The X-Files: Season Three
Avatar (3.21)
Story by David Duchovny and Howard Gordon
Teleplay by Howard Gordon / Directed by James Charleston
Avatar was an incredibly well executed episode on all
levels but the thing that stands out the most for me was the focused
nature of the writing and story as a whole. It is sort of ironic that
following on the heels of a more humorous episode we are face to face
once again with the same situation of perspective. In this case I
think it is the sort of baggage a person brings to the case from
their past experience that colors their point of view, not just what
they visually witness. What I appreciated about Avatar was the sharp
line it seemed to follow in terms of story telling that Apocrypha and
Piper Maru skated away from despite their epic undertaking. I think
with a focused story and good acting we were allowed to enjoy one of
the best character driven episodes of this third season. So even if
the uncertainty of some aspects leaves some viewers questioning what
actually occurred, I feel that this episode can overcome most
questions to stand out as a great offering.
With regard to my comment on perspective...this episode gave us
not only the dichotomy of Mulder and Scully's differing opinions but
also threw in Skinner's, the detective in charge of the case and of
course the professional conduct panel's. It is sort of interesting
that Mulder, the guy who lives by the credo "Trust no one", seems to
be the first of the partners to trust Skinner and give him the
benefit of the doubt. This isn't too surprising really since we know
Scully to be more level-headed and grounded and so I think she would
try to keep a more circumspect outlook on the evidence. As the
detective said, Skinner may be their boss but he is still a suspect
and might as well have a huge neon arrow plastered to his chest with
the direction the evidence seems to be pointing. I have to admit that
throughout this episode that old woman really did give me the
creeps...that shrieking and the fact that she never said anything
intelligible I found to be unsettling. And so it is no wonder that
Skinner, after dealing with this for three months, finds it a bit
hard to trust his instincts about his innocence. And the woman that
Skinner was entertaining did not just peacefully move on to another
plane of existence. She had her head adjusted 180 degrees which I can
believe that our buff assistant director would be capable of in terms
of strength. But more disconcerting is when we come to find that this
is not the first time he has seen this spirit. When all the cards are
revealed, I find it hard to believe in retrospect that he would
assume that this was a spirit out to cause him or anyone harm. He
said himself in his confession to Mulder that she helped to bring him
back from the light in his near death experience so I would think it
would be easier for him to believe that she was trying in some
fashion to help him again. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and he was
dealing with stress in his breakup and let's face it...work is hell.
The acting from the guest cast was good this episode which is
more than I can claim for some this season. But it is hard for me to
look at this critically since Duchovny and Anderson carried their
portion of the story so well and Pileggi was spectacular. I feel they
sort of overshadowed any possible evaluation I could attempt. I will
say that Jennifer Hetrick was well cast as Sharon Skinner. She seemed
equally concerned and defeated in her conversation with Skinner and I
could believe that this woman was an equal in an early relationship
with him...she seemed strong, just beaten down. That raincoat however
has got to go! Where are the fashion police when you need them?
Anderson and Duchovny worked wonders with their scenes and this is
saying something since I felt the focus on Skinner was so tight that
the supporting players might just fade into the woodwork. This was
not the case as we see the respect and concern that Mulder has for
his boss while all the time trying to learn more about the paranormal
incident he feels has taken place. Scully, on the other hand, seems
to offer the balance that I expect from her character in her pursuit
of hard evidence the whole while trying to find a loophole that will
point the dogs away from Skinner. Interestingly enough, it is Mulder
who actually finds the critical piece of evidence that helps them
track down their man and he gets that extra bit of high-tech help
from our favorite Sci-Crime Lab whiz kid, Agent Pendrell. He really
knows all the tricks and qualifies as a certified Jack-of-all-trades.
But the majority of the praise goes to Mitch Pileggi for an
outstanding performance. I can't even begin to lie and say, "I didn't
know he had it in him" since it's been obvious that he has a screen
presence that surpasses the length of time he has in a scene,
catching the attention of the viewer with a great and sometimes
subtle performance. This episode showcased his talents and he really
took advantage of the opportunity. Other than laughing out loud,
which I fear we will never see him do in an episode, I think every
other shade of emotion found expression on his face in Avatar. He can
do both scenery chewing and subtle facial expressions with the same
deftness and believability.
I just love hearing Skinner stories too...I think I'd watch an
entire episode where he just sat in a big rocking chair in front of
the fire and recounted his days growing up and his time in the war
and how he joined the FBI. But I digress...he has the ability to play
this strong character who has put up these walls against his
co-workers and even his wife in order to deal with the day to day job
with the likes of CSM. This has made him a complete mystery since
Mulder and Scully didn't even know he was married which isn't exactly
an intimate bit of knowledge among coworkers or even superiors. But
under this outward show of strength is a deeply caring person who is
internally conflicted by the things he feels are a challenge to his
values and beliefs. Pileggi communicated all this and more with his
portrayal in Avatar and I'm just glad he finally had a vehicle to
allow us this look into Skinner's personality.
One of the things I commented on in another review was the
unnecessary use of special effects and the crowding of an episode in
order to give us thrills and chills. The smaller a story, sometimes,
the more time can be spent in the telling whether that be in visuals
or dialogue. This episode was an example of the use of fantastic
dialogue to move the story along and allow us a look into the
characters along the way. The exchanges I enjoyed the most were those
between Mulder and Skinner but there were also a few exchanges
between Scully and Mulder that were gratifying as well. The teamwork
between our dynamic duo was in fine form for this case. When I first
saw only Mulder on the scene I was wondering if they would remain
separate in body and theory this time around. But I thought it was
great when Mulder brought Scully up to speed by letting her listen to
his conversations with Skinner and the detective by way of her mobile
phone.
