Moose & Squirrel: back up in this bitch!
Apr. 5th, 2010 12:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rachg82All right, yo! Who's ready to travel back in time with me to September, 1993 (ignore the pilot timestamp; it's only there to confuse fans who foolishly attempt to make sense of the show's timeline)? I can remember where I was, can you? Little rachg82 was sitting in class, annoying and/or amusing her 6th grade teacher (it's fairly safe to say it was probably one or the other), and little did she know that on her television screen that weekend, a show called The X-Files would premiere. Nor did she know that only three years later it would drag her into the world of fandom for the next 14 years, and change television forever.
Now, I'm not going to say there weren't other shows prior to it that didn't change television too, because there undoubtedly were. TV & fandom both owe a huge debt to Star Trek, just to name one of many. Plus shortly after XF, Buffy came along and most certainly changed fandom as well. There's really not a single fandom I come across that isn't touched by Whedonverse fans in one way or another (right down to the way we talk. I was talking like a Buffy fan before I ever even watched the damn show, thanks to the internet). Still, XF made a lasting & widespread cultural impact that can't be denied.
It was the first television show to be sold on DVD in the United States (and back then it was $100 a season, and yes, I spent the money & then laid the DVDs out on my bed just staring at them like they were the most amazing thing I'd ever seen). It was watched around the world, from Australia to Japan (if I remember correctly, it was the first American show to be sold on VHS in Japan, and Aussies went absolutely APESHIT for the show when it was released there. Seriously, don't try to deny it, I've seen the YouTube vids of Gillian's first visit there in '95! Y'all are some crazy bitches. People were crying like they just saw The Beatles). The first sci-fi show to go truly mainstream here in America (remember in season 5 when it was pulling in 20 million viewers a week?). The first show to actually grow up with an online fandom, and really can be credited imo with creating online fandom in the first place (much in the same way that Star Wars & Star Trek basically paved the way for fandom before the internet). It gave us the terms "shippers" and "UST." It gave birth to an entire generation of fanfic authors who are still writing to this day (I still spot old XF authors that I used to read as a teenager ALL THE TIME in my other fandoms on a regular basis & it never stops tripping me out. I love how almost none of us felt the need to change our pennames, hee). And most of all, it defined so much of the mentality of America leading into the 21st century. Mistrust of the government, a sense of alienation & a desire to know that there's something else out there, something bigger than ourselves that we can believe in, fear of what we can't know, fear of what we *can* know, fear of our technology, fear of ourselves. . .the list goes on.
So, really, to sum it up: it's just some all-around epic shit. And I'm really quite excited to start this rewatch with you all. But don't worry, even with all the epicness, a lot of this (more like most of it, let's be real) is just going to be me flailing all over the place & yelling in capslock & talking smack. As one does.
So whaddya say we get right down to it? You guys ready to yell at Chris Carter with me and join me in undressing Mulder & Scully with my eyes on a weekly basis? Then buckle in for some serious ramblin' & let's do this thang.
NOTE: Let's all hope & pray I manage to squeeze in my thoughts on future eps with a smaller wordcount, but all bets are off. Haha. For real though, I sat down to watch the first two eps & said to myself, "Self, we're going to be doing this every week. We still need to finish our BSG recaps. We've got Bones recaps. And whatever new shows we may decide to pick up & talk about during the summer. Plus that whole pesky real life thing. Let's try to just watch the episodes & jot down a *few* notes, without writing fuckin' Anna Karenina, okay?"
Yeah. And then cue this shit. Le sigh. In my defense though, this is the pilot! I wrote more than twice as much for it as I did the second episode (which I have the notes for already, but decided to put off for another night to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome over here), so y'know, there's hope for me yet.
But enough blathering! Let's do this.
To start this off, I'll first post what![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bsg_stardust asked me to include. Poor thing is a bit swamped by life at the moment, so she didn't have time to send me her notes this week, but she did give me this:
"As for the pilot, I did want to talk about why especially Scully was selected out of all those Special Agents to debunk Mulder's work, when there were much more experienced Special Agents available for the job."
Here's my thoughts on that:
-Scully was selected because she's got mad science-y skillz. No, really. They were expecting her to swing on in there with her skeptical eyebrow & her medical degree & her Einstein thesis & wipe the floor with Mulder. Not help him along & fall in love with his big tall emo ass. Bad call, guys! Way to shoot yourselves in the foot!
And now, *at last*, for my recap/review. As usual, this is all just from me taking notes as I watched it, so don't expect fluidity & eloquence.
-No theme-song or credits in this one. You know that means srs bsns. First episode ever, baby!
-"Actual Documented Events." Oh whatever, CC. Stop trying to make your shit legit. Hee.
-Everything I learned in life I learned from The X-Files: Lesson #1 - There's no such thing as a "nice trip to the forest."
. . .as can be evidenced by the poor girl running through the woods in the show's very first scene. Run as fast as you like, girl, you're still on The X-Files & you're still in the woods! Your ass is doomed!
