It's crazy-romantic--hand holding after almost being digested together by a giant fungus!-- Heh. I've always felt a little silly about how much I adore that handhold. On the surface, it's a simple sign of "Hey, I'm glad we're both alive" but, as with all things Mulder and Scully, it's so much more than that. I love it when they hold hands; it always makes me swoon a little.
It's weird to me that it doesn't get the love it deserves! It's amazing! It's about Mulder and Scully being Mulder and Scully!
I don't know. I think the episode only makes sense if they weren't actually hallucinating together, just that they had similar experiences which led to similar conclusions. 3a is Mulder's version - where he hallucinates a more realistic, but still slightly warped version of Scully. 3b is Scully's version, with a similarly warped Mulder (hauling off and shooting Skinner is just beyond the pale of Mulder's normal impulsivity, if you ask me). And we never do see them compare notes later - I'd put money on the "shared" hallucinations being solo after all. See, I think I just always thought it was a shared hallucination at that point, but watching it this time, it's fairly clear to me that each little section takes a clear point of view, so maybe they really are still separate? I don't know. I think there's just something I find appealing about them actually having a shared hallucination. And even if they were,
( ... )
Oh, this one. I love the way this episode (and HTGSC, actually) almost act as meta in themselves-- that they use a story to probe deeper into the Mulder/Scully thing. (You bringing up HTGSC in this context has sent me on a very long train of thought about how this episode works as a response to HTGSC, because HTGSC explores the potentially negative aspects of how they interact and then says "hey! But we're okay!" and then Field Trip rushes in and chimes "NO, we are more than okay, because what are we without each other?" ...I don't think personification was the right route to go with in explaining that, though.) It's like the writers are as interested in them as we are! Which delights me!
But that feeling might also be JUST FROM THIS EPISODE, because I don't know, just it and the fact that it exists are enough to wash this warm kind of feeling over me. As such I don't know if I can discuss it rationally, IT IS TOO WONDERFUL. This episode is such a perfect example, I think, of why Mulder/Scully is different from every other
( ... )
because HTGSC explores the potentially negative aspects of how they interact and then says "hey! But we're okay!" and then Field Trip rushes in and chimes "NO, we are more than okay, because what are we without each other?" ...I don't think personification was the right route to go with in explaining that, though.
No, I like that! Because I think HTGSC can be sort of...mean-spirited in the way it dissects their relationship, because the criticism is coming from the outside, and they're being told that they're dysfunctional and co-dependent, etc. etc. They can be those things, but it doesn't take into account how amazing they are when they're working together, flaws and all. Whereas here, it's the two of them thinking that they each want the other to do X in order for their relationship to be good, and then finding out that getting what they want would ruin what makes them work in the first place.
It's like the writers are as interested in them as we are! Which delights me! YES! They're so complicated, and the writers let them be
( ... )
But the trick of the show is that he would never actually get there-he wouldn’t be “right” 98.9% of the time-without what Scully brings to the table. Oh my goodness, THANK YOU for pointing this out. I have been increasingly bothered by that line, but viewing it from this perspective (which, now that I think about it, seems quite obvious, but . . . sometimes I get too wrapped up in things that make me cranky) makes it much more palatable, even if the show never quite acknowledges it explicitly to my liking. (One could probably make the argument that Mulder does acknowledge it in TSE: Amor Fati, but I would argue that's less from a professional/case-solving perspective and more from an emotional one.)
This is kind of similar to the theory I came up with while re-watching “Within,” that all of the bullshit brain disease/headstone/secret trips stuff had been planted by the aliens to make it look as though Mulder had run off of his own volition, not been abducted, so then they wouldn’t look for him, or would look in the wrong places.I
( ... )
Oh my goodness, THANK YOU for pointing this out. I have been increasingly bothered by that line, but viewing it from this perspective (which, now that I think about it, seems quite obvious, but . . . sometimes I get too wrapped up in things that make me cranky) makes it much more palatable, even if the show never quite acknowledges it explicitly to my liking.
It does make my head hurt if I think about the whole idea of "but he has to be right for the SHOW to work/but does that mean that he's actually always right about this crazy shit?" I don't know if that even makes sense, but it frustrates me to have to address something textual with an explanation about how television works.
Isn't there a line at the end of "Agua Mala" where he tells Mulder he's lucky to have someone like Scully working with him? I mean, it's not Mulder saying it, but it's still addressed. And Mulder does give the whole speech in FTF, which reads, to me, as a combination of work/emotional stuff. I don't know, I guess I'm okay with it not being explicit. I feel
( ... )
Oh my god, sometimes I astound myself with my own ridiculousness. I quite literally forgot about the hallway scene in FTF. That, um, just might count as a scene where it's acknowledged that Scully is integral to Mulder's success. You know, perhaps. Oh, jeez.
As for this puking shaman business, I have no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds awfully silly.
Every time I watch it, I'm afraid they're going to hold hands for a second, and then drop them, but they don't! They're still holding as it fades to black! It is so delightful. Field Trip is so amazing -- I feel like it's the total gem of season six.
