Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Ascension



Oh, angst! Oh I love it. Not only the first really, really angsty episode of the show, but I would say between this and One Breath, we won't see angst like this again until season five.

I think they amped up the UST in the first four episodes of the season so that we can really understand why Mulder goes absolutely ballistic in this episode, and why he rampages through One Breath. I love how emotional these ones are.



Mulder returns to his apartment late at night. Scully has left a message that is interesting enough to begin with, but then life goes sideways when Scully starts screaming for his help. From here in, the emotion runs high.



He numbly walks the crime scene that Scully's apartment has suddenly become, recreating the terrifying events. What a harsh scene.





When Mrs Scully arrives, she's frantic. Mulder holds out his hand to calm her, but it's covered in Scully's blood and they both share an 'oh my God' look. Mrs Scully reveals that she had a dream this would happen, but never told Scully because 'she doesn't believe in that kind of thing, you know'.



I never took Mrs Scully to be the intuitive type, but I really like this. and I guess you can see where Melissa Scully gets it.



Mulder and Mrs Scully band together from here, helping each other cope. Strength in numbers and all that. I love the full acceptance of each other, it feels like instant family.

It goes without saying, Mulder is a wreck. He doesn't sleep. He doesn't shave. He doesn't know if Sculyl is alive or dead, and he can't seem to handle it. At the briefing, Skinner advises Mulder not to get involved with the investigation, telling him;

SKINNER: You're too close to this case. If we can use you, we will.
M: Sir...
SKINNER: That's an order, Agent Mulder.



Well, it's ridiculous to think Mulder won't get involved in investigating Scully's disappearance. He does. What else is he going to do? Sit at home and worry?

Lucky for him, a patrol cop with a video camera in his car pulls Duane Barry over (for speeding I suppose). And lucky for Scully, the camera gets a shot of her in DB's truck, bound and gagged.

And lucky for me, DB is playing some of my favourite music; I effing love Nick Cave. It's funny though- this episode is what made me aware that Nick Cave existed, but at the same time, it seems to catch me off guard each time I watch.



What a scary image; Scully in the trunk. God, this is really no way to be treating a pregnant woman. Gillian Anderson is obviously made of better stuff than I am.



Mulder is haunted by the image, but also elated that Scully is still alive. Staring at her picture like he's willing her to be found, he listens to his recorded conversation with Duane Barry, trying to glean any information as to where he might be taking her. There has to be a clue somewhere. As he tells Krycek, Scully's disappearance is keeping him up at night.



It hits Mulder kind of suddenly; the patroller was killed on a route that leads to Skyland Mountain. That must be the mountain DB was talking about. Krycek seems shocked that Mulder has figured out where Scully is being taken; not because that was some nifty detective work, but because CSM was counting on Mulder not being around to stop the abduction.



Now that he has a plan of action, Mulder is more hopeful, but he's feeling the effects of his recent insomnia. He falls asleep on the road!



Once they reach the mountain, they learn DB has indeed been there. He's way ahead of them, and the only way to try and beat him to the top is by taking the gondola, which of course, is not in service during the summer (or something) and has just had the cable replaced; very dangerous, yadda yadda yadda. Mulder threatens the tram operator with his gun, telling him 'no, you don't have a choice'.

I actually think I could do without this scene; I see that they were going for some serious dangerous drama, but it falls flat for me, and I never feel like Mulder's in danger.



However, I do get a good sense that Krycek thinks the mission is in danger, and he has to stop Mulder from reaching the top before DB does. And I like when he knocks out the tram operator and then slickly fixes his hair and reports back to CSM.

Ultimately, Mulder fails to reach Scully in time. He finds the empty car, and checks the trunk, finding nothing but Scully's necklace. Oh, heartbreak!



Duane Barry is shouting at the sky, happy to be free. Mulder begins his descent into madness.



M: (venomously)Where is she? Where'd you leave her?
DUANE BARRY: They took her.
M: Who?
DUANE BARRY: Them! I told you they would take somebody else. They did!

Once DB is secure, Mulder begins his bad-cop/insane-cop routine. He is just seething. I actually get chills when he whispers 'did you kill her?'



