more than rattled by that.

When she and Mulder arrive to see the NSA tearing apart the Morris home, she's sorry, and probably will think twice about it in the future. She didn't appreciate the ironic 'thank you' from Holtzman, top NSA guy, as it was definitely a jab at them.

When Mulder starts digging up the grave, a crime scene, Scully stops him from acting out his feelings to the detriment of the case and yet still she is compassionate. When the grave is finally being dug, she turns to Mulder and asks if he is okay.

Mulder does a lot of investigation in this episode. But it is Scully who calmly interrogates Tessa after finding Greg's grave in the forest. It's too bad that Tessa chooses to lie. That's when Scully and Mulder's good cop-bad cop routine works. Mulder yells at Tessa, bangs the table, and gets the truth out of the girl. Ruby wasn't with Greg.

Mulder once again questions Scully's loyalty, wondering if her conclusion that the case is over is her idea or the sheriff's. He just can't get it through his head that he can trust her. Naturally, she has to rein him in and tell him not to keep looking for his sister in this case. He gives her an ultimatum, go with him, or not. She does.

One of the best parts of the episode is when she's going upstairs and sees what the NSA obviously didn't while tearing the Morris house apart, Ruby's face in the sheets of 1s and 0s Kevin had been writing out in pieces. The puzzle is complete.

In the hospital after Ruby returned, Scully is both shocked and in awe of Mulder's explanation for Ruby's test results, that they were symptoms of prolonged weightlessness in space.

Then once again, Scully is in protection mode, for both Mulder and Darlene, when Ruby's mother just wants to accept a common explanation over Mulder's fantastic. When Darlene walks away with her son, Scully holds Mulder back as any further conversation in the matter wouldn't do either of them any good.

At the end, once again, we're brought into Mulder's grief through Scully, listening to his regression tapes from sessions with Dr. Werber.

At first glance this might seem like the male/female role reversal that the series does so well. Mulder showing signs traditionally portrayed on screen as feminine - emotional, reactive, vulnerable, with Scully showing signs traditionally portrayed as masculine - tough, logical, in control. However, that's not the complete picture of Scully. She is tough and logical yes, but compassionate. She does not disregard Mulder's emotions, she acknowledges them and respects them, at the same time, is able to help Mulder remain in control of his actions. Thus, both the feminine and masculine roles are embodied in Scully. Most importantly, she helps Mulder remain in control, but it's not as if she is taking care of him. These are not Scully's mothering, protecting instincts coming out. She acts as she does to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

OH COME ON!

Why did things fall out of the cupboards in Darlene's camper so easily from a little shaking?

Let's see... sand turned to glass, trees burned, the top of the camper charred and wolves in the forest turned white when the aliens came, but grass, driftwood, and Kevin were all fine?

Scully is always carrying the briefcase. Can't Mulder ever offer to carry it for her, as it's his case too? And why doesn't he need one?

Scully sleeps in full make-up?

Scully, law enforcement officer, has her hand on her gun while strangers bust into her room, and she lets it go?

Why did the NSA have to take Kevin's toys and pictures, and break his piggy bank?

Soiux City, Iowa, has no mountains.

There's no Lake Okobogee in Iowa. There's a small town named Okobo, but that's about it.

THINGS LEARNED
or All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned From the X Files

The Center for UFO Study is in Evanston, Illinois.

2500 degrees Fahrenheit turns sand into glass.

A woman better sleep in silky PJS and full makeup, you never know who might break in.

A lot of motorcycles in the forest at night resemble UFOs.

JOHN'S SAMANTHAVISION

Scully first heard of the abduction of Mulder's sister, Samantha, in Pilot. Even though we don't know what she thought or how she felt about this revelation, she seemed concerned and gentle with Mulder, asking him questions but not probing.

