Musings
Various, somewhat nonsensical musings on season 8, Empedocles through Essence (and whichever clinically insane person decided to put freaking Existence on its own effing disc needs to be shot. Seriously. It was the same with Dreamland, back in season, what, 6? Part 1 and part 2 were on separate discs and it drove me insane). Kind of trying to figure certain things out, but also my impressions of the episodes. Read if you like. :D
Randomly, I've noticed that this season, Scully wears a lot of black and forest green (it's a color kind of parallel with navy blue, only it's green), and a fair amount of white. It's a great costuming choice, as these colors look fantastic on her (and the black shows the mourning she was dealing with for about half the season, and the white reflects the miracle of her baby, and green is kind of generally symbolic of life, so they all have symbolism, too). Also, I LOVE her hair in these episodes. Jessica at TWoP doesn't, so much - she's a fan of the poufy hair earlier in the season. But I like this style - it's softer and prettier and flatters her face, and I love the edges that brush up against her chin and neck, and I think it fits Scully more than those did. Not looking forward to the long season 9 hair, though - I don't think that works at all. I like it chin-length. (I also want to dye my hair red, but I'm not sure if it'd work with my skin tone. My sister's got bright red hair, a kind of orangey-blonde, but I'd want more auburny.)
Also, randomly: why does everyone find Krycek so attractive? I mean, I suppose he's kind of hot in a badass kind of way, but he's not remotely good-looking. His face doesn't make sense to me - it's like his features were just stuck on an awkwardly shaped ball. I love when guys' faces are kind of diamond-shaped, like Mulder's. You get the strong shape of the face in the lines of the forehead and cheekbones, with jawbones as an accent. It's such an elegant shape. Though I also love the Ninth Doctor, with his face made of nested triangles (really, look at it: forehead, cheekbones, jawline are all downward-pointing triangles).
Anyway. Ahem. On to the episodes.
As a viewer, Scully's pregnancy bothers me. Though I'm not sure if that's because it's Scully, or because pregnancy as a whole makes me uncomfortable (normal human things tend to do that: grocery shopping, pregnancy, displays of affection, sex, domesticity. I don't know what it is, but it means I'll be living rather like Mulder when I grow up). Though I love the questions behind it. Most of the fandom seems (from my limited 6-years-later perspective) to take it for granted that Mulder and Scully had sex and this baby is a product of that, but I think that trivializes the whole thing (of course, this could be because, well, sex makes me uncomfortable and I prefer to think it never happened). However, that does make me feel really good about this baby: Mulder's genes plus Scully's genes make for the best genetic make-up EVER. Seriously. That child would be gorgeous, brilliant, funny, strong, and talented in so many ways, though prone to abduction (and God, William is the best name EVER for that child, seeing as that names him after Mulder, Mulder's father, Scully's father, and Scully's brother - the true melding of two extraordinary families).
Of course, that could also happen if the artificial insemination actually worked. Maybe something happened after she thought it didn't to make it work (sounds completely implausible, I know, but hey, what is this show about if not the implausible and even impossible?). I know a popular theory, at least in fanfic, is that the genie in Je Souhaite did it just as she was set free, but that seems trivial to me, too. I think Scully's odd spells in Requiem weren't symptoms of pregnancy, but were the pregnancy taking hold. Now, my medical knowledge is shaky and based entirely on random knowledge that I've picked up from God Knows Where (I've got a lot of that), but I don't think that happens in normal pregnancies. In fact, I'm sure it doesn't. But then, this pregnancy is anything but ordinary - Scully was barren, after all. In Essence, they keep reiterating that this pregnancy is a miracle, and that the baby isn't alien but entirely, superbly, human. I like that idea. Not just because I don't want Scully to have an alien baby, but because I like the idea of a kind of super-life coming from someone who couldn't bring life into the world (especially considering she's a doctor. Ooh, the irony!). And, supposing the child really is Mulder's, someone who was dead (though that was after the child was conceived, true). I like the way that's arranged.
