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PLOT: Scully is contemplating the events of her past as she runs into an old flame, who was a major influence for her joining the FBI.
I knew it wouldn't be long for Gillian Anderson to have her hand at writing and directing an episode after David Duchovny did it in last season's "The Unnatural." There's the incentive of exploring her own character as William B. Davis did with Cigarette Smoking Man in "En Ami." Not to mention that she is "the boss" for a few days and gets to direct not only her co-star but the whole crew. I just never realized how much emotion and symbolism her story would involve.
The teaser was definitely an eye-popper. Gillian obviously knows how to entice the audience by thoroughly suggesting a carnal tryst had taken place between Mulder and Scully. It was confusing to say the least, but not because it didn't make sense. The feeling of "shock" came more to mind. I know that the ending certainly didn't give enough clues, but the teaser was a nice stunt ploy. Scully has probably seen Mulder sleeping in his jockeys many a night. We never see that kind of intimate detail unless it's in fan fiction. Gillian showed a Scully that certainly looked comfortable enough to dress in Mulder's bathroom with the door wide open! Nevertheless, it proved a point that their intimacy is way beyond conventional.
I will never forget how symbolism was always some common thread in most of my college literature classes regarding works that seemed more straightforward. Shakespeare and Chaucer certainly come to mind. Though I certainly appreciate a story with layered meanings, it doesn't necessarily make for enjoyable episodic TV. Obviously, Gillian wrote a script that had more layers than lasagna. The overall theme bears one of Shakespeare's famous lines: To thine own self be true. In more simpler terms, the choices we make dictate the lives we lead. Scully contemplates how her life has lead her to this point when accidentally running into an old flame, who was obviously the other choice for her in that particular fork in the road.
Yes, there was definitely a reminiscent tone of "Never Again" when Mulder was talking about his crop circles. I have to admit that even I wanted to ignore his presentation. It is obvious that Scully was definitely in a mood not to care about Mulder's latest obsession. Lately, he seems to have reverted back to Season 1 Mulder with all the enthusiasm and excitement for a UFO sighting that model always provided. There is no apparent reason for Scully's apathy towards Mulder at this particular point, but she isn't as rude to him either. Scully just seems to be suffering from stress until she accidentally runs into Daniel Waterston. Her past literally catches up with her as she find out that Daniel has been living in D.C. for the past 10 years coinciding with her own tenure with the Bureau during that time.
In a way, this episode was Scully's "Amor Fati." As Mulder questions what his life would be like if he walked away from his quest, Scully questions if she made the right choice in leaving a life with Daniel for a life in the F.B.I. Unlike "Never Again," where she constantly questions her life choices and career, in "all things," once she sees Daniel and overcomes some guilt, Scully realizes that she has taken the correct path. It resolves the obvious lingering doubts she had from "Never Again," and solidifies her own assurance that life in the Bureau and with Mulder is definitely the one for her.
Scully even tells Daniel that she was never more sure than when she saw him. Scully regrets that her affair with Daniel had caused such chaos with his family, but she left him to avoid any further damage. Daniel is the one who pursued something that no longer existed. Scully tells him so by stating that she is not the same Dana Scully that Daniel knew some 10 years ago. The episode further explores that theme when she opens up her mind to holistic healing when her own conventional science cannot help Daniel. Then there's the scene in the temple. That was very reminiscent to Mulder's death scenes in Season 3's "Blessing Way." Her spiritual side, something that has been very conflicted this past season, embraces an ideology that Daniel's Scully would have easily scoffed at as much as he did. It is interesting to note how Scully opened up to Colleen so quickly. After finding out that Colleen was a former scientist herself, Scully took her ideas much more to heart.
The woman in the khaki outfit and hat was another symbol that
is vague when first watching but makes more sense once the pieces fit together. Scully was almost in an accident until the woman appeared.
She was lead to the Buddhist temple by this same woman, and after finally coming to terms regarding Daniel and his family troubles, the
woman leads her right to Mulder. Isn't that interesting? With each successive appearance, the woman "guides" her to what essentially is
the right path. Scully had so many doubts of what to do, but this woman came out of nowhere to help Scully come to a decision on a plan
of action. Could it have been her guardian angel? It is rather odd that between Mulder and Scully, the skeptic experiences more paranormal
events than the believer. Possibly because she already has that grounded sense of what is real to help focus when something quite extraordinary
happens instead of pure blind faith as Mulder almost always has.
The interaction between Mulder and Scully definitely made the episode that much more special. Not even rehashing what happened in the teaser, it was very poignant to see Scully literally pouring her heart out to Mulder. This is something that she could do before only with some alcohol influence. Another major change in Scully in just a few years with Mulder. She feels very comfortable with him that she has no problem taking off her shoes and falling asleep right on his couch. Mulder doesn't question it or seem the least bit surprised. He appreciates that Scully was able to open up to him rather than keeping it to herself. After all, he already knew that Scully was his soulmate. Now, it's Scully's turn. Of course, that was a nice touch to see Mulder lingering over Scully and carefully move that piece of hair out of her face and covering her up with the blanket. There's definitely some affection going on.
For the most part, this was an outstanding episode for a slight glimpse into Scully's past. We already knew that Mulder's major influence to what he is today was Samantha's disappearance. Scully's was never really brought up. Gillian brings about a scenario where Scully is trying to escape a rather disastrous affair that lead her down the path to Mulder. It works mainly because Scully's confusion and conflicting guilt made the story much more personal than just another character study. Just like anyone who feels as though life can be too much to handle at times, Scully realizes that her present life is as fulfilling as the one she might have had with Daniel. It wasn't that long ago when she would have loved a normal family life that Daniel offered to her. Yet, Scully is finally comfortable with whom she is and how her life has turned out. And that final scene conveys a feeling that her relationship with Mulder may very well be evolving to a much more intimate level than the teaser could ever suggest. We'll just have to wait and see.
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