#scully's characterisation throughout the season

[agentelmo]

The X-Files MSR Analysis Series: Season 1 Episode 11

“Eve”

Previous episode analysis - 1x10 Fallen Angel.

Eve is a nice episode in terms of MSR because it is littered with cute little moments between Mulder and Scully.  Mostly characterised by their silently eyeballing each other.  Sometimes when the other isn’t even looking.  

Sorry, lets be real here - sometimes when Scully isn’t even looking. 

There’s a great scene in Mulder’s motel room which shows they’re still feeling each other out on a personal level - despite Scully’s dismissal of Mulder as a potential love interest in Jersey Devil, she clearly hasn’t 100% given up on it because she’s definitely putting the feelers out in that scene - testing the waters of Mulder’s personal life. 

On a non-MSR front, we also get our first whiff of a mention of the super soldiers that become so prominent in season 9.  Which is interesting, right?  Right?

So the episode begins with Mulder and Scully in Basement HQ talking about the latest spooky goings on.  Professor Mulder must have got in late this morning, as he’s still putting together his slide show for this mornings class.

Mulder’s characteristic gallows humour makes an appearance, and what I really like is that he looks up to see her reaction to his joke - is he gonna get a flash of her dazzling smile?

No.

He gets nothing - nada, zip.  Scully isn’t rewarding that mediocre attempt.

You know why this stood out to me now?  After seeing season 11′s This, it reminded me of the skanky bar scene where Mulder makes a joke about Scully looking “adorbs”.  Mulder stares at her for a long ass moment afterwards, waiting for a response.  

From the very beginning, he always got a kick out of getting a rise out of her - cracking her cool exterior.  I just like that the same gesture is seen here, right at the very beginning of their relationship.  He makes a joke to enjoy her response - and I think, a little bit, just to see her smile, because holy shit, Scully has a million watt smile.  

Who wouldn’t want to be the cause of that?

How quaint.  Remember a time before you knew anything about cattle mutilation, Scully?

What I love about this is what I love about all Mulder’s slide show scenes, which is that he enjoys the song and dance of presenting his ideas to Scully.  He likes playing teacher.  Look at his face when she gives him her “say what now?” look.

Close enough, Mulder?  He’s looming over her, being an utter space invader - as usual.  It’s their classic physical flirtation, but where the real foreplay lies between them is in the meeting of two sharply intelligent minds. 

He already knew that she wasn’t familiar with the fine art of cattle sucking, and that this would be how their conversation would go.  He had it all planned out.

This is why he was queuing up the slide show before he even asked the question -  he was just waiting to explain it to her.  He sports the smile of smug success, because it’s all gone to plan.  He’s hit his mark and now he’s ready to go - Professor Mulder is in the house, people!

He does this for her validation, which in turn allows him to present otherwise fantastic ideas in a way that fits the conventions of a regular FBI investigation - she brings order to his chaos and I think he actually desires that - at this point he’s come to see the value in it.  

In Basement HQ with Dana Scully in attendance, Professor Mulder’s theories and ideas are not dismissed as nonsense, they’re treated as potentially valid.  This is a place of safety and mental freedom for him.  His relaxed demeanour, as he regales the grim details of the case, suggest this is the portrait of a man freed from the limitations of self-doubt and judgement. 

This is in sharp contrast to how Mulder has been know to behave around his peers.  He has a tendency to be very reticent with his fellow FBI colleagues. He’s been burned one too many times by talking about his ideas, and so tends to keeps his cards close to his chest. 

It just goes to show how her validation is like catnip for him - there is no holding back in these show and tells.  He fully expects Scully to hear him out and throw out her usual challenges, to which is he more than happy to rise because he knows they come from a place of scientific rigour not condescension and mockery - he revels in the acknowledgement and the challenge.  

As the series progresses he refines his beliefs - he too needs proof.  But at this stage he really does believe in almost anything, and is happy to go along with any bat shit theory.  Seeing is believing for Mulder in season 1.

