The X-Files: Season Three
Grotesque
(3.14)
Written by Howard Gordon / Directed by Kim Manners
Well, if gargoyles are meant to ward off demons then
maybe this show will help to ward off some the demons some fans have
been seeing lately....the kind that kill tv shows. I personally have
not felt fatalistic about the future of the X-Files but for those who
have over the last few episodes maybe your demons have been
exorcised.
Having the episode after the teaser start with a slideshow made
me feel right at home in an XF episode again. The shots were
beautiful, the groundwork was laid and the two of them were getting
along. Now I have to agree with the contingent who feel that if
Syzygy was not intended as an episode to stand alone, then they can't
just leave the characterizations established there without dealing
with them. But I have to say that I breathed a sigh of relief when
they didn't really touch them this time. I do want some resolution
but I guess I didn't want it thrown in as some uncomfortable
conversation that would be an awkward scene inserted into this
episode just for that purpose. I think it would be just fine if it
was left for a bit then dealt with in a way that flowed more with the
show. I guess I just wasn't prepared for the confrontation yet.
Besides, from this episode it is apparent that certain sticking
points between the partners are still alive and well, such as Mulder
ditching Scully without letting her know where he is.
As far as our heroes go......I thought it was interesting to see
what brought Mulder to the place he is today. His time spent in the
BSU/ISU is part of his character that deserved more exploration and I
found it fascinating to see him become involved in this case...I knew
we were witness to the "Spooky" Mulder from his earlier years in the
FBI. This is in sharp contrast to where he is today in his
partnership with Scully. When he says at the end "allowing the
monsters from without to turn within" we can see how much having
Scully as a partner does for his mental state. I think in a way, she
is his savior. Mulder really gets dangerously involved in his attempt
to get into the mind of the killer. Patterson's credo interpreted by
Mulder was that if you want to catch a monster you have to become one
yourself. This is probably one of the reasons why Mulder had to leave
ISU, but Patterson has remained there and his involvement in this
case has taken him to an extreme where he feels the only one who can
save him, the only one who can go as far as he did in the pursuit, is
Mulder. I see Mulder's involvement on two levels...firstly trying to
exorcise his own demons from the past by solving this case and
proving his worth to Patterson (I don't want to disappoint you by not
disappointing you). Secondly, he simply goes back to his obsessive
pursuit of a goal, in this case to catch the killer at all costs even
his life and mental health. His "new wallpaper" is a sign of how deep
he is going and this is shown in harsh reality when he goes back to
question Mostow and goes over the top and ends up assaulting him in
the search for more information. This is not our cool, collected
agent. Possibly hanging all the pictures of gargoyles is an attempt
to ward off the return of his own demons. Mostow's own words....it
can find you...maybe it already has.
On the flip side we get to see the Scully that I have come to
admire as we entered the 3rd season. Whereas I find some of the more
interesting characterizations of Mulder are rooted in past events, I
believe that Scully's are being played out in the present. Case in
point being when she faces off against Skinner in Mulder's apartment
in The Blessing Way....a definite highlight of this episode. I am not
suggesting that Scully was not a strong character to start with.
Obviously she is intelligent and successful as her past
accomplishments to rise to this position show. And we know she has
the determination and patience to have endured the begining of her
partnership with Mulder. But I think the continuation of this
alliance and all that she has had to overcome together with Mulder,
and without him in the case of his disappearance, has made her one
heck of a strong and outspoken character.
Once again Mulder has ditched Scully, turning off his cellular
phone and not returning her phone calls. I have to give her credit
for remaining as patient as she does and trying her best to get
through to Mulder. As he gets in his car once again to disappear
without a trace she says, "Mulder, where are you going?" and we can
hear the weariness in her voice. She is doing her best to help her
partner and she proves this in her conversation with Patterson. She
accuses him of bringing Mulder in while knowing just how he would
respond. She wants answers and all he can tell her is not to get in
Mulder's way....not to hold him back because she won't be able to.
