Chimera

Apparently all the times we've seen Mulder and Scully sharing an umbrella, Scully must have been the one to bring it. When he's on his own Mulder is left with nothing but a newspaper to protect him from the rain.

Wait, what? No sunflower seeds on a stakeout, but a bubble gum?? What does that mean?

I'm already disturbed.

In this scene Ellen comes to realize not only that she's responsible for the deaths around her, but that nothing in her life is what it seemed. When Mulder offers the explanation for the broken mirrors, it's heartbreaking. A very powerful moment in this psychological thriller of an episode.

The almost final scene is very tense. Ellen and Mulder both understand at the same time that Ellen is the muderer and has a dark double personality in her.

Poor Mulder, he's not strong enough to fight the demon she is transformed into. The scene in the bathroom is very powerful and well done. I find it very clever that Ellen stops her attack when she can at last see truly and for a longer time her reflection, because the water can't be broken as mirrors.

In the end, it's very moving to see Ellen prostrate in the corner, completely naked, vulnerable and shocked. We feel empathy, Mulder's empathy, that he's more explicit in the very final scene.

Mulder feels bad for leaving Scully behind on a stakeout of the seamy underbelly in DC, so he offers her a way out, telling her he needs her help. It's very sweet of him, and also very true.

Cathy, I'd like a complete translation for Mulder's enigmatic line "Not in the widely understood definition of that term" about his "significant other".

What does he really think just saying that? A lot, I guess.

I love Mulder's riddles about his relationship with Scully.

This little exchange made me laugh out loud. Mulder's "I'm sorry, who is this? is such a funny response to Scully's death threat. Just some adorable teasing from Mulder, trying to bring a smile to Scully's face when she needs cheering up.

The contrast between Scully and Mulder situation is fun, especially that it's Scully who is stuck in the sordid stakeout.

I love particularly these lines, where Scully describes her death in the stakeout and Mulder answering the very Mulderesque line "I'm sorry, who is this?".

Their playful exchanges and banters bring some light in the episode which is quite creepy and dark.

The first glimpse we get of the beast woman is pretty surprising. It's clearly a reflection, and since there's no one standing with Ellen when she sees it, we have to wonder if it's hers. It's a very effective way to establish that something dark lurks beneath the surface of her seemingly idyllic life.

I like this moment when Scully hangs up on Mulder, as he asks her to do an autopsy for him. Mulder just tries to give her some interesting things to do.

Yep, Scully can ditch Mulder, even when she's stuck in a bored stakeout. But there's a reason, she's about to solve the stakeout case!

Martha Stewart is an American TV host and author best known for her very elaborate (and difficult to achieve) decorating ideas. Mulder is commenting on how perfectly decorated the home is, as if Martha Stewart herself lived there.

Isn't it so American to organize such a perfect party for Easter?

I can't even imagine how to do such a thing... You know, for my kids, I'm just able to hide chocolate eggs in the garden or/and in the house. But, it's a serious matter, to find the best hiding places they won't find easily! Not like in the episode where the eggs are obviously laying down on the grass.

Mulder tells Ellen that he doesn't have a significant other "in the widely understood definition of the term." It's a lovely comment that emphasizes that what he and Scully share is hard to define--different from, but so much more than what Ellen was referring to.

Scully: "It's a freak show, Mulder. It's a nonstop parade of every single lowlife imaginable."

Mulder: "Well, the view may not be too different here. It's dressed up a little nicer but underneath the surface, it's the same seamy underbelly."

These philosophical lines from Mulder speaks a lot to me. I hate people who just give importance to other's (or their) superficial appearance.

I really like this moment when Mulder confronts Phil. He hasn't solved the case yet, but he can tell that Phil is not being straight with him. Mulder senses that Phil is the villain in the story, even if he isn't the murderer.

Here is the first Mulder's "vibe" about the case, sensing that Jenny has lied to him. He's a fine psychologist, and he will be able to discover all the dirty secrets between the people involved in the case. There's no huge paranormal leaps in the story, except in the very end...(to be continued below)

Scully was able to solve the case of the serial-killer-who-wasn't, by realizing that things were not what they appeared to be on the surface. And by explaining that to Mulder, she gave him the last puzzle piece he needed to solve the case he was working on.

... and this is Scully who makes the crucial step in her case, and then indirectly in Mulder's case.

"A sheep in wolf's clothing" for the stakeout case, and "A wolf in sheep's clothing" in Bethany case. I like the parallelism!

Best team together, as always!!

The connection I'm making is to Jersey Devil. In both episodes Mulder is attacked by a beast woman, but he doesn't react in horror or fear. Instead, he understands that the women were driven to their actions when trying to protect their families. I love that Mulder's empathy is a character trait that remains consistent throughout the series.

I link this episode to Season 11 Familiar.

There are similar thematics: a little town with dirty secrets, sheriffs cheating on their wifes, a woman as a murderer, creepy animals (ravens, hellhound)...

Moreover, I link the "significant other" little chat in Chimera to the Familiar lines : "You're my homie", and then "Do you have kids, Agent Mulder?" - "Uh, well, I have, uh, a son, who's... he's grown though." It's how I like my Mulder.

I think Chimera is a very underrated episode. I find it to be a really well put together thriller. The reveal of the monster and the aftermath of her actions is devastating and unsettling. It makes you wonder how often things are not as they seem.

Mulder and Scully are separated for most of the episode, but they stay connected through phone calls (one of my favorite tropes) which give us some fun banter and also move the plot along in a believable fashion. And there's some very nice symmetry between the cases they're working.

One thing I really enjoy in the episode is the running gag of Mulder sort of lecturing Scully about the value of hard work and sacrifice, only to ditch her for a more cushy job. It made me chuckle.

I like this episode and it's always a pleasure to rewatch it.

The case is interesting and almost not paranormal, more a psychological story à la Hitchcock, a mix between Desperate Housewives and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, taking place in the most typical American suburb. I like to think that the monster is not really one but just Ellen without creepy transformations when she's in her upset mode. I like the use of the ravens (very Hitchcockian) and the mirrors, all their symbolic and metaphorical meanings.

I like when M&S are split up but are calling each other and are bantering on the phone. Moreover, in this episode, both are on a different case, and the parallelisms and connections between the two are very interesting. It's a good point for the episode.

I like to see Mulder in an idyllic environment, having good huge meals and mundane conversations, while Scully is alone in her gloomy room, eating junk food. It's just fun, for a rather dark episode.

I don't like Phil. But that's good, because we're not supposed to like him. I think that's really something the episode does well. Phil's excuses for his behavior just make him look worse and gain him no sympathy.

I found the "woman from the wrong side of town" character and scenes a bit contrived. It seemed too convenient a misdirect. It was effective in moving the story where it needed to, but I think that was the weakest element of the episode.

I don't find the teaser good or creepy enough, even if the ravens are a nice scary touch to introduce the case.

But above all, I really don't like how the script wants to mislead us with Jenny's character, early in the teaser, and later in the episode. It's too much and they could have done without that. Jenny seems not to be a bad woman, she's just a regular one with surely bad luck in life, and they should just have let her be more natural.