-So where are we anyway? Oregon, that's where! YEAH BITCHES, REPRESENT. And I love that it actually looks like Oregon too, because the show was filmed in Vancouver for its first five seasons. Aww, Pacific Northwest pride! ♥
-Everything I learned in life I learned from The X-Files: Lesson # 2 - Mosquito bites are evil. Or, you know, any kind of mysterious bumps that appear on your body in general. But especially on your lower back. Because then you know you've been abducted by aliens. Well, ain't that a bitch!
-Baby!Scully is in the hiz-ouse! And she's even got her Payless Dress For Less suit on! She is ready to roll, son.
-What up, Cancer Man! Way to be just chillin' in the corner, smokin' and lookin' all creepy-like at Scully. I love how he manages to be all, "HELLO, I'M THE VILLAIN," without even saying anything throughout the whole damn episode. Way to be, Cancerman. Way to be.
-And we've now reached ~Exposition Time~. Sit down & get comfy. In this scene we learn the following important fact-filled facts:
1. Scully has a babyface & sounds like she's about 23 years old. Probably because Gillian Anderson actually is 23 years old here.
2. Scully is a Medical Doctor (it has to be capitalized when it comes to her. Sparkle text is also occasionally warranted) who left medical school to join the FBI. Her parents saw this as an act of rebellion, but she saw it as a place where she could distinguish herself. In truth I think it was a little of both. Scully is a distinguished rebel, yo.
3. Mulder is a genius/criminal profiler/serial-killer-catchin' psychologist hottie who could've been a star FBI Agent, but instead went off to chase UFOs and became nicknamed "Spooky." Sucks to be you, Mulder.
4. Our fair heroine has been given the task of "debunking" Mulder's work. I'm sure that'll go totally according to plan, FBI guys! No worries!
That was a very talky scene, but they actually managed to squeeze in a lot of important things about the show & the characters without it being boring.
-"Nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted." Oh, Mulder.
-Historic Moment is Historic: Mulder & Scully's first introduction. Let's just get it out of the way right now: AWWWWWW. I love how Mulder sort of stops when he sees her like, "shit, she's pretty. I'm screwed." And then Scully immediately puts on the bitchface, like "Don't even think you can fuck with me, GQ" when he starts rapid-fire talking to her about her thesis. Which, speaking of, what was UP with Duchovny's delivery of lines in the pilot? Gillian was pretty much set in her character almost from the beginning, but Duchovny was a bit hyper & weird. I'm just sayin'.
-First slideshow! Aw! And Scully's still so young & bright-eyed & bushytailed here that she's paying attention and not, like, angrily eating a salad & intentionally ignoring him during it! How cute.
-Mulder, damn you: It's OR-EH-GEN, not Or-ee-GONE. Cut it out. And that goes for the rest of you east-coasters too! Don't make me come over there!
-And we have another first: Scully's first Skeptic Smackdown! "What I find fantastic is that there are answers beyond the realm of science. The answers are there. You just have to know where to look."
Way to pwn his ass, Scully. Also, for the record, that moment is when I first fell in love with her. Except at that point I still thought it was platonic love because I was all busy with being the Mayor of Denial City and telling myself I was straight. It was a full-time job.
-Smiley Scully. It's fun watching the early eps again because Scully's still all optimistic & bubbly and smiles all the time. Like, leaving Mulder's office in that first scene, she totally looks over at him with this, "Gee, he's dreamy! This is going to be a fun job!" smile on her face, and it's like, "Oh Scully, you just have no idea what's in store for you. Enjoy those smiles while they last, bb."
-Fanfic Cliche Alert: Thanks to this one scene in the pilot, we have our "Scully gets nervous while flying" fanon. Points if you know what I'm talking about & have recognized this cliche in the fics before.
-Mulder painting the X on the street. Hahaha. Gets me everytime. Especially because of how he stands there all ~dramatic~ afterward and Scully's just standing there with her hands on her hips with the biggest WTF look on her face ever. Classic.
-"Better than you expected or better than you hoped?" You flirty flirter, Scully. ILU & your obvious season 1 crush.
-OH NOES. Teresa Nemen (or however you spell her last name. I'm not looking it up) has arrived. I knew I couldn't avoid her for long. Her acting is what gives me nosebleeds in this episode, not aliens. On the plus side, hating her is extremely entertaining.
-Mulder, I like how you're snacking at a grave exhumation. Totally appropriate & not at all gross. But hey, sunflower seeds! Another first!
-First autopsy scene! Is it weird that I have a thing for Scully in autopsy scrubs? 'Cause seriously, I really do. I think the blue brings out her eyes. Aaaaand I'm gonna just shut up now because I sound like a weirdo.
Back to this scene: I love how throughout the entire thing Mulder is circling Scully with his camera like a total wackjob, talking about aliens & basically driving her crazy, and she's got this, "omg, I wish you'd GTFO" look on her face. Haha.
-"I'm not crazy, Scully. I have the same doubts you do." Oh, Mulder. With your puppydog face & floppy hair & earnest eyes. I seriously doubt that.
