Theatre of the Mind ~ Emily
1. While not the feet that I'm always looking for, any episode that starts out with feet shows promise.
2. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of the X-Files.
3. With this opening soliloquy, I think the X-Files Holy Trinity (Spotnitz, Gilligan, and Shiban) has been possessed by the spirit of CC.
4. Pretty cool effect, though.
5. Just as an interesting tidbit, this is the first XF two-parter that was filmed out of sequence. ("PMP" was filmed between "Christmas Carol" and "Emily.")
6. "Alone, as ever." You don't have to be alone, Scully. All you gotta do is let someone in.
7. Speaking of someone . . . oh, what a great look from DD-sadness, regret, who know--when he first sees Scully and Emily together. From that, right to the pasted-on smile.
8. Who knew that Mulder had this incredible talent for impersonation? He certainly charms his "girls" with his Mr. Potato Head impression. (He's gonna make a terrific daddy once he gets past this being dead thing.)
9. You say Mr. Po-TAY-to Head, I'll say Mr. Po-TAH-to Head!!
10. "Fugazzi" is a slang term for fake? You learn something new every day.
11. Scully confesses that she needs him and he confesses he doesn't want to see her hurt or harmed in any way. But they can't do that without jabbing each other in the process. "Why didn't you call me sooner?" "Then why are you here?"
12. TWC1: Woo-hoo! And munching on seeds, no less. We've missed those sunflower delights!
13. I can see Bill and Mulder have put aside their differences and are now best buds. Not.
14. Does 1013 own a calendar? Four weeks? She was missing for three months, guys.
15. Guess we now know the answer to that little question about whether Mulder has discussed finding Scully's ova with her. I think "stunned" might best describe her reaction.
16. "I included this information in anticipation of your reaction and how it might look if you received this information without any explanation." Huh?
17. He doesn't want her to try and get custody of Emily, but he's ultra-supportive anyway, even though he knows that Scully having a child will surely impact him and their partnership. What a man!
18. Frankly, I'm surprised Bill let him in the house. I'm sure we have Tara and Ma Scully to thank.
19. Scully actually lets him off the hook pretty easily for not telling her about the ova. After all, he did the wrong thing for all the right reasons (to protect her). She's *so* forgiving, in fact, that she forgot all about it and he had to tell her again in Season 8.
20. What, Melissa gets shy all of a sudden when Mulder's around? Actually, I'm surprised she didn't have a few choice words for him too.
21. I know it's sappy, but I just love it when he picks Emily up in his arms.
22. Oh, oh. She's got one of those alien green goo blowholes. That's not good.
23. BTW, the "Christmas Carol"/"Emily" two-parter is also notable because the young actress who was hired to play Emily was fired during the filming of "Emily" because she couldn't handle the hospital scenes. A new actress was hired, and they had to go back and reshoot some "Christmas Carol" scenes, but without GA (her double was used). Then everything was spliced together. The marvels of modern technology.
24. "Are you two the parents?" For just that split second you can feel the electricity. I think that for just the briefest of moments, they both want to say "yes."
25. TWC2: He looks the part of the concerned dad as he watches Emily's procedure through the window.
26. Why do people ignore him when he tells them to stop?
27. Good thing Scully figured out that cooling bath remedy in "End Game." It comes in handy.
28. If you have any doubts about how much Mulder cares for Scully and that he would go to any lengths to do anything for her, all you have to do is watch the scene where he kicks Dr. Calderon's ass. Mulder doesn't really want Scully to have anything to do with Emily, and yet he risks his career and perhaps even going to jail to do whatever it takes to help that little girl. That's love, folks.
29. Mulder does more impressions! "I'll be back." But it'll be a few years before we need those Terminator jokes, Mulder.
30. TWC3: I love Mulder when he's sneaky, don't you?
31. Isn't it convenient that all the kids in X-Files episodes love those FOX cartoons!
32. As Scully sees Emily through her tests, I think she's really starting to feel like a mother.
33. Dr. Calderons are pretty much like buses. Another one always comes along a few minutes later.
34. You would think that Scully would have figured out this shape-shifting stuff by now and *know* she had the right guy, even though he didn't look like Dr. Calderon.