That, um, just might count as a scene where it's acknowledged that Scully is integral to Mulder's success. You know, perhaps. Oh, jeez. Hee!
As for this puking shaman business, I have no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds awfully silly. Oh, if you don't know, believe me, you don't want to know. It's less silly (well, it's silly) and more completely infuriating. Maybe my least favorite episode of S8, and it has a lot of competition, so that's saying something!
Scully acts like he believes things, concocts strange theories, just to bother her. Like his mind does go to the “simplest” explanation first, but he rejects it in favor of a crazy one, just to give her a hard time. [...] And Mulder completely minimizes her contribution, acting as though his initial theory is always proven perfect and right, and that the science and “logical” theories she injects into their investigations don’t have any effect at all. I think these two bits are ultimately why Mulder's line doesn't bother me, at least not any more than Scully's does, you know? They're both being unreasonable, stiff and not a little bit unkind to each other in this scene, and all things considered, it does make sense that they'd reach a point like this in the work. I feel like there's so much, big and small, that's been leading up to this conversation.
“Sounds like crap when you say it.”This line both makes me laugh and makes my heart hurt a little, because at this point, I really do think Mulder only value's Scully's opinion of what
( ... )
I think these two bits are ultimately why Mulder's line doesn't bother me, at least not any more than Scully's does, you know? They're both being unreasonable, stiff and not a little bit unkind to each other in this scene, and all things considered, it does make sense that they'd reach a point like this in the work. I feel like there's so much, big and small, that's been leading up to this conversation. Oh, absolutely. I think his point sort of sounds harsher, but they both have unreasonable expectations. They're both stubborn, they both want to be right, and they're being unyielding. At this moment, they can't admit, or even recognize, the fact that agreeing with each other all the time would be horrible and they'd get nowhere.
Which I love! UGH, this episode. I say it every time I talk about it, but I adore that it uses the actual structure of four act television against the viewer, and I'm sure you know what I mean by that. It makes it all the more deliciously meta!And it's meta without being overly cute about it, meta without
( ... )
At this moment, they can't admit, or even recognize, the fact that agreeing with each other all the time would be horrible and they'd get nowhere. Yep, which is probably what makes the whole thing so amazing. The plot, the crazy-assed plot, gets them there! Oh, X-Files.
Do people dislike it? I suppose, like anything, it depends on who you ask, but I think I've run into more fans who dislike it than like it. I personally love it, particularly the scientific angle. It brings to light some really fascinating theories, at least for me. (Also, I'm one of the 3 people out there who doesn't hate Fowley, lol. So I imagine that helps a bit.)
I kind of believe that they might have doomed themselves had they tried to start a relationship before Mulder had gotten all of that out of his system.Oh, definitely. I feel like there were definitely opportunities for them to finally get their shit together, so to speak, throughout the course of the show, but when we actually got it really was the prime time. They both needed to be in the right place,
( ... )
(Also, I'm one of the 3 people out there who doesn't hate Fowley, lol. So I imagine that helps a bit.) I dearly, dearly wish I could be mature and thoughtful, because I know that there are interesting things to be said about her character, but...I just can't! She makes me crazy! I've never grown out of my 17-year-old girl feelings about her, and seeing her on the screen makes me feel all punchy. I honestly think it's a weird fictional version of hating someone on behalf of your friend.
but when we actually got it really was the prime time. They both needed to be in the right place, first, particularly Mulder, given that his quest is at the center of what drives the narrative, at least most of the time. It's kind of weird, but when I think about it, I get the feeling that it wasn't the right time because the writers decided it was the right time and wrote it that way, it was actually the "real" right time for them. THAT SOUNDS INSANE. But as long as I know it sounds insane, that's half the battle.
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Heh. I've always felt a little silly about how much I adore that handhold. On the surface, it's a simple sign of "Hey, I'm glad we're both alive" but, as with all things Mulder and Scully, it's so much more than that. I love it when they hold hands; it always makes me swoon a little.
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I don't know. I think the episode only makes sense if they weren't actually hallucinating together, just that they had similar experiences which led to similar conclusions. 3a is Mulder's version - where he hallucinates a more realistic, but still slightly warped version of Scully. 3b is Scully's version, with a similarly warped Mulder (hauling off and shooting Skinner is just beyond the pale of Mulder's normal impulsivity, if you ask me). And we never do see them compare notes later - I'd put money on the "shared" hallucinations being solo after all.
See, I think I just always thought it was a shared hallucination at that point, but watching it this time, it's fairly clear to me that each little section takes a clear point of view, so maybe they really are still separate? I don't know. I think there's just something I find appealing about them actually having a shared hallucination. And even if they were, ( ... )
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But that feeling might also be JUST FROM THIS EPISODE, because I don't know, just it and the fact that it exists are enough to wash this warm kind of feeling over me. As such I don't know if I can discuss it rationally, IT IS TOO WONDERFUL. This episode is such a perfect example, I think, of why Mulder/Scully is different from every other ( ... )
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No, I like that! Because I think HTGSC can be sort of...mean-spirited in the way it dissects their relationship, because the criticism is coming from the outside, and they're being told that they're dysfunctional and co-dependent, etc. etc. They can be those things, but it doesn't take into account how amazing they are when they're working together, flaws and all. Whereas here, it's the two of them thinking that they each want the other to do X in order for their relationship to be good, and then finding out that getting what they want would ruin what makes them work in the first place.
