8x08 Per Manum
Synopsis
When Scully and Doggett are contacted by a man who claims his wife was murdered shortly after giving birth to an alien baby, Scully digs deeper into reports of alien fertilization on humans and she begins to question her own pregnancy and it's conception.
Writer/s: Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz
Director: Kim Manners
Originally aired: 18th February 2001 (in the US) - 3rd May 2001 (in Australia)
Quotes
Scully: Excuse me, Agent Doggett but are you investigating me?
Doggett: No, I was doing a background check on Mr. and Mrs. Haskell before I drop the case like you asked me to do.
Scully: No, I didn't ask you to drop the case I said there was nothing to do.
Doggett: Well if there is nothing to do then why are you investigating?
Scully: You are jumping to conclusions
Doggett: No, I'm just trying to do my job only it gets hard to do if the person you're working with is keeping secrets and telling lies.
Scully: Okay, if... if you're trying to politely say no, it's okay. I... I understand.
Mulder: See what's weird is... this sounds, and this sounds really weird, I know, but I... I just wouldn't want this to come between us.
Scully: Yeah, I know. I... I understand. I do.
Mulder: Come on... The answer is yes.
(Scully hugs Mulder)
Scully: Um... well, I'll call Dr. Parenti, and I assume that he'll want to meet you and go through the uh, the donor procedures
Mulder: At that part I'm a pro.
Doggett: At least you're okay. Why didn't you tell me?
Scully: I was afraid. Afraid that they'd use it against me, to take me off the X-files so I couldn't find Mulder.
Doggett: I told you I'd help you. I said we'd find him.
Links
Episodes: Fanpop and SideReel.
Transcripts: Episode transcript.
Screen captures at: The X Files Screen Grab Archive
Episode related fanfic: Page 1
Season 8 Gag Reels: Part 1 and Part 2
Mods thoughts and discussion attempts
Finally an episode of season 8 that I love. I don’t really care about continuity, when the flashbacks took place or even Scully’s floofly hair - though those things are fun to talk about - I just care that Mulder and Scully wanted to have a baby together. Eeee! I’m sorry if that makes any non-shippers with us puke, but I love it.
So, lets talk babies and that all important conversation. Mulder says he doesn’t want it to come between them. When I watched this time, I took it as “I don’t want it to become between our newly formed sexytimez” some people say he simply means their friendship. Thoughts?
Despite the angst, I am very glad that Scully’s embryo didn’t take, but I’m wondering, since she didn’t end up with a Dr. Lev freak baby, how come William had “powers” and is/was claimed to be a supersoldier? I’m confused!
This is actually the episode where I warmed (or became less chilly) to Doggett this time. I think his character changes here - and that in itself is interesting because this is episode 8 production-wise and he’s quite annoying in eps that were filmed after this. I feel kind of sorry for him that Scully doesn’t trust him, he’s mostly proven himself to be a good partner, if you ignore all his er … quirks (you know, his horrible sayings, his treating Scully like the little woman, not taking her seriously, or accusing Mulder of murdering someone and disappearing - those quirks) The only thing that makes me feel some rage/awkwardness/sadness is the beginning where he tells Scully that Haskell’s wife’s story is the same as hers except for the pregnancy, I *cringe* every time.
Also! Zeus Genetics! Gee, that name sounds familiar. Heh. How many times has CC named something “Zeus” now??
I could probably ramble on about anything and everything with this ep, but I’ll turn it over to you guys.
Extra
"Per Manum" means "by hand" in Latin.
This episode marks the first appearance of Adam Baldwin as Knowle Rohrer, a character whose role in the series would eventually grow to be quite significant.
Zeus Genetics - Germantown, Maryland
Zeus is famous in Greek mythology for fathering many, many children with many, many women. His wife, Hera (also his youngest sister), was very jealous and would do everything she could to foil him. Thus, he would appear to women disguised as their husbands, other men, or animals. And these women, would sometimes have to go into hiding while they carried his child, to be safe from Hera.