Excelsis Dei 2×11: Thank you for sharing.

Careful. She has a gun.

Despite the fact that “Excelsis Dei” isn’t overly loved by the fandom, it is a shining example of how sophisticated the show has become since Season 1. “Shadows” (1×5) anyone?

That being said, “entity rape” is a hard sell.

This episode isn’t bad it’s just a little too grim and a little too obtuse. It suffers from the same syndrome as the two previous episodes: clues, clues everywhere but none that help me think. For instance, I wonder how many people ever pick up on the fact that Hal never raped that nurse? I certainly hadn’t. But we have to cut the writers some slack. They’re trying not to lose the famous ambiguity of Season 1 while still creating more depth in Season 2.

Here’s the plot rundown as I understand it: The residents at the nursing home are taking a hallucinogenic that not only has recuperative powers for their minds. It opens their eyes to the spiritual world. The problem is that the connection swings the other way as well. The more of the mushrooms that the residents take, the more the spirits have access to the physical world. These spirits are angry and bitter about their treatment at the nursing home and are eager to exact revenge using the living residents as a sort of conduit.

It’s literally taken me years to understand all that. I still haven’t figured out exactly why injecting Stan put a stop to the whole mess in the end. He wasn’t the only resident on those mushrooms. Maybe he was the only actual conduit? Who knows. I’ll work on that mystery my next run through the series.

What the former/dead residents are doing is so horrible and yet we’re supposed to sympathize with their vengeance. It’s true that their victims are no innocents, but the way they treated the residents amounts to little more than backtalk for the most part, not full-fledged abuse. They probably get the same or worse from their grandkids. It is a sensitive topic, however, and I do appreciate that in this episode the writers are giving what amounts to a homage to an entire generation. A very well-deserved one.

…And the Verdict is:

Despite its flaws I actually enjoy this episode. It has atmosphere, which I know is the default position of even the worst X-Files episodes, but it really does look and feel creepy as all get out. The scene at the end when the water overflows is like something out of The Shining. And the premise is good even if the execution is imbalanced. Tell me getting raped by a 90-year-old man’s ghost isn’t the stuff of nightmares!

Also, it’s good to see Scully take the lead on this one. It reminds me of “Squeeze” (1×2) in that respect; Mulder denies there’s anything to the case at all while Scully keeps digging. Not that she’s turned into a believer but episodes like this allow her character to branch out. It also shows that the writers are confident enough in the Mulder/Scully dynamic at this stage to play with the formula a little. A good sign of things to come.

B

Questions:

Why did it all stop??

Comments:

I love it when Mulder’s wrong. No such thing as entity rape, eh? Bah.

Isn’t it interesting how this episode acknowledges Mulder’s porn fetish right after we’re introduced to a perverted, if humorous, old man? See your own future much?

Best Quotes:

Hal Arden: You got to be kidding me. What do I think of her claims? I should be in the Guinness record book. I’m 74 years old. I’ve got plumbing older than this building. [Opens towel and reveals…] And it don’t work much better either.
Mulder: Thank you for sharing.

——————

Scully: What do you think, Mulder?
Mulder: About the guy’s plumbing?

——————-

Mulder: Are you saying that the building’s haunted? Because, if you are, I think you’ve been working with me too long, Scully.

Season 1 Wrap Up: The FBI’s most unwanted.

"This must be the place."

…And the Verdict is:

B

It’s alive!

Sure, things started off a little slow and clunky, but that’s what happens when a snowball rolls downhill.

Up until now, when I’ve had a rewatch or when I’ve gone back and watched Season 1 episodes individually, all I noticed was how different the show was in the beginning versus later seasons. The unfulfilled episode endings, hokey special effects, bad ties… it’s hard not to forget that you’re watching early 90s television. But this time around, I’m struck by how consistent the show actually was, particularly in Mulder and Scully’s characterizations. Even through Season 7, the creators stuck to the original plan, they just got better at executing it. From beginning to, well, almost end, we have two paranormal investigators who use science as their guide and regularly give their bosses the stank eye.

The conspiracy is different, sure. But that’s only because it didn’t exist. Instead, there are a number of small conspiracies presumably organized by the same shadowy group of men. There’s no connectivity between episodes like “Deep Throat” (1×1) and “Conduit” (1×3) for instance. Miraculously, though, all the seeds planted at the end of the season in “The Erlenmeyer Flask” (1×23) bring forth fruit before the end of the series. No, you can’t quite call it a mythology episode but it certainly serves as a prologue to what comes later.

My personal highlights were enjoying “Ghost in the Machine” (1×6) and “E.B.E.” (1×16) for the first time. GITM still ranks at the lower end of the spectrum but it’s not the lost cause I had written it off as before. I dare say I might even enjoy it more the next go-around. “E.B.E.” is a gem long misunderstood by my adolescent mind. Thank heavens I’m a big girl now. It’s particularly gratifying since part of the point of this endeavor is to eke out every last bit of pleasure from this show that I can. Now I have to more episodes to add to my anytime rewatch list.

Even more importantly, I’m getting a kick out of trying to track Mulder and Scully’s relationship timeline from beginning to end. As far as Season 1 goes, they click in the beginning, they gel in the middle, and they downright congeal at the end. By the beginning of Season 2 Mulder just about gives her the, “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope,” speech.

So now for a question I’ve been dying to get to. Somewhere inbetween the “Pilot” (1×79) and the closing of the X-Files in “The Erlenmeyer Flask,” Mulder and Scully become better than partners they become “Mulder & Scully.” Now, I’m not hinting at any Shipper Shenanigans, but I’ve always wondered whether there was a “moment” that could be picked out or if, as I’m prone to think, it was a naturally evolution that occurred before the audience even picked up on it. To be honest, I’m still not sure. But if there is a “moment” that can be pointed out, then there are several contenders for that honor.

1. “Pilot” (1×79): Mulder and Scully bond in the rain and Scully laughs maniacally. Why not? She must be losing her mind since she’s starting to believe her crazy partner.
2. “Squeeze” (1×2): Scully stands up for Mulder against some J. Edgar Hooverish bullies while Mulder first hints that he may be feeling some (platonic!) affection for Scully. Scully makes a fateful decision to follow him up the stairs.
3. “Beyond the Sea” (1×12): Mulder doesn’t just hint, he calls her Dana. Dana decides she can open up and be vulnerable with Fox. At this point, they’re so in tune with each other that they even sit in sync.
4. “E.B.E.” (1x)16: Mulder now realizes that the only person he can trust is Scully, and he tells her so without any regard for her personal space.
5. “Tooms” (1×20): Root beer.

