Patience

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PLOT: Scully and Doggett go to Idaho to investigate murders that may have been committed by something other than human.

For the first MOTW episode of the season, "Patience" could have easily fit in one of the first two seasons. The plot itself was simple and creepy and also familiar. However, the characterizations and the angst involved is definitely reminiscent of Seasons 4 or 5. Chris Carter has already made it known that the series is going to be re-invented, yet, the big hole left by Duchovny's absence will be difficult to maintain for the next 8-10 episodes if Carter can only rehash old plotlines with a supposedly new twist.

From a dramatic standpoint, it is now Scully who is going through the emotional angst that Mulder went through during her absence in Season 2. In the opening as she walks into the basement office, the first thing she does is pick up his nameplate from the desk. She lingers at the letters of his name as if to gather some inner strength from them that is painfully missing from her usually professional demeanor. Upon hearing her new partner, Doggett, laughing it up with his buddies, a definite chill forms in the room that even the unflappable Doggett notices immediately. He wisely tells his friends to leave rather than stand up to Scully's stare. After all, Doggett is entering "her turf," and he knows it. It is interesting to note that Scully lights up a bit when he mentions that he spent his entire weekend going through *every* X-File. No matter what her reputation may be within the Bureau, she is obviously very proud of her work with Mulder and the X-Files.

Yet, there is a huge burden that Scully feels in having to uphold what Mulder deemed his life's work. It shows that he has definitely rubbed off on her as *she* is using Mulder's favorite form of debriefings for a new case: the slideshow. And just like her initial case with Mulder in the pilot episode, Scully grills Doggett on his take of the two grisly bodies shown on the screen. She wants to know what his initial thoughts are just as much as Mulder would do with her. Doggett is entering territory that he is not prepared, and Scully needs to know how much trouble he will give her on their cases. However, Doggett impresses by not jumping to narrow-minded conclusions and easily admits that he is at a loss to what killed the couple he sees in the bloody pictures in front of him.

What is interesting to note is how Doggett defers to Scully out in the field. As all the "good ole boys" within the Sheriff's department easily ignore Scully because of her gender and not her expertise, Doggett subtly defends her position without showing that he necessarily believes her theories. Like Scully did with Mulder, it is difficult to refute an outlandish theory when there is proof to back it up. Thus, Doggett's cop sensibilities tell him to go with Scully's instincts. Thrown together on their first case, there is that obvious awkwardness between them. Scully is so used to the way Mulder thinks that Doggett's instints seem strange to her. His motivation, as is the other sheriffs, is to find a killer. While Scully is trying to *understand* why a creature would deem it necessary to attack and kill the people in the first place.

As the season progresses, it will be interesting to find out if Doggett stays with the facts rather than form a strong opinion in one direction or another with the paranormal phenomena that he will encounter. He defers to Scully, because she has the experience to better understand the events, and he easily admits that he is "no Fox Mulder." However, his observation skills are top notch as well, since he was the one who points out to Scully that she may be trying too hard to be like Mulder. Scully does appear to readily make broad leaps of logic much more than she normally would. Her undeniable need for Mulder's presence seems to have come to the point of obsession. She is starting to *become* Mulder in both attitude and way of thinking. Remember how Mulder used to tick off the local law enforcement? Scully easily does it with the local Sheriff, but at least Mulder cracked jokes while doing it.

Scully's conversation with Myron Stefaniuk (what an original name!) opened her eyes to her own obsession. She is trying so hard to prove her worth to Mulder in her mind that she loses her own focus on whom she is. Her usual objectivity is obscured to allow herself to think in Mulder's shoes rather than rationalize within herself. As Shakespeare says, "to thine own self, be true." Scully needs to understand that her own investigative skills and her experience over the past seven years with Mulder will allow her to figure out the cases in her own way. She had earned Mulder's respect after all.

One interesting thing was answered in the last scene of the episode. Scully *never* had a desk in the basement office even after the events of Season 4's "Never Again." That explains why she always seems to be "visiting" Mulder rather than actually having any kind of presence there. However, she does not want to alienate Doggett by ignoring that he is a part of the department now. In a gesture of both appreciation and courtesy, she offers to get him a desk to work at in the basement. It is her way of thanking him and also acknowledging that she is accepting him as a partner. Now, this does not necessarily mean that Scully thoroughly *trusts* Doggett, but she is keeping an open mind to the fact that he is a good agent who seemingly appears to want to do the job without any kind of ominous objective.

For the most part, the plot of the "bat-man" was not necessarily the focus of the story. It was used as a device to help propel the story along and showcase the budding partnership of Scully and Doggett. They are a team that work well together. Of course, their chemistry is *vastly* different than what Scully had with Mulder, but it works nevertheless. Doggett is proving to be a formidable ally for Scully. He seems to act as her mediator when she ticks off the local law enforcement. Ironically, Scully did that in Mulder's behalf as well. Hmmm...me thinks this is sounding to be familiar.

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