Even before the first drops of yellow goop came flowing out of Angela Schiff's shower head (which will, by the way, make it considerably unnerving for me to ever bathe again), I knew I would like "Field Trip." How did I know this, you might ask. Merely by its name. It's deceivingly simple, yet within those two words lies a multitude of different meanings, fitting this episode in many ways. It begs the question, "Was it a trip to a field...or a trip in a field?" Or you might say, "I don't remember any field trips like this in elementary school..." But there's one thing everyone can agree on - this was one wild trip!
"Scully, I want you to... put aside your scientific bias for a moment. 'Cause what I'm about to tell you is going to change your life forever. Your life, my life, the life of everybody on this planet."
At last, an episode that managed to creep me out. I'll admit it, I like the fluffy, heartwarming episodes, but lately I've missed the old shiver down my spine. The eerie mysteries and spooky plot lines drew me to this series, and the characters kept me hooked. It is a rare day when we get both those things in the same episode, but "Field Trip" managed to pull it off. The skeletons and disturbing visions created a tense suspense, but underneath all the slime and mushrooms was a story of two people trying to come to terms with themselves and the lives they are living. However, as intriguing as it was, I did take offense with some parts of this episode it looked like they were trying to sweep under the "It was a hallucination!" rug. Those foot tracks Scully found by the cave were just a tad too convenient, the absence of Mulder's mother at his wake slightly odd, and the initial shot of the "evil" mushroom (which in real life happens harmless, even edible) just a little too obvious. I can definitely see John Shiban's role in this episode - a story with giant mushrooms that devour men gives me flashbacks to "El Mundo Gira." Still, these were minor problems, and easily overlooked. I'll take a carnivorous mushroom any day over goat suckers and people with heads of fungus.
"UFOs. Extraterrestrial visitors from beyond who apparently have nothing better to do than buzz one mountain over and over again for 700 years."
"Sounds like crap when you say it."
Despite all the scientific lingo and investigative analysis, the heart of this episode had nothing to do with fungal organisms and hallucinogenic spores. It was a chance for Mulder and Scully to better understand each other, to put aside their pride for a while and come to accept the others' beliefs. The chain reaction which followed was set off by a single argument, a disagreement over paradigms in their basement office. Using the long lost slide show, albeit missing a screen (this office must have been extremely mismanaged by Fowley and Spender...I think Diana must be a klepto :), Mulder told Scully in very definite terms his theories about two mysterious deaths near a supposed UFO hot spot. When Scully rebuked these ideas, the war of convictions was on. Though both said harsh words, Mulder's, "Scully, in six years, how often have I been wrong?" managed to leave both me and Scully speechless. It may be true, but to be fair, it's not really her fault that she's always wrong. Chris Carter, after initially toying with the idea of splitting the cases evenly between Mulder and Scully, decided it would be too boring to have such logical, down to earth plots, opting instead for the "Mulder" answer. The result of this, of course, is that Scully seems to be wrong 98.9% of the time (I still like to look for the more scientific answers in these cases, however). After a few weeks of lighthearted episodes, Mulder and Scully were back on the chase, their sensitive and fun-loving selves now apparently abducted and/or ritualistically murdered by their investigative vanity.
"I was out there, and I found it."
"What?"
"The truth."
So we began on two very, um, interesting trips. Most of the time, it was obvious whose hallucination we were in (i.e., "I don't know what to say, Mulder. Where to begin. I mean, you were right. All these years, you were right," is most obviously a Mulder hallucination), but with the many shifting perspectives, the line between the two often became blurred. But this was likely purposeful. The difficulty in discerning when or if the hallucinations ever merged added to the uneasiness, the feeling of chaos and disarray inherent in this folie a deux. They also made for some neat special effects. I especially liked the psychedelic transitions between scenes. Groovy baby, yeah! ;) Mulder was the first to take a trip, his hallucination mimicking what he considers real life - a world full of alien abductions and intrigues at every turn. So at peace was he with the new knowledge he gained there, I almost wished it wasn't a hallucination. Yet even in this drugged state, he knew it was too good to be true. True to his investigative roots, he couldn't completely believe himself until he took care of the nagging question of the skeletons, not even in this utopia of his. The Scully within him would not let such discrepancies slide, and as much as he shunned her view in the opening scene, that doubt is probably what saved him.
"That doesn't sound like you, Scully. I can't believe you're buying this."
In Scully's hallucination, more innate fears were brought to the surface. Her doubt of her work and her worth to the X-Files was revealed in the characters she brought along on her trip. For once everyone but Scully was looking for the simplest, most logical explanation. To hear your own reasoning used back on you is often a humbling experience, and I'm sure Scully wished she never brought the whole "ritualistic murder" theory up by the end of the ordeal. Without Mulder around for counterpoint, Scully became torn between science and belief, questioning her own findings and her scientific approach to the X-Files. Like Mulder, she unconsciously began to see the other side. But unlike Mulder, she had to go through much more emotional turmoil. I can't think of anything more disturbing than having to identify your best friend's skeleton. (At least Mulder and Scully are almost even on the "death" toll now...so far we have Mulder at three and Scully at four.) In that sense, "Field Trip" was reminiscent of "Paper Hearts," with Scully in Mulder's shoes, trying to remain rational while choking back the tears. It turned out all she had to do was ask, "Where is he? Where's Mulder?" and he appeared. Not a bad way to communicate - it's better than the Bat signal! Together again, our Batman and Robin finally figured out the mystery and escaped. (These two are even rational when high on LSD - makes you wonder what kind of college life they had... ;) But still it seemed too right, too shut and closed. Something was wrong, and they knew it. To be convinced, a drastic act was needed...and so Hallucination Mulder shot Hallucination Skinner and it all ended happily ever after. Well, except for the fact that they were covered in goo and half digested...I'm sure that brought back lots of nice Antarctic memories for Scully. :P
"Mulder, this is not reality. This is a hallucination. It has to be. And either I am having it, or you are having it or we are having it together."
In the end, Mulder and Scully were both wrong. The mystery they had sought to explain was not perpetuated by aliens or ritualistic killers, but by a truth they discovered together. They may have started out the episode at odds with each other, but they could only survive this ordeal together, proving again the oneness of their partnership. In a season that seemed to scoff at the novel concept of reality, "Field Trip" managed to seem real even when it was not. A tight, creepy episode driven by the complex relationship between Mulder and Scully is one trip I'm glad I didn't miss.
"Scully...we never escaped. We're still trapped underground."