"Don't look at me. This was your idea."

Crunch! That's the sound of another new writer breaking his teeth. This time the writer is Jeffrey Bell, the episode "Rain King," and the theme....lo-ove. In the newest installment of The X-Files, the skies rain flower petals, meteorologists are "sexy," and a sweet, romantic show is born. "Sweet" and "X-File" may seem like an oxymoron, but "Rain King" fit the season perfectly. I'm just sorry the big wigs over at FOX couldn't arrange the time schedule so that it would air on Valentine's Day. It just seemed out of place on January 10. At this time of year I could have used a frightening thriller, and instead, I got a romantic comedy. I guess you take what you can get. And what we got was admittedly something quite nice. The basic idea of the story wasn't entirely original (I saw "The Avengers" the night before, and much to my surprise, it had an almost identical plot!), but by focusing on the idea of love and repressed emotions, a central theme of The X-Files since its inception, it worked. Add that to some great performances from the guest actors (especially David Manis as Holman...he reminded me so much of Pendrell. *sniff*), a touch of humour, and lots of Mulder and Scully banter, and you've got yourself an enjoyable, entertaining, and charming little X-File.

"Well lookey here. The FBI."

This episode was all about the looks. Any gaps in plot or dialogue were amply made up for with a quick glance or a long ogle. As usual, Scully won this staring contest. Not to say that Mulder didn't have his share of "gazes" - the incredulity evident in his face before the cow crashed down on him was quite amusing - but for sheer numbers, Scully topped the heap. She pulled out all the stops, including her trademark, the "I told you so" look. She used this at least twice, once when Holman told them that he was not causing the weather patterns ("Thank you. Can we go now?"), as well as at Daryl's "rain dance." Of course, I don't blame her for the latter one. Who wouldn't have been skeptical of that guy - his gyrations were more evocative of Elaine's dancing from "Seinfeld" than an actual spiritual practice. I suppose I shouldn't be mocking, though. After all, they did seem to work. A few twists and turns and bang! They're back in Vancouver. I'm sure David Duchovny really appreciated that. ;)

"Does that look like someone who can control the weather?"

"Rain King" may have been a bit...different...but as always, Mulder and Scully stayed true to form. Skeptical Scully and Open-Minded Mulder took their places on the ends of the believe-o-meter, and basically stayed there for the rest of the show. Scully seemed almost tortured when she had to explain Mulder's wild theory to Sheila, while Mulder was immersed in the case, staying up all night poring over newspapers and eating sunflower seeds. Since we've not had a true X-File in many months (I consider the last classic X-File to be "Kill Switch"), it's comforting to know that at the very least the characters have stayed the same. Scully, as always, was able to stay calm even in the wake of a storm, playing the part of the straight woman perfectly. When confronted with Mulder covered in lipstick, she seemed rather oblivious to this little soap opera, more embarrassed than anything else. (Though I do have to wonder, does she really not care, or is this just her way of covering up her true emotions?) But as usual, Mulder was caught right in the middle of this tornado...and that made it easy for the writers to poke a little fun at him. Mulder? Dating advice? The irony of someone so unlucky in love playing Dr. Ruth couldn't have been more poignant.

"Mulder, when was the last time you went on a date?"
"I will talk to you later."
"The blind leading the blind..."

With "Rain King," The X-Files found itself inflagrante delecto. How do you express something as integral to the show as trench coats and flashlights - that is, Mulder and Scully's relationship - without really talking about it? With a plot such as "Rain King"'s, an issue like this was sure be brought to the surface. Valentine's Day, repressed emotions, heart-shaped hail...love was literally in the air. I got the impression that one of the priorities of this episode was to delve deeper into the spectrum that is Mulder and Scully's feelings, but the producers seemed to be purposely staying away from ever directly addressing it. I realize why this tease takes place, but I still felt a little cheated after sitting through this whole episode without one frank conversation between the two protagonists. Innuendos, while cute, can get tiring after six years.

But being the ‘shipper I am, I loved them anyway. :) The fussing way Scully checked Mulder for head trauma, the sight of Mulder and Scully swaying stiffly to the music, and Mulder's fervent assertions that he does not "gaze at Agent Scully," as if he were trying to convince himself rather than Holman, were all cute little allusions to their relationship. Mulder and Scully have often been mistaken for a couple, but "Rain King" took that to the extreme. Scully was taken to be Mulder's wife ("If I'd known you'd brought the missus..."), and Mulder, Scully's boyfriend (Uh miss, we put your boyfriend's things in your room."). They were even compared to a pseudo Auntie Em and Uncle Henry at the television station ("The Gundersons!"). I always love to see how other people react to Mulder and Scully's odd relationship, for it gives a voice to the apparent. After dealing with cryptic clues and enigmatic characters, anything remotely discernible seems very hard for them to see. Holman and Sheila's amazement that Mulder and Scully have never even kissed is nothing more than a bulletin from the department of the obvious. But in a way, all these innuendos, pokes and teases worked. The same way Holman's feelings were expressed in the weather, Mulder and Scully's were expressed in their advice to Holman and Sheila and their evolving relationship. Mulder's advice to Holman could very well have been turned back on him. And Scully, skeptical as always, had a hard time believing what she heard, whether it was about a man who could unconsciously control the weather, or the facts of her own life. It was cute how Mulder and Scully got caught up in this soap opera, how they found themselves living vicariously through Sheila and Holman to inject some drama into their otherwise insipid lives. If Mulder could ever put as much passion into his own life as he did into this case, or Scully actually admit to Mulder what she did to Sheila in the bathroom, the rain storms that seem to be plaguing their lives might let up for a little while, and they could find their own Oz, whatever that may be.

"It seems to me, that the best relationships, the ones that last, are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. One day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before, like a switch has been flicked somewhere, and a person who was just a friend is suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with."

In The X-Files, it's the little things that count. They were, in fact, what made "Rain King" so enjoyable. I've loved Mark Snow's music lately, and the inclusion of popular music just added to that. There must be millions of songs about rain out there, and The X-Files seems to be doing its best to find them all. "Rainy Days and Mondays" followed the trend set by "I'm Only Happy When it Rains" from last week's episode. My favourite allusion to the weather, though, was without a doubt Mulder's deadpan "I'll build the Ark, you gather the animals," as they swayed to "Don't Rock the Boat." He he. :) This kind of humour showed just how much fun they were having, and really brought the show to life. I couldn't help giggling at the sight of those two high school students flying off with the tornado either. I certainly hope that doesn't happen on my prom night! And then there was "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"... As much as I love allusions to Oz, I don't really get it. I mean, I have some idea what they were aiming for - Holman and Sheila represent the perfect world you can get to if you just realize your own feelings - but where did this whole thing come from? How for example, does this tie into "Triangle"? Maybe it's a hint of things to come. As Mulder and Scully progress in their quest down the yellow brick road, they are coming ever nearer to the Emerald City, where at last, the dreams that they dared to dream really do come true.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

When all the world is a hopeless jumble
And the raindrops tumble all around
Heaven opens a magic lane
When all the clouds darken up the skyway
There's a rainbow highway to be found
Leading from your window pane
To a place behind the sun
Just a step beyond the rain

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why oh why can't I?