Summary
It occurred to me after watching this episode — on February 18, 2001, my first exposure to season eight TXF — that I've known about this IVF thing for so long that I've become desensitized to it. It took me a few minutes to remember that I still hate the scenario with a red-hot passion, but given what it is, this episode wasn't all that horrible. First impression of John Doggett? What's up with the accent? Otherwise, he's an okay guy in my book, at least on the strengths of this one episode. I actually felt very sorry for him for having to put up with Scully's behaviour. Never mind the fact that I would have been a lot less polite than he was in that "middle of the night coffee shop meeting" that took about five seconds to get no information whatsoever. He comes off sensitive, caring and committed to his work, which is a lot more than I can say for Scully. (I heard that she was a "better person" in all things than she was here, but I heartily disagree, at least with respect to her treatment of Mulder. After all, here she at least wanted Mulder for his sperm and even graced him with a couple of nice smiles.) Note to CC though — I did not find Agent Doggett to be any more "manly" or "adult" than Mulder, Skinner, CSM, Krycek or any other male character that TXF has ever had, so please stop highlighting such things about him. While I think the events of this episode were as good as they could be given the AWFUL premise, I had a problem with the "everyone turns out to be bad" plot device. Why did Doggett's friend become so smarmy as to be smarmy? He may as well have been wearing a sandwich board that said, "Do not trust me." Bottom line about this whole mess? No person who undergoes IVF is ever surprised that she's pregnant. The fertilization occurs prior to implantation and if it "doesn't take", it doesn't go into the body. So we are left with the thought that maybe they tried again — despite Scully's "last chance" speech — and successfully implanted a fertilized embryo which she subsequently believed to have lost but didn't. Hence her surprise at the end of Requiem. But what sort of embryo was it? I think I'll climb aboard the 1013 Bus of Ludicrous Stupidity (should I trademark that?) and go with the alien baby scenario. The boys just better make it worth my while and have it be the biggest, ugliest, meanest freakin' alien in the history of all aliens. I want John Hurt to be jealous of what Scully ultimately gives birth to...
Best or Worst Moment
They came in the same segment, actually, both out of Mulder's mouth. The worst moment was when he said, "The answer is yes." (That response, Fox Mulder, qualifies you for "podperson" status — a whole year before you were ever abducted.) The best moment was when he said, "at that part, I'm a pro" — in response to Scully's explanation that her doctor would want to go over donor procedures with him. DD/Mulder doesn't need to have a lot of screen time in order to deliver some much needed levity to this sadly serious (or is that seriously sad?) show. By the way, I have a runner-up for worst moment: Scully saying that she feared she'd lose the X-Files and wouldn't be able to look for Mulder (if she had revealed her pregnancy). I'm confused. To look for Mulder, wouldn't you actually have to look for Mulder?
Original Rating: * *
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