Also, necessarily quoted because OH MY GOD, I love Jessica from TWoP (despite the fact she doesn't like Scully's hair now), because she's funny and fun and goes off on random tangents about the weirdest things and uses strange capitals and I love it, and this, regarding Scully's baby shower in Essence, cracked me up: Because if Scully invited all of her friends to this shindig, the guest list would be Mulder, Skinner, Doggett, the Lone Gunmen, probably Moronica (because, remember, Scully "likes" her) and maybe that chick from last week who was helping her in the lab, and the baby would get, like, a tiny black leather jacket, and a laptop, a set of rappelling cords, maybe a microscope, a small handgun, and maybe some porn. And a goldfish or two.
Now, to get off the baby thing. Empedocles: not so much good for me. The Mulder/Scully scenes were delightful, particularly the pizza man jokes, and the simple presence of Mulder still makes me squeal with joy (how could they ever think this show would work without him? Seriously?). But the rest of it: ehh. Vienen and Alone and Essence, on the other hand: exciting and fun and interesting. Vienen and Essence more than Alone, partly because I feel like we've seen that one before and the new agent (Leyla Harrison) kind of annoyed me, partly because I feel like that might be me if I were in that situation. A little too weirdly enthusiastic and mildly obsessed, though I like to think I'd be smarter than she would. But how much fun must she have had processing Mulder and Scully's expense reports? 49 of the 50 states, 4 continents (including Antarctica and Australia, even though that was one trip, and not counting the England trip in "all things" because I doubt Mulder could charge that to the Bureau), and ridiculously bizarre expenses all around. No wonder she's such a groupie.
Ok, I liked Vienen. I love that it translates to "Coming", and I thought it was German at first (hey, I only studied a bit of German, and the ending looks German - it's excusable) but it's actually Spanish. Ok, so maybe that fleeing-the-burning-oil-rig sequence at the end just won me over (because how awesome was THAT?), or maybe it was the undiluted-genepool-equalling-immunity (because I'm a sucker for weird genetics, and I should really try to take a course in that next year, assuming there's little chemical behavior involved, because chemistry doesn't work so well for me). Besides, I kind of like the Black Oil. I think it's cool, even though it makes no sense. Like, why does the blackness always flow upwards through the eyes? Doesn't it feel gravity? Or is it merely reaching the brain, as the really crazy body-jumping behavior always happens after the sinister eye-flooding? (Incidentally, my grandmother's eye kind of terrified me tonight, what with the fact that the white of it was FLOODED WITH BLOOD. I thought she'd had an aneurism or something. Turns out it's happened before, for decades now, and she doesn't think it's a big deal.) And you know, I feel like I have to completely disregard the movie, much as I loved it, for this to make sense. Because doesn't the Black Oil make people grow alien-mutant-things in their bodies? That's certainly not happening here, and it didn't happen outside the movie. Maybe we just got here too soon? And are we supposed to think that there are, like, 6 variations of the alien virus floating around Earth: the Black Oil, and the one that uses the host's body to grow an alien, and the one that Mulder got hit by in Alaska (or was that the same one, you know, the one where he had to be kept cold to keep him alive, so cold they thought he might be dead?), and the one that changed Billy Miles and would've changed Mulder, had he not been rescued. Or maybe those are all just the same one, and different effects are cropping up at different times because Chris Carter didn't sit down and plan out 8 seasons when he started writing this show. Because they all have at least one thing in common with at least one other version, so they're all linked. Or maybe it's evolving? I can't keep straight what happened when in this show, I saw it all too close together. This is really confusing. But then, it always has been, and I tend to hold off creating a theory until I've got all the facts, so now I can't remember all the facts and my theories make no sense anyway. Oh well. Alien virus. Right.
