Rewatch: 9x14 Scary Monsters
Production number: 9x12
Logline: Leyla Harrison brings a reluctant Doggett and Reyes a case in which both a mother and her cat have died from mysterious, self-inflicted wounds.
The Good (or at least The Okay): Ha, when Leyla’s freaking out about what Mulder and Scully would do, Doggett’s all, “Agent Doggett’s going to sit his tired ass down.” Now somebody bring him the paper and go get him a Budweiser. He’s had a long day.
I love Scully’s “Something smells goo-ood!” apron. Present from Mulder? Like she would ever buy herself something like that.
Mulder's aquarium and ID badge. I'm not going to lie, I paused it and gazed at his picture for a minute.
It’s kind of cute how Scully seems to want to help Gabe impress his lady friend. She knows how things like secret exhumations and autopsies can really bring a couple together.
The lighting in Scully’s apartment during the cat autopsy scenes is nice, warm yellow with shadows.
It’s a nice touch when Doggett covers the dead “sheriff’s” face with a bloody dishrag.
Gabe’s line to the sheriff might possibly be really terrible, but it makes me laugh. “That’s my girlfriend up there, Hoss.”
The shots of the imagined fire are really lovely.
The Bad, The Terribly Bad, and The Worse: Scully loses her appetite for lunch when Leyla brings her some crime scene and autopsy photos that, frankly, don’t even look that gross. And even if they were really gruesome, this is the woman who once ordered dinner based on the contents of a man’s stomach. She should be chomping away on her sandwich.
I’m not sure why Leyla takes the case to Scully first. Maybe because she’s so Mulder and Scully obsessed? But she knows that Doggett and Reyes are actually on the X-Files, and she eventually has no trouble convincing them. And speaking of that, how were they persuaded? What was it about the case that made them decide to investigate it? Because she doesn’t seem to have fibbed to them, we don’t find out that she’s embellished to make it sound more impressive. They only decide to turn around when they find out that Scully brushed Leyla off, not because she exaggerated or lied.
How does Scully immediately know Leyla’s on to something when she looks at the dead cat? There’s nothing external that would be a clue.
The monster bug effects are pretty awful. It’s especially ridiculous when they “swarm” Doggett.
When he’s showing his pictures to Reyes, the kid says “I made this.” Which is not half as cute as I'm sure they think it is.
I really don’t hate Reyes THAT much, but I definitely laughed when the kid showed her the picture of the dark-haired woman with a monster in her stomach and said, “This one’s you.”
Annabeth Gish’s cries of pain when Reyes has said monster in her stomach are really silly.
Doggett’s final theory, that the bad things happen only because people believe them to be happening, is very “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas.” He "escapes" from the black hole and the monsters in the same way that Mulder and Scully stand up and shake off their gunshot wounds.
It ends with the kid’s imagination being dulled by a wall of TVs. Which is strangely similar to the end of the previously referenced “DPO.” Also, I hate it when TV gets all preachy about TV. I certainly don't think all TV shows are equal, but get off your high horse.
What’s Scully Up To?: Hanging out at Quantico, not eating her sad lunch.
Doing a middle of the night, kitchen table cat autopsy. With the beloved aquarium in the background.
Waking up her poor mother to come babysit because she has to run off to Pennsylvania, just to show up and announce that she’s a medical doctor.
Smirking when Leyla tells Gabe that "the magic" still happens in the basement office. Obviously thinking 1. yeah, right; and 2. yep, the magic happened on that desk, and up against that filing cabinet, and over on that counter.....
Mulder Mentions: When Doggett wants to turn the car around, Leyla says, “If Agent Mulder were here, he’d keep going.” Reyes sort of smiles, like she knows that mentions of Mulder and his super-dreamy awesomeness really push Doggett’s buttons.
Leyla brings up “DPO.” "Agent Mulder wasted no time closing that case. I just try to think like him. What would Agents Mulder and Scully do if they were in this situation?"
