Season 2 DVD Thoughts

[Unbound I]

Getting a week off from work due to my convalescence after having surgery
last week enabled me to watch my Season 2 DVDs. Here are some random thoughts
and observations as I go through a truly memorable season when “The
X-Files” went from being a very good show to being one of the greatest
television has ever seen.
There are a million reasons to adore “Little Green Men,” but one of my
favorites remains how Mulder symbolically takes Scully with him to Puerto Rico
via the tape recorder. Even though the FBI has split them apart, Mulder’s
dependency on her is so powerful their connection can never be broken. Great
stuff.
Darin Morgan didn’t have the greatest time in the world wearing the rather
confining Fluke Man costume, but - assuming he’s telling the truth - he did
pull something over on David, urinating in the water during their scene
together near the climax of the episode. As Morgan put it, David wasn’t going
to ever find out because “he’s never going to watch (the season DVDs).”
<g>
I did not know that not only was the character of X originally conceived to
be a woman, but the character’s first scene with Mulder was actually filmed
with Natalie Novilaje. Some XF fan I am, huh? :) Glen Morgan and James Wong
didn’t think the character worked well enough so Stephen Williams (who Morgan
and Wong knew from their “21 Jump Street” days) was brought in and he
filmed his first scene solo with his footage later spliced into the scene to
make it look like he and David were in the scene together.
For a first-time director, Chris Carter did a masterful job with “Duane
Barry.” Everything about that episode is superb and Carter’s direction
creates the proper blend of suspense and paranoia. We feel Duane Barry’s
sense of desperation and fear as if it is our own. That’s the mark of a
terrific director and Carter, who also wrote the episode, deserves major praise
for his work here.
One of the things I love about Krycek in his first few episodes is how
irrelevant he’s made to feel by everyone. Mulder ditches him; Scully ignores
him; the CSM puts him in his place and my personal favorite moment - when Agent
Kazdin has him fetch some coffee for her in “Duane Barry.” Classic.
Every time I see Melissa Scully in “One Breath,” I have just one
thought: That girl really needs a new wardrobe.
Every time I see Gillian in “One Breath,” I have just one thought.
YOWZA!
How bad of a shot was the guy who stole Scully’s blood vial in “One
Breath?” Mulder’s chasing him through the parking garage and the guy has
Mulder point blank in his sights and misses. That’s the best the CSM could
come up with? Pretty sad.
Props to Morgan and Wong for needling the online fans in “One Breath”
when Langly invites Mulder over to hop onto the Internet to “nit-pick the
scientific inaccuracies of Earth2.”
In Season 2, “Firewalker” was a rather ho-hum episode that did not
really work because it essentially copied what “Ice” did so much better.
Had it aired in S8? It would’ve been one of the best episodes of the season.
How times changed.
Mark my words, some day XF fans around the world will all embrace “Red
Museum” as a true classic episode of the series.
When the ghosts surround Scully in “Excelsis Dei,” she gives off a vibe
that suggests she feels something near her which causes her to leave suddenly.
At no point is that ever followed-up upon, however. I get the feeling there was
supposed to be more to that moment than made it into the episode.
Do you think Terry O’Quinn knew that when he appeared in “Aubrey” it
would mark the first of his 8,747 appearances on the series - all as different
characters?
One of Gillian’s greatest skills as an actress is her ability to convey so
much emotion non-verbally. Watch the scene where Scully and Mulder interrogate
Cokely for the first time and watch her reaction as Cokely calls her “little
sister.” Her distaste for the man is readily apparent. It’s a brief moment,
but Gillian does so much with it, it is truly memorable.
Carter’s “Irresistible” is absolutely brilliant. It was another
second-season episode that raised the bar for what the series was capable of
providing. By incorporating Scully’s abduction experience into the episode
and her fear of letting Mulder see her in a weakened state, Carter not only
provided a wonderful sense of continuity, but he took Scully’s
characterization to an even higher level and opened her up in a compelling
manner. In that final moment when Scully allows herself to break down in front
of Mulder, the bond between them was strengthened considerably.
“You could use my help.” “Always.”
So Mulder, what exactly were you expecting to hear when you asked Ausbury,
“Did you do it?” in “Die Hand Die Verletzt?” Did you actually think
he’d confess there on the spot? How very Perry Mason of you.
