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FRANK SPOTNITZ
- As unbelievable as it may seem given the recent public noise from 1013 et al., the above words were actually spoken by Frank Spotnitz in an interview published on 1 October. (link below) It is a Phile-heartwarming statement, for it is an indication that at least one member behind the creative force of The X-Files has some awareness of what Phile focus has been for the last 7 years. If the above is truly what Frank Spotnitz believes, it gives us some measure of hope that Mulder - and David - will be treated with the dignity, justice and respect they deserve. Of course, it could merely be a party line, an attempt to respond to the fan reaction of late. Ours is not the only cause expressing a concern for the future of The X-Files – other efforts have been mounted in the recent past, or are currently in progress. And on an individual basis many Philes have been doing their part, by sending *that* Entertainment Weekly cover to 1013 and/or 20th Century Fox, and/or returning it to the publishers. (And from what we hear some copies have been returned in not quite the pristine condition in which they were distributed. Is defacing of entertainment mags a serious offence? <g>) Letters have been sent, and more than one 1013 or Fox employee has been on the other end of a telephone call from a concerned Phile. So perhaps Frank Spotnitz’s words were an attempt to calm the stormy seas of Phile reaction. Or maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle. We may never know. Whatever the reason, the words were spoken. Something to be grateful for, one would think. But while Frank did say the above, Frank’s responses to some questions raised during the interview have left us puzzled, amazed and concerned. Read on. Concerning Scully's pregnancy and the likely father, Frank Spotnitz replied: "It could've been Mulder. There is a very violent debate whether that would be a good plot development. Other things I've heard is that somehow it’s an alien pregnancy. And there was an episode last season where Scully was in the company of Cigarette Smoking Man and she was unconscious and woke up in a bedroom. Those are the three scenarios." Our reaction? It shows you how out of touch 1013 et al. are with their audience if they truly believe that the majority of Philes would accept any other answer than 'Mulder'. (Not counting those Philes who have yet to ponder the mystery as they are still battling with the consequential major plot inconsistency of the pregnancy. Afterall, last Philes heard, Scully was barren.) And no insult intended towards William B. Davis (although an apology hardly seems necessary given character and actor are two separate entities entirely), but a pregnancy by Cancerman? That's not The X-Files, that's Days of Our Lives. And a rather icky episode at that! One suspects the uncertainty surrounding the 'violent' debate (and interesting it is ‘violent’) may be more a case of how to deal with a future without David Duchovny/Mulder, and a Scully with a baby. However they handle it, one hopes it is done with class and dignity. As to when we'd likely discover the paternity of Scully's baby, Frank replied: "You'll get more information early in the new year, probably some time after Christmas. Since Mulder is missing, I think it would be difficult for Scully to get real hard answers." Translation? We'd rather leave it to the February sweeps and keep the Philes hanging on. Or perhaps such a wait will give them the time to think their way out of the corner they wrote themselves into with the utterance of the pregnancy declaration at the close of last season. Whatever the case, this sort of answer makes it pretty obvious that serious consideration is being given to the possibility of paternity not being Mulder. Either that, or they are contemplating Scully believing it is Mulder's child, but later changing it. Dealing with the first possibility of Scully knowing it is not possible Mulder is the father (by conventional means, anyway): With the plethora of tests which could be run at this stage of her pregnancy, and not knowing who the father is, surely Scully would want to find out as soon as possible. Afterall, there are plans to be made. And if they are truly considering an alien pregnancy (ack!), and by now we hope Scully would consider the possibility if approached with it, wouldn't she want to find out straight away? Sheesh, guys, how about application of a bit of logic here? Or are we sacrificing commonsense and logic for the sake of plot contrivance and audience manipulation? And hey, if she doesn't know, if Mulder isn't a consideration, why was she smiling when she told Skinner at the end of Requiem? Having been declared barren, the news may come as a wonderful surprise. But think about it. You haven't been doing the wild thang with Mulder or anyone else (and if they go for the off-screen romance, what a cop-out that would be!). You've recently lost a few hours in the company of Cancerman, who despite original intent, ultimately played you for a fool. You’ve been abducted in the past, and your partner's just been abducted. Why would any pregnancy make you smile? There’s an X-File right there! As to the second theory of it possibly being Mulder's child, then Feb sweeps proving it isn't? Well, as Mulder might say 'that's just a little too soap opera for me.' Oh, wait! There's a third possibility. Maybe Scully had been pursuing the in vitro road. Maybe, her trusted obgyn turns out to be a consortium member, just like her oncologist was in Memento Mori. Maybe he's betrayed her and she isn't carrying what she thinks she's carrying. Oy veh! Is this The X-Files? Or Dana Scully, Special Victims Unit? Oh well, if that's one way to let X-Files: The Next Generation start on the Mulder-less road, then let it be... as long as Mulder is given a just and happy ending. (Though personally I think its a definite smack in the face to some Philes, but then what would you expect from Chris Carter, a man who has publically stated that Mulder and Scully kissed in the movie - the start of it occurring in the hallway, the end when Mulder revived her in the alien ship .) Moving on... and touching back on those words we quoted at the beginning. Of the new character to The X-Files, and whether the audience will dislike him initially, Frank said: "Most X-Files fans love Mulder and they love Mulder with Scully." An acknowledgment of a basic fact of Philedom. Again, we say ‘well done, Frank.’ "It's quite natural that when you've loved a character and actor to feel resistance to a new guy coming in. No matter how wonderful the new actor and character is, it's a hard sell to the audience. Plus, Scully doesn't like him. I suspect he'll win her over. Robert Patrick is a hard actor not to like." Loved? LOVED? Past tense? Has Mulder left already? Has David? Guess we were right in believing Mulder is now 1013's most unwanted - they're talking in past tense already. Here's a lesson, Frank. The end of a series, the end of a character being in a show, does *not* make any affection for said character and actor become a fact of the past. Star Trek (Classic) is well and truly over, but I still love some of the characters. Always will. And likewise Mulder. No matter how many new characters you bring in, you will never change the fact that the love for this character and actor will remain a present tense phenomenom. And Robert Patrick will win over Scully? Interesting perspective. Since when does an actor win over a character? But even allowing for a nitpick on our side, its not hard to believe the new character will win Scully over, Frank. Not when you're writing the scripts. And we're sure Robert Patrick is a charming man. But facts are facts, and you nailed it when you were asked whether we'd ever like Doggett: "It's a real risk. There was a powerful chemistry between Mulder and Scully that helped make the show what it is. We're very aware of how dangerous this is, but these are the cards we were dealt." With the fantastic Mitch Pilegii at your call, with the wonderful Nicholas Lea who has played the ultimate villain on The X-Files (sorry, but Cancerman ceased being menacing a long, long time ago), with the re-introduction of Marita, one wonders why it was necessary from a purely plot perspective to bring in a regular, new character. And if Chris Carter were true to his word about no killed-off character ever truly dying in The X-Files, why not resurrect Jeffrey Spender? Chris Owen's character was sadly departed from XF just when he became truly 3-dimensional and interesting. And another alternative? While not wishing to have any cast and crew member out of work, was it totally beyond consideration to end the show on a high? If you can acknowledge that Mulder and Scully were important to it's success, why not acknowledge that without them there's likely to be a major downturn in ratings? We had more references to Doggett's masculinity, and questions of CSM's health. Thankfully on this last one Frank implied that, with William B Davis currently not under contract, it seems that push down the stairs was terminal. Even if this character's ending was just a little too melodramatic, the idea of yet another miraculous resurrection was barely tolerable. Interestingly, when asked when the aliens coming to colonize the earth, the response was: "That's the big question. I can't say. That's part of the mythology that might be answered in the movie series." Aliens colonizing, yet not so long ago Chris Carter was quoted as saying he would not be pursuing the invasion scenario. But the movie series? There's going to be one now? You brought it up, Frank, yet seemed to back off when asked about it: "The decision to go forward for an eighth season put everything into question. Will there be a movie series? Will the audience still be there for a movie series? I don't know." We've probably got a fair idea. Unless David is in it - and indications from the latest online chat held with David say it's unlikely, you can pretty much count on a significant drop in revenue for another movie. A pity FOX et al. didn't capitalize on the success of the first movie, and end the series at the end of season 6 (although who would have wanted to miss Hollywood, A.D., Je Souhaite and a few other gems?) or at least season 7. I can still visualize my first viewing of Fight the Future, the familiar tune played in a whistle-like effect at the start of the film as the new version of the familiar X logo appeared. How truly awesome The X-Files looked on the big screen. How wonderful to go back multiple times, in two countries no less!, to see the wonderful work done by cast and crew transferring the brilliance of the small screen to the big. Memories. A final note: when asked about the season opener, and the meeting between Doggett and Mulder, Frank took the usual 1013 line: "I can't say. You have to watch. We want to preserve the surprise." You're kidding, right? After seven years you'd think all at 1013 and Fox would know that except for those who don't *want* to know, and those who are not online, most Philes already know about it. (And according to some Phile reactions, it is a waste of David's precious and limited screen time for this season.) While you have a clue about the Phile focus where XF is concerned, Frank, we gotta tell ya, some of the things you guys are considering are just downright scary. http://www.gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/sunday/arts_entertainment_2.html Arts & Entertainment Sunday, October 1 Doggett and Scully?
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Fox
forgets Mulder.
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