-First implant! And a nasal one at that! Not gonna lie, seeing Scully hold it is a bit chilling to me everytime. Not gonna say why though so I don't spoil the newbs.
And hee, Scully's outfit as she's looking at the implant? SO EARLY '90S I MIGHT GO PUT ON A PEARL JAM SONG & ROCK THE FUCK OUT. I'm pretty sure I used to own a pair of glasses in middle school that looked not too different from those. Just slightly rounder. But certainly as big. *is ashamed*
-Time to meet another character: Billy Miles. Spoiler alert: This boy is nothing but trouble. JUST KILL HIM NOW, SCULLY. HE'S IN A COMA & CAN'T FIGHT BACK.
-"I want the truth!" I love this scene because it always takes me back to being 15 years old again and sitting with my best friend in her bedroom yelling, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" Haha. Which btw we totally did when that part came on. every. single. time.
Also: I love this scene too because I get totes distracted by how cute Scully is when she's all up in Mulder's grill about the abductions. I think Mulder gets distracted too, because he gets awfully quiet. Probably helps though that he keeps trying to intimidate her through the whole ep, only to have his ass handed to him each & every time. I think he's properly humbled here.and turned on
-omg first flashlight scene! My X-Phile heart just went a little flaily.
-That sheriff walking out of the spotlight is such a classic XF shot, I love it. Also, I appreciate that they let there be rational explanations every once in a while because it makes the show more believable. Even though I still wish they'd let Scully be right more often. (probably one of the reasons I love "War of the Coprophages" so much. Well that, and it's just full of win in general. But you know what I mean. She's right in that episode, like, every second. It gives me joy.)
-Big lulz to Scully talking about cults & rituals as a possible explanation. Season 3 "Syzygy" Scully would totally scoff at you right now, Season 1 Scully!
-First time losing time! Wow, that was a weird sentence to write. I love Mulder spazzing the fuck out over it too. When he raises his arms to the sky & yells "OH YES!", I bust out laughing everytime. Mulder, you are such a damn weirdo.
-Aaaaand another first: Scully's Barbie Dream Journal! I mean her field reports. Sorry, but that's whatdosidella (which, btw, hi Jen! *waves* Hee. Everyone else should wave at her right now too, because she is a committed shy-ass lurker but I'm sure she's reading this, and I totally forced her through The X-Files when we lived together and it was epic good times) and I called it during our marathon back in the day, and I will never be able to think of them as anything else ever again. And for those who are curious, we called it her Barbie Dream Journal because of the random poetic tangeants she's prone to taking while writing them. She'll be in the middle of talking about the case & then just go off on this philosophical monologue out of nowhere, like, "death has a beginning, middle, & end. . .bla bla the meaning of life, sands in the hourglass" and it's like, "Really, Scully? You think your bosses need to read all this?" So yes, ~Barbie Dream Journal~. Trufax.
-And oohhhh, HOLY SHIT, we've reached *the scene*. Oh yes. Heyyy Scully, I noticed you have those Mosquito Bites of Doom on your back, what do you think you should do about them? Head on over to Mulder's motel room & strip down to your bra & underwear so he can look at them? SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN.
AND THEN SHE DID. I basically died.
Seriously, Scully? You couldn't have just gone over there fully-clothed & let him lift your shirt up or something? Or pulled your pants down in the back? You had to race on over there in your robe? Okay then.
P.S. Mulder, savor this moment because you're not gonna get the chance to touch Scully's naked skin again FOR A LONG FRAKKIN' TIME.
For real, you guys know Mulder used that eidetic memory of his (haha, fun with fanon!) to replay that moment over & over in his mind through the years. Like his own personal Masterbationpiece Theatre.
Can't say that I blame him though. The flare of her hip in that scene. . .let's just say it ~does things to me~, yo.I want to bite it
-Time for another first: immediately after The Unnecessary Nekkidness (which, yeah, Chris Carter. Did you REALLY think you weren't going to create shippers with that scene? YOU'RE FULL OF SHIT, DUDE. YOU PLANNED IT FROM THE START, YOU HUSTLER), we learn why this isn't just a job to Mulder, it's a quest. His sister disappeared when he was 12 years old (she was 8) and it destroyed his family. No one ever found out what happened. He tells her about the memories he was able to recover later (via hypnotic regression) of a bright light & a presence in the room, and tells her nothing else matters to him than finding the truth. Pay attention to this moment, because when he says nothing else matters? He means it. Except very quickly Scully joins that special category too, and then his feelings for her & The Truth both have to duke it out in his heart on a regular basis. It's a thing.
Unrelated & shallow note: Mulder is absolutely gorgeous in this scene. He has very pretty eyes. Yes, I know he's a man & you're not supposed to call a man's eyes "pretty." Deal with it. They're pretty. Also his lips are kind of amazing. I frankly want to bone him in this scene, ngl.