M: How'd you get this?
DUANE BARRY: From the ship.
M: What ship?
DUANE BARRY: You saw it.
M: I saw a helicopter.

Why is Mulder being difficult on this one? Is it just because he is furious? Is he so determined to get the truth out of DB, that whatever he's being told must be a lie? Does he just not want to believe that Scully has been abducted by aliens? Remember, there is no indication that once Scully is abducted he'll ever see her again. He never saw Samantha again, after all. Losing Scully is just as hard for him.

When Mulder sees Scully's hair and blood on DB's hospital bracelet, he snaps. It's Over.




M: (whispers angrily)Did you hurt her?
DUANE BARRY: No.
M: (screaming) Did you hurt her!?
DUANE BARRY: No!
M: (still screaming) What is this?

Mulder chokes him. He has totally lost control. Eventually he comes to his senses, and furiously paces the room.



DUANE BARRY: I'm sorry. They had to take her. I hope they're not hurting her... too much with the tests. I'm sorry.

I don't know how I can still be sorry for DB, but I am. Mulder can't contain himself and he rages out the door, barking at Krycek not to let anyone inside the room with DB. I'm sorry for him too. I love rampaging, get-Scully-back-or-die Mulder.

He looks out the window and thinks of her.



Oh God, that is scary. I do love how they have used scenes like these, where Mulder looks all troubled and then we see a frightening image of Scully. I like how they are a little ambiguous; is this what Mulder is picturing, or did it really happen this way?

Mulder returns to find Krycek in the room and loses it on him. While they are arguing, DB keels over and dies. Enter Skinner. Great timing. This is bad.



Krycek meets with CSM. And asks some legitimate questions. CSM is his regular vague self.

K: If Mulder is such a threat, why not eliminate him?
CSM: That's not policy.
KRYCEK: It's not? After what you had me do?
CSM: Kill Mulder and you risk turning one man's religion into a crusade.
K: What about Scully?
CSM: We've taken care of that.
K: How?
CSM: We tell you only what you need to know.
K: I think I have a right to know.
CSM: You have no rights, only orders to be carried out. If you have a problem with that, we'll make other arrangements.

Even his real boss doesn't take him seriously. Poor Krycek. Too bad he deserves it. He is kind of scum. It makes me wonder if Krycek disappears because he was told to, or because he's had enough of CSM's shit.



Mulder is blamed for DB's death for obvious reasons, but Krycek actually poisoned him. The military (in on it) was responsible for the autopsy and fudged the findings. Mulder notices a barely smoked cigarette in Krycek's car. Next thing we know, he's brought a report to Skinner outlining Krycek's role as a double agent, report to CSM, and also his role in the death of the tram operator, and his involvement in Scully's disappearance.

Skinner... probably knowing ahead of time that this is true... is surprisingly receptive to the idea- as long as Mulder has some actual proof. They may be beginning to understand each other. But when they find out Krycek never showed up for work, Skinner just lets it go.

M: That's it? He's gone, he just disappears into the woodwork?
SKINNER: So it would appear.
(Mulder stands and marches towards the door angrily before turning back.)
M: Who are these people who can just murder with impunity and we can't do anything about it?
SKINNER: Let it go, Agent Mulder.
M: (turns away) Like hell.
SKINNER: There's nothing you can do.
M: (points a finger accusingly) What can you do about it?
SKINNER: There's only one thing I can do, Agent Mulder. As of right now, I'm reopening the X-Files. That's what they fear the most.




Mulder's look says 'that is great, but it doesn't really help me right now'.

Next is an touching scene with Mrs Scully. The real emotional drama is over, and now all they have left is a missing Scully. Mulder pulls out Scully's necklace and hands it to her.

M: I found this. It's something I... I never considered about her. If she was... if she was such a skeptic, why did she wear that?
MrsSCULLY: I gave it to her on her fifteenth birthday. (she gives it back to him)
M: Don't you want to keep it?
MrsSCULLY: When you find her, you give it to her.