There were two conversations that stood out for me...the first
one as they left the police station and Scully is focusing on the
evidence while Mulder feels they owe it to Skinner to find out what
really happened since he's put his butt on the line for them in the
past. The other is following the gathering of even more evidence when
Scully is questioning the AD's behavior and what that says about his
mental state. Mulder once again jumps in saying that they should give
him the benefit of the doubt. I think that more than skeptic and
believer this episode points out the difference in their
investigative mode of operation. This was also apparent in the
episode Oubliette. Scully feels compelled to focus on the evidence
while Mulder goes with his gut feelings. I don't think that Scully is
any less compassionate with these suspects, it's just that she
realizes that they are suspects and needs to find the proof to clear
them. The most compelling exchanges by far were the ones between
Mulder and Skinner. We learn so much about Skinner but we also are
witness to the change in attitude that has been slowly building in
Mulder toward his boss. He is very respectful and compassionate but
he forces Skinner to place more trust in him. As he says, "If you
don't start trusting someone you don't stand a chance." But even
before the revelation of Skinner's experience with this spirit,
Mulder lets Skinner know where he and Scully stand when Skinner tells
them the case is not their concern. Mulder replies, "Of course it
concerns us." It is not a matter of their involvement from a bureau
perspective but rather one of friendship and an attempt to return in
kind the chance to go to bat for someone they believe in and respect.
Among all the serious dialogue there were some great comic exchanges
my favorite of which was when they went to see the Madame and Scully
comments on the room decor, "Business must be booming," to which
Mulder replies, "I think you mean banging." And even in the most
serious of conversations Skinner reveals that in Viet Nam he wasn't a
choirboy and that he *did* inhale. All in all this episode was very
satisfying in terms of character insight and development.
I haven't read much response to this episode on the newsgroup yet
but the posts I have seem to indicate that some viewers were confused
about what really happened in this episode. How did Skinner know to
go to the hotel and the $64,000 question, Is Sharon Skinner still
alive? Well, overall it seemed pretty clear to me although I don't
think I'll be collecting the $64,000. The fact that I believe I
understand this episode indicates that I couldn't be more off base if
I tried. This is a guarantee because if there is anything I learned
in my high school creative writing class (and it was the only writing
class I took other than my English requirements as I'm sure those of
you reading this have been made painfully aware), it was that my
impression or interpretation of a poem or story was always on the
exponentially declining portion of any bell curve. I really hadn't a
clue....or else I was brilliant. Not too hard to make that call. But
this episode surprised me in a pleasant way. Once we saw the old
woman and heard Mulder's explanation of her as a succubus I was more
than happily surprised that it didn't pan out in quite that manner.
This old woman had helped Skinner when he was on the brink of life
and death before and she was back in his dreams and waking visions
for precisely the same reason. She appeared to him again around the
time that his life was imperiled due to his involvement in the
X-Files. CSM was obviously involved in the set-up of Skinner just as
he was in the previous attempt on his life and this is probably
around the time that the old woman reappeared.
Skinner needed her and so this avatar was the incarnation of a
helpful spirit. She had a weird way of showing it and it might have
been easier for him to figure this out if she had been able to
communicate with him but in retrospect she appeared to him to warn
him that something terrible that impacted him had occurred. Her final
embodiment in Sharon Skinner was a useful incarnation and actually
allowed her to speak to Skinner and thereby give him the valuable
information he needed to clear himself and save another woman and
Scully at the same time. This scene was great...Skinner revealing his
thoughts and feelings to his comatose wife only to have her suddenly
respond. I thought she was going into arrest at first but it was the
old woman using her body as a host to allow a better communication
with Skinner. He sees the old woman but as he moves in and takes her
hand *we* see that it is still the body of his wife. Does she live or
die? Who knows...I figure she is still in the condition she was in
before the avatar merged with her. I think the monitors were just
mirroring the body's response to the incarnation and once the spirit
was finished, Sharon Skinner would be as she was...still in a coma.
The fact that Skinner put his wedding ring back on was simply another
expression of his desire not to sign the divorce papers. As he said,
she is the reason he can make it from day to day.
When Scully and Mulder give Skinner their report, it was ironic
that Skinner tells Mulder that whatever he believes may have
happened, it has no place on an official report. Look who he's
talking to! All of their reports are filled with the unbelievable.
When Mulder asked him to tell *him* what happened, off the record and
Skinner hesitated, I was yelling at Scully to leave the room. Not
that I didn't think she should be privy to this conversation but I
just thought that Skinner might have told Mulder if they had been
alone, and Mulder could always fill Scully in later down in the
basement. But I think it was more believable that he kept this last
bit of mystery to himself. Afterall, it is in character and he is
their boss so he probably felt that some walls had to remain intact.
But I felt a bit like Mulder as he slowly left the office...are you
sure you don't want to tell? Please....off the record? Of course, I
feel that I'm luckier than Mulder cause I've got it all figured
out...yeah, right.
Back to Menu
Quagmire (3.22)
Written by Kim Newton / Directed by Kim Manners
I have to admit that I was looking forward to this
episode. When I was a kid, during summer vacation my mom used to let
my sister and I pick out a magazine or comic book to read during the
long spells of driving and my first choice was always some monster
magazine filled with pictures of bigfoot sightings or stories of the
Loch Ness Monster. So for me this story was a long time coming and I
think I wanted to enjoy it. However, the most favorable thing about
this episode for me wasn't the story itself but the interaction
between Mulder and Scully. I made this point about Avatar and seemed
to be in the minority in my favorable review, but getting to hear
conversations between my favorite characters and not just
instructions on where to pick up the airline tickets for the next
field assignment is a real selling point for me. I know that the
stories of the paranormal and government conspiracies are the basis
of this show but I can appreciate the effort of giving the characters
a bit more substance and allowing us to humanize them. In my opinion,
Quagmire was a decent MOTW episode that rose in my estimation by the
inclusion of some interesting banter and serious dialogue between
Mulder and Scully.