It's like the writers are as interested in them as we are! Which delights me!
YES! They're so complicated, and the writers let them be ( ... )
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Oh my goodness, THANK YOU for pointing this out. I have been increasingly bothered by that line, but viewing it from this perspective (which, now that I think about it, seems quite obvious, but . . . sometimes I get too wrapped up in things that make me cranky) makes it much more palatable, even if the show never quite acknowledges it explicitly to my liking. (One could probably make the argument that Mulder does acknowledge it in TSE: Amor Fati, but I would argue that's less from a professional/case-solving perspective and more from an emotional one.)
This is kind of similar to the theory I came up with while re-watching “Within,” that all of the bullshit brain disease/headstone/secret trips stuff had been planted by the aliens to make it look as though Mulder had run off of his own volition, not been abducted, so then they wouldn’t look for him, or would look in the wrong places.I ( ... )
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It does make my head hurt if I think about the whole idea of "but he has to be right for the SHOW to work/but does that mean that he's actually always right about this crazy shit?" I don't know if that even makes sense, but it frustrates me to have to address something textual with an explanation about how television works.
Isn't there a line at the end of "Agua Mala" where he tells Mulder he's lucky to have someone like Scully working with him? I mean, it's not Mulder saying it, but it's still addressed. And Mulder does give the whole speech in FTF, which reads, to me, as a combination of work/emotional stuff. I don't know, I guess I'm okay with it not being explicit. I feel ( ... )
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As for this puking shaman business, I have no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds awfully silly.
Every time I watch it, I'm afraid they're going to hold hands for a second, and then drop them, but they don't! They're still holding as it fades to black!
It is so delightful. Field Trip is so amazing -- I feel like it's the total gem of season six.
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Hee!
As for this puking shaman business, I have no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds awfully silly.
Oh, if you don't know, believe me, you don't want to know. It's less silly (well, it's silly) and more completely infuriating. Maybe my least favorite episode of S8, and it has a lot of competition, so that's saying something!
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I think these two bits are ultimately why Mulder's line doesn't bother me, at least not any more than Scully's does, you know? They're both being unreasonable, stiff and not a little bit unkind to each other in this scene, and all things considered, it does make sense that they'd reach a point like this in the work. I feel like there's so much, big and small, that's been leading up to this conversation.
“Sounds like crap when you say it.”This line both makes me laugh and makes my heart hurt a little, because at this point, I really do think Mulder only value's Scully's opinion of what ( ... )
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Oh, absolutely. I think his point sort of sounds harsher, but they both have unreasonable expectations. They're both stubborn, they both want to be right, and they're being unyielding. At this moment, they can't admit, or even recognize, the fact that agreeing with each other all the time would be horrible and they'd get nowhere.
Which I love! UGH, this episode. I say it every time I talk about it, but I adore that it uses the actual structure of four act television against the viewer, and I'm sure you know what I mean by that. It makes it all the more deliciously meta!And it's meta without being overly cute about it, meta without ( ... )
Reply
Yep, which is probably what makes the whole thing so amazing. The plot, the crazy-assed plot, gets them there! Oh, X-Files.
Do people dislike it?
I suppose, like anything, it depends on who you ask, but I think I've run into more fans who dislike it than like it. I personally love it, particularly the scientific angle. It brings to light some really fascinating theories, at least for me. (Also, I'm one of the 3 people out there who doesn't hate Fowley, lol. So I imagine that helps a bit.)
I kind of believe that they might have doomed themselves had they tried to start a relationship before Mulder had gotten all of that out of his system.Oh, definitely. I feel like there were definitely opportunities for them to finally get their shit together, so to speak, throughout the course of the show, but when we actually got it really was the prime time. They both needed to be in the right place, ( ... )
Reply
I dearly, dearly wish I could be mature and thoughtful, because I know that there are interesting things to be said about her character, but...I just can't! She makes me crazy! I've never grown out of my 17-year-old girl feelings about her, and seeing her on the screen makes me feel all punchy. I honestly think it's a weird fictional version of hating someone on behalf of your friend.
but when we actually got it really was the prime time. They both needed to be in the right place, first, particularly Mulder, given that his quest is at the center of what drives the narrative, at least most of the time.
It's kind of weird, but when I think about it, I get the feeling that it wasn't the right time because the writers decided it was the right time and wrote it that way, it was actually the "real" right time for them. THAT SOUNDS INSANE. But as long as I know it sounds insane, that's half the battle.
Plus, I don't see Fowley as quite so ( ... )
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