My personal opinion? The “Pilot” is where they become partners, “Squeeze” is where they become comrades, “Beyond the Sea” is where they become friends, “E.B.E.” is where they become allies, and “Tooms” is when they become “Mulder & Scully.”

That’s my take on it… this time around. But I’d love to hear some other opinions. Is it possible to pinpoint when Mulder and Scully became something special? If not, why not? If so, are any of the options I listed viable? Was there a moment I didn’t list that you want to smack me over the virtual head for missing? Let me know!

P.S. BBC America is airing Fight the Future right this very moment, 8pm ET. I smell a run up to XF3!

Tooms 1×20: Wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Finger lickin' good.

Skinner appears! CSM speaks!! I could end my review right there and at least half of my invisible audience would be OK with it. Thankfully, this episode has more to recommend itself than even those two glorious points. Only three X-Files MOTW villains were notorious enough to warrant follow-up episodes. “Squeeze” (1×2) gave birth to “Tooms”, “Pusher” (3×17) to “Kitsunegari” (5×8) and “Irresistable” (2×13) to “Orison” (7×7). Out of all three pairings, only “Tooms” was a true success.

What makes a killer? Is it all in one’s genetic makeup as Mulder says at Tooms’ hearing? Doubtful, as Tooms frames Mulder with such sinister relish that one can hardly believe his motive was purely survival and not revenge. The theme of evil as an inexplicable force all its own travels well from “Squeeze” to “Tooms”. In “Squeeze”, it’s intimated that Tooms’ warped DNA is born of human evil. Now, we see the evidence of it. And yet, mercifully, this episode doesn’t focus on the how or why of Eugene Victor Tooms. Where he came from isn’t so important. He’s here and he’s the personification of evil. No weighty, post-modern psychosocial exposition necessary.  Bah. That old war-horse of a Detective doesn’t need no stinkin’ machine to help him find those bones. Tooms’ lingering malevolence is so powerful it seeps up through the concrete. Now, that’s some kind of evil.

But let’s get to the crux of the matter, shall we?

Scully is challenged at the beginning of this episode for not doing what she was assigned to do. Rather than reign Mulder in, she’s becoming more open-minded herself. Finally, Scully is forced to confront her own evolution. Just how far over the edge she’s willing to go with Mulder? How unorthodox will she get? It’s gotten to the point where she’s not just risking her reputation the way she did in Squeeze, she’s risking her career. In fact, she’s risking the career that she chose even over pleasing her family. Earlier, I said of “Squeeze”, “Let’s call this moment Part 1 of a life-altering choice. Part 2 isn’t until ‘Tooms’ (1×21), when Scully blows up any semblance of a balanced attachment to Mulder the way a 6^th grader would a science project.” Well, this is what I was talking about. Scully isn’t just defending Mulder against schoolyard bullies anymore. That, anyone with a conscience might do. No, now she’s telling bald-faced lies to her superiors without so much as a blush or an eye twitch.

How did she reach that point? Well, this is just one of my favorite things to talk about. Fundamentally, it all boils down to Iced Tea.

Let me back up here and tell you a little about my rewatch. Somewhere around the middle of the stakeout scene, I couldn’t make it through for some odd mixture of joy and pain. I had to pause, flail about on my bed and cry, “My show! My show! My show!!” Then I went to the bathroom, came back and started the scene from the beginning… couldn’t make it through, stop, rinse, repeat. It took me 5 tries to make it to the end. And lest you think I suffer from IBS, maybe I should mention that this is my favorite moment in the entire series.

Why, you ask, do I go gaga over this scene when there are so many amazing moments in the 90% of the series left to come? I can only attempt to explain.

Let’s break down the sequence in rambling, dulcet tones: At first, we think Scully’s about to hammer Mulder for not following the rules. Then we realize that she’s actually looking out for him and not in the least trying to please her bosses. You can see on her face that she’s weighing what Mulder’s saying about keeping her nose clean. She’s considering the potential repercussions to her career. Yet, Scully is not dissuaded when he discourages her from calling him “Fox.” She doesn’t skip a beat with her declaration. She doesn’t look shyly down or break eye contact. She’s bold. Mulder is shocked, gratified and uncomfortable. I squeal and cackle with unbounded delight. Mulder’s afraid. There’s root beer in the bag. All’s right with the world.

As long-winded as I’ve already been, this is where I feel I should probably write a disclaimer. Now, please understand that I’m an M/S shipper to my last atom, but I probably don’t have a typically mainstream reading of this scene. I don’t think either Mulder or Scully had any romantic interest in each other (OK, maybe a very, very latent interest). Mulder’s not serious when he mentions “love,” he just couldn’t think of a better way to express his gratitude and affection than to make a joke of it. He’s juvenile like that. Scully’s not disappointed, she’s punking Mulder. The moment is priceless anyway.

Mulder is selflessly looking out for Scully, Scully is selflessly looking out for Mulder. Dramedy. Banter extraordinaire. And how can you not love deadpan Scully?? Ah, friends, this dynamic is why, after all this time, I’m still in love with Mulder & Scully.

This is the 4^th moment up for contention in a series of moments up for the title of being the moment. You know, the one where Mulder & Scully become a full-fledged team. My opinion? Even if it isn’t the winner, it’s the fairest of them all.

And the Verdict is…

If I could have one wish for the New Year… I’d want XF3. But if I could get a second wish, I’d want a recreation of this scene in XF3, still sans iced tea. It would be only too great to see these two, twenty years later, still putting it all on the line for each other, supporting each other, and flirting with each other.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” That pretty much sums up how Scully feels about Mulder and the X-Files right now; both are an adventure not to be missed.  I wholeheartedly agree.

I’ve read where Chris Carter originally planned for The X-Files to be a story driven show. Episodes like this are why it so quickly became about the characters.

A+

Nagging Questions:

Tooms knew that his bite mark could be used to identify him way back in the 1930’s. That’s one smart mutant. Still, even if you hide the body, why waste the liver??

How did Mulder miss the weight of a full-sized man entering his trunk?

How did Tooms figure out which apartment was Mulder’s? He wouldn’t have been able to follow him into the building directly. Did he check every air vent until he found him?

How exactly did Scully know the area that corresponded to Tooms’ original nest inside the mall?

