Wetwired

You know me, I love finding the John Gillnitz references, and this is the very first one! Frank Spotnitz said in his recent X-Fest panel that he, Vince Gilligan, and John Shiban did a lot of uncredited rewrites of scripts, and using John Gillnitz was a way to get their names in the episode. I love that!

I like to see what Scully's mom put on her nightstand. It's a nice little touch to see Melissa.

Where are the boys? Who is the baby? Could he be Charlie?

This scene, where Scully is under the delusion that her greatest fear is coming true, is incredibly powerful. It's one of the few times we see the impact of everything Scully has gone through since she started on the X-Files. It also highlights how much Mulder means to her and she means to Mulder. And Maggie Scully's quiet strength is beautiful.

I'm always overwhelmed by this scene, so perfect, so emotional, so intense... I like these two lines: "Scully, you are the only one I trust" and "You trust me, don't you?". And I adore Maggie, the super mom, who saves Scully.

So, I want here to pay tribute to all the super moms on planet Earth.

And, more specifically, I share a thought about my beloved mom -RIP, maman-, who wasn't as heroic as Maggie but had a lot of common character traits, such as being so kind to my partner in life right from the beginning, as Maggie is with Mulder. Last but not least, thanks to a unexpected and unusual "sign from" my deceased mom (nothing paranormal here, just happenstance), I had the idea to make this website with Cathy (don't try to find a link, it's very indirect). Merci, Maman.

Mulder has been asked to come identify a body believed to be Scully's. He stoically heads to the morgue, but when he gets there he's overcome with emotion and he has to take a moment to compose himself. The thought of losing Scully again, permanently, is more than he can bear.

When Mulder is interested in VHS we all know what he could mean. I like the little side-sight Scully gives him in return. She's so cool with Mulder's habits.

Mulder and Scully enter the house to investigate and hear a scream. They draw their weapons and rush in...only to find a couple of kids who had ditched school to watch TV. It makes for a pretty cute scene!

It's so fun to see the differences between Mulder and Scully in this scene, when it comes to do a boring homework. Mulder's room is a mess whereas Scully's one is in a perfect order. Mulder can only lay down on his bed or on Scully's couch, whereas Scully is raised or in her chair.

But, really, Scully, have you seen Mulder in his white T-shirt, laying lazily on your couch? I don't know how she can remain focused on her tapes. Maybe she's already under the influence of the mysterious signal?

I linked two moments because they're the opposite sides of the same surprise. First, Scully thinks she sees Mulder working for CSM. It's surprising to her and to us, because we're not yet sure what's going on with Scully. At the end, we see X working with CSM. This time we know it's real, and it's just as surprising to find his loyalties are divided. One delusional, one true, both betrayals.

Despite all the murders, Mulder is quite in a light mood in the beginning, wisecracking a lot and acting like a teen. But then, Scully disappears. Big surprise for Mulder, who is instantly very upset and worried.

It's quite surprising to watch Mulder behaving in a very mature/adult way when speaking with Scully's mom, using the firstname Dana, and apologizing to have to hang up on her. But in fact, it's not at all surprising, he's overwhelmed by emotions, he's scared to announce bad news to Margaret, and he respects her so much (as she respects him so much). Of course, Scully's abduction is always in their minds, they fear the worst...

I really enjoy this scene where Scully and Mulder discuss the impact of TV on Americans. Mulder is pretty dismissive of Scully's theory, but this is a nice bit of sarcasm from him. "Must see TV" is a reference to the advertising slogan used by NBC for their Thursday night line up.

Self-service ice in a motel: typical american for me. That doesn't exist in France.

What do you do with ice? Drink a coke?

"Scully, you are the only one I trust." I had to choose this quote because that's what the whole show is about to me.

"Unless you consider bad taste an act of violence", says Mulder nonchalantly riding an indoor bike while holding the bad-tasty useless thing you can buy on TV!

Mulder's wisecracks are the best!

I enjoyed this demonstration of boyish agility from Mulder. And it came right after he chased a car on foot! Mulder at his best for sure.

Just after a very intense body ID scene, Mulder thinks once again about Scully's mother. And this is how he guess where Scully is, because she would have answered her phone. I like his wit and intuition, and I like that he forces entry into the house.

Scully was the first to make a link between the TV shows and the murders. Even when Mulder tried to dismiss the possibility that TV could be involved, Scully didn't give up her investigation.

In her paranoia, Scully wants to trust Agent Pendrell. It's cute, because, well, we all love and trust Agent Pendrell.

Note that I'm angry about my DVD: the subtitle write Pendrall instead of Pendrell! A shame!

Mulder's color blindness is referred to again only one other time in the entire series, and it's this subtle reference in The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat. Mulder tells Scully to taste the Goop-O first because it might be the lemon-lime flavor (which apparently tastes like leprechaun taint). But the Goop-O is red, and lemon-lime would be green. Mulder doesn't know that though, because he's red green color blind. Cheers to you Darin Morgan!!!

I want to link this episode to Schizogeny.

Indeed, isn't it the same orchard in the two episodes? It's a beautiful place.

Moreover, in both we can appreciate Mulder's amazing boyish agility. I wish I could see more of him climbing whatever he wants.

There's so much to like in this episode. It's fast paced and fascinating, to a point (see below). I particularly enjoy the casual manner Mulder comes to Scully's room and plops down on her couch to talk about the case with her. I like the use of the Lone Gunmen. And I like the effect used to indicate that something is going on with the TV signal.

But this episode belongs to Scully. Gillian Anderson's portrayal of her coming unhinged is superb. Her desperation as she confronts Mulder, her pain as she breaks down in her mother's arms, and her shame after it's over are all so moving. She makes the episode worth watching over and over again.

I like this episode even more every time I rewatch it. It's a classic one, an hybrid MOTW-mythologic one, dealing with tests and mind control on civilians.

I like the growing tension, paranoia and angst. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny are tremendous. In the gif above I've selected pics showing Scully's escalating paranoia that you can see in her face, gestures, voice, and also a peak angst moment for Mulder when they found a body that could be Scully. Both are very well acted.

I also like very much Mark Snow's music, the visual effects when people are affected, and the directing.

As fast paced as the episode starts out, it seems to come to a screeching halt once Scully is in the hospital, and we realize there are still 10 minutes to go. The episode loses focus after that. It tries to wrap up too many loose ends and the momentum is completely lost.

Not a breaking news in the fandom, but, wait, what? Mulder is red-green colour-blind? Too easy for the plot!

And Mulder has stolen the motel matches? Really? I'm doubtful! Too easy for the plot!