-OH HAI THERE MARK SNOW WITH YOUR EVOCATIVE PIANO MUSIC. Didn't think I'd forget to mention you, did you? I never forget to pay respects to my favorite tv show composers. And considering that list consists of only you & Bear McCreary, that makes it really easy. Heh.
-All the evidence up in flames: I remember being so frustrated by this the first time I saw it. Hee. Oh, young rachg82. So naive! Still so innocent & not yet accustomed to the evidence always disappearing!
-OH NOES, Part 2: Teresa's back. My friend and I used to laugh so effing hard at the scene of her with Mulder & Scully in the diner. "I'm scared! I might. Die!" Hahaha. Everything she says is so wonderfully halting & horribly acted. It's awesome. And then when her dodgy special effects nosebleed comes rushing out, it's just even funnier.
Which brings me to. . .
-Everything I learned in life I learned from The X-Files: Lesson # 3 - If you get a nosebleed, you're probably going to die. Or at least find out you've got a bunch of funky implants in you. Sorry. I don't make the rules. Hate the game, not the playa, kid.
-Rare Occurrance Alert: Scully is laughing. Not only that, but Mulder is laughing too. THEY ARE LAUGHING TOGETHER. It's like an X-File or something. Maybe they should investigate it. (ooh, how meta) Also, they are cute. Like, I kind of want to squish them. And then force them to make out.
-"We could stand here until the Second Coming waiting for Billy to wake up." *blinks* I'm just gonna thank the recap over at Television Without Pity for bringing this line to my attention, because dude. I can't say anything else about it though without spoiling shit. But yeah. I highly doubt CC planted this line on purpose, but way to be all creepy & foreshadowy!
-I love how we're only in the pilot & Mulder's already ushering Scully in & out of rooms. It's like his hand is made of metal & her back is a magnet or something. He can't keep his hands off it the entire time they know each other. It's adorable.
-Also, I love how right after he ushers her out of the Room O' Foreshadowing, Scully's all going on about the forest summoning people, and Mulder's like, "hold up, you're supposed to be the rational one here. WTF are you doing." Yin & yang, baby! He's constantly trying to get her to believe, but the minute she starts, he's like, noooooo. Ha. It reminds me how whenever one of them is gone, the other turns into their partner. Scully goes on vacation & suddenly believes in talking dolls. Mulder gets trapped in a hallucinogenic mushroom (no, really) where he dreams Scully & him both see an alien and is like, "NO DAMN IT, THIS MAKES NO SENSE. WTF ARE YOU DOING, BELIEVING THIS SHIT." Then of course Scully--who's also in the mushroom (fuck I love that episode)--is doing a similar switcharoo on her end too. GOD I LOVE THEM.
-Oh, of course Scully would walk up right after the big "HI WE'RE ALIENS & WE'RE HERE TO BE ABDUCTING PEOPLE NOW" show has its grand finish. Typical.
-Love how Mulder & Scully make eye-contact through the one-way mirror. THEY SENSE EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY'RE SOUL-MATES, YO. Hee, just kidding. Even I'm not that cheesy. But it's still a neat moment.
-Scully whippin' out the implant in Blevins' office. This reminds me of the scene in "Fight the Future" where she plants the bee on the desk. Good times. Such an X-Files ending. "There's no proof. . .OR IS THERE?" Dun dun DUN.
-"Agent Mulder believes we are not alone."<---pretty much sums it up, yeah. Kinda the whole series too if you think about it. Aliens, God, love, the whole shibang.
-11:21! (on Scully's clock) Man, I realize this is the pilot and all, but damn it really is full of firsts. And for you newbies, I'll explain: 11/21 is Chris Carter's wife's birthday, and those numbers will pop up all over the series. Same with 10/13 to a lesser degree (it's Mulder's birthday on the show, it's the name of the production company for the show, etc), which is Chris Carter's birthday.
-Damn, Scully, you are pretty. Cut it out, because it's really not fair to look so snuggly when I can't get in that bed with you.
-And at last, our final scene. We wrap it up with Cancer Man putting the implant Scully gave Blevins in a box (on a shelf with many, MANY boxes) and then walking down the aisle toward the camera before leaving the room & allowing the camera to fade-out on a shot of the "Pentagon" sign. Excellent shot to close out the pilot with for this show.
Also, totally reminds me in a weird way of how BSG opens up in the miniseries:
Both sort of give me the same feeling, I don't know how to explain it. But I love it. Then again, maybe I just lovegenocidal robots people stalking toward the camera, who knows. Haha.
Overall: The case still feels totally random, because those Mosquito Bites of Doom never reappear, BUT. It definitely lays a proper foundation for the series, covers a lot of ground explaining to you as the viewer who these characters are & what their motivations are, has tons of fun firsts to go back & revisit later, and so overall I give it a thumbs up. Especially for the Scully Nekkidness. I mean, come on.
AND I'M DONE. Can I go pass out now? STOP GIVING ME SO MUCH TO WRITE ABOUT, SHOW. JEEZ.[/blaming the victim]
For our Vid of the Day, let's go with a season 1 vid, y/y? I can already tell I'm going to have a hard time picking vids for these recaps though, because I'm going to feel the need to avoid spoilery ones, and most XF vids are super spoilery. *makes grumpy face* I'll avoid them as much as I can though.