Tiddlywinks:

If Tooms wasn’t gross enough, now he doesn’t just crawl through ventilation ducts and sleep in bile, he worms his way through sewage as well. But he couldn’t quite squeeze through the toilet so he gives up and goes through the window?? He can’t break the lid-lock? Amateur.

The light works in the hallway but not in Toom’s room? Sounds like an excuse for Mulder and Scully to break out their flashlights.

And now we know that Mulder isn’t claustrophobic. We don’t see him crawl that fast again until he’s being chased by a razor-clawed alien in FTF.

The eyes have it in this episode. There are more close-up shots of people’s eyes than I care to keep track of.

Blevins magically disappears.

CSM finally becomes a real player. Not because his single line steals the show, but because Skinner’s deference to him is disturbing.

Best Quotes:

Mulder: You think they would have taken me more seriously if I wore the gray suit?

—————–

Mulder: They’re out to put an end to the X-Files Scully. I don’t know why but any excuse will do. I don’t really care about my record but you’d be in trouble just sitting in this car. And I’d hate to see you carry an official reprimand in your career file because of me.
Scully: Fox…
Mulder: [laughs] I… I even made my parents call me Mulder… Mulder.
Scully: Mulder, I wouldn’t put myself on the line for anybody but you.
Mulder: [stares] If there’s an iced tea in that bag… could be love.
Scully: Must be fate Mulder… Rootbeer.

—————–

Scully: There’s only room for one.

Mulder: You can get the next mutant.

EBE 1×16: Don’t stop swimming.

Exit. Stage Right.

I’m going to step out into precarious territory here and say that I think Fox Mulder is a naturally trusting fellow. Don’t believe me? Well, he certainly trusts Deep Throat without question. He lets Jerry and Phoebe back into his life in “Ghost in the Machine” (1×6) and “Fire” (1×11) respectively. And most of all, in the “Pilot” (1×79), he’s skeptical of his skeptical partner and yet he reaches out to her anyway… in hope. What hope? Hope that he can trust her.

This is all a part of Mulder’s tendency to naturally give trust based on his instincts. And once he believes in a person he’s reluctant to throw that trust away unless given a significant reason to do so. He does that with Skinner in “Redux II” (5×2), Diana Fowley in multiple episodes. And here we see him live out the same pattern with Deep Throat. Has Deep Throat ever given him any hard reason to trust him? As Scully points out: not really. But since he hasn’t given any particular reason to distrust him either, Mulder is inclined to think the best of him.

The man is a sensitive soul at heart. There’s a reason he’s downright gullible sometimes. He wants to believe, not only in aliens and the paranormal, but in people too. Unfortunately, this idealism doesn’t serve him well and he grows progressively cynical and distrustful as time marches on. Still, even as of Season 6 he’s reluctant to suspect anyone he has a history or relationship with. That’s my theory and I’m stickin’ to it.

Regardless, as usual, Mulder’s gut instincts are right. Deep Throat is on his side. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t mislead him for the sake of his own agenda. As Mulder eventually learns, the only one he can count on, the only one who doesn’t have their own agenda tied up in a musty closet somewhere, is Scully. It’s not that Scully is the only one he would trust, rather, as the mythology spreads out, she’s the only one he can trust. All other options and allegiances are taken from him. There’s food for thought. Chew on that cud.

Whatever the reason he trusts Scully, if we were ever unsure before now we know that Mulder truly does rely on her. He even switches from saying “me” to “us” by the end of the episode. How does he put it? Deep Throat “tried to deceive us.” They’re a team on this. Finally. Now Scully is in on the conspiracy for the first time whereas before she was clueless on the outskirts. I mentioned before that there is a moment in Beyond the Sea that could possibly be considered the moment when Mulder and Scully become Mulder and Scully. Well, this is the second contender.

Scully, on her part, finally admits that it’s Mulder’s passion she admires. And truthfully, their relationship follows the outline of this exchange for much of the rest of their partnership. Scully knows the world is out to get Mulder and she’s trying to keep the world at bay. Mulder wants to jump off the deep end and Scully desperately tries to rein him in for his own good. He wants to believe too much, she’s too reluctant to believe… world without end, amen.

One thing I never appreciated properly before when it comes to “EBE” is its subtlety. Take the interchange of the cup back sliding back and forth on the interrogation table between Scully and the truck driver. A lesser show would have put too much emphasis on it with close ups on the actors’ drawn out, exaggerated reactions and such. The X-Files just lets it sit there for you to notice it or not. Same thing when Scully receives the bugged pen. Never, ever had I caught that bit about the pen at the rent-a-car agency. Not only that, I didn’t even catch it during the re-watch for the review. I was enjoying myself so much that halfway through I rewound the episode to the beginning to savor it even more and that’s when I caught it. How sad is that? Feel free at this point to dismiss all the rest of my reviews as obviously my powers of observation encountered kryptonite somewhere along the way.

However, I don’t need any particular powers of observation for this next part. Not enough can be said about the introduction of the Lone Gunmen and the way it’s underplayed. Once again, there are no exaggerated, lingering close-ups. I could almost wish we had more time to watch the characters respond to one another, but in the end I prefer it this way. It’s funny to think that Morgan and Wong initially thought that they had somehow missed the mark in the depiction of these three amigos. Thankfully, nothing could be further from reality. They are a nerd’s joy and a geek’s delight. And so is this entire episode.

And the Verdict is…

I really, really enjoyed watching “EBE” this time around. Maybe it’s the beauty of hindsight, who knows? Being aware of what happens at the end of the series certainly makes the beginning more poignant, not to mention it makes me feel like a bit of a wise old owl superciliously dropping knowing nods in the characters’ directions. Whatever the more primitive psychological reason, the acting and directing here points to the extreme possibility of this turning into a dang good series. If there’s any disappointment in this episode it’s that it didn’t have time to develop both the characters’ relationships and the conspiracy. We really don’t learn much about the government conspiracy except that it exists. Oh, and that Scully seems to have started believing in it too, minus the part about aliens, of course. One can’t have it all.

We finally see the mythology start to blink its sleepy eyes. It’s not quite awake yet, but it’s peeking!

A

P.S. If that’s not enough, check out the obscene amount of quotable moments I felt compelled to tag onto the end of this review.

Little Nags:

Roswell being lumped in with the Tuskeegee experiments? Really, Mulder??

The spaceship parts are supposed to be making this truck heavy, right? After all, little green men don’t weigh 2 tons. That’s why we say they’re “little.” And if the truck is overloaded with spaceship pieces, how is Mulder shoving these boxes around like they’re full of Styrofoam popcorn? Moreover, if those are car part decoys, where are the alien gizmos?