It's a strangely hopeful scene; you really feel like Mrs Scully believes in Mulder; even if she may not necessarily believe he will find her daughter.

Finally, Mulder returns to Skyland Mountain. He looks into the night sky, looking utterly defeated and wonders if he'll ever see Scully again.



Sad ending.

Duane Barry




Oh I get so excited for these episodes, I don't even know where to start. I can almost recite DB, Ascension and One Breath line for line. My problem is trying to tackle them as individual episodes, and not as a unit, but I think it may be more interesting to try.

First of all, Duane Barry is an excellent character. Formerly with the FBI, DB has been having abduction experiences since the early 80s. Between these and a bullet in his head, he's been in a mental hospital for years, until he escapes early in the episode.



It is so interesting, on this show, to actually see an abductee locked up for being crazy or delusional about his experiences. It makes sense in so many way, yet is so unexplored; in fact I can't think of another institutionalized abductee off the top of my head...

What's better, is he's following alien voices in his head, being led to an abduction site. Thing is, he's not sure where they are supposed to be going, so he holds up a travel agency. Bloody genius writing! What a character!

He's brought his doctor along with him, because he believes if he takes someone in his place, he won't be abducted himself this time. One can assume this is CSM and/or his group planting this idea in his head in order to eventually abduct Scully. However, it's a pretty elaborate plan, and CSM must be awfully confident that events will unfold in just the right way. Of course, they did, just as they always do. His puppet-mastery skills are unparalleled.

This arc forwards the mythology of the show in so many huge ways, not only in Scully's abduction, which is returned to again and again, but also the canonical events of what happens during abductions. The use of metallic implants, tracking abductees, and of course, shadowy government or military men sitting in on the procedures, and the whole cooperation between aliens and government in general.



What, you thought I would skip this scene? You know I am a full on M-S shipper, but I can see how one would build a case for some serious UST between these two! LOL

Anyway, so Mulder is called onto the scene to read a script. As usual, the people in charge have called him in because of his expertise on alien abductees, but also fully resent his being there, and freely make fun of him for being a believer.



KAZDIN: Look, Agent Mulder. The guy's a psycho. Your object is to keep him on the phone. The longer you do, the more chance he's not going to kill anybody. We stop to do a Freudian analysis, next thing we know, we've got four dead hostages. So whatever crap you got to make up about space men or UFOs, just keep him on the phone.

DB, being former FBI, knows the procedure and sees right through Mulder's attempt to settle him down. Mulder is understandably pissed off.

M: Who is this guy? He's F.B.I., isn't he?
KAZDIN: Former F.B.I.
M: And you didn't think to mention that?



From this point on, Mulder chooses to focus on DB's abduction experiences; the horrors of the tests they go through and how they may be affecting him. In an interesting, though probably unintentional bit of foreshadowing, Mulder asks Agent Kazdin

M: Would you like to know what they do to a woman's ovaries?

.. you mean like harvesting them and using them to make alien-human babies? Oh brutal, but we'll get to that in later seasons.

One of my favourite moments in this episode:



KRYCEK: Is there anything I can do?
KAZDIN: Yeah, what's your name again?
K: Krycek.
KAZDIN: Krycek, have you got your notepad?
(waits for him to retrieve his notepad)
Grande, two percent cappuccino with vanilla. Agent Rich?

Oh God it kills me; no one can take Krycek seriously. He's got such a tough assignment.

Meanwhile Mulder has run off to phone Scully, who is watching the hostage situation on the news. As usual, Scully looks into DB's background for him, and finds he has a shocking history.

The Aliens take this moment to visit.



Q: Why does time stop when aliens appear?
A: This is never even discussed on the show. But if they are going to travel the distances needed to travel in order to get to earth, they have to be making use of wormholes, which would mess with the fabric of time.

Barry freaks and a hostage gets shot. Mulder dons a medic uniform and some sophisticated wiretap equipment. Because the man is dying, Barry agrees to let him go, but only if Mulder stays. The hostage situation already feels like it's been going on for too long, but at the same time, here it starts to get interesting.



Mulder and Barry start to exchange personal information about alien abduction and their experiences with it. They even bond a little.