So in a rundown from the top...Dr. Faraday converses with Dr.
Bailey lakeside and in a pique of self-righteous anger shouts down
from his high horse, "You can't turn your back on nature, or nature
will turn its back on you." What he really should have said was you
can't turn your back on Heuvelman's Lake. Dr. Bailey turns his back
while stooping to recover his beeping pager...Dr. Bailey, your life
is calling. Gruesome and not wholly deserved but this is a lesson to
be a bit less stingy with that grant money. So our dynamic duo drive
onto the scene with the pomeranian in tow wearing what appears to be
a doggie sized "red shirt". After Mulder refers to Scully's dog as
"that thing" I wasn't too surprised that she seemed to be short on
patience with him. Scully's mood was not improved when she learned
the real reason for Mulder's interest in the deaths...Big Blue, the
Southern Serpent. The first to be questioned is Dr. Faraday who is
less than cooperative and lets fly with a great line to the pair,
"Has anyone ever told you two you have a great problem coming to the
point?" Ain't that the truth.
Next stop, the local gift/bait shop. The shop owner seems to be
full of interesting stories and introduces the daring duo to Ansel, a
local who just happens to be into photography...now why does that
ring a bell? The conversation is interrupted by a fisherman who's
hooked a dead body...or more correctly, half a dead body. It's the
boy scout troupe leader who disappeared awhile back and half of him
is still unaccounted for. Scully launches into another plausible
explanation of fish eating the dead body only to have Mulder point
out the obvious flaw in her attempt at logic. Fish usually don't eat
half and save half for later. He's got a point there. Next stop,
lakeside with the shopkeeper and the latest in footwear fashion.
Unfortunately, he makes the same error as Dr. Bailey and turns his
back on the lake concurrent with getting his fake foot mired. With a
little help from the local fauna he slips his foot right on out. The
next day with the law on the scene Scully arrives with her dog,
Queequeg. Scully proceeds to mention the dog's name once for every
time that the question of the dog's name was posed on the newsgroup.
Well, it sure seemed like she did. Ansel arrives on the scene at
about the same time and proceeds to shoot unlimited pictures of
*Scully*! Queequeg finds the dino-boot and Scully figures it's all a
hoax although Mulder is a bit more skeptical.
Panning across a cool microbus plastered with stickers we focus
on our two favorite potheads from WOTC. The stoner and his chick are
dockside contemplating the effects of toad licking. Too bad it's a
frog. Was the hallucinatory experience as good as it was cracked up
to be? We may never know since at this point their diver friend meets
up with a severe "lake undertow" which didn't look much like a gator.
Mulder and Scully on the scene get back to sniping at each other this
time over the evidence. Scully tells Mulder that regardless of what
she believes there's no hard evidence that it is Big Blue. I couldn't
help but feel that instead of simply knocking down all Mulder's ideas
she could have been offering some of her own. Killer bass, alligators
(is it so unlikely that this might have come up?), mad manatees or
maybe Flukeman also on a stopover on the road to Lauderdale? I just
think she might offer some valid alternatives to Mulder's suggestion,
although let's face it, he does get extreme tunnel vision at times.
Cut to Ansel setting up for his big money-making shot of Big
Blue, singing the Kodak commercial to himself...True Colors....keep
the day job. The moment has arrived and as Ansel finally gets the
lens cap off he keeps shooting even as he meets his demise. The
consummate professional. Hard to believe he would have kept shooting
if it was just a gator coming out for a snack so I think this might
have been the work of something else. Mulder says close the lake
while Scully and the sheriff concur that conclusive evidence is still
needed. The sheriff quickly gets this as his attempts at lake
dragging drag him back. Having found his evidence, the sheriff
decides to shut down the damn lake!
Mulder and Scully look through Ansel's pictures and find a
keeper...a picture of a big tooth! Maybe. Scully gets tired of the
whole thing and takes her little pagan, cannibal for a walk. She
really should hold that leash tighter but in an evil plot device, or
a large surge of adrenaline, Queequeg rushes off to investigate the
surrounding forest. Curiosity killed the cat and this seems to hold
for pomeranians as well. Scully is left with only a leash and
collar...shades of Mr. Tippy. Following perfunctory sympathies,
Mulder is all business and asks Scully if she can drive a boat.
Unfortunately, the seagoing gene that her father carried must be
recessive since Scully steers them into a rock. That's the thing
about those radar soundings...things can be moving toward you or
*you* can be moving toward *them*. They're taking on water and
prepare to abandon the boat while a Jaws-like piano riff plays in the
background. Stranded on a rock with only a lantern. This would have
been a prime time for their high powered flashlights since they could
have easily seen that they were close to shore. But this way they get
to chat awhile.
When I saw them on the rock I thought, if this was a cartoon,
that rock would turn out to be the monster's back. I have to admit,
when they first heard splashes and reach for their guns and both look
like they lost their footing I thought I was going to have to eat my
hat (a real nice X-Files baseball hat no less). But it wasn't Big
Blue that time or the next. In fact the second close call was a duck
to which Mulder utters my favorite line, "I'm still tempted to fire."
Okay, I'm cold-hearted. Faraday arrives on the scene and leads the
two to shore and Scully thanks him by questioning his midnight
excursion. His frog-talk stimulates Mulder's hypothermic brain to the
hypothesis that the frog depletion is leading to a restructuring of
the local food chain and that the frog-deprived Big Blue is turning
to alternatives such as humans (and pomeranians). Faraday, taking
himself and his research too seriously, leaves to fulfill his frog
release only to be attacked from behind. Scully does her Florence
Nightingale impression while Mulder heads off in search of the
assailant. What he finds is a gator and he empties his gun into it.
