1x07: Ice

[wendelah1]

Our mini-rewatch begins! So, "Ice" has it all: sex, violence, black humor, bad science, plenty of opportunities for scenery chewing, and some of the tensest scenes between Mulder and Scully of the entire series

Comments

[wendelah1]

You're still travelling? That's too bad. You can follow the comments at least.

[infinitlight]

I can still remember exactly where I was when I saw this episode, too. It's like a time capsule for me.

[badforthefish]

"Obviously, they think we're either brilliant or expendable because we've pulled the assignment."
Scully's face looking at the map says it all: “I didn't sign up for this shit

[wendelah1]

There's no football on Wednesdays?

Not American Pro Football, no. The rules and traditions are complicated. But most games are played on Sundays. There's one game on Monday night, and some games are played on Thursdays.

Mulder jumping on Da Silva like a flying Squirrel pretty much saved Scully life. That gun was aimed at her head.

Payback for her tackling Bear after Bear cracks Mulder on the head with the collection jar.

Aw, check out how Scully strokes Mulder's hand while calming Da Silva down. I didn't notice those things back in my Noromo days.

I didn't notice that. I only saw her touching DaSilva... Ha ha.

I have watched The X-Files so much in French that it automatically plays French instead of English.

[badforthefish]

I see. Thanks for that.

It amuses me greatly that Mulder got hit in the noggin' with a poo jar. Yes, I am 12.

You watched the X-F in French? What do yo think? You know, when I finally saw the show in English, it felt like I was watching such a different series. Many innuendos did make it past translation and there were some major blunders as in: "Roswell was a smoke screen" which became "Roswell etait un amateur" as if there were a Mister Roswell? WTF?
I thought Scully's French voice was great through.

[wendelah1]

You're welcome. Anyway, at least the jar was still empty.

We watched the series in French last year before we went to Paris. I think the show is still very sexy and exciting in French, but I think the humor is lost. Humor is very idiomatic, and very culture-specific. I agree, the actress who voiced Scully was terrific.

We are not who we are: Part 1

[wendelah1]

I think this is episode of television works brilliantly on the level of psychological horror, but as science-fiction? Not so much. I have to give the writers credit for being able to create so much tension with a premise that makes no sense whatsoever. The dialogue is great, the music is great, the direction is first-rate, the acting is...serviceable

[tri_sbr]

Hodge and DeSilva are civilian counterparts to Mulder and Scully

yes!

starts out microscopic and gets big enough to be seen wriggling in the victim's neck, all within a few hours?

those nodules showed up on Bear within minutes of the dog bite. talk about a speedy little worm.

[infinitlight]

Aren't Hodge and DaSilva employed by the government on this assignment? I'm not quite sure why they're so anti-the man since the man is paying them. They're also (or Hodge is) very dismissive of the CDC. Why were they contacted for this? Where are they from, I wonder? (Why was Hodge even there if Scully did the autopsies?)

We are not who we are: Part 2

[wendelah1]

I always find the Scully/DiSilva exam scene to be the erotic highlight, but I know I'm in the minority there

[estella_c]

You nurses just kill the fun for us English majors. No, not really, because we think of science as an extremely malleable plot device. Accuracy? C'mon.

Right, F. Huffington. One of the joys of X-Files rewatches is noticing all the stars who began as the little people on Fox.

Duchovny once called "Ice" "our first rockin' episode." Whatever he meant, it grabbed attention and was acted without restraint. Lots of yelling. Kind of hormonal teenage science nerd in its demeanor. I loved it. Moments of goosebumps for Fish: the mutual neck exam, of course, and also the moment in which Scully pulls the ammo out of her guns and flings it into the storm. She is very forthright, for a tiny doctor.

This ep emphasizes that Mulder and Scully are not quite there in terms of total trust. Also that, although Scully is right in her caution, Mulder is of course right in his conviction.

[wendelah1]

Also that, although Scully is right in her caution, Mulder is of course right in his conviction.

He's right in so far as he didn't kill anyone. They jumped the gun on that one, definitely, but Mulder's over-reaction fueled that. Mulder had a gun and started after Hodge, who had no weapon, except his big mouth, of course.

Other than serving as a plot device to lock up Mulder, there is no reason Scully couldn't have examined him instead of Hodge

You nurses just kill the fun for us English majors.

Come on, it doesn't take anything but common sense to know that there is no natural passageway between the hypothalamus and the intestines.

Sorry, but I don't see simple facts as malleable. If something is patently ridiculous, turning it into fiction just makes for silliness. I give credit where I see it, in this case, to the writers for what they did do well and to the folks who took the script and turned it into something special despite its obvious flaws.

[badforthefish]

Come on, it doesn't take anything but common sense to know that there is no natural passageway between the hypothalamus and the intestines.

You mean "having shit for brains" is not a genuine medical condition? Consider me flumoxed.

[melissaisdown]

I just wanted to comment and say Ice is one of my favorite episodes. Season 1, in general, is the season I NEVER get tired of watching. The writing in Ice is very good and we get to see !scientist Scully and the whole plot once again tests the limits of their trust in each other. And, I think that the neck touching and the intensity of that scene marked the steep roller coaster climb up angst mountain, at least for me. Ice is classic.

[wendelah1]

Season One is my absolute favorite, too. "Ice" is very gripping and memorable.

[themooselet]

My thoughts exactly! I like Season 1 and Ice is probably my favorite. Of course, I was always too engrossed in the Mulder/Scully interaction to notice all the plotholes, but man, that neck touching...