This one is by sillyauntjen & is pretty much just a tribute to Scully's hotness in the first season. 'Cause even frumpy season1!Scully can't hide her hotness. It's too powerful to contain.
Now, I'm not going to say there weren't other shows prior to it that didn't change television too, because there undoubtedly were. TV & fandom both owe a huge debt to Star Trek, just to name one of many. Plus shortly after XF, Buffy came along and most certainly changed fandom as well. There's really not a single fandom I come across that isn't touched by Whedonverse fans in one way or another (right down to the way we talk. I was talking like a Buffy fan before I ever even watched the damn show, thanks to the internet). Still, XF made a lasting & widespread cultural impact that can't be denied.
It was the first television show to be sold on DVD in the United States (and back then it was $100 a season, and yes, I spent the money & then laid the DVDs out on my bed just staring at them like they were the most amazing thing I'd ever seen). It was watched around the world, from Australia to Japan (if I remember correctly, it was the first American show to be sold on VHS in Japan, and Aussies went absolutely APESHIT for the show when it was released there. Seriously, don't try to deny it, I've seen the YouTube vids of Gillian's first visit there in '95! Y'all are some crazy bitches. People were crying like they just saw The Beatles). The first sci-fi show to go truly mainstream here in America (remember in season 5 when it was pulling in 20 million viewers a week?). The first show to actually grow up with an online fandom, and really can be credited imo with creating online fandom in the first place (much in the same way that Star Wars & Star Trek basically paved the way for fandom before the internet). It gave us the terms "shippers" and "UST." It gave birth to an entire generation of fanfic authors who are still writing to this day (I still spot old XF authors that I used to read as a teenager ALL THE TIME in my other fandoms on a regular basis & it never stops tripping me out. I love how almost none of us felt the need to change our pennames, hee). And most of all, it defined so much of the mentality of America leading into the 21st century. Mistrust of the government, a sense of alienation & a desire to know that there's something else out there, something bigger than ourselves that we can believe in, fear of what we can't know, fear of what we *can* know, fear of our technology, fear of ourselves. . .the list goes on.
So, really, to sum it up: it's just some all-around epic shit. And I'm really quite excited to start this rewatch with you all. But don't worry, even with all the epicness, a lot of this (more like most of it, let's be real) is just going to be me flailing all over the place & yelling in capslock & talking smack. As one does.
So whaddya say we get right down to it? You guys ready to yell at Chris Carter with me and join me in undressing Mulder & Scully with my eyes on a weekly basis? Then buckle in for some serious ramblin' & let's do this thang.
NOTE: Let's all hope & pray I manage to squeeze in my thoughts on future eps with a smaller wordcount, but all bets are off. Haha. For real though, I sat down to watch the first two eps & said to myself, "Self, we're going to be doing this every week. We still need to finish our BSG recaps. We've got Bones recaps. And whatever new shows we may decide to pick up & talk about during the summer. Plus that whole pesky real life thing. Let's try to just watch the episodes & jot down a *few* notes, without writing fuckin' Anna Karenina, okay?"
Yeah. And then cue this shit. Le sigh. In my defense though, this is the pilot! I wrote more than twice as much for it as I did the second episode (which I have the notes for already, but decided to put off for another night to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome over here), so y'know, there's hope for me yet.
But enough blathering! Let's do this.
To start this off, I'll first post what
bsg_stardust asked me to include. Poor thing is a bit swamped by life at the moment, so she didn't have time to send me her notes this week, but she did give me this:"As for the pilot, I did want to talk about why especially Scully was selected out of all those Special Agents to debunk Mulder's work, when there were much more experienced Special Agents available for the job."
Here's my thoughts on that:
-Scully was selected because she's got mad science-y skillz. No, really. They were expecting her to swing on in there with her skeptical eyebrow & her medical degree & her Einstein thesis & wipe the floor with Mulder. Not help him along & fall in love with his big tall emo ass. Bad call, guys! Way to shoot yourselves in the foot!
And now, *at last*, for my recap/review. As usual, this is all just from me taking notes as I watched it, so don't expect fluidity & eloquence.
-No theme-song or credits in this one. You know that means srs bsns. First episode ever, baby!
-"Actual Documented Events." Oh whatever, CC. Stop trying to make your shit legit. Hee.
-Everything I learned in life I learned from The X-Files: Lesson #1 - There's no such thing as a "nice trip to the forest."
. . .as can be evidenced by the poor girl running through the woods in the show's very first scene. Run as fast as you like, girl, you're still on The X-Files & you're still in the woods! Your ass is doomed!
-So where are we anyway? Oregon, that's where! YEAH BITCHES, REPRESENT. And I love that it actually looks like Oregon too, because the show was filmed in Vancouver for its first five seasons. Aww, Pacific Northwest pride! ♥
-Everything I learned in life I learned from The X-Files: Lesson # 2 - Mosquito bites are evil. Or, you know, any kind of mysterious bumps that appear on your body in general. But especially on your lower back. Because then you know you've been abducted by aliens. Well, ain't that a bitch!