When did Mulder learn where Scully lives? For that matter, how did he know where she lived during “Squeeze” (1×3)?? I can’t exactly see them hanging out with each other on the weekends at this point. Maybe he picked her up on the way to the airport before or something.

How did the grandmotherly covert agent fit the pen properly with the bugging device without knowing what pen Scully would use ahead of time? It hardly looks like the expensive type of pen that you’d keep your eye on.

General Observations:

Scully doesn’t use nearly enough creamer in her coffee.

Did Mulder and Scully spend their own personal money on those extra plane tickets? Talk about conviction for a cause.

After Mulder’s touching declaration of blind trust does Deep Throat feel guilty? We hope so.

Aliens abduct humans out of their beds yet they can’t abduct one of their own out of a truck before the government gets to him?

Did anyone else notice that at the beginning of their interview of the truck driver Mulder had his leg up on the table? He really has always been like that.

Mulder totally saw that $20 bill thing coming.

This is the second time that Mulder and Scully have been blinded eyewitnesses to an alien abduction. Of course, this is the first time an alien is the abductee…

Best Quotes:

Scully: From the trucker’s description, the shape he fired on could conceivably have been a mountain lion.
Mulder: Conceivably.
Scully: The National Weather Service last night reported atmospheric conditions in this area that were possibly conducive to lightning.
Mulder: Possibly.
Scully: It is feasible that the truck was struck by lightning, creating the electrical failure.
Mulder: It’s feasible.
Scully: And you know, there’s a marsh over there. The lights the driver saw may have been swamp gas.
Mulder: Swamp gas?
Scully: It’s a natural phenomenon in which phospine and methane rising from decaying organic matter ignite, creating globes of blue flame.
Mulder: Happens to me when I eat Dodger Dogs.

————-

Byers: Vladmir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the Russian Social Democrats? He’s being put into power by the most heinous and evil force of the 20th century.
Mulder: Barney?

————-

Deep Throat: Mulder, if the shark stops swimming it will die. Don’t stop swimming.

————-

Langly: Is this your skeptical partner?
Frohike: She’s hot.
Byers: You don’t believe that the CIA, threatened by a loss of power and funding, because of the collapse of the cold war, wouldn’t dream of having the old enemy back?
Scully: I think you give the government too much credit. I mean, the government can’t control the deficit or manage crime. What makes you think they can plan and execute such an elaborate conspiracy?
Frohike: She is hot.
Mulder: Settle down, Frohike.

————

Scully: Those were the most paranoid people I have ever met. I don’t know how you could think that what they say is even remotely plausible.
Mulder: I think it’s remotely plausible that someone might think you’re hot.

————

Byers: That’s why we like you, Mulder. You’re ideas are weirder than ours.

————

Scully: Please, will you just hear me? I have never met anyone so passionate and dedicated to a belief as you. It’s so intense that sometimes it’s blinding. But there are others who are watching you, who know what I know, and where as I can respect and admire your passion, they will use it against you. Mulder, the truth is out there… but so are lies.

———–

Deep Throat: You’re awfully quiet, Mr. Mulder.
Mulder: I’m wondering which lie to believe.

Young at Heart 1×15: I’d say that’s going a little out of your way.

We are siamese if you please.

This is another example of one of my favorite MOTW sub-types, a Half-Caff X-File. Like “Ghost in the Machine” (1×6) before it and “Soft Light” (2×23) after it, Young at Heart depicts a government conspiracy to control an unspeakably valuable yet potentially mankind-destroying science.  No paranormal activity, just extreme science gone horribly awry. We’ve already had two similar episodes this season with the previously mentioned “Ghost in the Machine” and even “Ice” (1×7) to a certain extent. But with “Young at Heart”, it would seem that Chris Carter has a Frankenstein fetish. (And in case this episode doesn’t make that clear enough he later writes and directs “The Post-Modern Prometheus” (5×6) just to make sure we get it.)

Season 1 spends a lot of time delving into Mulder and Scully’s past. Scully just had a go with “Lazarus” (1×14) so now, tit for tat, it’s Mulder’s turn again. One element of Mulder’s history that tends to get lost as the seasons go on is that he once held a lofty position as the FBI’s resident Boy of Promise. Mulder banished himself into the nether regions of the basement, but not before he proved he was an investigative genius. It’s during Season 1 that we see the memory of Mulder as a profiling Ace still alive and well in the Bureau’s collective consciousness. Now through his former superior, we learn just how great Mulder really was. Well, he still is great only no one but Scully knows it anymore.

His fairly recent fall from grace still seems to affect Mulder emotionally in this first year, whereas later on he’s jaded and indifferent. We see his resignation to his fate in “Squeeze” (1×2), we glimpse hurt feelings for a moment in “Lazarus” but in Young at Heart he has to face his former glorious past head on. He barely flinches.

Mulder himself bears some resemblance to Dr. Ridley, a brilliant man who bucks the establishment because he single-mindedly believes in his cause. Called names by his peers, he shrugs off their disdain with self-righteousness as his armor.

Mulder’s guilt over the Barnett case? We never hear from it again. We were led to believe that part of the reason Mulder shrugs off the rules so easily in the present is because playing by the rules caused him to be responsible for 2 deaths, and that these deaths continue to haunt him. I suppose they eventually saw fit to haunt him no longer. Like Scully’s godson et al., these histories of Mulder’s and Scully’s fall by the wayside after Season 1.

And the Verdict is…

One of the great things about Season 1 as it progresses is that Mulder and Scully start feeling more like a team, with Scully playing the clueless tag-a-long less often. In the very first scene after the teaser, Mulder and Scully even walk shoulder to shoulder, or more accurately, shoulder on top of shoulder. They just can’t help themselves. They don’t even know what personal space is when it comes to each other. I know I sound as repetitive as Toucan Sam but I still don’t think this is sexual. It’s just that they are inexplicably, spiritually drawn to one another.

If that weren’t enough, one by one, the writers pick off their former allies and friends. The few people at the Bureau with any admiration left for Mulder are falling by the wayside. Jerry was offed back in “Ghost in the Machine”. True, he was Jerry the Jerk, but he had to have a certain amount of respect for Mulder’s abilities to want to consult him and steal his work, right? Now Reggie, who is a mentor to Mulder, is gone just as we get to liking him. And as we shall soon see, Deep Throat’s days among the reliable are numbered as well. It won’t take too much longer before Scully is the only friend Mulder has left.