One of the most effective images of the entire series is when Barry is recalling his abduction, and freaks when he talks about them drilling his damn teeth. The buzzing sound effect, Barry strapped down with his mouth pried open, the laser, the drill, and the tooth visibly being drilled away makes my whole body cringe.



Tension runs very high, but once they have calmed down, they both seem so defeated by the very idea of the tests and Barry starts to become a very sympathetic character. Barry describes the little girls he sometimes sees on the ship, and how much pain they are in. Mulder, thinking of his sister, suggests Barry take him instead of the doctor to the abduction site.



DB: (smiles at him) No. I wouldn't do that to you.

Sort of kind, actually. He thinks it's OK to take the doctor because he's a source of some of DB's suffering, but Mulder doesn't deserve it because he's been nice to him.

At this point Scully calls over looking for Mulder. She gets Krycek instead, who tells her what's happened.

K: He traded himself for one of the hostages.
S: What?



K: He's in with Duane Barry.
S: You've got to get him out of there.
K: Well, they're working on it.
S: No, you've got to get him out of there now or he's going to be killed!
K: How can you be sure?
S: Because Duane Barry is not what Mulder thinks he is.

Scully wastes no time in getting to the scene, and she's looking for a fight. She completely flips at the agent she's talking to, and when Krycek tells her to calm down, she snaps at him.




SCULLY: Don't tell me to calm down, I'm not going to calm down until I can talk to someone who will listen to what I'm saying!

The next part, I have always felt, is so key in so many ways. You have Scully literally talking into Mulder's ear, telling him that's he's underestimated how dangerous DB is. You have DB describing where the alien implants are located (teeth, abdomen, sinuses). You also have the conversation about the abduction site; the bit that is recorded and played back over and over in Ascension actually gives me chills even in this scene.



DB: I just want to go back to the place.
M: What place?
DB: Where it first started. Where they first came and got me.
M: Where is that?
DB: A mountain... We went, uh, up... and up. Ascending... ascending to the stars.

Mulder gets the women free (a nice touch is one women letting Barry know that she believes him), and Scully lets him know they are about to strike on Barry. But Mulder tires to save him. Either he feels good about the bonding they just shared, or he believes what Scully said about Barry lying to him.

MULDER: You didn't believe me. I had to earn your trust. Now, there's something I got to know. Are you making any of this up?

Barry freaks of course, he doesn't like being called a liar. Mulder sets Barry up for a sniper shot by telling him he left the door unlocked. This leaves him feeling tremendously guilty, and also a bit foolish for believing him.



S: Whatever you're feeling... you did the right thing.
M: It's just that, uh... I believed him.
S: Sometimes when you want to believe so badly, you end up... looking too hard.



Mulder feels so bad, like he's betrayed DB. It also looks like Mulder has already had his last angst-free moment for several episodes...

DB's story ends up being true. They find all of the implants he talked about. Mulder goes to Scully with one they pulled from his stomach (they never specify if they remove any of the others; I assume they did not, because it's implied they are what's controlling his actions, and they are what lead him to Scully at the end).

S: And you think that this was implanted?
M: Well, if it was, that would mean Duane Barry is telling the truth.
S: Or some version of the truth.



Mulder is so frustrated with her right now. Why can't she just cooperate and go along with what he's saying? Can't she see this is a big deal? Scully recognizes his frustration and agrees to look into it. Even if she is a skeptic, Mulder should know she's on his side. And of course, she wasn't trying to upset him; she just needs to reasonable.



S: Look, I'll, I'll take this down to ballistics. We can have this cleared up in a second

Then Mulder gets up and leaves without seeing a word. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the last time they see each other before Scully is taken. I wonder if that plays a part in how badly the abduction affects him.

Kind of like when my first dog as a kid chewed my newest toy. I smacked her on the nose, and I went to school. When I came back, she was gone for good. Sad but true story. Similar situation.

You know, Scully is really very concerned for him throughout this episode. Obviously when she finds out Mulder's traded himself for a hostage, she is in a bit of a panic. Then afterward, she sees how horrible he feels, and now in this scene, all she wants to do is let him know she wants to help him.