In Conduit, we learn a great deal more about Scully and her thoughts and feelings about her partner and the Samantha situation. Early on, Scully is questioned as to whether she believes that Mulder's personal agenda is clouding his judgment. She says that she does not believe it is. When they visit the home of the abducted child Mulder looks at the pictures of the girl on the mantle, touching them in a way that shows just how much of an impact this case is having on him. Scully watches him intently but silently.

Eventually she confronts him "I know what you're thinking, I know why this is important to you." Scully shows insight into Mulder and lets on that she does. It is another intimate moment. It is apparent that not many people might have known or cared how Mulder felt about the loss of his sister.

Mulder's personal agenda is indeed affecting the case, and ultimately Scully yells at him "Stop running after your sister, it's not going to bring her back," verbally stopping him dead in his tracks. It is a bold move on her part, but Scully is speaking the truth. She's pointing out reality in the face of Mulder's wish to bring his sister back.

Following this, Mulder does not retreat into himself as is his pattern but takes a further emotional risk by telling Scully that he still walks into his room everyday hoping to find his sister. Scully listens and does not discount Mulder's feelings.

Near the end of the episode Scully takes the boldest step yet. She actually reaches out and puts her hand on Mulder's shoulder physically restraining him from again acting impulsively due to his feelings regarding his sister.

The episode ends with the heart wrenching scene of Mulder grieving in the chapel while Scully listens to the regression tapes. Scully is observing and learning. She doesn't tolerate his acting out yet she accepts and wants to learn more about what this has been like for him.

Mulder is vulnerable in this episode. His emotions are getting the best of him and indeed impairing his work on this case. Scully sees this, empathizes with it and yet refuses to back off and let Mulder act out. She verbally and even physically restrains him.

CARTERVISION

The aliens are abducting folks and implanting metal in their bodies. Abductees have two warts on their back. There is Missing Time whenever the aliens are around, and electronics go wacky. There's that mysterious smoker that seems to have access to the Pentagon storage room. He's a superior to Blevins, who has at least one job description of assigning agents to departments. There's a 'Senior Agent' that sits alongside Blevins, have no clue as to what his purpose is. Groundwork is laid for suspicion of Roswell, Ellen's Air Force base.There are regular folks who are believers.

CONDUIT

Samantha's abduction may not be a one time event. Young girls and woman are taken all the time.

Kevin channeled Voyager information, so the aliens must have intercepted it.

Aliens are choosy. Out of all the people who must have been camping at Lake Okobogee, and Kevin right next to Ruby, they only took Ruby, the female teenager.

SFX

The abduction of Ruby was nicely reminiscent of Close Encounters with little Barry in front of a bright light, but the shaking camper seemed like it was just a bunch of guys outside rocking it.

Realistic scarred ear on the bartender, but the tattoos looked like transfers or paint.

Cool solidification of sand to glass.

Greg's dead body and Ruby's post abduction makeup were excellent.

Kevin in the forest with the bright light through the trees were really nice, and a rip off of Close Encounters.

RECURRING CHARACTERS

Blevins

WRITERS
Alex Gansa/Howard Gordon

Shades of Poltergeist where we fully expected Kevin to turn away from the TV to announce, "They're here". Nice interplay between Mulder and Scully using past episodes to move their partnership forward. Mulder's grief at the end on tape during his session with Dr. Werber is classic.

DIRECTOR
Daniel Sackheim

He also directed the Pilot. One theme that recurs here is seeing lights and thinking it's aliens, and it turns out to be something more earthly. In the Pilot, it was helicopters, and here it's motorcycles roaring through the forest at Kevin. He gave us a wordless glimpse into Mulder's grief when Darlene was being taken away by the NSA and Mulder stood just outside the car window, his reflection on top of her darkened form inside. He lightly touched the window as the car pulled away. He as so close to 'truth' and it is taken away from him.