This role that Scully assumes in this episode was reminiscent of
Anasazi where she is looking for the answers to solve the case at the
same time that she is desperately trying to help Mulder elude the
facts that seem to point tohis involvement. If anyone needs proof
that she is still loyal to Mulder as his partner and protector this
is it and it is only furthered by her conversation with Skinner. One
problem I had with the portrayal of Scully, and this isn't the first
time, is the manner in which she interrogates suspects. I think the
point is to show she knows the score and isn't going to take any crap
from people, but when she and Mulder first went in to talk with
Mostow she was rather harsh with him. He is a murderer but he may be
insane or might have been possessed yet her manner toward him is
fairly hostile. I remember at least one more instance recently when I
saw this portrayal. It was in Paperclip when they went to talk to
Klemper....she had a similar attitude and although both these men
have committed a multitude of atrocities I feel that it might be
counterproductive to the fact-finding goal to begin an exchange of
information in this way. You catch more flies with honey....
Overall, I found this episode satisfying in its offering of
further insight into the main players. Mulder's past overlapping with
this present case was a scary ride on the edge of his sanity, yet he
has the ability to come back from the brink and solve the case.
Patterson asks him "Are you out of your mind?" and Mulder answers,
"Not me....not now." Unlike Patterson he can still pull himself back
in time. Once again Scully is the voice of reason, and whether you
grow weary of this or not, in this case she was right. She says,
"Mostow killed those men, Mulder, and out of some sick alliance some
other person is continuing where he left off." Patterson may not have
allied himself with Mostow, but he got perilously close to the
workings of this man's mind and his mania became Patterson's....or
possibly the spirit of evil that gripped Mostow was transferred. All
depends on your take of the show. Last but not least we got some more
insight into AD Skinner. He is definitely taking a role in watching
over these two agents and he does care....off the record.
I thought the imagery, lighting and camerawork in this episode
were great. It was dark and spooky with the lighting giving just
enough cover to allow something to slouch off into the shadows. The
gargoyles Mostow had sculpted were creepy and everytime Mulder was in
that room I kept waiting for one of them to spring out at him. My
favorite shot was when the glassblower was being stalked. Just before
he was attacked we saw the shadow of his attacker cast across the
floor. This conjured up the image that scared me most when I was a
kid.....it was Nosferatu from the old black and white movie, creeping
up the staircase with his shadow thrown on the wall. Now that is
scary! I'm not sure what I think happened in this episode....I think
it is open to interpretation. A rational explanation would be the one
offered, that Mostow was simlply a killer and Patterson got too
involved and went over the edge. But Mostow was convinced that he was
possessed and Patterson screams out his innocence in the closing
scene. When Patterson attacked Mulder he definitely was filmed as
something other than himself....if you run slow motion through the
attacks and the pursuit of Patterson before his capture he seems to
be portrayed as something other than human. But once again it all
comes down to perspective. Was this us seeing him through Mulder's
eyes....Mulder who expects to see the monster from his nightmare? Or
is this just the projection of evil, not a supernatural evil, just
pure evil? That could be one explanation and I think it would also
explain the images of Pfaster seen not only by Scully but by the
mortician in the episode Irresitible. Maybe the embodiment of evil in
people can actually be witnessed when the mind is open to them under
cover of darkness.
Back to Menu
Piper Maru / Apocrypha (3.15, 3.16)
Written by Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter / Directed by Rob
Bowman
From High Noon in Hong Kong to the ending with Ratboy
in exile, this two-parter was great material but I think it has to be
looked at as a whole not broken into the seperate episodes. Piper
Maru was a good episode but I think it had to involve too much set up
to stand on it's own as great; put it together with Apocrypha and
you've got a great offering. Maybe not the intensity of
Colony/Endgame but it sure delivered in terms of information and some
closure as well as giving us lots more to ponder in the coming weeks
as we sift our way through MOTW episodes and reruns.