Leyla’s boyfriend, Gabe, picks up Mulder’s ID badge in Scully's apartment and says “So this is Johnny Fabulous, huh? Oh, ‘Mulder’s so smart, Mulder’s so dreamy.’ That’s all Leyla ever talks about. Mulder and Scully, Scully and Mulder, blah blah blah.” You know what, guy? Mulder IS smart and dreamy, so shut it. (Also, I think that’s what some of my other friends are saying about my LJ lately. Mulder and Scully, Scully and Mulder, blah blah blah.)
If I can ramble on about candid photos some more, how much better would that scene have been if he’d been looking at, say, a snapshot of Mulder and William on the fridge? Because I think the FBI probably would’ve made Mulder turn in his clip-on ID when he left. I guess it's helpful that the badge has his name on it, but I'm always looking for something that would've been a little more personal. I'm always disappointed.
Doggett brings up “Field Trip” and Reyes says that maybe Mulder and Scully would see something in this case that they don’t. Probably.
Leyla, to Doggett: "I have to say, it's clear to me now that you were better-equipped for this challenge than even Agent Mulder would have been. Absolutely. I mean, your lack of imagination saved our lives."
Random: Pajamas for little boys are so cute.
Reyes suggests that the red goo in their car’s engine is from a possum. I wish; I fucking hate possums.
Yeah, yeah, it turns out the pictures actually make bad things happen, but I hate Reyes’ line “Why would you imagine such awful things?” In the scheme of things, a crayon drawing of a monster in someone’s stomach doesn’t seem that bad. Let kids draw what they want. (I mean, unless they’re bringing monsters into existence, I guess?) Maybe her narrow vision of what kids should be imagining rubs me the wrong way because my parents were once called into a conference after I wrote a poem entitled “Rage.”
"And that's why you always leave a note." The Sheriff is played by Steve Ryan, aka J. Walter Weatherman. Who, according to imdb, died last September. That bums me out.
Logline: Leyla Harrison brings a reluctant Doggett and Reyes a case in which both a mother and her cat have died from mysterious, self-inflicted wounds.
The Good (or at least The Okay): Ha, when Leyla’s freaking out about what Mulder and Scully would do, Doggett’s all, “Agent Doggett’s going to sit his tired ass down.” Now somebody bring him the paper and go get him a Budweiser. He’s had a long day.
I love Scully’s “Something smells goo-ood!” apron. Present from Mulder? Like she would ever buy herself something like that.
Mulder's aquarium and ID badge. I'm not going to lie, I paused it and gazed at his picture for a minute.
It’s kind of cute how Scully seems to want to help Gabe impress his lady friend. She knows how things like secret exhumations and autopsies can really bring a couple together.
The lighting in Scully’s apartment during the cat autopsy scenes is nice, warm yellow with shadows.
It’s a nice touch when Doggett covers the dead “sheriff’s” face with a bloody dishrag.
Gabe’s line to the sheriff might possibly be really terrible, but it makes me laugh. “That’s my girlfriend up there, Hoss.”
The shots of the imagined fire are really lovely.
The Bad, The Terribly Bad, and The Worse: Scully loses her appetite for lunch when Leyla brings her some crime scene and autopsy photos that, frankly, don’t even look that gross. And even if they were really gruesome, this is the woman who once ordered dinner based on the contents of a man’s stomach. She should be chomping away on her sandwich.
I’m not sure why Leyla takes the case to Scully first. Maybe because she’s so Mulder and Scully obsessed? But she knows that Doggett and Reyes are actually on the X-Files, and she eventually has no trouble convincing them. And speaking of that, how were they persuaded? What was it about the case that made them decide to investigate it? Because she doesn’t seem to have fibbed to them, we don’t find out that she’s embellished to make it sound more impressive. They only decide to turn around when they find out that Scully brushed Leyla off, not because she exaggerated or lied.