Not so with Scully, of course.  He’s so overtly open and unabashed with his beliefs that sometimes - when you actually listen to exactly what it is he’s saying - you do have to wonder if he is, in fact, crazy.

See what I mean?  He’s pretty bald-faced about it.  Unflinchingly eccentric.   It’s actually kind of touching to watch him spout this nonsensical stuff about aliens coming thousands of light years to exsanguinate some poor moo cows.  Seriously, the guy sounds like he’s been smoking the good stuff.

Most normal people would tell him he’s a fucking mental case and report him to FBI human resources - this guy needs a psych evaluation - stat!

But Scully?  Nope, she’s there to do a job - put his bat shit craziness to the test, so she swallows her disbelief and instinctive need to object... literally...

...and off we go!

So Mulder and Scully go off to investigate the man who had been blood suckered and have a chat with his daughter - the only witness to his death.  

And oh God this series can be tough to watch at times with hindsight... more Scully being totes adorbs and sweetly softly spoken with kids.  

Any time Mulder and Scully are in scenes with kids I can’t deal.  It hurts man.

Even if the kid in question is creepy AF.

Seriously what is it with the kids being freaky mofos in this show?

Creepiness aside, I love that this little bunny-clutching satan spawn totally plays Mulder.  

She tells him what he wants to hear; the implication is that this girl has some kind of mind reading capability to pull “men from the clouds” and the word “exsanguinate” from out her arse.

Uh yeah...

Mulder, this is important... and not the time to be staring at your partner’s lips again.  Geez, man. FOCUS.

Scully gets a call that there’s been another murder, so off they jet to San Fran baby!  Check it out - that’s a sunny establishing shot!

Although when they get to the murder victim’s residence the weather is grey and overcast as fuck.

You tried, Vancouver.  You tried.

What I admire about this scene here with Mulder and Scully is the fact that she doesn’t let Mulder intimidate her.

When Scully was assigned to Mulder, she was green, untested.  He’s literally her first ever partner since she’s never been a field agent before, and he has quite the reputation as an incredibly savvy profiler and successful investigator.  Not to mention the fact he’s a man, and she’s a woman.

Yet she doesn’t let that stop her questioning his every step.

That’s pretty fucking impressive, isn’t it?

Scully’s self-confidence is crazy admirable.  She truly is a phenomenal role model for young girls.  I know she was for me.

What’s even more brilliant about her challenge here, is that she is more right than he is.  Mulder is, in fact, super wrong.  As we discover much later, these two deaths actually are the work of two killers working in tandem like Scully says and Mulder, the career profiler, dismissed this out of hand.  1 - 0 to Scully.  Keep score in this episode, because Scully does well to prove she’s more than a match for Mulder.

So they head off to speak with the daughter of the second murder victim, and Mulder exhibits his terrible parking skills.  How far away from the kerb do you wanna be, Mulder?

Look at Scully with her little season 1 briefcase... D’awwwwwwww.

Mulder is clearly in a good mood this morning, he’s quite playful with Scully all throughout this scene.

Case in point, when they’re discussing the fact that Teena Simmons has been abducted....

Let’s pause for effect.  Look at him looking at her.

Oh Mulder... are you GAZING by any chance?

Scully says the roadblocks turned up nothing... again Mulder, in his chipper mood quips back...

He’s doing it again.  Looking for her to react.  Both times.  He really does like to  enjoy her reaction, and I think she knows it because she refuses to give him one.  Perhaps it’s to loosen her up; relax.  My theory is that he just enjoys breaking down her professional exterior and so he make it his low key eternal mission to make her crack.  Like the proper little wind-up merchant that he is.

Also, whoa... Mulder are you blatantly checking Scully out?  She conveniently looks away... and down go those eyes.  You bad, bad man.

“I do not GAZE at Scully.”  Again, pause that.

Sure you don’t.

Then the door opens and we see that the second murder victim’s daughter - Cindy Reardon - looks exactly like the first murder victim’s daughter - Teena Simmons.

Spooky.

Mulder... focus.

I like the little silent conversation that goes on here.

