One Breath

Theatre of the Mind ~ One Breath

Well, not much feedback about last night's TOTM, so I guess you guys want me to quit surfing the net for unaired episodes of the XF and stick to the tried and true formula of the CTP! Or maybe you just want to me quit altogether. (Just say so.) Well, here you go anyway.

1. Look at that cute little Dana!
2. And little redheaded Charlie!
3. And one sorry snake-shooting son of a bitch, Bill Jr.
4. My goodness, this Scully clan is certainly filled with a bunch of pessimists! She's only been gone for three months, Mrs. Scully. (Flash forward: Bill Jr. was just as pessimistic in Redux II as I recall!) I certainly hope Dana doesn't subscribe to this frightening trend!
5. Loving Daughter & Friend? Not Sister? This has always puzzled me. Did Mrs. Scully know something we didn't?
6. "The Spirit is the Truth."
7. Mulder sets aside his Scully bondage photos to take in a [skin] flick.
8. You know, Mulder, you can ruin your favorite tapes if you keep rewinding/replaying them like that. Better switch to DVD!
9. TWC1: (And you know there will be MANY!) How good is he looking on the couch!
10. THE phone call he's been waiting for. (Will Scully get a similar one in Season 8?)
11. Walking down the hospital corridor, breaking into a run as he gets closer. Perfect.
12. TWC2: And the black mock turtleneck and jeans? Another perfect.
13. There she is! She's returned! And her breasts are three times their normal size!
14. They spared no expense on those wires and tape and stuff, did they? I think what really happened is that Gillian fell asleep and the prop guys says, "Let's see how much of this stuff we can wrap around her before she wakes up!"
15. He said he would do ANYTHING!
16. He witnessed her will. Awww. That's not something you ask a coworker to do; how close have these two become in such a short time?
17. "I've been told not to call you Fox." What a perfect first line for Melissa!
18. Guess all these Scully women are psychic! It must run in the family!
19. Given the size of those breasts, did anyone else get a little nervous when Melissa tells Mulder, "You can feel her."?
20. XF first: first appearance of the masking tape "X". (For all the good it did!)
21. Don't they have any blankets in this hospital?
22. Aw, our sweet little Frohike. He's a redwood among mere sprouts too.
23. Hopping on the internet to nitpick the inaccuracies of a TV show? What kind of nuts would do that?
24. Another XF first: First mention of "The Thinker," the newest Lone Gunman.
25. Let me tell you, fellas. Branched DNA wasn't the ONLY think Scully got when she was abducted!
26. "Will she live?" In that scared little-boy voice, I think the LGM now realize what she means to him.
27. Mulder is told for the first time there's nothing he can do.
28. Good time to mention the cinematography in this episode: from the darkness of Mulder's apartment and the hospital basement (a metaphor?), the foggy boat shots, shadows everywhere - just great.
29. I'm glad that Mulder yelled "hey" to the guy stealing Scully's blood to let him know he was being followed. That used to be my favorite line until Requiem: "And then I yelled . . . GARY!"
30. How does that look on your resume? Portrayed Overcoat Man in X-Files.
31. I've never quite figured out if Mr. X was Mulder's friend or his enemy. Why is he so mad all the time?
32. Possibly the best line ever spoken by Fox Mulder: "I owe her more . . ."
33. Mulder is told for the second time that there's nothing he can do. You guys don't know Fox Mulder.
34. Mr. X used to BE Mulder? That certainly clears things up.
35. "Grieve for Scully and never look back." Oh-oh.
36. TWC3: Mulder gets his ass kicked again, but a mighty-fine ass it is!
37. Those pessimistic Scully's are at it again.
38. Wasn't Ma Scully calling him "Agent Mulder" in Ascension, and now he's "Fox"? These two have been keeping in touch.
39. Have you ever noticed that when other people call him Fox (i.e., Ma Scully and Melissa) it sounds right, and when they call him Mulder it sounds wrong? Only ONE person can call him "Mulder" and mean it.
40. "A friendship built on respect." Ma Scully shines in this scene.
41. "You can join us if you want." No thanks. I'm not giving up.
42. TWC4: Mulder against that blue background? My God, I'm still picking my tongue up off the floor. And this episode aired six years ago.
43. TWC5: And then the puppy-dog look as everything that means anything to him floats away. Tissues, please.
44. "Thank you for not smoking." If you really mean it, Skin-Man, get rid of those ash trays!
45. "Is this about the tooth that was found in the cafeteria jello?" No, he wants to know if you saw any blankets when you were down in the laundry room.