So we come to the resolution, or non-resolution in true X-Files
terms, of the episode with Mulder and Scully looking out over the
lake feeling that they have helped to avert further death in the
state of Georgia. But was it just the alligator? As Mulder walks off
into the moonlight slanting through the trees (a pretty damn cool
shot, BTW) we pan back to the lake where the CG-Nessie breaks the
surface for our benefit but not Mulder's. Can you say heavy-handed? I
knew you could. This was one final twist that I did not need. I
didn't think it was just the gator and a more subtle suggestion of
Big Blue at the end would have been more effective.
The best part about this episode was the chance for Mulder and
Scully to talk. Actually, it offered a chance for Scully to ask
questions which she probably thinks about often and which I wanted
him to answer as much as she did. But in true Mulder form, he dodges
any serious discussion by turning flippant. He even denies being
flippant with Mulder/Orwellian grace...all Mulderisms are flippant,
but some are more flippant than others. From the outset they seemed
to be sniping and that continued as the evidence started pouring in
and their views on the evidence lead them in different directions.
Scully starts out with an open view to the evidence and focuses in as
the truth begins to appear. Mulder starts out with a fixed view and
tries to make the evidence fit his hypothesis. He is willing to give
in when it is apparent that his theory is not panning out but I think
this is where Scully's scientific background is the most pronounced.
Following the death of Queequeg, Scully is sort of dazed and
Mulder doesn't do the best job in consoling her. I don't think he was
being heartless although his "Sorry about your dog" was a bit lame.
He probably felt guilty after being callous toward Queequeg and it
really is hard to think of anything to say to someone in that
situation without it sounding trite. In the boat ($500 deposit!),
things seem to be normalizing between them or else Scully is still in
shock. Anyway, they don't seem to be annoyed with each other and when
Scully asks Mulder if he really expects to find something out there
he answers by saying that he knows the difference between expectation
and hope. The best exchange between them though isonce they are
stranded on the rock in the lake. I guess these circumstances, dark
and isolated, just make you think. What else can they do to pass the
time other than shoot at ducks.
Mulder tells Scully that the loud splashes they heard out there
were Big Blue and Scully replies, "So what?" I liked Mulder's
explanation to her. Besides the obvious scientific, cryptozoology
aspect of interest, for him it comes down to a monster or unknown in
some set of defined parameters. Think of how compelling this might
be. Extraterrestrials are by definition *anywhere* out there except
on the earth. Here, Mulder has himself a potential that lies within
the boundaries of this lake and the surrounding forest. That almost
sounds like a feasible discovery waiting to happen. Mulder asks
Scully what she saw in those pictures if not the possibility of Big
Blue. Scully's answer is about as gutsy as it gets if she wants to
keep Mulder's friendship...absolutely no one likes to hear the truth
if the truth hurts...and it usually does. But Scully is straight up
and tells him that she saw him in Ansel. Mulder asks her if she
thinks his reasons in his quest are not legitimate and she admits
that they may be but that sometimes she just can't figure them out.
The funniest part of their conversation is when the subject of
cannibalism arises and Scully launches into a long-winded
explanation. Mulder then asks her if she's lost some weight recently
and caught off guard, Scully starts to answer "Yes, thanks for
noticing" only to cast a decidedly questioning look at Mulder who
just laughs. Scully still turns to face Mulder having learned, if no
one else has, that keeping your back turned in this episode is
nothing if not a death sentence.
The final dialogue regarding Mulder as Ahab was the most
interesting since despite Scully's familiarity with the story of Moby
Dick she is just making the connection between the two personalities.
Their single-minded obsessions and consuming passions that will only
leave them dead along with everyone else they bring with them. If she
truly believes as she says that Mulder *is* Ahab, then will she
continue to stick by him in his constant search? Will it remain to be
the two of them against the world or will she listen to her own
prediction about the futility of the quest? Will either of them take
anything away from this revelation? I'm not sure about Scully, but
Mulder's position seems clear since he states at the end of Quagmire
that he wanted Big Blue to be real because he sees hope in such a
possibility. So for him the X-Files offer potential answers to his
past but also hope for the future.
Scientists such as Dr. Faraday, will never see the need for the
field of cryptozoology since they see any potential evidence as
"fodder for pseudoscientists". They feel that all of the reports are
simply local legend and that they are simply trumped up accounts
borne out of a fear of the unknown. But in the final analysis, the
alligator that Mulder shot does not disprove in any way the existence
of Big Blue. The alligator may have been attacking people along the
shore of the lake but that truth does not exclude the possibility of
another predator at the lake. The best, and possibly only, way to
convince a non-believer is to give them concrete evidence. For the
sheriff, it was being pulled into the water and feeling the presence
of a large lifeform brushing by him as he swam out. Unfortunately, a
large portion of the population falls into this category, myself
included. I would not make light of a person's beliefs but I would
find it difficult to subscribe to them without some first-hand
evidence of my own. I think it would be fantastic to find out that
the Loch Ness Monster did exist...although monster is a bit of a
strong word. But if some relation to a prehistoric life form was
identified I'd be as excited as I was as a kid to read of "evidence"
and sightings in my monster magazine. So although the field of
cryptozoology might find it hard to gain any respect from the
scientific community at large, as Scully stated at the close of this
episode, "...there's still hope. That's why these myths and stories
have endured. People want to believe." And as Mulder pointed out in
Deep Throat, all the evidence to the contrary is not entirely
dissuasive.