Scully:  Mulder, are you seeing this? Mulder:  Yeah, what do you think is going on here? Scully:  No fucking clue.

Scully starts to question the mother about Cindy, and when Mulder chimes in to cut to the chase, he unintentionally upsets the mother.  Scully realises instantly he’s in trouble as Mulder stumbles over his words and Scully touches his hand, silently communicating – I’ve got this.

He instantly takes a step back and lets Scully handle it.  I fucking love these two.

It’s such a simple gesture, utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but for some reason little things like this make me think these two were made for each other.  I know, that’s a melodramatic thing to say, but this little exchange just thrilled me.  The simple act is trivial but also beautiful at the same time.

Am I weird?  I’m probably just weird.

Muldo and Scullbag head back out to their car and whoa... that is some heady bright red velour interior in their car - yikes.  

Holy crapsicle even the steering wheel is red!  The 90′s man...  Yeesh.

The banter… ah the banter.  This is what makes these two so deliciously fun. It’s not the Joss Whedon style of hyper-lighting-fast, sarcastic barbs or witty, self-deprecating one liners that permeate pretty much every TV show going these days.  It’s two clearly distinct personalities interacting and sparking off of each other in distinct, individual ways.

Mulder’s sense of humour bubbles along the surface of many of the duo’s scenes together, and it’s Scully’s reaction to his humour, rather than sharp-shooting back, that makes their to and fro banter feel genuine and real.  Her reactions tends towards the incredulous or playfully disapproving, but every now and then, he will be rewarded for his efforts with a dazzling smile of genuine amusement.

That feels more real to me because we’re not all witty zing-miesters ready and waiting with the best come back of our lives.  Although Mulder does land a few good ones, that’s defined as part of his personality, not just the collective state of all human beings that exist in the world like we seem to get in a lot of TV these days.

That’s not to say that Scully isn’t funny too.  She also gets her occasional zingers, but the infrequency of them makes them all the sweeter.

So Scully goes to check at the IVF treatment centre to find out how these two girls look so alike, and asks the Doc a question that is kinda scary in hindsight.

Especially given season 11′s recent revelations regarding how Scully became pregnant.  Yeah... this scene made my insides wiggly.

Scully discovers that a doctor called Sally Kendrick was experimenting with eugenics - tampering with the ova before fertilisation.  Again, all very troubling to hear in hindsight for us as viewers in the midst of season 11.  We as fans felt this question had been laid to rest about how William came to be, but season 11 has busted it wide open again.  Scully may have had this same tampering done to her ova before being implanted - if she even was implanted, we have no idea anymore!  Fuck CSM, man...

But lets wash the ickiness away with a stunning profile shot.  Naw... Looks how beautifully 90′s Scully is...

Now the next scene takes place back in Mulder’s motel room... hey now guys, you do know this goes against bureau’s policy on male and female agents consorting in the same motel room while on assignment, right?

Want to see another creepy connection to William?  Mulder and Scully are watching Sally Kendrick’s video monologue, which signs off on this oddly prophetic note...

Uhmmm....

Yeeeeeeeeeeah.

I realise that babies are described as miracles all the time, so it’s unlikely to be an intentional connection, but I got chills.  Did you get chills?

Scully doesn’t miss a chance to point out that Mulder’s cattle guzzling alien theory is looking less and less likely by the minute...

WHERE HAVE I SEEN DAT FACE?

Scully is the one rewarded with the smile this time, oh man keep ‘em coming Scully... Mulder in his glasses with his sleeves rolled up and his tie undone is my kink, my aesthetic, my everything, the sweetest song that I could sing...

OH BABY.

It’s like watching the air go out of a balloon.  Scully kicking dejected puppy!Mulder.... 

But wait! Ring ring... answer the phone, Scully.

New phone, who dis?

MULDER!   IT’S THE DEEP THROAT SIGNAL!

Yeah Mulder, how far does a girl have to go to untangle her tingle?  

SEVEN YEARS, THAT’S HOW FAR.

You’ve not yet qualified Scully, so get the fuck outta here.  No girls with tangled tingles allowed that haven’t gone through the 7 year Mulder vetting process.