46. TWC6: Mulder in Skinner's office - wow!
47. Another XF first: Mulder calls CSM "cancer man" for the first time.
48. He'd give everything up for some justice for her. Something ELSE matters to him now.
49. More guilt: he's the senior agent, he should have told her what could happen.
50. A good time to mention the score of this episode as well - wonderful!
51. I thought Scully's dad was a Captain? Well, I guess he was an Admiral in her eyes. Or maybe God promoted him!
52. How typical that such an emotional and revealing speech is delivered by a dead man.
53. Scully's father tells her it's not her time, much as Mulder's dad will deliver the same news in The Blessing Way. Those wacky dead fathers-they'll get you every time!
54. Mulder and Melissa share coffee talk. I wish this scene had been longer.
55. Mulder "smokes" out CSM. (War movie dialogue on CSM's TV: "Cigarette break? How about a smoke?" LOL!)
56. "Why her? Why her and not me?" Doesn't he ask this same question about Samantha?
57. Perhaps Mr. X was right: Mulder doesn't have the heart after all. Even with a gun to his head, CSM wins the game.
58. Utter defeat and resignation (another metaphor). But Skinner says it's unacceptable.
59. MP does a great job in this scene where he explains why he supports Mulder's work. (I just love these father/son chats!) I think this bonding explains why Mulder trusts Skinner most of the time.
60. Thanks to Mr. X, Mulder waits in his apartment to ambush, and probably murder, the men who abducted Scully.
61. TWC7: Mulder in his apartment. That's a holy flaming cow moment if ever there was one.
62. If Mulder wants the bad guys to find his apartment, he might want to replace the "2" on his door.
63. It's only 7:30! Mr. X said 8:17. I just hate it when guests arrive early!
64. Melissa's got his number, even without the 2 on the door. She's a shrewd judge of character with a heart of gold!
65. Isn't it interesting that Melissa seems to be the only person who can challenge Fox and Dana to face their feelings-I miss her.
66. "I expect more from you-Dana expects more. Even if it doesn't bring her back, at least she'll know. And so will you." More tissues please.
67. Thankfully, Scully saves Mulder from making a fatal mistake-not Dana, but Melissa.
68. Mulder, if Scully doesn't pull through, you might want to get this girl's phone number.
69. His hand on hers at her bedside-flash forward to Amor Fati, anyone? "I'm here."
70. Still no blanket. If I'm ever in this hospital, please get me a blanket!
71. Mulder returns to his apartment which hasn't looked this bad since E.B.E.
72. Overwhelmed, Mulder finally breaks down. What a poignant moment. Box of tissues, please?
73. TWC8: Mulder in black and white, light and darkness. Oh. My. God.
74. He summons the courage to face the phone call that he thinks he doesn't want to get. "I'm here."
75. The little smile; fast forward to Redux II. 'Scuse me, gotta run to Price Club for a BIG box of tissues!
76. The new definition of love: Superstars of the Super Bowls!
77. What else is in that bag, anyway? Caddyshack? Plan 9 From Outer Space? Steel Magnolias?
78. "I had the strength of your beliefs." Do you think she heard his bedside speech?
79. What lies beneath the words in the hospital reunion scene says so much more than the actual words could ever say. :::sigh:::
80. Glad I got those tissues! He returns the cross. "I was holding this for you." Wouldn't it be KOOL if he said those same words to her when he returns in Season 8????? (Come on, CC, get with the program!)
81. No Nurse Owens? Do you think Scully will have a scientific explanation? Or was Scully touched by an angel?
82. Do you think Scully wanted to give Nurse Owens her cross? If she did, I'm glad Nurse Owens was an angel!
83. So at the end, we don't know if Scully was abducted by aliens, or the government, or the Mark Eden Bust Development people. And it's really not all that important. The story we were told was much more interesting-the story of a man who even in the depths of despair can find courage and faith and love. DD did a fine job in this episode, taking us on Mulder's trip from fury to despair to peaceful joy. From the camera work to the music to the script to the direction to the performances of all involved (with the exception of GA who just seemed to "sleep" through her role-LOL), this was one of the XFs finest hours.
84. So that's my take on One Breath. And unless I hear some objections, I guess I'll be back tomorrow with the TOTM for Firewalker. Okay, well, hearing none, I guess I'll see you tomorrow.
85. I knew there was a reason to live.

Polly