Back to Menu
Wet Wired (3.23)
Written by Mat Beck / Directed by Rob Bowman
Well, I've been sitting here massaging my brain (it's
a Nerf-Brain, no trepanning necessary!) trying to find a way to
summarize this episode. I really enjoyed it for multiple reasons
including the conspiracy angle, the return of some great characters
and my all-time favorite aspect of any show, lots of great
interactions between our main characters. And not just Mulder and
Scully. You need a scorecard just to keep track of them but some
great scenes included exchanges between M&S, Mulder and Skinner,
the Lone Gunmen and Mulder, Scully and her mother, Mulder and X, and
of course X and Cancerman. I'm still pondering all the implications
behind that one. The story itself seemed almost a footnote to the
episode for me. It was a fantastic set-up for Scully's paranoia but
other than that I think it was one of the least interesting aspects
of Wet Wired. But anything that brings the LGM onto the scene and
induces Scully to say "Maybe it's a job for Special Agent Pendrell
and the Sci-Crime Lab!!" is worth the paper it's written on and a bit
more.
From the teaser we get a taste of the paranoia that is being
induced in this neighborhood. The man we see burying the body (nice
boots!) has killed five people on his rampage and Mulder finds out
that another woman killed the children she was baby-sitting in a
similar manner thinking that they were wolves. The next victim of
these delusions mistakenly shoots her neighbor under the impression
that it was her husband with another woman. These people are
committing murders but for seemingly different reasons. One thing in
common is that they seem to watch lots of television and two of the
suspects have taped TV shows in their possession. Unfortunately,
Mulder and Scully spend some time watching these tapes and Scully
falls under the suggestive spell. This delusion Scully experiences is
more interesting than the other murder suspects' since we know Scully
and can see where her anxieties originated. I would have preferred to
see Scully under this delusion for more screen time.
Mulder finds the device that is the cause of the paranoia and
learns more about it with the help of the Lone Gunmen but by that
time Scully is too entrenched in her delusions to be reached. Once
Mulder figured out the specifics of the device I had to wonder what
"they" were planning on using it for in the first place. They install
the devices then monitor the results but if the effect of the device
is random, simply depending on the particular anxieties that any one
person will display, then what use is it to the conspiracy brigade?
Each person under the control of the device was driven to the same
final outcome but it was random in the choice of victims, except
possibly for Scully. What is the point of such a device other than to
cause chaos? Mulder tries in vain to discover its true purpose and is
told that he vastly underestimates the device but he never does find
out what its objective was. I suppose the answer lies in the fact
that this was just a test and possibly the final product will be more
directed in its attempts at mind control.
With the main storyline on the table things get interesting.
Mulder is originally given the tip on this case following a midnight
rendezvous with a messenger for an unnamed source. I figured it had
to be X but the messenger wasn't talking. Scully asks Mulder who he
got the case from and wants to know if he isn't a bit suspicious that
they are being used. We know he is since he originally threw the
paper back in the guy's face only to be told that without his
attention more people would die. He doesn't tell Scully this merely
saying he wants to find out the connection on this case. Scully knows
about their "friend in the FBI" and has met him face to face on more
than one occasion so I don't know why Mulder behaves so cloak and
dagger around her. He doesn't want to risk this source of info but he
could give Scully an idea. He doesn't have to give her all the facts
but could let her know that he considers it especially important
(wink,wink, nudge, nudge). I think she'd get the picture.
By the time they are fully involved in this case, Mulder is
probably kicking himself for putting her into danger again, but when
she disappears and he receives a phonecall to ID the body Mulder is
reliving the worst three months of his life all over again. He sees
the messenger in the parking garage and is told to quit chasing his
partner and focus on the evidence before it is all destroyed and the
responsible parties are out of reach. Mulder doesn't listen to this
advice and, in terms of his quest, pays for it since X eventually
tells him he failed. He was warned but made his choice and now all
the evidence has been destroyed. I loved the implications of this
scene. It is confirmed that the source behind the messenger was
indeed X, but we also see that once again X has given Mulder the
opportunity to catch up with the people behind the conspiracy but
that he must make a choice. In One Breath and Wet Wired, Mulder picks
Scully. It was particularly interesting to see this played out on the
heels of Quagmire where Scully has just drawn a parallel between Ahab
and Mulder with their obsessiveness to the detriment of those close
to them. Yet we see Mulder once again choosing to safeguard Scully
even when the chance to reach his adversaries is handed to him.
Now on to the best part of this episode in terms of viewing
satisfaction. I was glad to see so many familiar names in the
credits. Can an episode go wrong with credits like that? Guess I
should knock on wood. Anyway, this one fulfilled my great
expectations and more. I'll start with Mulder and Scully when they
were discussing possible theories in the motel room. Overall, it was
just an exchange of ideas with regard to the case but one funny thing
was when they were discussing the causal connection between
television programming and violence and Mulder goes off on a diatribe
concluding with the statement that it's just "pseudoscience used to
make political book". I kept thinking how much he sounded like Dr.
Faraday discussing Mulder's approach to the Heuvelman's Lake murders.
Then Mulder slams all us viewers by saying that no matter what, TV
does not make a previously sane person go out and commit these
acts...."Not even "must see" TV could do that to you," (this after
the RS article where DD calls the X-Files "must see" TV...I'm still
reeling from the aftershocks ...yeah, right).
Then, of course, we had all the paranoid-Scully scenes the best
of which were conversations with Mulder. He finds the device and her
suspicions are aroused when he keeps it and wants to split up and
then when he tries to call her after seeing the LGM. As he's dialing,
her call comes through and he says he was just about to call
her...she's right not to believe him. Guys always say this. Anderson
did a great job with her paranoid-Scully. Her conversation on the
phone with Mulder was great and the ensuing search of the motel room
for the bug was fantastic. I was feeling her paranoia as she ducked
below the lights then listened at the door. This whole sequence was
filmed very effectively. If he didn't suspect before, Mulder has
obviously noticed the change in Scully at this point. When he asks
her if something is wrong and she is behaving in such an extreme
manner he says, "I'm going to be right there...don't go anywhere." It
reminded me of Grotesque and I think in general their concern for the
mental health of their partner was mirrored in these episodes.