RUNNING TALLIES
Flashlights - twice, by NSA breaking in, and Mulder in the forest, and dropped it
Guns - Mulder, shot into the air to scare the wolves from Greg's grave
Slide Projector
Mulder Breaks a Law - Disturbing a crime scene
Grammar lesson - "Okobogee." "Oka - what?"
Cell Phones - See Scully's on the dresser in hotel, NSA uses his

Side note: First episode where Mulder fires his gun.

ATHENAEUM

Ernestine sat behind the switchboard with her headphones on, pulling and plugging cords into little holes. She thought she heard a sound and looked up but saw no one. She turned back to her switchboard but there it was again. A little voice. She took the headphones off and looked out over the desk but no one was there. As soon as she was once again comfortably situated at the switchboard, she heard the little voice say hello. She stood and peered over the desk to see a small child looking up at here.

She placed her hand over her heart. "A gracious hello to you," she said.

"I'm Kevin," the little boy stated clearly.

"How may I, in all humble servitude, be of assistance?"

"My sister is up there," said Kevin pointing to where the ceiling had to be, but couldn't actually see it in the large, dark library.

Ernestine pleasantly asked, "In the attic?"

"No," Kevin smiled to the woman. "Much higher."

"My, my."

"She's a sending me messages. I'm her conduit."

"Conduit? That's so cute."

"Her name is Ruby. Can you call her for me?"

Ernestine looked at the somber child. She decided to humor him a little before shooing him home. "Well, no harm in trying." She returned to her switchboard, plugged in a bright red cord and looked at Kevin. "One ringy dingy. . .two ringy dingy."

Kevin's returning smile made Ernestine snort with satisfaction. She talked into the head set, "Hello? Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?" She snorted to the child once more and continued speaking to the other party on the line, "Yes, well I'm trying to reach Ruby. I have her darling little brother here and he really needs to speak with her."

As she wanted for a response, she drummed her fingers on the desk, politely smiling at Kevin. "She's busy right now? Oh! But she left a message for Kevin?" Ernestine listened with great enthusiasm, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and oh yes. I'll give it to him."

Ernestine disconnected the line and turned to Kevin. "Ruby says to tell you she is okay, not to worry about all that gibberish she's been sending, and to tell you that you are a boy and not a conduit. Go home, be nice to those attractive FBI agents, eat some vegetables and mind your mother."

Kevin seemed satisfied, thanked her and went home.

QUOTES

BLEVINS In essence, Mulder is petitioning the bureau to assign a case number to a tabloid headline.

SCULLY I admit, that is strange. Even for Mulder.

SCULLY But what makes this case anymore credible, than... the hundred year old mother with the lizard baby?

DARLENE Well I, knew that if I screamed, loud and long enough that, someone would listen. But I never expected the FBI.

DARLENE (To Scully) You know, I've told this story so many times now, oh... to the newspapers and the police. And every time I tell it, people get this... look in their eye... just like the look that you've got right now.

KEVIN (pointing to the TV) It's coming from there.

SCULLY I just think it's a good idea not to antagonize local law enforcement.
MULDER Who me? I'm Mr. Congeniality.
SCULLY You never know, we might need his help one of these days.
MULDER I'll send him a bundt cake.

BARTENDER Get a killer sunburn in the middle of the night.

MULDER Come on. How could an eight year old boy, who can barely multiply, be a threat to national security? People call me paranoid.

MULDER You guys do really delicate work.

MULDER I think that Kevin is a conduit of some kind.

SCULLY Mulder, I know what you're thinking. I know why this is so important to you.

SCULLY Mulder, stop. Stop running after your sister. It won't bring her back.
MULDER Come with me or don't come with me, but until they find a body, I'm not giving up on that girl.

MULDER By any chance was there attendant reduction in the lymphocyte population or a release of gluco-cordacoids? They're symptoms of prolonged weightlessness. Shuttle astronauts have reported similar imbalances.

DARLENE As far as I'm concerned, she spent the last month on the back of a Harley Davidson.

MULDER I want to believe.