Theatre of the Mind ~ Aubrey
1. Just let me say up front that Aubrey is one of my favorite episodes ever. Not in the top ten, but definitely in the top 20. But I'm having trouble figuring out what to write!
2. Say, that's the guy from "Millennium" and "Fight the Future." He blowed up in that one; he blowed up real good! (Any SCTV fans out there?)
3. Obviously something else going on here besides a murder investigation.
4. I think we've explored every possible way Scully will break the pregnancy news to Mulder except this one.
5. The scene where the vision and B.J.'s actions are intertwined is truly frightening.
6. Yes, but do you floss Mulder?
7. Was he known as "Spooky" Chaney?
8. Mulder's always been intrigued by women named B.J.? Scully looks like she's gonna barf.
9. I wonder if Mulder has always been intrigued by *men* named B.J. as well? Honeycutt, and the Bear, Singh? (Oh, that's *Vijay.* Sorry!)
10. Did you know that about this time DD's then-girlfriend Perrey Reeves (see "3") was playing a woman named B.J. on "Doogie Houser"? I was *just* trying to be thorough.
11. Mulder reads the other Spooky's story while Scully puts the pieces together. What a team!
12. Now if I had a computer like this one, I could download Shakerbaker's videos much faster! And I could see them in 3-D!
13. Okay, just what *are* they eating? Amy says pizza; I'm not so sure. If it is, it must have been delivered in a fried chicken box. Maybe Aubrey had one of those KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell places way back then. To this day, I still don't know. But isn't it cute to see them having the munchies?
14. Psychic!Scully makes her first appearance in this episode when she proclaims that Tillman and B.J. are having an affair. I gotta say, I'm with Mulder on this one. How did she know?
15. "A woman senses these things." Well, I sure wouldn't have except I saw the teaser.
16. TWC1: My, it's awfully late in the episode for the first TWC; but Mulder looking in the computer screen, Scully in glasses. They are both looking fine!
17. See, I told you there was a chicken box there.
18. Looks like a woman thing, Scully, you'd better follow her into the bathroom.
19. Psychic!Scully is at it again as she now knows B.J. is pregnant. I'm surprised she didn't give us her due date as well.
20. What kind of nightmares do you think Scully will have during her prenancy?
21. Scully returns and says "I told you so" without really saying "I told you so."
22. Mulder manages to look surprised and impressed by Scully's clairvoyance!
23. TWC2: M&S in the light of the computer screen: what a cute couple!
24. The more I see of Tillman, the happier I am that he got blowed up in the movie!
25. The scene in the pool is sufficiently frightening too!
26. B.J.'s instincts to mother someone else's child are just a little over the top for me.
27. Ah, continuity! It warms my little heart to know that somewhere, before he was even a 1013 employee, little Vince Gilligan was paying attention! "Well, I've often felt that dreams are answers to questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask."
28. Does Scully hang on Mulder's every word or what? I guess that phrase had an impact on her too since she repeats it back to Mulder in "Paper Hearts." (Which, BTW [and pay attention cause there could be a quiz later] is Polly's #1 favorite episode of all time.)
29. The teamwork was running like clockwork in this episode: Mulder provides the pen, and Scully provides the paper.
30. Now it's Mulder's turn to be psychic. From a triangle and a circle he gets the Trylon and the Perisphere. That's *exactly* what I thought it was too! Not.
31. The contrast between the two detectives who supposedly love each other and two detectives who supposedly don't is quite interesting. There is SO much more affection between the two detectives who supposedly don't than there is between the two detectives who supposedly do. Did you follow that?
32. "I'm willing to go with ya . . . for the appointment." Don't do me any favors.
33. TWC3: M&S in the car on the way to Cokely's house. This is the way I like them best. Bouncing ideas off each other, smiling, joking. It doesn't get much better than this.
34. "Some people are late bloomers." I'm holding out hope for myself.
35. "I seem to recall you having some pretty extreme hunches." (Grinning) "I never have." Smiles all around. Too cute!
36. I'm glad M&S finally got an SUV. They deserve it!
37. I don't know about you, but I had a strong urge to get Mr. Cokely some Clearasil.
38. "Well, I'm sure Mrs. Thibedeaux will never forget it." Good one, Scully.