I'm sorry Howard Gordon, but "Fresh Bones" is pretty dull.
On the other hand, "Colony/End Game" was another example of S2 taking the
mytharc to new and exciting avenues. The first appearance of faux-Samantha,
further signs of the alien-human hybrid plan of colonization. And "Colony"
featured the first writing credit on the show for David. Not too shabby. Not
too shabby at all.
Oh and "Colony" also marked the first appearance of the Alien Bounty Hunter.
Remember how cool he was and how he was criminally wasted in S8? It's still
real painful to see where the show was and where it ended in those final two
pathetic seasons.
I don't know about anyone else, but I never did like that gray pantsuit
outfit Scully used to wear all the time. For some reason, though, the costume
designers on the show liked it a lot because Scully did wear it all the time.
"Whatever happened to Trust No One, Mulder?" Are you kidding me, Scully,
Mulder always trusted everyone. It's one of his most appealing and enjoyable
character quirks.
Mulder's sense of personal failure with his father is played to the hilt in
both of these episodes. We see it initially in "Colony" when he goes to embrace
his father and Bill Mulder replies with a handshake. Standing just inches
apart, there is no closeness, only distance literal and symbolic. And then in
"End Game," Mulder can barely bring himself to face his father after he's
forced to tell him he's lost his sister once again. The Mulder family dynamic
was at the heart of this series since the pilot and these two episodes took
that dynamic to even more fascinating territory, showing the splintering effect
Samantha's abduction had on the Mulder family and how Mulder places the blame
squarely on his own shoulders for the dissolution of his family.
Scully looks hot in sweats. I thought it was important to say that.
Few XF episodes ever had a better cliffhanger than "Colony" as Scully is
standing face-to-face with one Mulder while another is calling her on the
phone. Brilliant and inspired.
The fight between X and Skinner in "Colony" was terrific. Mitch and Steven
Williams brought a sense of ferociousness to the moment that was breathtaking.
The scene was aided by Rob Bowman, who told the two actors to tune it up
several notches after being a bit dissatisfied with their first take.
"Unofficial channels" indeed.
For all those keeping track of the number of continuity errors involving
Samantha in "Closure," "Colony" marks the first time Mulder is told his sister
is alive.
"Thanks for ditching me."
So I'm watching "Fearful Symmetry" and I'm thinking maybe "Fresh Bones"
wasn't quite so dull after all. Well at least comparitively speaking. Sometimes
blending mytharc elements into a MOTW works (see "Red Museum") and sometimes it
doesn't (see "X-Files in the Mist.").
Why do all women who are supposedly in touch with nature wear flannel
shirts?
Whenever I see Mulder and Scully aging in "Dod Kalm," I'm reminded of the
"Star Trek" episode which had a similar storyline. The exception there was
William Shatner refused to be aged as much as the rest of the cast because he
was the star of the show. Sadly, that behind-the-scenes Trek story is more
interesting than anything that happens in "Dod Kalm." Sorry again, Howard
Gordon.
Ahhh "Humbug," the first "funny" episode of "The X-Files" written by the
brilliant Darin Morgan. So many brilliant moments (Mulder removing the nail
from Dr. Blockhead's nose is a personal favorite), even some poignant ones
(Scully and Lanny simulataneously covering up the exposed parts of their
anatomys) and so many brilliant lines ("I can't wait for the wake." "We're
exhuming your ... potato." "I've seen the future ... and it looks just like
him."). Here was yet another S2 episode that lifted "The X-Files" to new
heights in television greatness. The bar was being raised continuously and
surpassed frequently.
In "The Calusari," we meet Chuck for the first time, expanding the list of
Mulder's friends to four - not including Scully or the woman Mulder stood up on
a date in "Little Green Men." Mulder and Scully are also left with an ominous
warning at the end: "You must be careful, it knows you." While varieties of
evil certainly followed both of them in the years to come, nothing this
horrific manifested itself in their presence ever again - unless you count the
lame imitation "Calusari" ripoff in S8 -- "Irrevocation." Fortunately for
Mulder, he was spared that experience.
Nothing says exploding postuals quite like "F. Emasculata." And nobody says
"I'm a medical doctor" quite like Scully though I tend to wonder why it's so
important for her to always make that clarification. What other kind of doctor
do people think she might be? A vet? "Mulder, it's me. I'm not sure what's
going on here, but I need to check that black lab for ticks." Great moment of
