8x19 Alone
Synopsis
While Scully takes maternity leave, Doggett is partnered with a young agent who is fascinated with the X-Files and has followed Mulder and Scully's careers. She and Doggett investigate the death of an old man and the disappearance of his son but when they disappear as well, Mulder, despite having left the FBI, heads out to search for them.
Writer/s: Frank Spotnitz
Director: Frank Spotnitz
Originally aired: 6th May 2001 (in the US) - 14th June 2001 (in Australia)
Quotes
Doggett: Agent Scully, this pregnancy leave, it is just a leave right? I mean, you are coming back eventually?
Agent Harrison: So it's not someone, it's something. God, this really is an X-File, isn't it?
Mulder: What's the matter?
Scully: I don't know, I... Maybe it's hormones or... I just, I'm feeling so strange about all of this.
Mulder: This, having a baby, this?
Scully: No. No. Leaving work, I guess. I mean I... I walked out of that office today feeling like a deserter.
Mulder: You've paid your dues there, Scully, more than paid them. You're concerned about Agent Doggett.
Scully: You know, the entire time that I was down there, I had someone to watch my back.
Mulder: I'm betting that Agent Doggett can take care of himself, he's a big boy. You've go to worry about the little boy... or little girl. Boy? Or Girl?
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
This is another episode I don’t know if I like or not. I’d probably lean towards not. Its not terrible, it just … bland.
I think the tribute to Leyla Harrison is a very nice gesture from CC & Co but damn the character is so annoying. I just want to tape her mouth shut half the time and slap her the rest of the time. And the stuff that she knows about M&S is far too on the fannish side rather than someone who processed their travel expenses.
I’m pretty sure everyone will agree that Mulder taking Scully to Lamaze classes is the best thing about this episode? They’re so married and he is so the baby daddy. *happy sigh* I would love to have seen that class. And any scene involving them I adore, except maybe the bickering at the end - its cute and married-coupley but its more the fact that Scully is in denial about seeing the space-ship in FTF when she clearly says “I saw it” as its flying away, and well, I’m bitter.
I really, really, really dislike the fact that Scully gave Doggett her keyring. Scully! Mulder gave that to you as a token of his love and affection! For shame! Though, I ‘spose he did give her a mini-Mulder which she wanted more … and then gave away … why does Scully give away things that Mulder gives her?
Extra
Title - unused title "A Dream Whose Sleep" is a partial line from an e.e.cummings poem titled "the great advantage of being alive".
Dr. Stites had been reading The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Mankind by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin. The title of the book provides a reference to the title of the first episode of the seventh season.
When Scully is cleaning out her desk, the penny & dime was from "Dreamland I & II", the dog tag was from her dog she got in "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"
Much like a real fan of the show, Leyla is full of information about the X-Files and makes references to several cases including Squeeze/Tooms (the liver eating mutant), The Beginning (an alien who sheds its skin), and Detour (the subterranean men). In the end she asks Mulder about how he saved Scully from the spaceship, referring to the first movie.
Agent Leyla Harrison was named for X-Files fan Leyla Harrison, whose life was tragically cut short in February 2001 when she lost her battle with skin cancer.