Detour

I didn't notice this detail until I watched the episode recently with earphones. When Mulder quips "I don't wanna wrestle," Scully giggles. It's adorable. And it shows how comfortable they are with each other even in this dire situation. As long as they're together, they're okay.

Spoiler: I'm going to use this scene a lot on this page!

In the end, M&S are doing their team seminar homeworks, building a tower with weird surrounding furnitures. It's very funny of course, but I wonder... who are all the dead people? They can be the two men of the beginning, but not Jeff -who remains lost-, and there are at least 5 or 6 bodies. Moreover, they look to be quite "fresh" and they are not skeletons. Wasn't the police aware about all these disappearances? Michelle didn't know apparently... I find it disturbing if I think too much of it.

So, let's just have fun with that and let's just admit that we don't care about the bodies. Though, I'm a bit annoyed about Jeff disappearance. I find him nice, even if he freaked out and ran on his own (I forgive him because it was the way of having M&S alone, a thing that we all wanted).

I love this scene where Scully reflects on her experience with cancer and how it changed her perspective on life. I think it's really beautiful that she's not deterred by Mulder's little joke. This is something she wants to share with him, so she does. She's letting him know that she's pursing meaning in her life, no matter the situation. And I think she's letting Mulder know what he means to her, that she wants more from their relationship. When she came to his room to "par-tay" it wasn't out of boredom or curiosity or recklessness but a desire to move forward in a meaningful way.

The whole MSR-night-scene-in-the-forest is a masterpiece, a scene I could watch for its own like an episode. There are so many different moments in it that we could fill a page like this one just with it. Let's do that:

Tiny detail: Mulder's face when Scully begins to sing Jeremiah.

Powerful scene: Scully's reflection about her cancer experience.

Unnoticed MSR moment: the proud look on Mulder's face when Scully has ignite her ephemeral fire. He loves Scully for little moments like that.

Funniest moment: the Indian Guide line. (well, it was hard to choose, there are a lot of funny moments)

Surprising moment: Scully succeeds to ignite kindlings with a bullet!

American moment: Wilma or Betty? I really don't know what it is.

Quote: the sleeping bag, of course.

Best Mulder moment: when he says "Go, girl". I like that.

Best Scully moment: her determination to make a fire, to take care of Mulder, and to not getting tired.

Link to another episode: COTR obviously.

What I like: all the scene!

What I dislike: nothing, or that it's too short. I could be able to watch these sort of scenes endlessly.

In this scene Scully convinces Mulder the right thing to do is go back. But it's not her words that convince him, it's the look she gives him. That's where he finds his truth. It's that communication they have, unspoken, in action.

I wonder why M&S have these nice outdoor outfits in their luggage, perfect to make an expedition and run in the forest.

First hypothesis: they knew that during their boring team seminar, they would take time to go out in the wild together. They have planned it, and it's a cute sweet unnoticed MSR moment.

Second hypothesis: the FBI team seminar had specified that there would be some exercices in the wild, and that they would have to bring casual outfits. Well, to fit that item I'd have to add that M&S had then discussed it together: they wanted to match the colors of their coats, because they are a team. It remains a cute unnoticed MSR moment.

Have you other theories?

BTW, I love seeing them in these outfits, running in the wild woods. And Mulder's turtleneck is quite sexy. Though, it would have been perfect if Mulder had a white T-shirt to match Scully's.

There are so many funny moments in this episode. Mulder's comments in the car when the other agents are talking about the team-building seminar are priceless. But the thing I remembered best about this episode from when I originally saw it (before I started rewatching) was Mulder's "I don't want to wrestle." It's just so adorable, and so perfectly Mulder to be making jokes at a time like this.

As an aside, when I attended the Frank Spotnitz breakfast at X-Fest 2019, I asked him if he had any personal horror stories about a team-building seminar, if he ever had to build a tower of office furniture. He laughed and said no, it was Chris Carter's idea to use the seminar as the setting. So now I know what to ask Chris if I meet him again!

There are a lot of funny moments/lines in the episode.

I choose the first great moment, a very unique way to get Mulder (and then Scully) involved in an XF case. It's such a brilliant idea to associate M&S with another couple of FBI Agents, and to send the whole on a team seminar where they would improve their communication and partnership skills. I adore the face Scully makes when Mulder leaves the car: she surely begins to realize that something interesting/embarrassing/unexpected will happen...

Moreover, I like that during the whole episode this idea of team seminar and communication between partners will be in the background and referenced many times.

I was very surprised when Mulder asked Scully to sing--what a funny thing to ask! I was even more surprised when she did!! And such a surprising choice of songs--why did that one come to mind, did it have some meaning for Scully? Mulder seems surprised as well.

This will be a two-parter, and the surprise will essentially be for Scully.

First, the moment where she understands -thanks to M&S unspoken communication skills- that Mulder doesn't want to go to the team seminar. A very good surprise! Look at her face in the end: eyes closed, she appreciates that and imagines all the things she would be able to do with Mulder in their motel room(s) and in the woods (with their nice matching outfits).

Second, when she wants to 'partay' in the motel, and cross a few FBI lines. (Here, I'm surprised by Scully behavior!) Alas, Mulder doesn't react as she expected. He's really on the case. Bad surprise! Scully is very disappointed! She really believed they'd have fun: "I thought this was just a ploy to get out of the conference." And, of course, Mulder ditches her abruptly... I wonder if she drunk a lot after that...

