Pilot

Well, the Pilot episode is fairly familiar territory for any XF fan, so even though I haven't technically started my rewatch, I'm going to get going here.

They needed to find a way to introduce the characters to us, the viewers, and to each other. Mulder is a bit of a nut, and clearly a loner. His professional history had a successful beginning, but he is now stuck in the basement doing something that he loves, but isn't very highly regarded.

Scully on the other hand is a fresh faced new agent who probably isn't too keen on her new assignment, but is still young enough that no matter what her job has to be, she's going to do it well, to make a good impression on her superiors. Maybe this is why They chose her to do the job of spying on the Mulder and 'debunk the X-files project'.

That said, did They 'Choose' her? Or maybe she's being punished for some reason? It's not totally clear, to be honest. It'll be interesting to look for indications either way. If she was selected for a specific reason, I wonder why. And if not, They must have been pretty confident that they wouldn't get caught.




And is Mulder trying to scare her away? Yeah, I do think a little bit. I think he's worked hard to cultivate the "oh there's that guy who works in the basement and believes in ET, let's stay away from him" image. I think he likes working on his own, and I think he's probably sick of people openly making fun of him, so it's not unreasonable for him to want to keep people away. It's not a paranoia thing yet; it's a different kind of self-preservation. Remember at this point, the X-Files is still just a job, and hasn't really started to ruin his life yet.

Mulder is funny, in that he approaches the case more like a fanboy than like an investigator, but Scully is taking it very seriously. Well, as seriously as she possibly can, especially after exhuming an orangutan.

And the bra scene? It was useful to establish some UST from the beginning. Already in the first episode, we have the first hug, and the first bonding moment when Mulder tells her everything about his sister. (Of course, I would file the 'laughing in the rain in the cemetery' scene under bonding as well!) And Mulder is not at the point where when Scully says he can trust her, warning bells go off! Oh how easy life was back then, when trust came so freely!





After watching, I have to say that the scene that really makes this show interesting is the final one where CSM puts the implant chip into a box full of other chips, in a large room in the Penthouse. It makes you say "Wow, there is so much more to it than this. This could be huge".