Mulder's conversation with Skinner confirmed this since he showed his
concern for her safety if she's found and he's not there to talk her
down. Skinner is right in saying that she is armed and dangerous but
in an interesting turn, he tells Mulder that he better marshal
"whatever resources" he has and make sure he finds Scully first.
Skinner won't cross that line but he lets Mulder know that to ensure
her safety he better use whatever unofficial channels he has
available.
The appearance of the Lone Gunmen was a welcome addition to Wet
Wired. When Mulder brings the device to them they are originally
unable to give him all the information he needs with their equipment.
I was almost glad they said this since it is hard to believe that
their little den of paranoia is set up to deal with every electronic
puzzle that Mulder can serve up. Eventually they get to the bottom of
the mystery and tell Mulder that it is mind control through imagery
fed into the television between still frames. Mulder says it's like
the advertising scheme of "the naked lady in the ice cube" to which
Frohike says, "Ahhh...one of my personal favorites." We really need
these guys not just as problem-solvers and information-gatherers but
also for the decidedly lecherous commentary from Frohike.
We also had the return of Margaret Scully, who is always a very
real character in terms of dialogue and emotion. When Mulder called
her I felt bad since she was going through this waiting again to see
if her daughter was alive or dead. But that confrontational scene in
her house when Mulder tracks down Scully was great acting on
everyone's part and really highlighted the relationship between
Scully and her mother. Mulder has just been to ID what he thought was
Scully's body only to find out that it wasn't her. Duchovny did a
great job with this though his emotions seemed to be a bit too "in
control". Of course, the news was recent and he might not have
accepted all the implications at that point. (That scene as a whole
was shot beautifully from behind Mulder as he opened the blinds.)
Then he realizes Scully must be at her mother's since Mrs. Scully
should have been waiting by the phone for his call and yet there's no
answer.
When he gets to the house it's obvious that Mrs. Scully is lying
about Dana's whereabouts so he forces his way in and the standoff
begins. Mulder's attempt to reason with Scully is completely ignored
since she is as far from being able to trust him as she can possibly
get. But she still trusts her mother and when Mrs. Scully steps
between them and begs her daughter to trust her and put down the gun,
Scully finally breaks down and complies. This was great acting by
both actresses. Mrs. Scully has always been a strong character and
she loves and respects her daughter, but she also knows Fox Mulder
and believes that he wouldn't harm Dana so she puts herself between
them to try to reach through the delusion to her daughter. Scully's
full paranoia was revealed to us when she accused Mulder of being one
of them and trying to kill her, even going so far as to implicate him
in her abduction and the death of her sister. This entire sequence of
events was as charged as the standoff between Mulder, Scully and
Pusher but had even more emotional impact due to the relationships
and history between the people in this triangle. I thought the entire
scene was powerful and believable.
Then we had X and the Cigarette Smoking Man and a long awaited
look at the link between these two. Ever since X told Mulder that he
was acting on the behalf of his predecessor I assumed that he was
working for or with CSM in some way. Deep Throat had a separate
agenda but was an associate of CSM so it was probably the case with
X. But we never had any proof of this much less a scene with the two
of them in it. I've felt that X has not been used to much effect
being such a great character. Where Deep Throat seemed like a kindly
benefactor, X has always seemed to be acting partly under a sense of
debt to Deep Throat and so seems an unwilling participant in helping
our daring duo. Also, where CSM always seems like such a bad guy with
no redeeming qualities, other than his conviction and belief in his
purpose, X has been a bit of a mystery one case seeming to be helpful
and the next a hindrance. But I've found him to be fascinating ever
since One Breath. He has very well-defined lines that he has drawn
when it comes to the help and information he will offer and I don't
think he has a bit of trouble staying on his side of the line, unlike
Skinner's dilemma.
This was apparent when Mulder confronts him after his clean-up
operation. He gave Mulder a chance and Mulder didn't or couldn't use
it to full advantage but X was not willing to go any further. He
acted on his orders and as far as he was concerned the matter was
closed. When Mulder calls him a coward and accuses him of not risking
his life, he doesn't even answer choosing instead to let Mulder vent.
He is one cool customer not even flinching when Mulder draws his gun
on him and instead points out a few truths to Mulder. Mulder has
failed in X's opinion and won't gain anything by shooting him since
he is still of value. "The truth is, you need me Agent Mulder." Then
he just walks. As Mulder tells Skinner that the killer remains an
"unknown subject", X is likewise telling CSM that Mulder's source
remains "unknown". CSM is definitely suspicious and with good reason.
All in all a great offering. Sort of makes me wonder how they
will top this with their season ender. The episode had an interesting
premise although we never really found out what the point of the
device was. This is not a surprise though and the unresolved aspect
of the episode didn't really phase me. The greatest parts of the
episode were the character sketches that it provided. There was lots
of dialogue, information and motivation served up and I think I'm
still full from last night. I feel like I hardly even touched on half
of the interesting aspects and plot points of this episode. I
honestly can't imagine how anybody could write up a review of an
episode like One Breath or Colony/Endgame. I think I would go nuts
trying and it would end up so long that even the three people reading
this wouldn't take the time. I know I left out some great moments and
didn't even touch some great lines but with an episode like this, it
would be monumental to hit all points. Suffice it to say, the
possible connections and implications that surfaced in this episode
will easily last me through to next Friday.