Besides being able to enjoy their now tangible camaraderie, “Young at Heart” makes for a decent episode even looking back into the abyss of Season 1 awkwardness. My one disappointment is that John Barnett was a lot more intimidating in profile and in flashback than he was in the final act. At least the ending is happily foreboding.

B

Perplexities:

Why does the defense attorney ask Mulder why he didn’t shoot? That seems an oddly placed question… unless of course you’re a writer and you want Mulder to admit in front of a crowded courtroom that people are dead and it’s his own fault.

How did Barnett snag a job fixing the piano at the cello recital? That was awfully short notice and he wouldn’t be able to fake that skill set easily.

How did Dr. Ridley figure out that Scully was looking for him, and more than that, where she lived?

Why is it that Barnett is getting younger while Ridley merely stays the same age?

Wouldn’t Barnett notice that Mulder’s at the recital too and realize it’s a set-up? It’s not like Mulder was there incognito. Truth be told, he does look back after Mulder when he’s onstage tuning the piano.

Here and There:

Mulder and Scully are such cute little youngins and they have no idea what’s coming 3, 4 and 5 seasons down the road. Am I the only one with the overwhelming urge to pinch their television cheeks?

The segue into the courtroom scene? Hilariously bad.

Agent Henderson could’ve been a fun recurring character a la Agent Pendrell.

Best Quotes:

Scully: Mulder, I know what you did wasn’t by the book….
Mulder: Tells you a lot about the book, doesn’t it?

Fire 1×11: It’s a technique I refined in my relationship with you.

Me? Jealous? In your dreams.

And so, we come to “Fire”, a.k.a. When Mulder Lost His Mojo. What is it Scully writes about the arsonist? “He will often act out of impulse, satisfying sexual urges or insecurities with destructive behavior…” Who else does that remind us of?

Cecil L’Ively isn’t the only character starting fires in this episode. Phoebe Green is little more than his female counterpart, with the same sad lack of character exploration. We see a lot of Phoebe Green but we never see her in depth. She was originally supposed to be a recurring character and I suspect the lack of insight into her character is part of the reason she isn’t a successfully engaging presence in this episode. For an Inspector with Scotland Yard her skills as an investigator are strangely underutilized. Mulder and Scully do all the legwork.

She is naturally clever, though, and perceptive. For instance, she’s half right about Scully’s feelings toward her. Scully doesn’t hate her but she’s certainly not on Scully’s list of favorite people. That’s understandable considering that prank she pulls in the car. Phoebe nearly caused Scully to have a coronary merely to play sex games with Mulder. And Scully is nothing if not perceptive herself. She knows what Phoebe came for.

I’m going to walk the shipper plank here for a moment by saying that I don’t think Scully was jealous of Phoebe Green at all in this episode. Outside of the cassette tape incident, Scully comes off amused at rather than irritated with Mulder’s love life. She shows no signs of anger, hurt, or resentment. Impatience? Well, I’d be impatient too if my partner was making whoopee while I was trying to crack a case. Her reaction, however, remains professional and friendly. If she sometimes looks as though she feels she’s the third-wheel that’s only because she is. But, truthfully, Scully acted more jealous of Jerry in “Ghost in the Machine” (1×6) than she does of this leggy brunette.

I realize I’m most likely entirely alone in the fandom with this line of thought, but I just don’t see Scully pining after Mulder at this point. Not only that, but if Scully had a more selfish motive such as winning Mulder’s affections, the writers couldn’t have played her off against Phoebe in the way that they did. Just like Phoebe’s parallels with L’Ively, the differences between her character and Scully’s are pointedly marked out. Mulder notes it himself with that blink-and-you’ll-miss-it comment about not usually having his theories accepted so readily. Scully challenges Mulder intellectually, Phoebe sexually. Scully investigates the case to be a friend to Mulder while Phoebe brings this case to Mulder only as an excuse to seduce him. Scully comes to Mulder’s side when he’s at his worst, Phoebe ignores Mulder once he fails.

Scully doesn’t have an ulterior motive, her only intentions are to help Mulder and solve the case. This wouldn’t hold true unless she was not interested in him sexually. If we were unsure, there’s always that scene of black silk boxer shorts fame. Mulder doesn’t have to cover himself up until Phoebe walks in the room. Why? Scully isn’t a sexual threat. She’s certainly not out to make Mulder a conquest. Phoebe may be his lover, but Scully is his friend.

Is Mulder aware of the dynamics of the situation? Yes. There is a wonderfully classic Mulder and Scully interchange when Scully admits that she’s still been looking into the case, “For [her] own edification, of course.” Mulder’s slightly ironic nod of acknowledgment lets us know that he knows that she knows what everyone knows…

And the Verdict is…

If later episodes make anything clear it’s that Mulder needs Scully and Scully enjoys being needed. She instinctively knows that Mulder needs her; we see it as early as “Squeeze” (1×2). This is why she doesn’t drop this case when Mulder lets her off the hook/gives himself a chance to mack on Phoebe.

Unlike Phoebe Green and even Diana Fowley later on, Scully has no ulterior motive. Her partner is in over his head emotionally and psychologically and she has to help him. She always has to help Mulder. It’s almost compulsive. Even in “Never Again” (4×13), when she’s in rebellion, she still does exactly what he asks her to do. (By way of an aside, as a general rule, the only time their relationship is ever in serious jeopardy is when Scully feels that Mulder might not need her or trust her, that he doesn’t really rely on her. See “Wetwired” (3×23), FTF, etc.)

It seems like Scully’s efforts throughout the series are focused on keeping Mulder just this side of sanity. She’ll yet at him if she has to, spy on him, investigate behind his back, whatever she has to do to make sure he’s OK. She remains ever aware that he’s a danger to himself.

After all, she’s right and he definitely needs her on this one. Now we know that the brilliant Agent Mulder can’t hold his own when it comes to women. He does indeed unfold before us like a flower. Next, it’ll be Scully’s turn in “Lazarus” (1×14).  Tit for tat and all that.

While this is another episode where the audience more or less knows the answer to the mystery ahead of time, it more or less works. Not, however, because of the plot, but because of the inter-personal dynamics. By George, we may actually be interested in these characters’ personal lives.

Originally, Mulder and Scully were supposed to have an exchange at the end of this episode that went like this:

Scully: Well, never let it be said that you wouldn’t walk through fire for a woman, Mulder.
Mulder: And never let it be said that I wouldn’t do it for you again, Scully.