Starting from the topside....we have the French on a salvage
mission and despite people's complaints about the accents I have to
say I feel pretty much the same about this as the location shots that
look like Vancouver. Of course they do but I think that if the script
and feel of the scene as a whole can overcome these things then they
should be overlooked. I have to admit that when these hit close to
home it may be hard to get past them but I think in general the
quality of an entire scene is greater than the sum of it's parts. The
diver finds the proverbial needle in a haystack when he finds the
downed plane but one thing that didn't jibe with later scenes was the
fact that they were detecting radiation. Maybe I missed something,
and I'm sure if I did someone will kindly point it out, but I was
under the impression that the alien itself didn't give off radiation
unless it wanted to when it set off it's own type of fission reaction
leading to the burst of light. If it alone gave off radiation then
Gauthier would not have been released from the hospital and the Piper
Maru would have had detectable levels of radiation when the HazMat
team swept. But I digress....
Gauthier finds the plane and hears the pilot inside beating on
the walls. The pilot is alive after all this time and has the entity
inside which he generously passes on to Gauthier. Trade relations are
alive and well in the 90's. So the oily entity has now found a host
to bring it up to the surface to go in search of it's next mark. This
transfer itself is a mystery to me. We see the entity in the eyes of
the pilot but he is trapped in the plane and the diver is in a well
sealed dive suit so somehow this transfer is accomplished....more
speculation to follow.
Next, we move on to some of the scenes that I think made Piper
Maru a good watch on it's own without the alien conspiracy plotline.
The Scully/Skinner and Scully/Mulder interactions. Gillian Anderson
is just getting better and better or else she is being allowed to
really stretch and find her boundaries on this show. She is able to
show the most subtle changes of emotion without saying a word and in
her conversation with Pileggi this really comes out. He is also
getting to expand the depth of his character in Skinner's
relationship with Scully. One of Pileggi's most memorable scenes in
the past was when Skinner let his guard down a bit and humanized the
character and in PM he got the chance again as he shows his support
and compassion for Scully and her feelings. Skinner wants to help her
but he is the messenger in this and bears the brunt of her reaction
to the news. He listens to her and tries to assure her that his
interest is still there but we see the impact this has on both of
them.
When Scully meets Mulder in the basement he notices her
distraction and the fact that she's upset and although he asks her if
there is something wrong she brushes aside his question to get down
to business. I think she may have felt she had said enough to Skinner
and needed to internalize her feelings in front of her partner. They
are closer and it might have caused her control to crack and if you
are a rift-believer then possibly she didn't feel she could really
share this with Mulder. It does seem that she has been unable to
share some of the most important issues she has mentally tackled with
her partner so maybe this is just another example....I would prefer
to subscribe to the interpretation that she is just not willing to
deal with it *right now*. They have work to do and she wants to push
it back in her mind for now. I believe that Mulder was aware of her
state of mind but respected her wishes to drop it. As Mulder lays out
the latest information for Scully and she tries to switch gears we
are given a very welcome exchange between the partners. She is once
again amazed at his perseverence and ability to create a viable case
out of discarded information. Her comments about him out in the
desert with a shovel were funny and well delivered. "Is that what you
think of me? No...maybe a backhoe."
So it's off to find out why the Piper Maru was out at the same
site as the Talapus and what has caused the radiation sickness in its
crew. At the hospital Scully asks the doctor some questions and he
looks at her strangely. Yes doc....some women are medical doctors
too. Better make some room on your pedestal and watch out 'cause
she's packing heat. The doc says these levels of radiation are not
found in nature and Mulder replies not on this planet, leaving Scully
to pick up the fumble and distract the doctor with another question.
We find out that Gauthier has been discharged and is probably headed
home to SF. Before following up on that lead S&M go to check out
the Piper Maru. As they search the PM, Mulder finds the dive suit and
being the inquisitive type touches the oily substance and smells it.