-Baby!Scully is in the hiz-ouse! And she's even got her Payless Dress For Less suit on! She is ready to roll, son.
-What up, Cancer Man! Way to be just chillin' in the corner, smokin' and lookin' all creepy-like at Scully. I love how he manages to be all, "HELLO, I'M THE VILLAIN," without even saying anything throughout the whole damn episode. Way to be, Cancerman. Way to be.
-And we've now reached ~Exposition Time~. Sit down & get comfy. In this scene we learn the following important fact-filled facts:
1. Scully has a babyface & sounds like she's about 23 years old. Probably because Gillian Anderson actually is 23 years old here.
2. Scully is a Medical Doctor (it has to be capitalized when it comes to her. Sparkle text is also occasionally warranted) who left medical school to join the FBI. Her parents saw this as an act of rebellion, but she saw it as a place where she could distinguish herself. In truth I think it was a little of both. Scully is a distinguished rebel, yo.
3. Mulder is a genius/criminal profiler/serial-killer-catchin' psychologist hottie who could've been a star FBI Agent, but instead went off to chase UFOs and became nicknamed "Spooky." Sucks to be you, Mulder.
4. Our fair heroine has been given the task of "debunking" Mulder's work. I'm sure that'll go totally according to plan, FBI guys! No worries!
That was a very talky scene, but they actually managed to squeeze in a lot of important things about the show & the characters without it being boring.
-"Nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted." Oh, Mulder.
-Historic Moment is Historic: Mulder & Scully's first introduction. Let's just get it out of the way right now: AWWWWWW. I love how Mulder sort of stops when he sees her like, "shit, she's pretty. I'm screwed." And then Scully immediately puts on the bitchface, like "Don't even think you can fuck with me, GQ" when he starts rapid-fire talking to her about her thesis. Which, speaking of, what was UP with Duchovny's delivery of lines in the pilot? Gillian was pretty much set in her character almost from the beginning, but Duchovny was a bit hyper & weird. I'm just sayin'.
-First slideshow! Aw! And Scully's still so young & bright-eyed & bushytailed here that she's paying attention and not, like, angrily eating a salad & intentionally ignoring him during it! How cute.
-Mulder, damn you: It's OR-EH-GEN, not Or-ee-GONE. Cut it out. And that goes for the rest of you east-coasters too! Don't make me come over there!
-And we have another first: Scully's first Skeptic Smackdown! "What I find fantastic is that there are answers beyond the realm of science. The answers are there. You just have to know where to look."
Way to pwn his ass, Scully. Also, for the record, that moment is when I first fell in love with her. Except at that point I still thought it was platonic love because I was all busy with being the Mayor of Denial City and telling myself I was straight. It was a full-time job.
-Smiley Scully. It's fun watching the early eps again because Scully's still all optimistic & bubbly and smiles all the time. Like, leaving Mulder's office in that first scene, she totally looks over at him with this, "Gee, he's dreamy! This is going to be a fun job!" smile on her face, and it's like, "Oh Scully, you just have no idea what's in store for you. Enjoy those smiles while they last, bb."
-Fanfic Cliche Alert: Thanks to this one scene in the pilot, we have our "Scully gets nervous while flying" fanon. Points if you know what I'm talking about & have recognized this cliche in the fics before.
-Mulder painting the X on the street. Hahaha. Gets me everytime. Especially because of how he stands there all ~dramatic~ afterward and Scully's just standing there with her hands on her hips with the biggest WTF look on her face ever. Classic.
-"Better than you expected or better than you hoped?" You flirty flirter, Scully. ILU & your obvious season 1 crush.
-OH NOES. Teresa Nemen (or however you spell her last name. I'm not looking it up) has arrived. I knew I couldn't avoid her for long. Her acting is what gives me nosebleeds in this episode, not aliens. On the plus side, hating her is extremely entertaining.
-Mulder, I like how you're snacking at a grave exhumation. Totally appropriate & not at all gross. But hey, sunflower seeds! Another first!
-First autopsy scene! Is it weird that I have a thing for Scully in autopsy scrubs? 'Cause seriously, I really do. I think the blue brings out her eyes. Aaaaand I'm gonna just shut up now because I sound like a weirdo.
Back to this scene: I love how throughout the entire thing Mulder is circling Scully with his camera like a total wackjob, talking about aliens & basically driving her crazy, and she's got this, "omg, I wish you'd GTFO" look on her face. Haha.
-"I'm not crazy, Scully. I have the same doubts you do." Oh, Mulder. With your puppydog face & floppy hair & earnest eyes. I seriously doubt that.
-First implant! And a nasal one at that! Not gonna lie, seeing Scully hold it is a bit chilling to me everytime. Not gonna say why though so I don't spoil the newbs.
