|
"If they're true fans of The X-Files, if they want the show to go on, it seems to me that they would eventually grow to like John Doggett." So said Robert Patrick, according to a recent article in Cinescape magazine. Thank-you, Robert - or whoever it was who gave you that impression. For once again words uttered to promote the upcoming season of The X-Files have made it absolutely crystal-clear that there are some people connected to the production of the show who still do not understand the solid base on which the success of the show rests. Yes, the scripts are great (usually). Yes, the stories are interesting (in the most part). Yes, the cinematography and editing is top-notch. But when it comes right down to it, what has attracted viewers from the start, what has maintained their focus through 7 years, can be summed up in three, simple words. Mulder and Scully. The Cinescape article started out by comparing the split of Mulder and Scully to the split of other well-known, past TV partnerships. It asked us to try and imagine Mulder and Scully separated. It asked a lot. But hey, we've been willing to accept it. Knowing David wanted to move on, knowing Gillian wanted to come back for a potential 9th season, we quickly resigned to the fact that Scully would go on without Mulder. We focused, instead, on wondering - then worrying - about how Mulder's exit would be handled. Cinescape's theory that imagining a Mulder and Scully split was difficult may have been correct, but they erred when they said many X-Philes theoretically prefer the revamped casting over the alternative - cancellation. It may be true for some Philes - particularly those relatively new to the XF realm - but a vast majority of Philes would have preferred the show ending on a high note. Not sure of the validity of this statement? Go to some of the message boards and newsgroups. Not the Official Site ones, but the ATXF and ATXFA type boards. Or join any number of the emails lists out there and ask the question. Many Philes will tell you that despite loving some of the episodes in seasons 6 and 7 (The Unnatural, Monday and Je Souhaite, just to name a few), they would have been happy to see the show end in season 5 and continue the movie franchise it started so well with Fight the Future. It should be noted that this viewpoint is not about an inability to handle change, nor is it about the inability to accept a new character. Despite what Cinescape say, Spender was accepted. Once it was clear Chris Owens was not being brought on board as a replacement for David (as the initial media reporting led us to believe), Spender was never seen as a threat beyond what his character represented in the show itself. And by the time his character was exited, he was accepted - to the point that his exit is now mourned as it happened just when the character and what his role would have been in the myth-arc became truly intriguing. Robert Patrick was also quoted as saying: "This is an attempt to keep the show going, an attempt to resolve a lot of storylines and make a new character part of the ensemble." Okay, let's pick a nit here. Does two actors an ensemble make? Despite an award nomination in this category, let's face facts: The X-Files is not an ensemble show. With very few exceptions, the show has always revolved around the actions and reactions of Mulder and Scully. Two characters. Until Mitch Pileggi's and Nic Lea's names join the front-runner appearance in the opening credits, until they share equal air time (which one would hope XF:The Next Generation will grant for these two wonderful, underused actors/characters), The X-Files is a duopoly. Continuing his statement from the header, Robert also stated: "If they don't like Doggett, then I guess the show won't continue. But I'm pretty convinced that they will." Forgive us, Robert, if we don't take to your character straight away. It is nothing against you personally, and nothing against the character. We're more than willing to let the show and the character continue into season 9, 10 and thereafter. Our focus for this season, however, is Mulder. What has happened to Mulder. When Mulder will return. How TPTB will handle the exit of Mulder from the XF world. That's our focus. Those of us who will be watching XF:TNG after season 8 will then focus on you. From Robert's views, the Cinescape article went on to discuss Chris Carter's reactions to the new format and character. "I've had a chance to see how Robert is working [in] telling these stories, and it's great. The chemistry is right. When he comes on screen it's exciting. All those things that you sort of wonder about, because with chemistry you can't manufacture it; it has to develop on its own. And the chemistry with Gillian Anderson, with Scully, is there." It may well be, Chris. And that's great news for some. But you know, you can no more manufacture Phile reaction to the chemistry than you can manufacture the chemistry itself. It may be there, but we may not want to see it… particularly at this time. We've got 7 years of Mulder and Scully chemistry in our systems, Chris, and all the promotional words in the world aren't going to change that until we are