He really knows no caution...what if it was caustic. Leap before you
look. Scully finds the nautical chart with the name Zeus Faber on
it....pieces of the puzzle. When they find the VCR and review the
dive tape they see the downed plane and Scully wows the guys with her
knowledge of planes. Mulder's comment is a classic mulderism....I
just got very turned on. As Scully says she knows who she can get
some information from Mulder continues to stare at the frozen image
of the plane...one can only imagine his thoughts regarding the
coincidence of seeing his badge number nearly replicated as the call
numbers. So in the true tradition of the third season, our heroes
split up. Scully to remain in San Diego and track down her source and
Mulder to head for San Francisco in search of Gauthier.
The oil slick Gauthier is home ransacking the study looking for
information just as he did on the Piper Maru. This time he finds what
he needs but is interrupted by the arrival of his wife. As in a
healthy marriage it's share and share alike so he passes on the
entity to his now edgy wife. Not long after she leaves the house,
Mulder arrives on the scene and finds no one answering the door but
the place is a mess. He also locates the interesting document and
pockets the address just as he hears the awakening struggles of
Gauthier. He seems to be fine although his last memory is of his
dive. Though disoriented, he is aware enough to take the fifth and
refuse to answer Mulder's questions although Mulder was being so
gentle in his technique and bedside manner. With the salvage company
address in his possesion Mulder heads out. At JK Salvage Brokers he
finds the helpful "assistant" to Mr. Kallenchuk, or so he thinks.
This character was a riot from the start with her "I don't type" to
her whole demeanor toward Mulder. Guess he can't charm 'em all. With
no useful information Mulder stakes out the place and follows
Jeraldine to the airport as she skips out on the French trenchcoat
patrol.
In the meantime, Scully is at Miramar tracking down an old friend
of her father's. We get to see Scully reminiscing about her childhood
and once again Anderson doesn't let us down with a touching moment. I
did sort of want to strangle those giggly girls that portrayed the
young Scully's but I might have just skipped my medication. When she
questions Commander Johansen he seems less than forthcoming but he
says he's just forgetful these days so it would seem that her source
is a dead end. However, as she's leaving the base a surly guard with
visions of grandeur and a diploma in melodrama *detains* her at the
gate. Couldn't he have just asked her to wait and told her that the
commander was meeting her? And to our surprise Johansen drives up and
either he's off his meds or he has had an attack of conscience since
he suddenly is a fount of knowledge. This screaming coincidence is a
good thing for M&S but seems a bit contrived. Not only did he
know about the incident but he was there and was a major player.
Anyway, we get the first in a string of references to burying the
dead alive which was a powerful theme that really tied the two
episodes together. The dead talk to us, haunt us, beg us for
meaning....the voices of our dead trying to save us from our own
damnation. Scully's voices are from her sister and Mulder's are from
his father and maybe Samantha but Johansen's are from his crewmates
and more recently his son and possibly this reminder in the form of
his son's old playmate was enough to break his silence. He tells
Scully he was on the Zeus Faber which was sent to find the downed
plane...at least that was what they were told but we get the
impression that the cover story about a third atomic bomb is just
that...a cover, but Johansen himself was not locked in the room with
Captain Sanford so he was not a witness to the entity. All he knows
is that he was only one of seven survivors and they never got an
explanation for what happened.
Meanwhile, Mulder is at SF International with his overnight bag.