And hee, Scully's outfit as she's looking at the implant? SO EARLY '90S I MIGHT GO PUT ON A PEARL JAM SONG & ROCK THE FUCK OUT. I'm pretty sure I used to own a pair of glasses in middle school that looked not too different from those. Just slightly rounder. But certainly as big. *is ashamed*
-Time to meet another character: Billy Miles. Spoiler alert: This boy is nothing but trouble. JUST KILL HIM NOW, SCULLY. HE'S IN A COMA & CAN'T FIGHT BACK.
-"I want the truth!" I love this scene because it always takes me back to being 15 years old again and sitting with my best friend in her bedroom yelling, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" Haha. Which btw we totally did when that part came on. every. single. time.
Also: I love this scene too because I get totes distracted by how cute Scully is when she's all up in Mulder's grill about the abductions. I think Mulder gets distracted too, because he gets awfully quiet. Probably helps though that he keeps trying to intimidate her through the whole ep, only to have his ass handed to him each & every time. I think he's properly humbled here.
-omg first flashlight scene! My X-Phile heart just went a little flaily.
-That sheriff walking out of the spotlight is such a classic XF shot, I love it. Also, I appreciate that they let there be rational explanations every once in a while because it makes the show more believable. Even though I still wish they'd let Scully be right more often. (probably one of the reasons I love "War of the Coprophages" so much. Well that, and it's just full of win in general. But you know what I mean. She's right in that episode, like, every second. It gives me joy.)
-Big lulz to Scully talking about cults & rituals as a possible explanation. Season 3 "Syzygy" Scully would totally scoff at you right now, Season 1 Scully!
-First time losing time! Wow, that was a weird sentence to write. I love Mulder spazzing the fuck out over it too. When he raises his arms to the sky & yells "OH YES!", I bust out laughing everytime. Mulder, you are such a damn weirdo.
-Aaaaand another first: Scully's Barbie Dream Journal! I mean her field reports. Sorry, but that's what
dosidella (which, btw, hi Jen! *waves* Hee. Everyone else should wave at her right now too, because she is a committed shy-ass lurker but I'm sure she's reading this, and I totally forced her through The X-Files when we lived together and it was epic good times) and I called it during our marathon back in the day, and I will never be able to think of them as anything else ever again. And for those who are curious, we called it her Barbie Dream Journal because of the random poetic tangeants she's prone to taking while writing them. She'll be in the middle of talking about the case & then just go off on this philosophical monologue out of nowhere, like, "death has a beginning, middle, & end. . .bla bla the meaning of life, sands in the hourglass" and it's like, "Really, Scully? You think your bosses need to read all this?" So yes, ~Barbie Dream Journal~. Trufax.-And oohhhh, HOLY SHIT, we've reached *the scene*. Oh yes. Heyyy Scully, I noticed you have those Mosquito Bites of Doom on your back, what do you think you should do about them? Head on over to Mulder's motel room & strip down to your bra & underwear so he can look at them? SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN.
AND THEN SHE DID. I basically died.
Seriously, Scully? You couldn't have just gone over there fully-clothed & let him lift your shirt up or something? Or pulled your pants down in the back? You had to race on over there in your robe? Okay then.
P.S. Mulder, savor this moment because you're not gonna get the chance to touch Scully's naked skin again FOR A LONG FRAKKIN' TIME.
For real, you guys know Mulder used that eidetic memory of his (haha, fun with fanon!) to replay that moment over & over in his mind through the years. Like his own personal Master
Can't say that I blame him though. The flare of her hip in that scene. . .let's just say it ~does things to me~, yo.
-Time for another first: immediately after The Unnecessary Nekkidness (which, yeah, Chris Carter. Did you REALLY think you weren't going to create shippers with that scene? YOU'RE FULL OF SHIT, DUDE. YOU PLANNED IT FROM THE START, YOU HUSTLER), we learn why this isn't just a job to Mulder, it's a quest. His sister disappeared when he was 12 years old (she was 8) and it destroyed his family. No one ever found out what happened. He tells her about the memories he was able to recover later (via hypnotic regression) of a bright light & a presence in the room, and tells her nothing else matters to him than finding the truth. Pay attention to this moment, because when he says nothing else matters? He means it. Except very quickly Scully joins that special category too, and then his feelings for her & The Truth both have to duke it out in his heart on a regular basis. It's a thing.
Unrelated & shallow note: Mulder is absolutely gorgeous in this scene. He has very pretty eyes. Yes, I know he's a man & you're not supposed to call a man's eyes "pretty." Deal with it. They're pretty. Also his lips are kind of amazing. I frankly want to bone him in this scene, ngl.
-OH HAI THERE MARK SNOW WITH YOUR EVOCATIVE PIANO MUSIC. Didn't think I'd forget to mention you, did you? I never forget to pay respects to my favorite tv show composers. And considering that list consists of only you & Bear McCreary, that makes it really easy. Heh.
-All the evidence up in flames: I remember being so frustrated by this the first time I saw it. Hee. Oh, young rachg82. So naive! Still so innocent & not yet accustomed to the evidence always disappearing!