But Essence was fun. Krycek is the most random, ambiguous, indecipherable character I've ever seen on television (incidentally, the actor is now appearing on the show Kyle XY, which I can't, for the life of me, figure out why anyone would actually watch - the guy isn't attractive, he's terrifyingly creepy! He's got no expression whatsoever on his face! He's a model, not an actor, so please don't make him speak! But anyway. I used to change the channel really quickly whenever one of those promos came on, but now I watch so I can squeal "Krycek!" and giggle and rock back and forth. Yes). Whenever he appears, if nothing else, the plot's about to get a whole lot more interesting. He's like a harbinger of intrigue. (Also, is it just me, or is there this weird tension between Krycek and Skinner that feels more sexual than "I hate you, you sneaking bastard, for the control you have over my life"?) Incidentally, I cannot remember where Krycek lost his arm (or even, while watching the show, that he did. You'd think that'd be a really big deal, or something). Or when the Syndicate/Consortium/Whatever got all destroyed (I only just realized I hadn't seen CSM in, like, a season and a half, and I had no idea why). SO MUCH going on in this show. I forget things. Especially since I'm really more of a Wrap It All Up In One Episode With Nice Neat Ties And Pretty Solutions, Please kind of person.
And, in that vein, I'll conclude with a random thought: I LOVE the FBI Teleport. I'm sure it exists. They couldn't possibly travel the way they do on planes. I mean, they're federal agents and all, which means they could bump people from planes and book tickets at a moment's notice, but seriously. Mulder goes up to Massachusetts for the weekend? Now, that makes sense to me, as I live in Connecticut, but he's in WASHINGTON. That's, like, an 8-hour drive, and you can't bump people from flights for a relaxing weekend. And in Terma (I think), where Scully tells Skinner (just after her joyful reunion with Mulder in the courtroom) that she needs to go to Florida, and it shouldn't take more than, say, 12 hours. You need a teleport for that, thanks. And it makes another appearance in Essence, with Monica Reyes traveling almost instantaneously from New Orleans to Washington. Love the teleport. (I ignore implausibility by substituting impossibility!)
And, well, that was fun. I'm afraid it makes no sense, but I'm tired and need to sleep. And really, I'm just trying to sort out my own thoughts. At the very least, it should be entertaining! I really just go all over the place, don't I? I even tagged this entry both X-Files and Doctor Who, since I spent a good half-paragraph on the shape of Nine's face. Hmm.
I'm off to Maine tomorrow, until about Wednesday or Thursday next week, so I won't be able to check LJ very often (if at all - I think they've still got dial-up there (oh, the boondocks of Maine. So gorgeous, and a great place to live, but they get everything about a year behind the rest of us)). I'll try to catch up when I get back, because I like reading your entries!
Randomly, I've noticed that this season, Scully wears a lot of black and forest green (it's a color kind of parallel with navy blue, only it's green), and a fair amount of white. It's a great costuming choice, as these colors look fantastic on her (and the black shows the mourning she was dealing with for about half the season, and the white reflects the miracle of her baby, and green is kind of generally symbolic of life, so they all have symbolism, too). Also, I LOVE her hair in these episodes. Jessica at TWoP doesn't, so much - she's a fan of the poufy hair earlier in the season. But I like this style - it's softer and prettier and flatters her face, and I love the edges that brush up against her chin and neck, and I think it fits Scully more than those did. Not looking forward to the long season 9 hair, though - I don't think that works at all. I like it chin-length. (I also want to dye my hair red, but I'm not sure if it'd work with my skin tone. My sister's got bright red hair, a kind of orangey-blonde, but I'd want more auburny.)
Also, randomly: why does everyone find Krycek so attractive? I mean, I suppose he's kind of hot in a badass kind of way, but he's not remotely good-looking. His face doesn't make sense to me - it's like his features were just stuck on an awkwardly shaped ball. I love when guys' faces are kind of diamond-shaped, like Mulder's. You get the strong shape of the face in the lines of the forehead and cheekbones, with jawbones as an accent. It's such an elegant shape. Though I also love the Ninth Doctor, with his face made of nested triangles (really, look at it: forehead, cheekbones, jawline are all downward-pointing triangles).
Anyway. Ahem. On to the episodes.