allowed to let it go… gently and happily. There's time for D/S chemistry in season 9. In some areas it would seem Chris and co understand why many of us have counted ourselves as Philes for all these years: "He's still the absent center of the show," Carter explains. "His presence is all-important, even when he's not there, because it's his symbolic presence. I think it makes for a pretty interesting year. The absence of David is strong but we're using that as an asset." Our one request, Chris? Don't over-use the asset. If David is available, please use him as much as you can. Both you and Frank Spotnitz have indicated a possibility of not making the most of David's available time because the stories are taking you in different directions. Can't those roads wait, Chris? You directed season 5 towards Fight The Future, can't you direct season 8 towards Mulder and then shift the focus to Doggett and Scully? Does the new format have to be rammed down out throats instead of gently applied? Let us say a fond and happy good-bye to Mulder, first, please. I guess it may be too much to hope for, though. Because with your next statement, Chris, you poured salt on a wound which was rendered with those Doggett 'manly' statements in Entertainment Weekly. "His decency is important to the character but what's more important is that he's as different from Mulder as we could make him," Carter explains. "If I could create a character who was honorable, who came in and in fact didn't believe in any of the work that was going on in the X-Files, but was not dismissive of Scully and sensed her vulnerability, you would have a chemistry that would be sort of a classic male/female chemistry." If Doggett is as different from Mulder as you could make him, then by everything else you said you have stated this, Chris: That Mulder is not honorable. That Mulder is dismissive of Scully. That Mulder does not sense Scully's vulnerability. That Mulder and Scully's chemistry is not classically male/female. Are you kidding, Chris? You have to be. Or else you are not watching the same show we are watching. Was it a dishonorable man who refused to let Scully take the fall for him in Redux II? Was it a dishonorable man who refused CSM's offer to join the dark side of the force? Was it a dishonorable man, who despite the personal loss and sacrifice, continued to pursue answers for the truth, not just for himself, but for others? Was it a man who was dismissive of Scully who has listened to her views, who has moved to look for proof when she said it was required? And if he has, on occasion, dismissed her viewpoint, is his crime in that department any less than hers? Is it not Scully who has always immediately failed to accept Mulder's theory, despite a history of Mulder being correct in 99% of X-Files? Who was it who, even in by Je Souhaite, refused to acknowledge a paranormal possibility? Who, in Biogenesis, has to be reminded why Mulder was still searching for answers? Vulnerability? Irresistible, Chris. Memento Mori, Chris. Christmas Carol/Emily, Chris. Any of these ring a bell? And chemistry. If we want classic male/female Chris, we'll tune into any number of other shows which take the same formulaic route to bringing two characters together. It may not have been traditionally classic, but what Mulder and Scully have had these last seven years has been classy - and beautifully unique. But I guess you're talking about 'me Tarzan, you Jane' traditional chemistry, eh Chris? You, Gillian and Robert have been repeatedly referring to this major reversal of the XF dynamic, where suddenly Scully needs protection instead of mutual respect. Gag me. Mulder and Scully are both strong characters. They have their weaknesses, and their strengths. They have the partnership. They have the friendship. And while they have been individuals in their own right, they have been seen by many as two halves to a whole. That's chemistry, Chris. And Chris? The UST is there, you just need to know where to look. (Yep, that's why they put the 'I' in FBI!) There was a lot more in the Cinescape article - talk of the moodier tone for the upcoming season, some of the character returns (oh, and thanks for the spoiler warnings, guys!), acknowledgment that Chris has a 'rough' idea where the conspiracy angle is headed, and talk of the movie franchise, versus the TV version continuing, versus an exit of the show altogether. Nick Lea, who, though drastically under-used in the 6 years since his character was introduced, has probably played the most interesting and Phile-loved bad guy (with possible good intentions, according to some Philes!) on the show, was quoted as saying: "I used to say I wanted to be there until the show ended, that I didn't want to die prematurely like everyone else… Now, I just want the show to stop when its only staying around to fill up airtime. When it loses its integrity, I want to go." And so say all of us, Nick. But if it is going to continue, whether its just filling airtime or not, our focus is still, and always will be, the same. A season 8 that *is* about Mulder. A just, dignified and respectful exit for a character who deserves to live on. |
Fox
forgets Mulder.
|