He gets a call from Scully so she can pass on the latest and one has
to wonder if he was even going to let her know that he was leaving
the country. He is hot on the trail of Jeraldine and as he boards the
flight we see Gauthier's now *slick* wife following. Mulder catches
up with Jeraldine as she dines in a Hong Kong restaurant and we are
subjected to the "pardon my gender type" conversation which didn't do
much for me. I did think that Jeraldine was pretty funny and a strong
character. If she had been given some better dialogue she would have
been superb. Mulder handcuffs her and drags her to her local office
and asks politely for the key. When no key is forthcoming he kicks
the door open...strong women must bring out his macho side. But who's
lurking in the shadows but our good friend Krycek. It's good to see
him and even though he looks like he's been through the ringer he's
in top form. When he and Mulder start in, Jeraldine's line
"Great...High Noon in Hong Kong" really sets Krycek off and he seems
to be at breaking point. He tosses her out in the hall...like I said,
this woman seems to bring out the best in everyone. Unfortunately her
screen time is cut short as she is shot out in the hall by the French
trenchcoat patrol who has caught up with her. As Krycek escapes out
the window with Mulder not far behind the boys break into the room
and finding an open window hit the hall only to run into the *slick*
entity in the form of Gauthier's wife who does her fission trick
leaving a pile of burnt bodies in her wake.
So we reach the climax of part one with the HK Airport
confrontation between Mulder and Krycek. I have to admit these are
really fun and for these alone I think Krycek should keep coming
back. The one in Anasazi was fun and so is this one. In the process
of getting beat up and having his gun taken away, Krycek tells Mulder
he didn't kill his father. Now I'm sure that wasn't a lie under
duress with the hope of survival....nah. He does admit that he has
the tape stashed in DC and wants to trade his life for it. Mulder
could just whack him and take the key but then we wouldn't get to see
Ratboy anymore and where's the fun in that? Instead he relies on a
shameful plot device and allows him to use the john on his own where
Krycek is attacked by the entity and becomes the new and improved
Slick*Krycek. He feels like a new man... I had to admit it felt like
Krycek getting his just desserts being slammed against the wall in
the john by a woman while trying to take a whiz. Poetic justice
indeed.
Two-parters are hell but the pain of "To Be Continued" is worth
the payoff in most cases where the X-Files is concerned. Apocrypha
starts with a flashback to 1953....the final living victim and
witness from the Zeus Faber wants the truth to be known and he
doesn't trust it to the men who sent him on that fated mission. So
instead of telling the Navy he tells a young William Mulder and two
of his cohorts. This is really a great teaser...probably one of, if
not the, best. Some are sacrificed so others can live....that's war.
The dying sailor knows this but he also wants the truth to get out.
He says they weren't there to salvage a plane or an atomic bomb but
to guard whatever was down there. And whatever it was...it's still
there. He seems fixated on Mr. Mulder in the telling of this
information and he feels that he will understand. "I can trust you"
he asks of Mulder, and his confessor looks away to the others in the
room his eyes falling last on a familiar figure. It's a young CSM who
tells the man..."You can trust all of us." I really thought that as
the dying man was speaking William Mulder seemed compassionate and
yet he's keeping company with one seemingly heartless and cold
character (even at a young age) in the person of CSM. The third man
in the room is still under hot debate and although I believe Deep
Throat is certainly a viable alternative, my first instinct was to
name him as Elder number 1...he just seemed to fit the description.
So on with the show....in my first long-winded post I forgot to
include a critical plot point. Skinner's second encounter with the
Hispanic Man. Earlier in the episode he was harrassed at his favorite
eatery by some folks from the Intelligence Community....to which
Skinner comments, "Remind me not to move there." They threaten his
future and life if he doesn't cease and desist in any further
investigations into Melissa's death. Near the end of the episode he
is once again sitting down for a comfortable meal when there is a
disturbance at the front counter. Skinner to the rescue....chivalry
is not dead but it can get you dead in a hurry. The cretin harrassing
the waitress if none other than our good friend the Hispanic Man,
Krycek's one time cohort and one time assasin-to-be. This guy was
with Krycek when Melissa was accidentally shot (and was actually the
triggerman for those of us with slow-mo who taped that ep) and helped
to beat up Skinner when they stole the DAT tape from his person in
the hospital. Not a friendly customer, and once again he is true to
form giving the counterwoman a hard time. When Skinner breaks in to
see what the problem is the Hispanic Man turns and shoots him in the
stomach. This was obviously a set-up but the interesting thing is
that he doesn't just kill him outright. That is some painful warning.