As a viewer, Scully's pregnancy bothers me. Though I'm not sure if that's because it's Scully, or because pregnancy as a whole makes me uncomfortable (normal human things tend to do that: grocery shopping, pregnancy, displays of affection, sex, domesticity. I don't know what it is, but it means I'll be living rather like Mulder when I grow up). Though I love the questions behind it. Most of the fandom seems (from my limited 6-years-later perspective) to take it for granted that Mulder and Scully had sex and this baby is a product of that, but I think that trivializes the whole thing (of course, this could be because, well, sex makes me uncomfortable and I prefer to think it never happened). However, that does make me feel really good about this baby: Mulder's genes plus Scully's genes make for the best genetic make-up EVER. Seriously. That child would be gorgeous, brilliant, funny, strong, and talented in so many ways, though prone to abduction (and God, William is the best name EVER for that child, seeing as that names him after Mulder, Mulder's father, Scully's father, and Scully's brother - the true melding of two extraordinary families).
Of course, that could also happen if the artificial insemination actually worked. Maybe something happened after she thought it didn't to make it work (sounds completely implausible, I know, but hey, what is this show about if not the implausible and even impossible?). I know a popular theory, at least in fanfic, is that the genie in Je Souhaite did it just as she was set free, but that seems trivial to me, too. I think Scully's odd spells in Requiem weren't symptoms of pregnancy, but were the pregnancy taking hold. Now, my medical knowledge is shaky and based entirely on random knowledge that I've picked up from God Knows Where (I've got a lot of that), but I don't think that happens in normal pregnancies. In fact, I'm sure it doesn't. But then, this pregnancy is anything but ordinary - Scully was barren, after all. In Essence, they keep reiterating that this pregnancy is a miracle, and that the baby isn't alien but entirely, superbly, human. I like that idea. Not just because I don't want Scully to have an alien baby, but because I like the idea of a kind of super-life coming from someone who couldn't bring life into the world (especially considering she's a doctor. Ooh, the irony!). And, supposing the child really is Mulder's, someone who was dead (though that was after the child was conceived, true). I like the way that's arranged.
Also, necessarily quoted because OH MY GOD, I love Jessica from TWoP (despite the fact she doesn't like Scully's hair now), because she's funny and fun and goes off on random tangents about the weirdest things and uses strange capitals and I love it, and this, regarding Scully's baby shower in Essence, cracked me up: Because if Scully invited all of her friends to this shindig, the guest list would be Mulder, Skinner, Doggett, the Lone Gunmen, probably Moronica (because, remember, Scully "likes" her) and maybe that chick from last week who was helping her in the lab, and the baby would get, like, a tiny black leather jacket, and a laptop, a set of rappelling cords, maybe a microscope, a small handgun, and maybe some porn. And a goldfish or two.
Now, to get off the baby thing. Empedocles: not so much good for me. The Mulder/Scully scenes were delightful, particularly the pizza man jokes, and the simple presence of Mulder still makes me squeal with joy (how could they ever think this show would work without him? Seriously?). But the rest of it: ehh. Vienen and Alone and Essence, on the other hand: exciting and fun and interesting. Vienen and Essence more than Alone, partly because I feel like we've seen that one before and the new agent (Leyla Harrison) kind of annoyed me, partly because I feel like that might be me if I were in that situation. A little too weirdly enthusiastic and mildly obsessed, though I like to think I'd be smarter than she would. But how much fun must she have had processing Mulder and Scully's expense reports? 49 of the 50 states, 4 continents (including Antarctica and Australia, even though that was one trip, and not counting the England trip in "all things" because I doubt Mulder could charge that to the Bureau), and ridiculously bizarre expenses all around. No wonder she's such a groupie.