35. So are they trying to kill Emily or treat her? I'm confused.
36. Ah, the return of Det. Kresge. But couldn't he have said, "Happy New Year, Scully, FBI."
37. Those old folks need a much bigger TV.
38. Mrs. Fugazzi isn't a fake after all. She's the real McCoy . . . er, Fugazzi.
39. If the social worker lady thinks *she's* getting "wildly differing reports," she should join the club.
40. If the custody case isn't settled yet, why *are* they letting Scully make decisions about Emily?
41. Ah, it's somewhat comforting to see Frohike back in his vests. It was culture shock to see him in his "Unusual Suspects" garb.
42. 9/25/94. Someone else I know delivered a healthy baby girl on that date (wink, wink).
43. TWC4: Mulder looks awfully good while he's talking to Frohike. Maybe there's something between these two we're not aware of . . .
44. Eww! Emily's arm looks like she's got those nanotechnology things like Skinner!
45. This must be the beauty sleep salon. You lie down and wake up 9 months later feeling really refreshed and looking years younger. How do I get an appointment?
46. So all the babies born to little old ladies in San Diego are uber-Scully's? That's convenient.
47. After finding a little kicking fetus in a jar, no wonder Mulder has fatherhood issues.
48. Maybe Mulder learned his lesson the last time and now carries a refrigeration unit in his pants.
49. Not that I care, mind you, but what on earth is Detective Kresge doing here?
50. TWC5: My two main men in the same scene! Is there any Mulder/Kresge fanfic out there? J/K.
51. Mulder saves one vial while Kresge further endears himself to me by dropping his gun.
52. "I don't know where I am." I love that!
53. Those wacky aliens/clones. They are almost as indestructible as Mulder. Hmmm . . .
54. Awww. He doesn't know how to comfort her when she tells him Emily is in a coma. She comforts him instead.
55. Mulder is obviously not a man who learns from his mistakes. Instead of giving Scully all the facts about treatment for Emily and letting her decide, he makes the decision based on her comments.
56. He wants to stay with her, puts his arm around her, wants to comfort her, but she sends him away, and he's obviously hurt. Maybe with Emily on death's doorstep, she has decided once again that she can't let people get too close because it hurts too much.
57. The Scully/Emily fade out to the Madonna/Jesus window is just a little too heavy handed for my tastes. We know you boys at 1013 already think she's a saint; no need to rub it in.
58. "I think I'll get a ride back with Mulder." That statement fills me with hope, somehow.
59. How hard it must be for Scully to see her healthy nephew and the happiness that Bill and Tara share. Something she will never get to experience. Never give up on a miracle, Scully.
60. TWC6: Holy Flaming Cow! As soon as I see his shadow rounding that corner, I get a lump in my throat. I think this is one of the finest entrances he has ever made, and he just looks awesome.
61. MSRM: Despite everything, she knows how much he cares. Her soft smile as he places the flowers on the tiny coffin; his hand at the small of her back-a familiar gesture that offers more comfort than any other possibly could. And even though he's been against the whole thing from the start, the kindest words he can offer so that Scully doesn't remember Emily only as a "lab rat." "But the fact that you found her, and had a chance to love her, maybe she was made for that too." "She found me." "So you could save her."
62. I'm very glad to know Detective Kresge was also saved by a cool bath.
63. Why Mulder turns around as Scully opens the coffin has been debated for years. Was he giving her privacy, or did he know what she would find? FWIW, I don't think he knew definitely, but I think he suspected, and he couldn't bear to see her pain at that moment.
64. "It begins where it ends." Oh, *now* I get it! The sand, the cross. "Alone, as ever." But you're not alone, Scully. Take your head out of the sand and realize that.
65. As Mulder says, Emily was a miracle that was never meant to be. But I firmly believe that in Season 8, Scully and Mulder will get a miracle that *was* meant to be. I'm not giving up on that miracle.
And for those of you who think I'm on drugs for believing so strongly that everything in Season 8 is gonna turn out okay, I just have one question for you. "Medicinal or recreational?"
My apologies for this TOTM, or as CC would call it, "a nightmare born from deepest fears, coming to me unguarded."
Polly