Back to Menu
Talitha Cumi (3.24)
Story by David Duchovny and Chris Carter
Teleplay by Chris Carter / Directed by R.W. Goodwin
I thought I had prepared myself. I knew it was going
to be a cliffhanger so I had spent some time telling myself that I
would have to cope with this but I was beyond shocked when I saw the
words To Be Continued on my screen. Part of the problem was that I
wasn't paying any attention to the time and was taken by surprise. I
realized at the last minute and shouted some less than printable
obscenity at my screen when I saw how I was going to be left hanging
but as usual I had no impact on the outcome. I have confidence that
at some date TV will be more interactive and I won't have to deal
with this lack of response. There just seemed to be so much
unresolved and Mulder and Scully weren't up to speed on each other's
investigations on this case which is why it stunned me when the
episode ended. Four months...
This episode was advertised as Mulder learning more secrets from
his past but more than anything we learned about secrets from the
Cigarette Smoking Man's past. Just based on this I think the episode
was satisfying. I like the character of CSM more and more as the
series progresses and I didn't learn nearly enough in One Breath and
PM/A to satisfy my curiosity. Despite considering CSM to be a
"badguy", I have become more sympathetic to his character. I don't
believe what he's doing is right, but he believes in his own twisted
way that it is an honorable cause. When reviewing One Breath I found
myself nodding my head in agreement when he has his exchange with
Mulder. Mulder says, "Who are you to decide what's right?" to which
CSM responds, "Who are you?". No matter how much I respect Mulder's
search for the truth I have to agree with this response on some
level. We've been brainwashed into seeing Mulder's quest as honorable
with his search for knowledge heroic on all levels, yet if he
revealed the knowledge he has gained it could be the most
irresponsible act of his career. The insight into CSM's character
doesn't make me love him any more but it defines his motivations and
purpose, humanizing him and allowing us to see the fears and
weaknesses that drive him. I still think he's a black-lunged SOB and
side with Mulder but CSM is becoming one of my favorite characters.
The teaser leads us to believe that we have a MOTW on our hands
but it's more complex than that as we learn it involves the "Project"
of the conspiracy. Jeremiah Smith seems such a benevolent character
in the restaurant that it's hard to believe he would have any
dealings with the Consortium but apparently he is part of the
Project. He has a calming presence and the power to heal both
physical and mental suffering since the shooter seemed to have a
certain peace following his healing. I was surprised to see that
Smith had this power since in Colony/Endgame the Gregors didn't
display any healing powers that we witnessed. The Gregors had a
medical/scientific agenda to bring about colonization. Smith and his
many clones were all working at the Social Security Administration
possibly to facilitate the entrance of future clones into society
with the correct papers and documentation. In Colony/Endgame, the
clones all were identical which lead to their dispersal and
apparently the Alien Bounty Hunter was the only one who could morph.
But Smith had the ability which makes it hard to understand why he
would assume the same identity in every state. That was one of the
downfalls of the Gregors...their identical nature. Does that mean
that Smith is the upgrade? Or is he the "original" with powers that
the clones don't possess? Well, it's all speculation and we're
certain to find out more about this in the next episode...did I
mention that we'll have to wait FOUR MONTHS? I still found the most
interesting thing to be Smith's kind nature...not that it makes
colonization tops on my wish list or anything.
We still don't know her first name but it was good to see more of
Mrs. Mulder. Scully has been given opportunities to interact with her
mother and these have been excellent scenes, but Mulder's
interactions with his mother have been strained at best. His
childhood, his parents divorce and Mulder's own guilt have made for
painful interchanges between the two whether we witness them or not.
In the ABC trilogy they share a hug which felt natural for them
unlike the physical exchanges with his father, but the trilogy also
showed that Mrs. Mulder withheld and continues to withhold
information regarding Mulder's father. Talitha Cumi gave us the
opportunity to see the relationship between Mulder and his mother.
Duchovny gave a marvelous performance showing the disbelief and hurt
when he sees his mother in the hospital and the compassion he
displays toward her throughout. I find it hard to watch actors try to
portray emotions such as pain and loss since it involves a breakdown
and opening of one's self to vulnerability and loss of
self-consciousness which I think is hard to truly capture. But
Duchovny's performance was well done as he sits with his mother
realizing she may never regain consciousness.
As I stated previously, this episode was chock full of Cancerman
characterization. We already knew he had a past regarding Bill Mulder
and the Project but it was interesting to find out that he had an
intimate link to the Mulder family, spending time at their summer
home with them, water-skiing no less. This reference was pretty damn
funny but I got a bit squeamish when he suggested that Mrs. Mulder
knew he was better than Bill at more than just water-skiing. Please
don't let this go where I fear it's heading. Too obvious, I hope.
Mrs. Mulder doesn't want to reminisce though, telling CSM that she
has repressed it all. If they were once intimate and friendly, they
certainly aren't now as an argument breaks out leading to Mrs.
Mulder's collapse and hospitalization. But CSM is keen on reminiscing
so he goes to visit Smith in jail.
I had to wonder what he was trying to accomplish by these visits.
Gloating, self-punishment, some sense of power or was it just that he
had a captive audience and felt like rationalizing his existence?
These conversations were revealing in terms of the Project but more
than that they let us see the inner-workings of CSM's
mind...interesting to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. His
self-righteousness is greater than I expected and his disdain for his
fellow man is much deeper than I ever imagined. His fear of Smith is
based on his conviction that hope spread among the populace is a
hindrance to the Project. He feels that for success, people should be
without hope and science should be their only religion. They'll be
primed for colonization and the success of the project will earn him
greater power which seems to be his major goal. He claims to be
unimpressed by and unafraid of Smith but he can't hide his shock and
momentary fear when Smith morphs into his dead compatriots.