After offering some bodily fluids to Skinner he departs the scene and
following Skinner's admission to the hospital Skinner's secretary
calls Scully at home to tell her that the AD has been shot.
Scully who had just arrived home from San Diego heads straight to
the hospital while all us paranoid viewers screamed...No, it's a
set-up. Happily, in the second part of PM/A we find out it was not a
set-up and it's a good thing Scully is on the scene since it seems
that the agents assigned are doing a piss poor job of getting an
investigation underway. They have a description, prints and the
handgun but Scully wants more. Scully gets a chance to see Skinner on
his way out of recovery and following some nice supportive contact
between them he tells her that he's seen the man who shot him before.
Scully's on the case. She wants guards posted and all available
resources to track down the shooter. Don't mess with this woman.
Meanwhile, Mulder and Krycek are back from Hong Kong and on their
way home in a rental car with Krycek at the helm. I'm not sure why
Mulder hasn't noticed the difference in Krycek's demeanor. He really
is a new man and Mulder's buying it. He does give over the key to the
locker when Mulder asks for it...not that it's worth much in the long
run. As they head away from the airport they are followed by another
car and Mulder tells Krycek to speed up. Alien entity defensive
driving leaves something to be desired as they are forced off the
road by the other car. Krycek is the luckiest in this escapade since
his driver's side airbag inflates...on the other hand...dashboard
meet Mulder, Mulder meet dashboard. While our unfortunate hero is
virtually unconscious in the car Krycek is escorted away by one of
the two interlopers while the other holds Mulder at gunpoint. But the
two bad guys are less than fortunate as the Slick*Krycek celebrates
the Year of the Rat with some fireworks of his own. Mulder seems to
be at a safe distance though since when he turns up in the hospital
later he seems none the worse for wear.
Scully is busy organizing forces to find the shooter. Agent
Pendrell is on the case...although I'm a bit awestruck. He must be
the FBI's jack-of-all-trades since he's gone from computer chips to
PCR and serology/latent fingerprints, etc., etc., etc.... There seem
to be no bounds to his specialities when it comes to keeping Scully
happy. Despite his mooning over Scully, we get some useful
information. Scully imparts this info to Mulder when he awakens in
the hospital. "Guess I'm not dead" he says while Scully looks on with
one of her enigmatic smiles. She shows him the PCR results and
explains that they imply that the person who shot Melissa is the same
person who shot Skinner. Scully also shares this information with
Skinner who is recuperating in the same hospital and he is not
surprised. She learns more from him about where he saw his shooter
before. Scully is angered by the fact that once again they were so
close to having Krycek and the answers he could give them. This leads
to another interesting exchange between Skinner and Scully. He tells
her that if she can't keep her head she should step away. Her reply
is that is exactly what they want. This is possible, although if she
is overly angry they may be counting on her to continue and make a
misstep giving them the advantage they need to get to her. So
Skinner's warning shouldn't be taken lightly. But despite his words
she's off and running.
Meanwhile, we see CSM viewing the latest victims of the *slick*
entity. The prognosis is not good but the men are still alive. This
episode really highlighted the things that make CSM so much fun to
hate. He is so damn cold and has no respect for human
life....probably not even his own as we see the irony of him lighting
up a cigarette while the doc talks about cancer and death. He is
sifting ashes down on the dying man's face as he gauges the situation
then walks away and tells the doctor to destroy the bodies. Ashes to
ashes....they're not dead yet says the doctor...another illusion to
burying the dead alive. We see CSM's Smoke Ring cohorts lounging
around the 46th Street hangout in NYC discussing the latest escapades
of CSM. They know that the Piper Maru was attempting a salvage
mission at the site where they recovered a UFO and are wondering how
this information was leaked. It seems that CSM is getting in deeper
and deeper water where these guys are concerned.
Scully has realized that Krycek is the key to both the current
case and the case of her sister's death. Since she can't re-open her
sister's case she is pursuing the case of the missing "agent" Krycek.