39. Cokely is probably a Nielsen family. That would explain some of the XF ratings. "I was watchin' a show about a lost dog."
40. Whew, if *looks* could kill, Mr. Cokely would have died right then and there.
41. I'm a sound sleeper too, but somehow I hope I would wake up if someone did that to me.
42. Did you catch that? GA nearly did a header coming down the basement stairs. And DD put his hand out to steady her. Awwwwwwww!
43. How thoughtful of Scully to bring B.J. some clothes.
44. TWC4: Mulder in the hotel room! Woo-hoo!
45. What a wonderful scene with Mrs. Thibedeaux! Love the hold on the stairwell landing; Rob Bowman could have showed us the attack in flashback, but we are allowed to envision it through Mrs. T's narration. I can see the light bouncing off the razor too!
46. Yep, there's the Trylon and the Perisphere, just like old Spooky said.
47. Scully's psychic ability seems to have eluded her. Psychic!Mulder figures out the baby angle while Scully is left looking flabbergasted.
48. But this is one part I find hard to swallow: the baby would be nearly fifty now; the actress playing B.J. is good, but she looks nearly forty to me herself. Well, we know "all things" are possible on the XF.
49. TWC5: Mulder reclining on the sofa in the hotel room! That's a holy flaming cow moment!
50. I guess if Cokely rented that house he didn't mind Agent Ledbetter stinking up the place. I certainly think he would have (stinked it up, I mean!)
51. "When I was a kid, I would have nightmares." How many fanfic scenarios were borne from this one simple statement?
52. But a nice sunflower seed memory! :::sigh:::
53. What do you think Danny does at the FBI anyway? Scully calls everyone else "Agent."
54. And he has a last name in this episode: Valladeo. I guess Mulder faxed the binary numbers in "Conduit" to a different Danny, cause his last name was Bernstein.
55. They're swappin' theories again, bringing out the best in each other. Did I mention how much I love that?
56. BIG TWC6: Mulder outside the hotel room! Perhaps a *defining* HFC moment!
57. Mrs. Thibedeaux-you go girl!
58. The razor glints in the light again. Nice correlation to Mrs. T's story.
59. Mulder manages to call 911 *without* Dr. Scully's direction.
60. I also like the contrast of the partners separated: Scully/Tillman and Mulder/B.J. Nicely done.
61. This part is for Amy: The movie that Cokely is watching is "His Girl Friday", 1940, which is based on the stage play, "The Front Page." Cary Grant is a newspaper editor, Walter Burns, trying to prevent his ace reporter ex-wife Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) from remarrying and leading a "normal" life. He uses every trick possible to do that. The big story in the film is an upcoming execution of a mild-mannered little man whom many believe is innocent of the murder of which he was convicted, and the political corruption of the officials involved. Every reporter is trying to get a scoop on the action surrounding this big story. This is to be Russell's last story before marriage and retirement, and Grant pulls out all the stops trying to mess things up for her, even to giving her counterfeit money. There is a jailbreak, shooting, and a hilarious scene where Russell chases a man down and tackles him in her high heels! Of course Grant and Russell are reunited at the last, and we hope that it will be happily ever after.
62. But I wouldn't read *anything* into that choice of movie!! (Snarf!!)
63. I guess I'm evil, but I'm glad Cokely is feeling the terror he forced on so many others.
64. Mulder must have a head made of lead. How he managed to stay conscious after getting it right in the noggin' with that oxygen tank is beyond me! (Of course, I subscribe to the Vickie Moseley theory that he passed out in the car later and Scully had to rush him to the hospital, but that's another story!)
65. As the partners comfort each other, see #31 above.
66. The way she's cradling his head! This is one of those fine examples of Scully's inner turmoil: her attraction to Mulder as a man and her instinct to mother him. (But let's face it, the man needs a woman who can be both lover and mother!)
67. And of course, at the end, we're left not knowing if the next generation will be affected or not. But we know there's no tidy resolutions in the XF!
68. When I started this TOTM, I really didn't know what to write. Now here I am at #68, when I *said* I was gonna make the TOTMs shorter and less wordy. How do you explain that?
69. "I can't explain everything."
Major apologies for the lateness and the length. I had to stop and watch "His Girl Friday" in the middle. (Just kidding)
Polly