character symbolism in Skinner's office with Mulder on one side of the room,
the CSM on the other and Skinner standing right in the middle.
"Soft Light," another often unheralded XF classic, featuring a superb
performance by Tony Shalhoub as a man whose shadow causes death to those it
encounters. Not only is Shalhoub terrific, but again we see elements of the
mytharc (represented by X's appearance) filtering into a standard MOTW,
something the series rarely did as it went along. I also love Vince Gilligan's
reference early in the episode to "Squeeze" where Scully checks the heat
register for a possible entry into the room of a missing Morley Tobacco
executive. Who says Scully is a skeptic? :) And the final scene of Banton
locked away, a human guinea pig under examination by the government and under
X's watchful eye, is truly chilling.
Chako Chicken: Good people. Good food. No kidding. So the first thought I
had while watching “Our Town” is that poor George certainly wasn’t the
first man to lose his head over a girl - he just probably never thought it
would happen literally. Hey, it’s the fireman from the movie - only he’s a
sheriff this time. It’s good to know no matter what role he’s in, he
remains a dedicated servant of the people. He’s got a long way to go to catch
Terry O’Quinn, however, that’s for sure. An Anasazi reference before the
episode airs - nicely done Frank Spotnitz. Was I the only one who found
Chako’s comment about turning cannibalism into an “abomination” to be a
tad bit humorous?
One of the reasons why “Anasazi” works so well is Mulder often gives off
the vibe he’s straddling the fine line between sanity and the nuthouse, so if
he was pushed over the edge, would it really be a far fall from grace? And the
issue of trust between Mulder and Scully is played powerfully as Mulder, in his
drugged condition, questions Scully’s motives for taking his gun to run it
through ballistics. In that condition, it’s easy to see Mulder’s feelings
of paranoia, even with regard to Scully, still remained. Complete trust was yet
to come. I just figured out the translation for “The earth has a secret it
needs to tell” Here it is: “In six seasons, TXF will be turned into a
pathetic caricature of its former self and in seven seasons, Chris Carter will
attempt to reference some of the events in this episode in a completely
meaningless and foolhardy manner.” Wow, good call Earth. Call me odd, but I
think the fact Scully was willing to recite the Ten Commandments immediately
upon request is kinda sexy. Hey it’s a Chris Carter cameo. Not bad acting
either. The CSM and Bill Mulder meet for the first time and one family and one
nation’s family tree begins to take root. The scene between Mulder and his
father features a nice complement to their initial meeting in “Colony.”
There, Mulder went to embrace his father only to receive a handshake in return.
Here, it’s Bill Mulder who reaches out to embrace his son. To this day, there
are fans who insist Krycek didn’t kill Bill Mulder. Yea, I’m sure it was
just a big misunderstanding. :) You know what I love about Krycek? After
“Ascension” every time he showed up he almost always got the living s**t
beat out of him - usually by Mulder or Skinner. I wonder if Nic Lea ever picked
up a script and went, “I’m getting my ass beat *again*?” <g> Remember how
exciting and frustrating it was when the season finale would air? All that
excitement over a great episode and frustration that it would be months before
a new episode aired. And few cliffhangers in series history are any better than
this one. At the end of the episode, the CSM arrives looking for Mulder and
after failing to find him, orders the boxcar to be burned to a crisp
(“Nothing vanishes without a trace. Burn it”), prepared to take Mulder out
once and for all. Is that tough parental love or what?

Unbound I

Check out my book about The X-Files at
http://www.trafford.com/robots/02-0625.html

[Unbound I]

>From: unbo...@aol.com (Unbound I)

>
> The fight between X and Skinner in "Colony" was terrific. Mitch and Steven
>Williams brought a sense of ferociousness to the moment that was
>breathtaking.
>The scene was aided by Rob Bowman, who told the two actors to tune it up
>several notches after being a bit dissatisfied with their first take.
>"Unofficial channels" indeed.
> For all those keeping track of the number of continuity errors involving
>Samantha in "Closure," "Colony" marks the first time Mulder is told his
>sister
>is alive.
>
>
>

That should be "End Game" with both references above -- the fight and what
the ABH tells Mulder. Sorry about that.

[Patrick MM]

"Unbound I" <unbo...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040301192108...@mb-m04.aol.com...
<snip>

Good stuff, you get another week off be sure to check in with season three.

Patrick