When she meets up in the basement with Mulder she finds the dive suit
and Mulder's new theory. Why Mulder couldn't have just taken an oil
sample off the suit is beyond me although it might have been simply
to set up another mulderism..."It looked great on me in the store."
This exchange between Mulder and Scully is really priceless. As he
tells her that the oil is a medium for the alien who is body jumping
from host to host, Scully tries to stay with him and pose questions
but pretty soon they have to both laugh because it sounds so absurd.
Too bad we know it to be true. Scully asks if anybody is *not*
looking for Krycek to which Mulder poses the $64,000 question...Now
that it's in Krycek, what does it want?
Answer: To go to the Ice Capades. This Lone Gunmen scene was a
definite throwaway but I have to admit it was fun. The site of them
all on skates and their paranoia nearly fulfilled since the place was
crawling with people in trenchcoats carring briefcases made this
scene worth the trouble. And of course, when you get to the locker
and you need to clear the area what's the fastest way? Why of course,
a Frohike leer. The envelope acquired and back to the car where
Mulder gets in a good crack with regard to Miss Kerrigan only to
discover that the envelope is minus the tape. And the LGM were so
enjoying their G-man activities.
Back at home with CSM, once again in front of the tv watching
WWII movies and smoking his way through another pack. A long awaited
guest arrives in the guise of Krycek. "Where is it?", asks
Slick*Krycek after giving the DAT tape to CSM. CSM has been expecting
him. CSM really has some balls....he acts like it's an everyday
occurence to make trades and do business with aliens....heck, for him
maybe it is. He then rushes off to his scheduled meeting with the
Smoke Ring. They are less than welcoming and grill him about his
moving the salvaged UFO to another location. "Is this why I was
called here?" he barks back....like I said, this guy has guts. He is
being called on the carpet by these powerful buddies of his who seem
to be running short of patience and he isn't even breaking a sweat. I
thought after the fiasco over the tape in the ABC trilogy that he was
feeling the strain but you wouldn't know it now. Elder #1 is taking
the lead in the questioning but I get the impression that WMM is the
top dog in the room. He finally snaps and asks CSM about the shooting
of Skinner to which he denies any real responsibility. WMM tells him
to understand the priorities. "If the AD is able to ID the shooter
our well-placed operatives won't be able to stand in the way of an
arrest." Oh boy...this one is going to have me speculating for
awhile. Who the heck are the well-placed operatives? WMM tells CSM
that they can't afford to compromise the secrecy and security of the
project's future. This is no dormant conspiracy friends and
neighbors....we're talking "project's future".
Scully is briefed on the shooter's identity. They now know he is
Luis Cardinal but they have no idea of his whereabouts. Scully echos
Mulder's words from Ascension as she says "They think they can just
get away it." Scully doesn't feel their avenues have been exhausted
and tells the beleagured agents to get back to work. Pendrell moons
some more. Meanwhile, Mulder and the LGM have discovered a new use
for the amazing #2 pencil and Mulder is on the phone to the 46th
Street hangout. When he gets WMM on the phone he tells him he got the
number from Krycek, "a real nice guy who shot my father." When WMM
recognizes that it's Mulder he asks to meet him in the Park where he
asks him if he's looking for Krycek to seek revenge. Mulder asks for
info and WMM really opens up and tells him pretty much what Mulder
had worked out anyway and reveals that he doesn't know where Krycek
is either. I think WMM made out in this exchange since he now knows
that Krycek is not only alive but had the tape on him which is a fact
that CSM definitely lied to the group about. WMM tells Mulder that
anyone can be gotten to which sets off bells and whistles and Mulder
is on the phone to Scully to get her to check on Skinner.
