Fire

The poster on the office wall is not the I Want To Believe poster we come to see in later episodes. But there is a small photo of a UFO tacked to the bulletin board. The creative team must have realized that was a much more X-Files-y image.

In the first season, our Agents have almost normal FBI routines. It won't last.

Mulder rushes into the burning house to save the children despite his fear of fire.

Just for desperate Mulder's face ! He's stalked by a feral female mantis. More frightening than the fire.

This episode is very early in the Mulder and Scully relationship. At this point it's not romantic. They're partners and friends. But there's already a remarkable level of comfortableness and trust between them. In this scene, Mulder is completely comfortable talking to Scully in just his underwear, but when Phoebe walks in he draws his robe tightly closed.

Bye, bye, Phoebe.

Scully knows perfectly well what will happen: Phoebe won't last, she won't hurt Mulder, Scully had put a curse on her !

I love the look of panic on Mulder's face when he hears the British accent, and Scully's little smile because she had him big time! And yes, that's a link to Fight the Future.

Mulder in a luxury hotel: he's bored, the bed and the tuxedo are too much... Not for him.

He prefers cheap motels and casual clothes.

Apparently Mulder and Phoebe engaged in some sort of hanky panky in a graveyard!

This scene gives me some fantasized photographic pictures. I'm very curious to know more about younger wild Mulder...

Another reference to an iconic American TV show. On American Bandstand, every week Dick Clark would have audience members rate new music, and most often the music was criticized if "you can't dance to it."

I like the allusions to the differences between Americans and British.

Being in a neutral zone, I can say that it's hard to me to appreciate all the subtleties between the two, and to know if I'm writing/talking american or british when I use the english language.

"Phoebe is fire." And Mulder almost gets burned, again.

"Sooner or later a man's gotta face his demons".

Associate it with Phoebe's first appearance: it's very frightening !!

I love this moment between Mulder and Scully. She's teasing him, clearly sensing there's more to the story of Phoebe Greene, and Mulder opens up to her. He's honest about his relationship and its effect on him. I think this moment of transparency and trust is one of Mulder's best.

I like this scene in the hotel room, great Mulder. First, he calls out Phoebe, and as soon as she looks at him, he ostensibly closes his bathrobe. When she's gone, he's completely relax in front of Scully, and later is (once again) in boxers.

In the end of the above gif, I like Scully's appreciative look. Big feet, Mulder !

Scully, not content to be on the sidelines, continues to investigate the case. She follows leads and brings Mulder the information because there's a case to solve, even though she senses he doesn't want her involved, and her work identifies a suspect.

But more than that, Mulder had already confessed to Scully that he got in over his head with Phoebe in the past. I think Scully's persistence in the case, and showing up in Boston rather than just faxing (it's the 90s) Mulder the information, was her attempt to protect Mulder.

Scully is at her best all along this episode ! She banters from the beginning to the end with Mulder, amused by his past relationship, she occupies Mulder's desk in the office, she is doing all the necessary investigation in the background (What does Mulder ? Nothing !!), and she interrupts a dangerous-to-be kiss in a badass mode.

This whole fear of fire thing really never went anywhere on the show. The writers tried to incorporate it in Vienen, but by the time they filmed the episode they realized it's just too stupid.

I love that David Duchovny is still making jokes about this story line 25 years later. In the behind the scenes footage from Nothing Lasts Forever, when Mulder and Scully are lighting candles, David jokes about whether this is a good time for Mulder to remember he's afraid of fire. So funny!

I link it to My Struggle 2.

I'm wondering how much Cecil L'Ively is connected with the CSM. They are both evil, offering cigarettes, being badly burned but dying for a cigarette, and being resurrected. Was Cecil studied by the Syndicate ?

We have to ask to Chris Carter !

I like that we get to meet someone from Mulder's past. Not just someone he used to work with, but a love interest. It tells us a lot about Mulder to know that he was involved with someone who was a "mind game player extraordinaire" and to see him falling back under her spell. And I'll just say it, I like seeing David Duchovny in a tux, in a romantic scene, dancing and kissing. It's incredibly hot.

I also really like Scully in this episode. She's smart and strong and funny. Some people characterize her as jealous, but I disagree with that, because I don't think she's romantically interested in Mulder yet. I see her as protective of Mulder. She's territorial only in the sense that she's not going to let Phoebe hurt Mulder again if she can help it.

An enjoyable episode, with a funny tone, lot of banters, and great M&S moments. The villain is interesting and creepy, and we can ignore the weak parts of the scenario.

Moreover, I like watching a vulnerable Mulder. He's so cute when he's emotionally engaged with women.

As strong as this episode is in character development for our leads, it's incredibly weak on plot. The story really makes little sense, and the secondary characters are ridiculous. And, that hat...really?

I don't understand the scene here, just a writer convenience for the plot. Why Cecil has to put the bar on fire ? Wouldn't he be low profile here ?