Tailhook refers to a scandal in which American military officers sexually assaulted multiple women at a hotel in Las Vegas. It's a funny line, referring to an American shame.

I would have chosen the Wilma and Betty line, a reference to the cartoon The Flintstones, except I didn't want to use that scene for the entire page

The whole episode is in fact very american for me as it deals with millenary forests, wildlife and civilization pushing into this wildness. So I like this little moment when Scully discuss with Jeff about the cruelty of nature, and when they confront their cultural references. Classic american poet for Scully, Fox Network for Jeff: too funny! I don't really know Walt Whitman, and I'd have thought more of a Thoreau reference here, because of Life in the Woods... but my knowledge is very poor on this.

"Maybe if it rains sleeping bags, you'll get lucky." What do you want to bet Mulder went out and bought a bunch of sleeping bags and stashed them in a closet where they would fall down when Scully opened the door?

Seriously though, this scene tells us a lot about what's going on with Mulder and Scully. She had just made an overture the night before, sending Mulder a signal that he didn't quite know how to interpret. Now he's back to making sexual innuendo and instead of shutting him down or ignoring him, Scully gives it right back. She's not rejecting him, she's telling him that under the right circumstances she's ready. (Of course those circumstances didn't occur for another two years...)

There are many interesting quote in this one, but, well... the sleeping bag line is so famous, I can't resist.

They have already witness a frogs rain, so why not a sleeping bags one?

And from now on, I know for sure that if they have to go to a trip in the forest, they would bring a sleeping bag.

Just hear me out. I think Mulder's best moment was when he bolted from his motel room when Scully showed up with the wine and cheese. He was pretty sure what would happen if he stayed, but he wasn't sure they were ready for that. These two aren't very good at talking, and he didn't want to misinterpret any unspoken communication. So instead of taking the risk, he left. Maybe not the perfect choice, but Mulder being Mulder, I think it was the right one.

I love when Mulder jumps into the hole to remain as safe as possible, being with Scully. He suffers a lot but says "Don't mind me."

Brave Mulder.

As so often, Scully's best moment was when she put her skills to use to care for Mulder. She knew he was in shock and needed to stay warm, so she tried to light a fire with gunpowder from a bullet. When that didn't work she stayed awake all night holding him. Then when morning came she was out foraging for berries. Ok, I'm not sure she intended to share the berries with Mulder, but I really got a kick out of that bit.

To understand the little scene I want to focuse on, let's go first to the moment where Scully discovers Mulder in great conversation with Michelle. Clearly, Scully is a bit annoyed, maybe a bit jealous?

Then, later in the woods, after chasing the 'monster', she makes this movement: stepping ahead Michelle in a badass mode (maybe it wasn't intentional nor in the script, but it's metaphorical). From this point in the story, Scully becomes a lead -bye, bye Michelle-... till the end.

Yep, don't tread on Scully's toes!

In William, Scully is singing to her son the same song she sang to Mulder. Whether this song had a special meaning to Scully before Detour, it did thereafter. And that's all I can say about that without crying...

Darkness Falls obviously.

I like the "nice trips to the forest": they always turn bad for our Agents, but there are a lot of MSR in them!

I like the environmental thematics underlying in these two episodes.

Hug trees, and respect forests!

I love this episode. It's one of my favorite MOTW outings. It has the perfect balance of scary monster, creepy atmosphere, humor, history, environmental message, and MSR (so much MSR, it's all MSR!!!).

I love how the "unspoken communication" theme highlights the strength of Mulder and Scully's partnership, but also shows they have a ways to go. The night-in-the-forest scene is perfection, and I could watch it on endless repeat. I love the irony of Mulder running away from a recreational night with Scully one night only to find himself completely at her mercy the next. And then he has the nerve to start with the suggestive comments. Classic Mulder!

And I like that the other agents get to save Mulder and Scully. They're shown as real agents, not just jokes.

Plus, Mulder in a turtleneck is a beautiful sight.

I love this episode very much, even if there are some details that bother me. It's just so fun to see M&S escaping a boring FBI seminar, coming upon an X Files case in the forest, and encountering strange creatures and danger.

A great way to tell a story about their relationship, their ways to communicate, their strengths as a team and partners. There are a lot of enjoyable moments, and we can also appreciate all the "Mulder!" and "Scully!" yelled in the woods.

A little thought about the other FBI team: the couple is a bit dumb, but they are nice guys, and in the end they rescue our favourite Agents. Because, let's face that: M&S wouldn't have succeeded to leave their hole with the body-tower. This is the moral of the story: M&S are wonderful, they form a great team, but sometimes, they put themselves in very silly situations...

Really just this one thing: I don't think that's how you pronounce "conquistadors."

There aren't a lot of things I don't like in this episode. But...

First, there's a goof in the beginning: Mulder is wearing jeans pants in the car and when he gets out he's in classic FBI mode. I think I would have preferred that he stays in jeans, to show that he was a rebel when going to the FBI seminar.

Second, the plot is a bit too lazy/easy to evacuate Michelle and Jeff. Especially for Michelle: wasn't she able to fight back, as Mulder will do later? And they could have searched her a bit in the surroundings before leaving the woods...

Third, the end in the motel is a bit too much... Really, the creature would reach Scully here? Though, it was nice to see Scully packing Mulder's stuff, it was a sweet MSR touch here (we can fantasize). I wonder why Scully has taken a shower (here, it's just a guess), and put fresh clothes, but not Mulder? Okay, it's sexiest for Scully to see him with his torn sweaty dirty bloody turtleneck...