Ok, I liked Vienen. I love that it translates to "Coming", and I thought it was German at first (hey, I only studied a bit of German, and the ending looks German - it's excusable) but it's actually Spanish. Ok, so maybe that fleeing-the-burning-oil-rig sequence at the end just won me over (because how awesome was THAT?), or maybe it was the undiluted-genepool-equalling-immunity (because I'm a sucker for weird genetics, and I should really try to take a course in that next year, assuming there's little chemical behavior involved, because chemistry doesn't work so well for me). Besides, I kind of like the Black Oil. I think it's cool, even though it makes no sense. Like, why does the blackness always flow upwards through the eyes? Doesn't it feel gravity? Or is it merely reaching the brain, as the really crazy body-jumping behavior always happens after the sinister eye-flooding? (Incidentally, my grandmother's eye kind of terrified me tonight, what with the fact that the white of it was FLOODED WITH BLOOD. I thought she'd had an aneurism or something. Turns out it's happened before, for decades now, and she doesn't think it's a big deal.) And you know, I feel like I have to completely disregard the movie, much as I loved it, for this to make sense. Because doesn't the Black Oil make people grow alien-mutant-things in their bodies? That's certainly not happening here, and it didn't happen outside the movie. Maybe we just got here too soon? And are we supposed to think that there are, like, 6 variations of the alien virus floating around Earth: the Black Oil, and the one that uses the host's body to grow an alien, and the one that Mulder got hit by in Alaska (or was that the same one, you know, the one where he had to be kept cold to keep him alive, so cold they thought he might be dead?), and the one that changed Billy Miles and would've changed Mulder, had he not been rescued. Or maybe those are all just the same one, and different effects are cropping up at different times because Chris Carter didn't sit down and plan out 8 seasons when he started writing this show. Because they all have at least one thing in common with at least one other version, so they're all linked. Or maybe it's evolving? I can't keep straight what happened when in this show, I saw it all too close together. This is really confusing. But then, it always has been, and I tend to hold off creating a theory until I've got all the facts, so now I can't remember all the facts and my theories make no sense anyway. Oh well. Alien virus. Right.
But Essence was fun. Krycek is the most random, ambiguous, indecipherable character I've ever seen on television (incidentally, the actor is now appearing on the show Kyle XY, which I can't, for the life of me, figure out why anyone would actually watch - the guy isn't attractive, he's terrifyingly creepy! He's got no expression whatsoever on his face! He's a model, not an actor, so please don't make him speak! But anyway. I used to change the channel really quickly whenever one of those promos came on, but now I watch so I can squeal "Krycek!" and giggle and rock back and forth. Yes). Whenever he appears, if nothing else, the plot's about to get a whole lot more interesting. He's like a harbinger of intrigue. (Also, is it just me, or is there this weird tension between Krycek and Skinner that feels more sexual than "I hate you, you sneaking bastard, for the control you have over my life"?) Incidentally, I cannot remember where Krycek lost his arm (or even, while watching the show, that he did. You'd think that'd be a really big deal, or something). Or when the Syndicate/Consortium/Whatever got all destroyed (I only just realized I hadn't seen CSM in, like, a season and a half, and I had no idea why). SO MUCH going on in this show. I forget things. Especially since I'm really more of a Wrap It All Up In One Episode With Nice Neat Ties And Pretty Solutions, Please kind of person.
And, in that vein, I'll conclude with a random thought: I LOVE the FBI Teleport. I'm sure it exists. They couldn't possibly travel the way they do on planes. I mean, they're federal agents and all, which means they could bump people from planes and book tickets at a moment's notice, but seriously. Mulder goes up to Massachusetts for the weekend? Now, that makes sense to me, as I live in Connecticut, but he's in WASHINGTON. That's, like, an 8-hour drive, and you can't bump people from flights for a relaxing weekend. And in Terma (I think), where Scully tells Skinner (just after her joyful reunion with Mulder in the courtroom) that she needs to go to Florida, and it shouldn't take more than, say, 12 hours. You need a teleport for that, thanks. And it makes another appearance in Essence, with Monica Reyes traveling almost instantaneously from New Orleans to Washington. Love the teleport. (I ignore implausibility by substituting impossibility!)
And, well, that was fun. I'm afraid it makes no sense, but I'm tired and need to sleep. And really, I'm just trying to sort out my own thoughts. At the very least, it should be entertaining! I really just go all over the place, don't I? I even tagged this entry both X-Files and Doctor Who, since I spent a good half-paragraph on the shape of Nine's face. Hmm.
I'm off to Maine tomorrow, until about Wednesday or Thursday next week, so I won't be able to check LJ very often (if at all - I think they've still got dial-up there (oh, the boondocks of Maine. So gorgeous, and a great place to live, but they get everything about a year behind the rest of us)). I'll try to catch up when I get back, because I like reading your entries!