He’s not kidding, he doesn’t have a clue what a girl is because thus far no one has made it through the 7 year Mulder vetting process.  

Who is up to the task, I wonder...

ANYWAY!

Mulder, are you seriously asking “what’s a girl?” when you have one of the most beautiful specimens right in front of you?  Go die in a fire now please. Thank you.

Poor disappointed Scully, too.  She wasn’t ready to leave and who can blame her with him flouncing around in those fucking glasses?  STOP IT.

Ughhhh... this whole fucking scene is just lady porn.

Also, isn’t it sweet that Scully’s automatic assumption is that he has a girl coming over?  She must think his little bit on the side was the one who hung up on the phone.  

Notice how Scully executes a classic fishing expedition, here.  She is curious about his personal life and because of his frankly highly suspicious behaviour - seriously Mulder, guy has zero chill, you could have done this a bit more convincingly - has handed her a prime opportunity to jokingly ask an otherwise overtly personal question. 

Don’t think I can’t see what you’re up to, Ms. Scully.

So Mulder goes to meet his girlfriend, Deep Throat and they take a romantic stroll along the jetty, casually bumping shoulders, talk about catching a Warriors game together.  So sweet.

I like that Deep Throat is concerned that Scully has followed Mulder.  Look at this muppet.  He’s a powerful man at the centre of an international consortium of men embroiled in all manner of nefarious government conspiracies and he’s hiding in a bush, afraid of a 5ft nothing red head in a pantsuit.

To be fair to him, Scully is a bad ass, I’d be afraid of her too.  Don’t be messing with her boo, or she’ll be having words.

I had a discussion recently about how Deep Throat seems to take on a fatherly role for Mulder in season 1.  A friendly, compassionate guide who supports Mulder at great risk to himself, his ideal father figure.

These little moments where Deep Throat (Or Ronald Pakula as we know now him, cheers season 11) seems to have more than a professional interest in Mulder.  It’s not simply that he is using Mulder, he appears to genuinely care about him too - this is merely one of several occasions where he suggests they might have enjoyed spending time together outside of their clandestine meetings.  

I’d say we will never know if this care is genuine, as there are certainly times when Deep Throat is shady as fuck - and later will even lie to Mulder - but then we see Deep Throat speak to Mulder from beyond the grave in his The Blessing Way fever dream in season 3.

Where he encourages Mulder to go back to the living world and not to look into the abyss.  Suggesting he truly did care about him.

So moving on, Deep Throat tells Mulder about a secret government eugenics project called The Litchfield Experiment.  Deep Throat says the purpose of this project is to create a “superior solider”.  Yep, that’s right... the notion that the Syndicate were involved in creating super soldiers were seeded back in season 1.  

He directs Mulder to an insane asylum where a subject of this shady experiment is being held named Eve 6.

So I am confused, how did Mulder explain to Scully how he knew about Eve 6 and the Litchfield experiments?  He still hasn’t told her about Deep Throat, and won’t tell her about him until E.B.E.  So how exactly did he explain to Scully why they were going there?  “I dreamt it, Scully!  I totally do not have an informant that basically lets me cheat every paranormal investigation I get stuck on.  It err... yeah, came to me in a vision!  Honest!”

Seriously, I’d forgotten just how often Mulder cheats by getting help from Deep Throat. 

So off they trot to meet Eve 6, and Mulder takes another opportunity to side eye his hot new girlfriend partner when she’s not looking.

The eye sexing in this episode is off the chart by the way.  They’re silently communicating a lot.  A LOT, A LOT.

Eve 6 explains that she and many others were part of an experiment which gave them heightened strength, intelligence but also psychosis.  They’re failed early attempts at creating super soldiers as they are uncontrollable.  They all have a tendency to go bat crap crazy.

And shocker, the two girls Cindy and Teena are part of that same experiment.

Its interesting to watch Mulder and Scully’s differing reactions to Eve 6.  The horror of what she is, a human monster but through no fault of her own.  They both have a very visceral reaction to Eve 6′s Hannibal Lecter moment as she talks about trying to get a bit of lovin’ from a guard.