I feel no hesitation in calling this cut one of Chris Carter’s best editing decisions. First of all, when did Mulder walk through fire for Scully in this episode? Secondly, the growth of their relationship is established without this pretty present wrapped in a red ribbon. After all, if Phoebe is an example of Mulder’s relationships with women, how could he not value Scully’s calm integrity? Moreover, the Ship, which was merely a canoe at this point, would’ve taken on water and sunk from an overabundance of syrupy goodness. No need to spell it out. Scully is Mulder’s Girl Friday. All is right with the world.

B+

Head Scratchers:

Mulder, Scully, and Phoebe all know Cecil L’Ively as “the driver.” Yet, once she takes the Marsdens back to their house, Phoebe (and Mulder too, for that matter) thinks that when Scully refers to “the driver” that she’s talking about the missing man and not Cecil L’Ively. Hmmm.

Is Cecil L’Ively a mutant or a magician? We can’t be sure. Maybe he’s like Clyde Bruckman and obsessed over fire to the point where he could start one. After all, he can only ignite the fire. He still needs an accelerant.

Random Thoughts:

Cassette tapes, remember those?

Phoebe’s feelings aren’t hurt! She’s playing you, G-man!! What a dolt.

L’Ively lusts after the wives, he kills the husbands and then he leaves it at that? There’s no indication that he pursues the women afterward. I suppose it’s enough to get rid of the competition.

Mulder’s office has finally reached its permanent form.

Phoebe and Mulder plan to run the trap all by themselves? I take it back up was overrated in the 90s. It’s not like the guy is dangerous or anything. And I don’t believe for one second she expected the arsonist to show. How would they catch him while kissing, with one eye open? The woman didn’t just book a room, she booked a suite for goodness’ sake.

Best Quotes:

Scully: Mulder, you just keep unfolding like a flower.

—————-

Scully: So, Sherlock, is the game afoot?
Mulder: I’m afraid so Watson.

Shadows 1×5: It’s a big bell with a big crack.

These are our "interested" faces.

This is the second outing for Morgan and Wong, though it’s ultimately not as memorable as Squeeze (1×2). Looking back, the episode spent too much time focused on the victim, Lauren Kyte. My understanding is that the network wanted to see Mulder and Scully helping people through their cases and this was Morgan and Wong’s response. Consequently, Mulder and Scully do more to help Lauren Kyte reach an emotional breakthrough than they do to catch the ghost. Fox probably should’ve kept its opinions to itself.

I have to say that overall, this is an episode I don’t have much at all to say about. It’s not particularly frightening, neither is it absolutely boring. There are quite a few humorous moments and some memorable side characters what with the pathologist and the graveyard caretaker. Scully starts throwing in the one-liners, which is a bonus. There’s also Mulder and Scully’s wild ride…

Part of the problem is that we, as the audience, know that the poltergeist is Howard Graves from early on. Mulder and Scully are playing catch up, which diminishes some of the excitement the episode should have had. Their investigation is sound, just boring because we already have the answers.

Most disappointingly, there isn’t much to observe about character development because, well, there is none. Mulder and Scully’s evolution is traded for Lauren Kyte panicking and sniffling. I suppose I can’t say there’s no character development. Scully does reveal that she’s an undiscovered actress. She certainly fooled Lauren Kyte. Mulder, for his part, if he isn’t angry at Scully for the charade, does seem a little disappointed that his partner would use Lauren Kyte’s belief to manipulate her. We all know that believing in ghosts is sacrosanct. Let’s go the positive route and say that Scully was trying to find a way for everybody to win.

At least Mulder and Scully learn to live a little… while they’re alive. This is the first time we see them just killing time together with Mulder’s suggested field trip to the Liberty Bell. Maybe they did learn a lesson from “The Jersey Devil” (1×4).

And the Verdict is…

Let’s just say the tone of this review isn’t negative but rather a little uninterested. I’ve seen this episode I don’t know how many times and still have the same reaction. Not that there aren’t some decent moments, but the story overall isn’t engaging.

Certainly the bathtub scene is creepy. It feels like something out of a horror movie. And like in Carrie, watching people get thrown around by an invisible force is always good for some fun.

Shadows does bear the lonely moniker of being the first, and maybe only real, X-Files ghost story. The later episode, “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas” (6×8) was more of a jolly romp than a paranormal nightmare. Fun, mind you, but not frightening. This episode was influenced by the greats that came before it: Carrie, Poltergeist. In case we’re unsure of what the writers had in mind, the characters reference those films directly. It was a good attempt if not a rousing success.

At least we can be sure a truly platonic love existed somewhere in The X-Files universe.

C-

Bepuzzlements:

Why didn’t Graves exact his revenge from the beginning?

Who knew Mulder was a photographer? Why didn’t this knowledge pop up in later episodes like “Unruhe” (4×4) for instance?

General Observations:

Mulder’s first Elvis reference!

Scully in that green jacket and peach blouse… she looked like pumpkin pie on a Christmas dinner table.

During the interrogation scene, Mulder and Scully have his and her pink and black mugs. Hilarious.

Scully conveniently can’t get out of her seatbelt and so misses the poltergeist party. Is it predictable yet?

Did anyone else feel that Dorland was propositioning Lauren… just a tad?

Best Quotes:

Mulder: I would never lie. I willfully participate in a campaign of misinformation.

——————

Scully: Psychokinesis? You mean how Carrie got even at the prom?

——————-

Mulder: You know how difficult it is to fake your own death? Only one man has pulled it off: Elvis.

——————-

Mulder: Hey, Scully, do you believe in an afterlife?
Scully: I’d settle for a life in this one.

Squeeze 1×2: It probably has to do with your reputation.

Reticulans? Really??

Squeeze marks the moment where The X-Files proves it’s scary-as-all-get-out. It marks a point of no return both for the audience and for Mulder and Scully, as far as their partnership goes. It’s also the first masterwork from Glen Morgan and James Wong. With all this going for it, it’s no wonder that when many people think of The X-Files, Squeeze is the episode that comes to mind, iconic in every way.

The story starts with the show’s best teaser to date, all the more creepy since the action happens off camera. The visual cues in this segment stand the test of time. I myself have seen it literally more times than I can count, but watching those screws turn on their own still gives me chills. Tooms is the bogeyman that no one wants to admit they still believe in. He’s the noise in the house at night that you ignore. He’s the first in a long line of memorable X-Files monsters and villains, memorable because they tug on our latent fears. More than creepiness, there’s another classic X-Files element that makes a first appearance here: the gross out factor. Tooms trolls sewage systems and sleeps in bile. A monster doesn’t get any more stomach-churning until The Host (2×2).