When Scully arrives at the hospital she finds Skinner has been
transferred but they just left so she kicks it into high gear and
catches the ambulance at a stop light. She tells the driver she's
coming along for the ride and tells Skinner she just wants to make
sure he gets there okay. I noticed that the side of the ambulance
read Advanced Life Support Unit...now is this a support unit for
Advanced Life forms? Ahem....Skinner, is there something you've been
holding back on us about? Lucky for Skinner that Scully is tagging
along since they are joined at a stop by Cardinal who seems surprised
to see Scully and after a warning shot across the bow high tails it
down the street with Scully in pursuit. Meeting intimately with the
front bumper of a car, Cardinal is slowed down and eventually falls
to the ground with Scully standing over him with her gun trained on
him. Go ahead...just give me an excuse. Luckily, he makes no overt
movements and instead begs for his life like another rat*bastard we
know and love. He offers her information and Scully manages to hold
down her anger and feelings of vengeance and lets him be taken into
custody. As much as it would feel good to see her react and vent, she
would have to answer to someone about firing her weapon and her
standards for herself are too high to fall into this trap. She did
the right thing.
With this information and two tickets to North Dakota, Mulder and
Scully are off to search silos. I think the best shot of the
two-parter was the interior of the first silo they entered. With
their flashlight beams trained upward and the lights of the silo
outlining the interior it made for a really pretty shot. Of course,
no UFO but hey...there are 199 to go. Miles of corridors and you're
bound to meet up with someone you don't want to see. They get chased
down and Mulder is *disarmed* even if he didn't sign a treaty. We see
them being escorted out and in the background is room 1013.
Hmmmm...they were so close. CSM is waiting for them topside and
Mulder rages at him to no avail..."We saw bodies in there" Scully
says to which CSM answers..."You saw nothing." And then full circle
to the theme established as Mulder yells "You can't bury the truth!"
CSM down in the silo displays his usual charm and diplomacy as he
tells the soldiers to "take these away" as he points to the bodies of
the dead men. Makes you wonder if he was the one who coined the term
merchandise. He's a hard man and this is really brought home as he
walks away from room 1013 leaving Krycek to his fate. We see Krycek
inside exuding something other than his usual charm. It's really
beyond gross but the look on Krycek's face is priceless when the
entity is out and he is left kneeling above it watching it slip down
into the craft. He must be totally disoriented but there is some
level of realization and horror that comes across loud and clear.
The episode is wrapped up with some welcome interactions. Mulder
is showing a level of respect for Skinner that he has never outwardly
expressed. He thanks him for putting himself on the line which is
nice on two counts. He is thanking him for his own reasons but also
on Scully's behalf which actually shows the bond between him and
Scully. Skinner though tells him he's proceeding from a mistaken
impression...that he was only doing his job. This I believe is a true
statement, since it is probably the main reason why Skinner is in the
FBI, because he believes in justice, but it's not the whole truth
since I feel he does have a soft spot for Scully and did go the extra
yard.
Mulder then has to take Skinner's news to Scully which she takes
well. She is grieving at her sister's grave and I suppose the fate of
Cardinal is the closest she is going to come to justice so she is not
too surprised or upset. Mulder seems supportive physically putting
his arm around her and in his being there to listen to her. She
reiterates that the dead are speaking to us from beyond the
grave....demanding justice. Maybe we do bury the dead alive. You
betcha.....just look at old Krycek. I know...you gotta feel a bit
sorry for him since he has no idea how he got there but there is
justice in it. I for one don't believe this is the last we'll see of
him but even though I kept thinking poor Ratboy, I really couldn't
stop laughing as this scene played out. And that alien craft looked
pretty cool shot from above and in close-ups with the symbols on it.
All in all a great two parter. It delivered on info, closure,
more conspiracy twists and some powerful emotional scenes especially
on the part of Scully. But Skinner, Krycek and CSM really figured
well in this one, not just in screen time but in their character
development. I really enjoyed seeing more Skinner and am looking
forward to his feature episode but I also felt that it was great to
see CSM back in form as the black hearted creep that he is.
[ For anyone who made it this far, you can now pull your head off
the keyboard and hit that delete key...your suffering is over.]
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home
Page