Scully is clearly uncomfortable; disturbed by Eve 6; her mental state; her living conditions, and the claims of what has been done to her.

Whereas Mulder looks at Eve 6 with morbid fascination.  Like watching a car crash - you just can’t seem to look away from the horror of it.  He’s reviled by her, but also strangely transfixed.  Probably the profiler in him.

Now remember I said to keep score on how many times Scully gets it right and Mulder gets it wrong in this episode.  Well, here’s another doozey.

So that’s Mulder acknowledging that the murders could have indeed happened at the same time by two different people working together, which earlier he summarily dismissed when Scully suggested it.

Have you noticed yet that I like to make a point of highlighting when Scully was actually right and Mulder was wrong?  Why do I do it?  Honestly, it’s because I still haven’t forgiven Mulder for his “who turns out to be right 98.9% of the time?” comment in season 6′s Field Trip.

Arrogant little bishop basher.

But wait, it gets better!

*whispers*  Scully is too good for you.

Mulder suggests the two remaining Eves, Eve 7 and Eve 8, are killing the parents in order to take the girls back into the Litchfield fold.

But there’s some big holes in that hypothesis.  First, if that was their goal all along, why not take the girls when they killed the fathers?  Both kids were alone with their father’s at the time of their murders, so why kill the fathers and return later when the girls would be more protected, not less.

C’mon Mulder, there is obviously more going on here... you’re really off your game on this episode.  

Maybe if you weren’t so distracted by all the eye sexing?

Cindy Reardon is kidnapped by Sally Kendrick a.k.a. Eve 7, and Mulder and Scully are left in the dirt.  Mulder gets to do a bit of sexy running though.  Damn, that boy can run!

Thankfully, through some spiffing police work, they locate the girls again, and it’s like someone has dressed them up in red as a warning - DANGER FOX MULDO, DANGER!  They may as well have a neon sign above their heads blinking out the words “SATAN SPAWN!”

Someone has to take custody of the girls temporarily and, unexpectedly, Mulder volunteers himself and Scully for the job.

Wow, admit it, you just want to play dad.

Seriously, it’s almost like he planned it after watching Scully play Mum, talking about how “we” will take care of you... you’re safe with “us”.

You think I’m reaching?  What is this “reaching” you speak of?  This is a serious analysis series, with serious analysis only.  

This is such a dad thing to say, Mulder.  The translation is:  SHUT UP AND JUST GET IN THE DAMN CAR.

I can just see Mulder and William now...

“Dad, what’s a momomyth?” “Not now, son.  Just put your shoes on.  We’re going to grandma Maggie’s” “But Dad, is it the sum of all human knowledge or first contact with an alien ra--” “WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT IN THE CAR, OKAY?!”

I see you Muldo, checking Scullywag out.  Shouldn’t you keep your eyes on the road?  Look, even the creepy murder baby has noticed your wandering eye.

Hmm, asking a kid if they can hold their pee.  Yeah, Mulder has definitely never had kids before.  Heck, I’ve never had kids before and I know that’s a dumb question.  Kids seem to like waiting until their bladder is about to explode before asking to stop.

SCULLBAG!  YOU TRAITOR.  WHATEVER HAPPENED TO PARENTAL SOLIDARITY - SHOWING A UNITED FRONT?!

Ah the domesticity of the coke saga… the adults watching their waistlines get diet.  The kiddiewinks in need of recharging their murder batteries go for some of that high fructose goodness.

I love the look Scully has on her face in the background, a look that seems to be saying ‘don’t mind our precocious little brats’.

It kind of tickles me that this serving wench believes Mulder and Scully are married with kids.  Don’t worry, the rest of the world will catch up with this statement of fact in 25 years.

Mulder and Scully even do the eye sex communication before they’re about to go do their business.  Pee you on the other side, Scully!

Mulder even tells jokes silently.  It’s all there in the eyes.

Then the more sinister of the two satan spawn, which I think is Teena, comes out to poison Mulder and Scully’s drinks.