How does Scully immediately know Leyla’s on to something when she looks at the dead cat? There’s nothing external that would be a clue.
The monster bug effects are pretty awful. It’s especially ridiculous when they “swarm” Doggett.
When he’s showing his pictures to Reyes, the kid says “I made this.” Which is not half as cute as I'm sure they think it is.
I really don’t hate Reyes THAT much, but I definitely laughed when the kid showed her the picture of the dark-haired woman with a monster in her stomach and said, “This one’s you.”
Annabeth Gish’s cries of pain when Reyes has said monster in her stomach are really silly.
Doggett’s final theory, that the bad things happen only because people believe them to be happening, is very “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas.” He "escapes" from the black hole and the monsters in the same way that Mulder and Scully stand up and shake off their gunshot wounds.
It ends with the kid’s imagination being dulled by a wall of TVs. Which is strangely similar to the end of the previously referenced “DPO.” Also, I hate it when TV gets all preachy about TV. I certainly don't think all TV shows are equal, but get off your high horse.
What’s Scully Up To?: Hanging out at Quantico, not eating her sad lunch.
Doing a middle of the night, kitchen table cat autopsy. With the beloved aquarium in the background.
Waking up her poor mother to come babysit because she has to run off to Pennsylvania, just to show up and announce that she’s a medical doctor.
Smirking when Leyla tells Gabe that "the magic" still happens in the basement office. Obviously thinking 1. yeah, right; and 2. yep, the magic happened on that desk, and up against that filing cabinet, and over on that counter.....
Mulder Mentions: When Doggett wants to turn the car around, Leyla says, “If Agent Mulder were here, he’d keep going.” Reyes sort of smiles, like she knows that mentions of Mulder and his super-dreamy awesomeness really push Doggett’s buttons.
Leyla brings up “DPO.” "Agent Mulder wasted no time closing that case. I just try to think like him. What would Agents Mulder and Scully do if they were in this situation?"
Leyla’s boyfriend, Gabe, picks up Mulder’s ID badge in Scully's apartment and says “So this is Johnny Fabulous, huh? Oh, ‘Mulder’s so smart, Mulder’s so dreamy.’ That’s all Leyla ever talks about. Mulder and Scully, Scully and Mulder, blah blah blah.” You know what, guy? Mulder IS smart and dreamy, so shut it. (Also, I think that’s what some of my other friends are saying about my LJ lately. Mulder and Scully, Scully and Mulder, blah blah blah.)
If I can ramble on about candid photos some more, how much better would that scene have been if he’d been looking at, say, a snapshot of Mulder and William on the fridge? Because I think the FBI probably would’ve made Mulder turn in his clip-on ID when he left. I guess it's helpful that the badge has his name on it, but I'm always looking for something that would've been a little more personal. I'm always disappointed.
Doggett brings up “Field Trip” and Reyes says that maybe Mulder and Scully would see something in this case that they don’t. Probably.
Leyla, to Doggett: "I have to say, it's clear to me now that you were better-equipped for this challenge than even Agent Mulder would have been. Absolutely. I mean, your lack of imagination saved our lives."
Random: Pajamas for little boys are so cute.
Reyes suggests that the red goo in their car’s engine is from a possum. I wish; I fucking hate possums.
Yeah, yeah, it turns out the pictures actually make bad things happen, but I hate Reyes’ line “Why would you imagine such awful things?” In the scheme of things, a crayon drawing of a monster in someone’s stomach doesn’t seem that bad. Let kids draw what they want. (I mean, unless they’re bringing monsters into existence, I guess?) Maybe her narrow vision of what kids should be imagining rubs me the wrong way because my parents were once called into a conference after I wrote a poem entitled “Rage.”
"And that's why you always leave a note." The Sheriff is played by Steve Ryan, aka J. Walter Weatherman. Who, according to imdb, died last September. That bums me out.