-OH NOES, Part 2: Teresa's back. My friend and I used to laugh so effing hard at the scene of her with Mulder & Scully in the diner. "I'm scared! I might. Die!" Hahaha. Everything she says is so wonderfully halting & horribly acted. It's awesome. And then when her dodgy special effects nosebleed comes rushing out, it's just even funnier.
Which brings me to. . .
-Everything I learned in life I learned from The X-Files: Lesson # 3 - If you get a nosebleed, you're probably going to die. Or at least find out you've got a bunch of funky implants in you. Sorry. I don't make the rules. Hate the game, not the playa, kid.
-Rare Occurrance Alert: Scully is laughing. Not only that, but Mulder is laughing too. THEY ARE LAUGHING TOGETHER. It's like an X-File or something. Maybe they should investigate it. (ooh, how meta) Also, they are cute. Like, I kind of want to squish them. And then force them to make out.
-"We could stand here until the Second Coming waiting for Billy to wake up." *blinks* I'm just gonna thank the recap over at Television Without Pity for bringing this line to my attention, because dude. I can't say anything else about it though without spoiling shit. But yeah. I highly doubt CC planted this line on purpose, but way to be all creepy & foreshadowy!
-I love how we're only in the pilot & Mulder's already ushering Scully in & out of rooms. It's like his hand is made of metal & her back is a magnet or something. He can't keep his hands off it the entire time they know each other. It's adorable.
-Also, I love how right after he ushers her out of the Room O' Foreshadowing, Scully's all going on about the forest summoning people, and Mulder's like, "hold up, you're supposed to be the rational one here. WTF are you doing." Yin & yang, baby! He's constantly trying to get her to believe, but the minute she starts, he's like, noooooo. Ha. It reminds me how whenever one of them is gone, the other turns into their partner. Scully goes on vacation & suddenly believes in talking dolls. Mulder gets trapped in a hallucinogenic mushroom (no, really) where he dreams Scully & him both see an alien and is like, "NO DAMN IT, THIS MAKES NO SENSE. WTF ARE YOU DOING, BELIEVING THIS SHIT." Then of course Scully--who's also in the mushroom (fuck I love that episode)--is doing a similar switcharoo on her end too. GOD I LOVE THEM.
-Oh, of course Scully would walk up right after the big "HI WE'RE ALIENS & WE'RE HERE TO BE ABDUCTING PEOPLE NOW" show has its grand finish. Typical.
-Love how Mulder & Scully make eye-contact through the one-way mirror. THEY SENSE EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY'RE SOUL-MATES, YO. Hee, just kidding. Even I'm not that cheesy. But it's still a neat moment.
-Scully whippin' out the implant in Blevins' office. This reminds me of the scene in "Fight the Future" where she plants the bee on the desk. Good times. Such an X-Files ending. "There's no proof. . .OR IS THERE?" Dun dun DUN.
-"Agent Mulder believes we are not alone."<---pretty much sums it up, yeah. Kinda the whole series too if you think about it. Aliens, God, love, the whole shibang.
-11:21! (on Scully's clock) Man, I realize this is the pilot and all, but damn it really is full of firsts. And for you newbies, I'll explain: 11/21 is Chris Carter's wife's birthday, and those numbers will pop up all over the series. Same with 10/13 to a lesser degree (it's Mulder's birthday on the show, it's the name of the production company for the show, etc), which is Chris Carter's birthday.
-Damn, Scully, you are pretty. Cut it out, because it's really not fair to look so snuggly when I can't get in that bed with you.
-And at last, our final scene. We wrap it up with Cancer Man putting the implant Scully gave Blevins in a box (on a shelf with many, MANY boxes) and then walking down the aisle toward the camera before leaving the room & allowing the camera to fade-out on a shot of the "Pentagon" sign. Excellent shot to close out the pilot with for this show.
Also, totally reminds me in a weird way of how BSG opens up in the miniseries:
Both sort of give me the same feeling, I don't know how to explain it. But I love it. Then again, maybe I just love
Overall: The case still feels totally random, because those Mosquito Bites of Doom never reappear, BUT. It definitely lays a proper foundation for the series, covers a lot of ground explaining to you as the viewer who these characters are & what their motivations are, has tons of fun firsts to go back & revisit later, and so overall I give it a thumbs up. Especially for the Scully Nekkidness. I mean, come on.
AND I'M DONE. Can I go pass out now? STOP GIVING ME SO MUCH TO WRITE ABOUT, SHOW. JEEZ.[/blaming the victim]
For our Vid of the Day, let's go with a season 1 vid, y/y? I can already tell I'm going to have a hard time picking vids for these recaps though, because I'm going to feel the need to avoid spoilery ones, and most XF vids are super spoilery. *makes grumpy face* I'll avoid them as much as I can though.
This one is by sillyauntjen & is pretty much just a tribute to Scully's hotness in the first season. 'Cause even frumpy season1!Scully can't hide her hotness. It's too powerful to contain.