YOUR DAD?!

LOOK BACK THE HELL UP KID, DON’T BE FUCKING WITH MY FEELINGS RIGHT NOW I AM VERY SENSITIVE ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.

It’s all right for me to joke about it, but when kids in the actual show start calling Mulder “dad”, I am gonna probably hyperventilate to death.

So of course, Mulder goes and acts all fatherly again.  AHHHH THE PAAAIN!

He would have been such a sweet dad, guys… seriously.  FFS CHRIS CARTER.  MOVING ON...

TOUCH MAH HAND MULDERRRR!

It’s hypnotic, actually, watching their hands meet on a perpetual loop - you start to notice weird details, like how her finger slides over his.  

Look at what this show reduces us to.  Slavering weirdos who get excited at the merest brush of a hand.   Just, fuck this show... sometimes, really, it can just fuck off?

Then in a touch of writing genius, they drop the “oops I forgot my keys” trope.  

Mulder runs back into the cafe to find DUN DUN DUN... the poison conveniently left a partial mug ring on the table.  

Which makes no sense either, because if Teena had got it on the cup, wouldn’t Mulder and Scully have seen it already?  It’s bright green after all.  But whatevs... Mulder goes and sticks his fingers in an unknown substances then true to form, puts it straight into his mouth.  

I know, I felt thoroughly ashamed of taking this screen cap of Mulder licking his finger.  But it’s not like I stopped and looked at it for a long time or anything.  *whistles*

Realising the girls have poisoned his and Scully’s drink, Mulder runs back outside to rescue bae.

Again, Mulder has zero chill when it comes to feigning ignorance.  Was the earlier kerfuffle getting Scully out of his motel room in such an obvious way put there just to demonstrate that Mulder has the acting ability of a wacky, flailing, inflatable, tube man?

How chivalrous.

Before we move on, lets rewind back a second...

MULDER’S FLOPPY HAIR FLOOFING IN THE WIND OMG.

FLOOFING!

Okay, okay... so the girls know Mulder is onto them, obviously... I guess Mulder forgot that the Eves have heightened intelligence as well as heightened psychosis.  

Arghhh.. they’re so young!  Mah baby agents!

The girls vanish but Mulder and Scully outsmart the fuck out of these little shits.

Side note... baby!Scully... such a badass.

baby!Mulder... eeeh not so much.

Mulder and Scully go back into the cafe to see if the girls went to hide in there, and Scully ruins my dream - of a single human being existing in the world who thinks Mulder and Scully are married with kids - by flashing her FBI badge at the serving wench.

I know she’s a waitress.  Shhh... If I was a waitress, I’d much prefer to be called serving wench.

Wenchy McWenchface says a school bus just left with a ton a kids, so Mulder and Scully, quite cleverly I might add, trick the girls by splitting up.

Just to show us once again, these two are a pair of smart cookies, and are clearly meant for each other, as work partners as well as being the loves of each others lives.  Yeppers.

So Scully follows the bus in the car, and Mulder stays at the cafe.

Come out, come out, wherever you areeeee....

Mulder bullying children.  It’s a side hobby.

That’s all for Mulder and Scully, but there is an interesting scene at the end with the Eves.  It seems Sally Kendrick was, in fact, Eve 8 not Eve 7 (or maybe they were both her?) as she arrives to rescue the girls.

I wonder if perhaps, after they escape, these three are involved in the super soldier project that spawns the super soldiers we come to know later in season 9?  Who knows... but it would have been a cool little twist if they’d have brought back the Eves in season 9.  

Shame.  

It would have been a brilliant little bit of continuity.  But we know this show is continuity averse at the best of times, so it doesn’t really surprise me that the never took the opportunity to tie that thread.  

Next up... Ooh it’s the one you’ve all been waiting for, I can tell.  1x12 - Fire.

#thexfiles #x files #xf meta #xf analysis #msr #x files msr analysis series #xf gifs #xf screencaps #fox mulder #dana scully #david duchovny #gillian anderson #chris carter #txf 1x11 #eve