Paper Hearts

There is a heart drawn on Caitlin's jumper, chillingly demonstrating Roche's intent. This detail is so tiny, and goes by so quickly, that I never would have noticed it if I hadn't read it in the script. Even then I didn't see it until, at Isabelle's suggestion, I paused the image as I watched.

I like the idea of using this red laser light in the dream sequences, highlighted by the wonderful music of Mark Snow (BTW the music is awesome the whole episode). I've read in the script that the light meant to be originally blue. I think it's great they changed it in red. And also it's a genius idea that the light transforms itself in shapes or words.

After Roche insinuates that he has information about Samantha's abduction, Scully cautions that Roche could just be playing on Mulder's fears. Mulder asks Scully if she believes his sister was abducted by aliens, if she ever believed that. She can't answer with words, but her look tells Mulder the truth. Scully asks Mulder if he now believes Roache abducted Samantha, and he responds that he doesn't know what to believe. This scene is powerful in the honesty Mulder and Scully are sharing and because it calls into question everything Mulder has believed since the series started. Mulder is devastated, at a loss, and we feel these emotions along with him.

The morgue scene when Mulder checks the skeleton who could be Samantha is incredibly powerful. David Duchovny is so great in it. I almost have wet eyes like him.

When Roche taunts Mulder about which fabric heart to choose, Scully is so protective of Mulder she can barely contain her anger, and she's shaking with the effort.

Scully knows by heart (joke here !) Mulder's vulnerability. The words she uses here are very well chosen.

This is by no means a comedic episode, but at the end, after Mulder had experienced so much through his dreams (even allowing his prisoner to escape), when Scully tells him to get some sleep, he can't help but laugh and give her a hug. Her smile as she recognizes the humor in the situation is priceless as well.

The look Scully makes when Mulder is destroying the car with his knife !

And Mulder's line here : "I'm helping him detail".

I was surprised that Mulder was able to check a prisoner out of prison and take him on an airplane, but an even better surprise was that Mulder had not completely fallen under Roche's spell. He tested Roche by not taking him to the house from which Samantha was abducted but to a house his father bought later. Mulder knows Roche is lying at this point, he just has to figure out whether anything he says is true.

The location of the (almost) end scene is surprisingly unique and photogenic. What a bright idea !

Roche playing basketball challenges Mulder to "sink one from here" in exchange for information. Of course Mulder does. Nothing but net. Too bad Roche can't be trusted.

Obviously, the Watergate !

In second choice there was the camper shell of Roche's car: never seen this sort of car in France !

"It's not her, Scully." This quote breaks my heart. Mulder is both so relieved that this isn't his sister's corpse and so devastated that he still has no answers about what happened to her. David Duchovny's performance in this scene is incredibly moving. It's the reason I asked him to quote this line when he signed my copy of the script.

I like all the quotes about dreams we hear in a few XF episodes. It's because I'm a great dreamer (literally and figuratively), so it speaks a lot to me.

Mulder's ability to distract and reassure Caitlin while letting Roche know he wouldn't succeed in his plan was very impressive. It demonstrates Mulder's empathy for victims, one of his best qualities.

Obviously, Mulder handling the critical situation with Caitlin. As a mother and a teacher (not of little children, though), I appreciate the way Mulder succeeds to connect with Caitlin and distract her, for she can't see or hear the rough discussion he has with Roche.

I think of this episode as a Mulder episode, but Scully is so strong in it as well. She protects Mulder and stands up to Skinner for him. Her best moment is when she helps Mulder dig up evidence, even knowing it's not proper procedure, because she understands how important this is to him.

There are a lot of great Scully's moments, and I choose the scene where she stands besides Mulder in front of Skinner.

Later, Skinner is very rough with her, saying "You let me down." Unfair Skinner !

Mulder's ability to sink the basketball when Roche challenges him makes me think of this scene in Two Fathers, when Mulder sees Scully and starts showing off for her.

I can't help to link this episode to "Orison". In this last, it's Scully who is emotionally in danger, Mulder doing his best to support and protect her. There's also a parallelism between the end scenes: Scully shooting Donnie Pfaster, versus Mulder shooting Roche (two "ordinary" villains). Moreover the use of music or song, in these two episodes is interesting, in a different way.

I think this is some of Duchovny's best work in the series. It's emotional and raw, so convincing as a man shaken to his core and pushed to the edge. It's also one of Gilligan's best stories. It turns everything we thought we knew upside down and leaves us off balance. The direction by Rob Bowman is also very impressive. I find this shot a stunning example of his use of images to convey tension and emotion.

I adore this episode, right from the first watch.

I like Mulder's emotional journey, I like the clever way the story revisits Samantha's abduction, I like the "ordinary" villain, I like the lightly touch of paranormal (or not ?), and last but not least the links with dreams and Alice in Wonderland, a little touch of fairy tale.

This episode is nearly flawless in my opinion. I can't say I "dislike" anything about it. I guess the one distraction from perfection is the music used in the dream sequences. It serves its purpose of letting us know we're in a different sort of reality, but it's a little too cute.

It's a great episode, but if I'm touchy there are two things that always bothered me. First, the scene in the plane, not very credible, a trick for letting time to Roche to speak to Caitlin. Second, Mulder ankle's gun, especially in the prison scene : really ? Is there any other episode where he has it ?