It works so well, knowing how concerned Mulder is going to be for her.



Shockingly, they find out there is a bar code on the implant! Even Scully knows at this point, this bit of metal is 100% not a piece of shrapnel. A trip to the grocery store has Scully thinking about what this implant might be. When the cashier is far enough away, she passes the implant over the barcode scanner, and the machine goes nuts. At this moment, Duane Barry rises from his hospital bed and springs to action.

She calls Mulder with her findings, leaving a message on his machine. This scene haunts me, it does. It haunts Mulder too, you can tell.

SCULLY: Mulder, it's me. I just had something incredibly strange happen. This piece of metal that they took out of Duane Barry, it has some kind of a code on it. I ran it through a scanner and some kind of a serial number came up. What the hell is this thing, Mulder? It's almost as if... it's almost as if somebody was using it to catalogue him.



Scully hears a noise outside her window; Duane Barry's face appears behind her blinds. Scully gasps! We don't get to see the rest (yet) just Mulder's blinking answering machine.



DB: Come on, lady...
S: Mulder!
DB: Come on!
SCULLY: I need your help! Mulder! Mulder!

Does anyone else find this scene even harder to watch when you know what's going to happen? Even just looking at these screen caps and I feel is dread.



AAAH to be continued! Our first cliffhanger-y two-parter of the series.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Sleepless Pt 2




The episode really has two separate storylines going on, and I wanted to touch on this one because I thought it was very strong, and I felt bad for neglecting it. Sleepless is so interesting because not only do you have a conspiracy of government experiments, but also some related supernatural ability in Augustus Cole (Preacher).

Preacher was part of a military squad selected to undergo sleep eradication experiments. As a result, he's managed to tap into a part of his brain that allows him to trick people (and their bodies!) into believing the images he projects are real. That how he goes about killing all of the people involved, including the doctors, and the soldiers.

Preacher is concerned about punishment, damnation, and salvation. He always said that they would have to pay for what they'd done, as a particularly deadly team. Without the burden of fatigue, they were free to massacre.



NURSE: This patient’s night terrors prevent him from cycling out REM sleep into the more restful slow wave sleep. It’s still experimental, but what we’re trying to do is modify his brain wave patterns externally.
M: How do you do that?
NURSE: Electrical stimulation of the occipital lobe creates simply visual and auditory hallucinations.
M So it’s actually possibly to alter somebody’s dreams?
NURSE: In theory, yes.

In this episode, Preacher creates dreams so real, they can kill. That's why this doctor believed he was burning.



And why this ex-soldier believes the ghosts of a war time massacre have come back as a firing squad.





It even works on Mulder, making him believe a Doctor has shown up at a train station, when he hadn't. Mulder fired his weapon at what he believed was Preacher, but was only in his head.




What's interesting, is the burn victim showed secondary, but no primary signs of burning. Same with the firing squad; the body showed evidence of being shot, but no punctures were found on the outside of the body.



M: Spleen or pancreas?
S: Stomach. I was just about to start on it.

Don't know how I missed this cap the first time around. So worth including.

Preacher's final act is a powerful scene that has always stuck with me. He has captured the last Doctor involved in the experiments, and they are in a dark warehouse. As Cole begins speaking, he lays out scalpels on his Bible and 'ghosts' of every soldier experimented on picks one up.

COLE: The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance.
GERARDI: Who is it? Who’s there.
COLE: He shall wash his feet in the wicked
GERARDI: Who is it? I can’t see without my glasses.
COLE: You don’t need to see to know who it is. You know who it is!

Preacher's delivery of these lines gives me chills!

COLE: You shall pay as the judge has determined. We shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn. Wound for wound, strike for strike. As he has disfigured a man, so shall he be disfigured. And he who kills a man shall be put to death.



Mulder and Krycek arrive on the scene. Preacher is exhausted, and looks like he's about to jump from the building. Instead he turns around and reaches out with his hand, holding out his Bible. He makes Krycek believe it is a gun, and so Krycek fires on him.



He is bewildered to find no gun.