I think it was a shame that Peter Donat and Jerry Hardin were
listed in the opening credits since as I saw the direction of the
show I guessed how they would make an appearance. But as a device for
Smith to use I think it was fairly effective. CSM's threatening
Smith, telling him it's only a matter of time before someone who has
the tool of his destruction comes for him. Yet the one to react with
fear is CSM when he is confronted with the ghosts of his past and the
prospect of his own death. He might not believe in God but he fears
that other's will believe so he wants Smith destroyed but when faced
with his own mortality his agenda changes. He helps affect an escape
before the Alien Bounty Hunter can make the scene. CSM is willing to
allow Smith to lay hands on him so I wonder why he didn't ask him to
heal Mrs. Mulder. He professes his concern so it could have been part
of the bargain. The encounter between Mulder and CSM at the hospital
was shot through with tension and I absolutely loved it when Mulder
said, "Are you going to smoke that or do you want to smoke this?"
only to have CSM respond, "Are you giving me a choice?" I laughed so
hard I nearly choked. His fears do not include a loaded gun pointed
at his head. So more layers of CSM are revealed and underneath we
find he is still the same black-lunged son of a bitch he has always
seemed.
We recently got some more insight into X's character and this
week he appears on the scene once again. He was at the summer house
when Mrs. Mulder had a stroke and as he points this out to Mulder; if
it wasn't for him she might not have made it. What does he want?
Brownie points? He informs Mulder about the meeting between his
mother and CSM. Mulder isn't aware of a past relationship between the
two so is no help to X. X is "acting" helpful by giving Mulder
information but his true purpose is to find out what CSM was
searching for and if Mulder knows where it is. He apparently is
working both sides of the fence again since he's not trying to
recover the weapon for CSM but rather get his hands on it before
anyone else does. During the meeting in the parking garage he wants
the weapon Mulder has located and it's not for the purpose of
safeguarding Mulder's life. X is obviously privy to information
regarding the clones since he knows the importance of the weapon. He
gives Mulder a warning, saying that they will not hesitate to kill
Mulder to recover the weapon, "...even if they have to martyr you and
risk turning your work into a crusade." The rules have definitely
changed.
Overall, the story's pacing was good. It seemed to slow a bit
when CSM was at the jail but some of these scenes were my favorites
with the conversations revealing quite a bit. The episode seemed to
be over before I expected it and since Mulder and Scully had been
working independently throughout, I felt that it was premature. It
seems as if it should be a three part arc simply to get the entire
story on the table. Scully and Mulder split up in their
investigations after leaving Mulder's mother in the hospital. Scully
recognizes Smith as he "turns himself in" at the bureau not knowing
that it's the Alien Bounty Hunter. Following a meeting with Skinner
and other suits, Smith is allowed to leave and go back to his job.
Mulder in the meantime is at the summer house where he discovers the
alien, switchblade pithing device (also makes julienne fries!).
Mulder and Scully catch up with each other as Mulder storms into
Skinner's office. Following some scenery chewing where Mulder demands
to know CSM's name and whereabouts and Skinner informs him that it's
not in his power to help him, Mulder finds out that Smith has been
located.
Both Mulder and Scully watched the tape of Smith's interrogation
and saw his vanishing act, yet when they try to bring him in for
further questioning he is able to escape by morphing into someone
else. They should have immediately focused in on the men's
clothes...didn't this click with them? They seem genuinely confused
but I think it should have dawned on them how he escaped. The agents
split up again and Scully follows normal channels to search for Smith
through the computer. As she comes across Smith's many incarnations,
Mulder is busy visiting his mother in the hospital and then meeting
up with X in the parking garage. After their stunt doubles have it
out, X shouts after Mulder that he's a dead man. One problem that I
can't overlook are the multiple cases of leaps in logic during
Talitha Cumi. Mulder asks Scully if she thinks he's making a leap
when he tries to correlate their case with his mother's
hospitalization simply due to the word she has written on a sheet of
paper. This at least had an explanation in the word "palm" that he
heard earlier in the day. What I can't fathom is how Mulder comes up
with the idea of colonization that he questions X about. How the heck
did he come to that conclusion with the information he possessed? He
hasn't seen all we've witnessed and at that time he didn't even know
the info that Scully has uncovered so how could he say to X, "The
date is set, isn't it?" Spooky.
But we're in the homestretch as Mulder calls Scully and finds out
that Smith is at her apartment. Mulder tells them to meet him since
people will be looking for Smith at Scully's. Smith appears to be the
same man that healed all the people at the restaurant and he tells
them that he has information they have been seeking. He says he can
reveal to them an elaborate plan, explain to them the Project and
give Mulder information about Samantha. I think we've all been
waiting for this guy since the first season. He has come to them at
great risk and this becomes apparent as the Alien Bounty Hunter joins
the party. Scully has her gun drawn, Mulder has the alien pithing
device and the Alien Bounty Hunter has a switchblade of his own but
nobody seems to be making a move as the ABH stalks onto the scene.
I guess this is about where it dawned on me that my 45 minutes
were up. People always seem to be frozen in mid-reaction when we
break for commercials but unfortunately this break is going to be
four months...does it seem like I've mentioned that before? This was
a good episode but I thought we would be further along before we got
skidded to the edge of that cliff. I also think we were fooled into
believing that information about Samantha would be the most important
revelation but the Project seemed to be the big event. I feel that
Smith is a good guy and likes us loving humans so he might actually
come through with some information for Mulder offering him some hope.
Scully was helpful but seemed to be along for the ride while Mulder
got jerked around from emotion to emotion. But we did learn more
about X and CSM which I found satisfying. I think as cliffhangers go
this leaves us with plenty of speculation and I'm convinced that when
season four rolls around we will be rewarded with some great
revelations and some interesting additions to the X-Files book of
mythology.
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