Part of why Tooms is an effective monster is because the writers didn’t try to delve into his psychology. According to what Detective Biggs tells Mulder and Scully, he is some kind of physical manifestation of all human evil. Now isn’t that scarier than giving him a mother complex? Unlike the experimental Hungry (7×3), Tooms, as a monster, is left to be as vile as he wants to be. His genetic motives are somewhat explained, but we’re left feeling that he doesn’t kill purely for survival’s sake. However, in keeping with Season 1’s overall sensibility, his exact origins and motivations are left tantalizingly to the imagination.

Another reason Squeeze is scary 17 years after the fact? We see one of the dynamic duo in mortal danger. Sure, Deep Throat (1×2) showed Mulder in over his head, drugged and confused. But Scully on the verge of getting her insides ripped out trumps that easily. Fortunately, Scully is no damsel in distress. Sure, Mulder comes to her rescue, but they only succeed in subduing Tooms by tag-teaming him. Not to mention Scully put up a heckuva fight till Mulder got there.

By the end of the episode, we see Mulder and Scully working completely in sync to capture Tooms, a feat not quite managed by either the Pilot where Scully retreats from Mulder in the end or by Deep Throat where Scully ends up exasperated. How is it that this is the episode where they end up feeling like full partners for the first time? How did they get here?

First came Colton. We wonder that he was ever a friend of Scully’s at all. His behavior over lunch makes it clear that he’s an ambitious egoist. Maybe once upon a time he was an idealistic cadet at the academy. Maybe. Regardless, he comes to Scully ostensibly to give her a shot at glory, but despite his pretence it becomes clear that this is Colton’s roundabout way of getting Mulder’s help.

On her part, why does Scully look so sad at Colton’s suggestion of her not being Mrs. Spooky, I wonder? No, my fellow sailors aboard the Good Ship, she doth not furrow her brow over the loss of her Romeo. But no doubt she would miss Mulder if she were to leave and would feel like a traitor in no small part. No one but Scully will take Mulder seriously and she instinctively knows it. And if she didn’t know it, Colton and his buddies prove it. As to her righteous indignation at Colton‘s insinuation that she hunts down little green men… who is she kidding? Searching for close encounters is EXACTLY what she does. And as of yet, that’s ALL she’s done, since this is the very first Monster of the Week episode. Your offense rings hollow, Scully.

For Mulder’s part, he’s half serious when he asks if she thinks he’s Spooky too. Does Scully see him just like the others? Has she written him off as a crackpot like the rest of the FBI? She doesn’t answer there, but she will over the course of the episode. She’s clearly uncomfortable with the jokes at Mulder’s expense and also seems to be uncomfortable with their comments for another reason; they make her work illegitimate by association. Scully isn’t happy at being classed right along with Mulder. Season 1 Scully was more ambitious than we ever see her again. She had plans for a real career at the Bureau. On the other hand, the loyal side of her won’t allow her to distance herself from him merely for the sake of her career and even her reputation. From her manner at the presentation of her profile, I think it’s evident that part of Scully is trying to be one of the boys. Her air is just this side of arrogant. She fits right in… until they give Mulder that last little dig.

And now for one of the great M/S moments: the scene by the stairs. There is definitely a cementing of their partnership here. It’s something akin to friendship, though I don’t know if I’d quite call it that yet. But Scully does make a conscious decision to stay down in the basement with Mulder rather than join the stuffed shirts above. Personally, I think that decision hinges on Mulder’s little speech. That’s where he proves he actually respects Scully as a person, not just an agent. Let’s call this moment Part 1 of a life-altering choice. Part 2 isn’t until Tooms (1×21), when Scully blows up any semblance of a balanced attachment to Mulder the way a 6^th grader would a science project.

Whose side is she on? Now it’s the victim’s. Later, I would argue that it’s Mulder’s.

And the Verdict is…

Squeeze is successful because it combines the story of a memorable villain while fulfilling every audience’s desire for a solid partnership. Over the years, The X-Files got more sophisticated, more dramatic, more polished, but you could argue that it never got better than this.

Mulder’s insatiable need to push people’s buttons? Check.

Mulder and Scully against the world? Check.

A tantalizing hint of M/S luuurve? Check. Check.

An unbelievably creepy villain the memory of which will keep viewers up at night? Check. Check. Checkmate.

If anything, this is the moment where Scully chooses to be Mulder’s partner. In the Pilot she’s been assigned and while she expresses some curiosity when it comes to Mulder, she had no input in the matter and no particular interest in the X-Files. Deep Throat shows her as the reluctant partner. But in Squeeze, she makes a deliberate decision to team up with Mulder. Sure, Colton and crew aren’t exactly an incentive to move to Violent Crimes, but if she wanted to she could’ve used the situation to springboard herself out of the basement, at least, without giving Colton another thought. Not to mention that in the world of The X-Files, at least, Violent Crimes is the department to be in if you really want to be somebody at the Bureau. Ask Mulder. He ditched it.

Scully comes across as the type of agent who would make the best showing she could, wherever she was placed, as a point of honor. She certainly would give any partner her A-game. Squeeze, however, is a sign that things are getting personal for Scully. She could’ve easily given an, “It’s been real Mulder,” and moved on without much to-do, only it wasn’t so easy after all. Why isn’t she more interested in getting out of the X-Files? We’ll ask ourselves that question all season….  she’ll ask it herself all of Season 4.

Meanwhile, there’s nothing that reeks of solidarity like cud-chewing sunflower seeds together.

A+

Nagging Questions:

And a question, why didn’t Mulder call the police when he realized Tooms was stalking Scully? Did he really drive all the way from Baltimore to save her without notifying anyone?? To Georgetown, that has to be 40 minutes minimum in good traffic.

Why the big reveal about the fingerprints after the stairway scene? Mulder had already told Scully about the fingerprints within the first 10 minutes of the show.

General Observations:

*In my best overdone announcers voice* And now it’s time for Season 1’s Where Did it Go Wrooong?: We shouldn’t have seen Tooms attack that last guy by his fireplace. He’s so much more frightening off screen than in cheesy slo-mo.

That involuntary twitch of Scully’s cheek when Mulder launches into his Reticulan lecture is priceless. Pure embarrassment. She can’t take him anywhere.

