Summary
One thought kept nagging at me as I watched this episode, "Do FBI agents have to undergo annual psych reviews?" I think Scully is overdue for hers.... Having recently read a lot of descriptions of Fox Mulder (Return to Me promos) as being "dour, unsmiling and moody", it occurred to me that I've never found Mulder to be that way, but Dana Scully has sure turned into this person. So was this episode to tell me that Gillian Anderson thinks so too and likes her that way?? No one was too likeable in this outing, least of all Scully. (By the way, are we to believe that an FBI pathologist knows more than the resident cardiologist regarding the best way to take care of a heart patient? And what kind of hospital is this where someone goes into cardiac arrest and a visitor takes over the revival process? I don't care that she's a doctor; that was just stupid.) Whatever went on between Scully and her "nth mentor that she fell for and slept with" I just didn't get, except that this man was at least partly responsible for making her as hard-nosed about science as she's been all these years. As for the "slow down and smell the roses" message, well, it wasn't all that convincing. I don't think Scully will change one iota after this — it's the nature of the show for the characters not to change, so why have them take these elaborate walks down these intricately decorated halls of life? And the bit about fate and how/why things are as they are or are meant to be? See Monday and Field Trip. So what good thing do I have to say about this ep? I respect the overall effort enough to give it an "average" rating, but God help me, let there not be an eighth season where we'll see more eps from the cast...
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| Did this lead to sex? I don't think so. |
I was hemming my other half's pants when I thought to put this on and perhaps kill two birds with one stone. It didn't turn out that well (although the pants were fine), because unlike other TXF eps that I can "listen to" and still follow, this one seemed like all one big mess of odd music and incessant tapping.
But in the end, I didn't hate it as much as I did when I first saw it. It was still weird, but it was a first effort for GA and I'm sure she learned a lot from it. I have heard her speak about the experience since and she did reveal that it was a lot more work than she had anticipated... hmmm, maybe that's why most first-time directors tend not to make themselves the central character of their works.
Best or Worst Moment
The opening scene after the credits was strangely reminiscent of DD's ep last season, albeit at the opposite end of the temperature scale. Which in itself is not bad — the beginning of Never Again was just that and it was no less effective. This time, however, I really wanted Mulder to say, "Look, Scully, when you figure out what it is you want out of life, you call me. Maybe I'll still care." Harsh? I don't know. I'm sorta late coming into this "What's up with Scully?" psychoanalysis, but I must admit it's getting hard to ignore. If she didn't want to be there on a Saturday, she could have stayed home and taken her bath or whatever. What's with the bitchy victimized martyr treatment? The way this scene played out took away from whatever enjoyment I may have gotten from the closing scene. (And as for the veiled implication that they may have had sex — I don't think so, but honestly? I'd be totally appalled, under the circumstances. After this episode, I'd almost question why Mulder ever wants to spend more than five minutes with her.)
Original Rating: * *
Revised Rating: * *
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