Can we chock this episode up to another time when Mulder is at least partially incorrect in his assessment? For once, Scully cracks the case and finds the bad guy. Mulder just makes sure he gets locked up.

Something about that image of bile falling on Scully’s childlike hands has always stuck with me.

Her cross appears again. Was the plot point of Scully’s faith planned from the beginning? I assumed they chose to have Tooms rip off the larger, rather atrocious pendant rather than her cross because it was more obvious for the audience.

Colton called another man a loser while he was wearing that polka dot tie. Wonders will never cease.

Speaking of Colton, would that they had brought him back! There’s nothing like a hateful villain

Unlike most Season 1 episodes, Scully’s clothes and hair aren’t comical nearly 20 years later. This may seem trivial, but I suspect it has something to do with why this episode holds up better than quite a few other in Season 1.

Mulder’s humor is also a large part of Squeeze’s continued success. This is his funniest episode to date what with moments like the good-ole-boy handshake he gives Colton. He’s also the subject of bullying which makes him more sympathetic than he’s ever been.

Baby’s first I Made This.

Best Quotes:

Mulder: Is there any way I can get it off my fingers quickly without betraying my cool exterior?

Deep Throat 1×1: You believe it all, don’t you?

It's a bird, it's a plane...

This is where the conspiracy really begins and the first in a long line of enigmatic informers side-steps his way into Mulder’s life. It’s also the first time that we see parts of the story unfold from Mulder’s POV rather than Scully’s.

In another sense, the series takes two steps back here. Scully plays the archetypal skeptic in this episode more so than she ever did in the “Pilot” (1×79), which is disappointing. She’s indignant at a “UFO goosechase” whereas previously she was intrigued, entertained even by Mulder’s ideas. Part of what made the Pilot interesting is that she started to molt her skeptic skin. In Deep Throat, she wears hard-headedness like a war medal. In case you can’t tell, I’m not a particular fan of this side of Scully. I like her better when she’s more interested in solving a mystery than in purely refuting Mulder. Even “El Mundo Gira” (4×11) gives her that much. The subtlety of her personality shines in those types of cases. This Scully bears a close resemblance to Mulder’s skewed version of her in “Bad Blood” (5×12). Too close a resemblance. She even stifles his benign overtures of friendship. “Agent” Mulder? Really??

While Scully smirks a lot in this episode, she comes off as less amused at Mulder and more amused at his expense. It’s inconsistent. From what we can tell both in the “Pilot” and in the next episode “Squeeze” (1×3), part of Scully’s value to/for Mulder is that she takes him seriously as an investigator even when she finds his ideas absurd. This is a more antagonistic Scully than we’ve seen previously, which, no doubt, is part of why Mulder ditches her eventually.

Thank heaven Scully isn’t completely humorless. There is that wonderfully exasperated way she closes her eyes in the town diner… And she more than redeems herself when she kidnaps the “reporter” at gunpoint: Scully Squared ™. She has the bravado to hold a government agent hostage. The same woman who argued about the government’s right to keep secrets now threatens to expose them all if she doesn’t get her partner back on demand. And to be fair to stick-in-the-mud Scully, Mulder jumping to conclusions on the basis of those mealy photos is laughable. He’s supposed to be an investigator. Her mockery of him is annoying, but earned.

Even if character development suffers a little bit, this episode is our true introduction to the government conspiracy plot. It was only hinted at in the “Pilot” by the presence of CSM. Along with Scully’s too standard portrayal, the reason this is being explored in the second episode is because there’s no guarantee that anyone saw the “Pilot”. The assumption is that this is the first glimpse of the show for most of the audience. Hence there isn’t a MOTW in sight. This is still about establishing the core premise of the show: two very different agents chasing down a government cover-up about the existence of extra-terrestrials, and one of them unwillingly. The mythology hasn’t quite raised its seven heads yet, but it’s stirring.

An interesting issue does come up that I could wish had been explored further. Just for a second at the motel we wonder, are Mulder and Scully on the right side? If Mulder is right and the government is hiding it’s advanced testing from the American people and, by extension, the rest of the world, isn’t it reasonable to think that they have a responsibility and a right to do so? After all, not keeping our full capabilities on the down low would be the height of foolishness as a nation.

And the Verdict is…

This isn’t one of my favorite episodes of the first season, but some aspects of it are much better on the re-watching. Since 3 of the first 4 episodes all revolve around an alien/government conspiracy, the beginning of Season 1 feels a little top heavy; a necessary evil since the writers have to establish what the show’s all about.

One thing that is nice is that we start to see the story unfold from Mulder’s POV and not just Scully’s. From the introduction of Deep Throat to his kidnapping, now we, the audience, know what Mulder knows… and can’t remember.

Another check mark in the plus column is, of course, the M/S banter. Scully does give him the old what for.

However, the story does Mulder’s character a bit of a disservice. His conspiracy theories are correct, but that’s sheer luck. Mulder doesn’t have any real evidence that would lead to the conclusion that this is anything more than a test flight program by the military. Why is it alien technology just because the pilots can’t handle it? Where’s the Mulder who finds evidence no one else bothers to look for, like in “Squeeze”? Those fake looking, Cracker Barrel photographs don’t count.

Scully doesn’t come off any better.

“Deep Throat” pits Mulder’s blind faith against Scully’s rigid science. But why do faith and science have to contradict? They’re not mutually exclusive; they’re linked. That may be a philosophical conversation for another time, but The X-Files works best when Mulder and Scully aren’t quite so glued into their respective corners.

B

Nagging Questions:

Why did the military let Mulder and Scully go? Why weren’t they both put under arrest? Surely they could’ve overpowered a 5’2” redhead with a mere government-issue gun.

General Observations:

If Scully says, “my field report” one more time…

This is the first Scully voiceover. I actually start to miss that device later in the series.

Scully is already wearing her cross. Though I’m not sure how much we’re supposed to read into that at this point, it does tie in with Scully not being as averse to faith and belief as she would appear to be on the surface.

Scully doesn’t know any better than to believe Mulder when he says he’s going to be a good boy. My, these are the early days.

How brave of Deep Throat to meet with Mulder right out in the open. Any half-decent sniper could’ve taken them both out. Didn’t Deep Throat see “Redux II” (5×3)? Oh, wait…

Best Quotes.

Scully: Sucker!

——————–

Mulder: Tell me I’m crazy.
Scully: Mulder, you’re crazy.