Pusher

How do I even start with Pusher? It is pretty much universally celebrated by Shippers and NoRoMos alike- on the one hand, it's kind of a shipper paradise. On the other, the villain is easily recognized as one of the best ever. He's such a well developed character. And he's not mysterious; not only do we get too know him really well, but he gets a ton of face time. He's not a monster of the week lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike. He's gloating openly, goading the authorities, daring them to apprehend him. When they do, he rubs it in their noses when they can't put him away. He's charming. He's smug.

He may also be a Nine Inch Nails fan. I am not sure.

But maybe because I've got an UST blog, I should focus on the awesome amount of shippiness in this episode.

Like their stakeout scene; Scully falls asleep on Mulder's shoulder. Comfy :) I love the way he looks at her right before he gently brushes her cheek to wake her up.

M: Hey. I think you drooled on me.

Scully's more than a little embarrassed, though I'm not sure if she's more embarrassed by falling asleep on Mulder, or the possibility that she drooled in her sleep. 

Even Pusher notices and comments on it.

PUSHER: Are you two just going to sit there all night? Don't bother hunting around for me, I'm far away. Although... I was watching you up until about an hour ago. You and your pretty partner seem awfully close. Do you work well together?

Hmmmm.. I believe the answer is yes. And they do. Throughout this investigation they are natural, professional, casual, familiar. Scully is gentle with her disbelief this time around; not so much skeptical as 'well, I don't think I would have come to that conclusion...'

S: Inducing someone to buy hair color is a little different than inducing them to drive in front of a speeding truck.

M: But the mechanism of suggestion is the same. It's just a lot more powerful in this case. I mean, this guy calls himself "Pusher." Can't we take that to mean that he pushes his will onto other people?

S: Well, even if he could push his will, why would he, he cause an accident when he himself was in the car?

M: Maybe he really didn't want to go to jail. 

When Mulder makes his big 'Osu' leap of logic, Scully buys into it as a legitimate lead. Even in the courtroom scene, she only displays a muted 'you've just lost this case' look on her face, when Mulder presents his theory to the judge (" I believe that these people died because it was the defendant's express will that they do so. ")- and she doesn't even confront him afterward.

Pusher: I believe you owe me five dollars.

M: (goes into his pocket to retrieve a bill) Hey, your shoe's untied. (Pusher looks down, then back at Mulder.) Made you look. (He smiles and puts the fiver back in his pocket. Pusher isn't amused.) How do you do it? 

Part of what makes Pusher such a great villain is that even Scully can find it in her to believe in him a little. If he's believable to her, he's definitely believable to the audience. And Robert Wisden is just so bang on. He's so good that I'm actually getting distracted his character when I meant to be writing about things like this scene:

Scully finds Mulder at the shooting gallery, then they try to out-impress each other with all of the things they dug up on Pusher (if you are keeping score, they both win). It ends with a little tension when they have a hard time seeing eye to eye on exactly how Pusher kills his victims.

S: Please explain to me the scientific nature of the "whammy."

M: I don't know, maybe, maybe it's some mental aspect of some eastern martial art. You know, the temporary suppression of the brain's chemistry, produced by a specific timbre or cadence in Modell's voice. His voice seems to be the key.

S: Mulder, Modell's last known employment was as a convenience store clerk. He has never been trained by ninjas. 

Ok.. but you know he's right though, Scully. You'll see... you'll see when Pusher makes a girl kick Skinner's ass.

M: I reviewed the building's security tapes. Modell can clearly be seen entering and leaving unnoticed. He had the word "pass" on his lapel. Guards that waved him by don't even remember seeing him at all.

Sk: And you're saying this same mysterious phenomenon is the reason I have a size-seven heel mark in my face?

S: I have to agree with Agent Mulder, sir. I can't even begin to explain how, but I think that Modell is responsible for your injuries.

Check out the look of disbelief on Mulder's face when Scully says that. It's far from unusual for her to side with Mulder, but agreeing with his theory is altogether rarer. He almost looks like he wants to talk her out of it; does she know what she's saying? Skinner warns them that Pusher walked away with files on Mulder. He's on the hunt for an adversary. Scully finds this worrying.

S: Now he knows where you live.

SK: And you know where he lives. Go pick him up.

M: Yeah, for what? About the only thing we got on him now is criminal trespass.

SK: That's enough for a warrant. 

They go to Pusher's apartment, which is empty. Mulder slaps a notice on his TV, the irony not lost on him as he plants it on Svengali's forehead. Scully rummages through Pusher's medicine cabinet, while Mulder checks his fridge. Scully finds medication to treat epilepsy, citing brain tumors as one of many possible causes for late-onset epilepsy. Mulder leans on the doorway as they speak; I don't think I can explain why by I find this provocative. Then again, I always think he's trying to seduce his partner. Whatever

Mulder perks up, you can actually watch as a cloud of 'theory' as it gathers and forms like a storm in his brain.

M: Brain tumor? The growth of brain tumors has been linked with the reported occurrence of psychic ability.

S: Mulder, those reports are completely unsubstantiated...

M: (leans back, really on to something) Just, just bear with me for a second. What if Modell's suggestive ability is really a form of psychokinesis? 

 

Scully is not entirely against this theory, but needs some more convincing. They work the kinks out a bit

S: ... he simply wouldn't be well enough to play these cat-and-mouse games with us.

M: Maybe he isn't. Maybe that's the whole point.

S: What do you mean? 

M:...Maybe he's dying.

S: (making sense to her now) And he wants to go out in a blaze of glory. 

Pusher calls; M & S share a telephone for the second time in this episode and sit on Pusher's bed. 

They listen while the police officers try to put a trace on the phone Pusher is calling from; he kills the lovable Frank Burst by the power of suggestion! If Mulder is hesitant to end the phone call prematurely, this may be why... :)

Heh.

Mulder catches on to exactly what Pusher is doing before anyone else does and tries to force Burst off the phone. Scully catches on too and tries to help- well no one else has even heard the theory yet, but it's unlikely anyone other than M or S would believe it... Burst gallantly insists they finish the trace, but the trace finishes him instead.

When Mulder picks up the phone, it's Pusher at his most sickening. Even Mulder thinks it's too much.

P: Oh... you want the phone number? Sure. Just, uh... it's 555-0197(matches number on trace screen) You know it's just a payphone. In two minutes, I'll be gone.

M: You mean you killed this man for nothing, you sick bastard?

P: (chuckles) Me? No, haven't you caught on, Mulder? They all kill themselves. 

Oh he is so good. Best villain ever. 

They follow Pusher to an MRI appointment at the hospital. Mulder is not wrong when he believes they should leave the swat team outside. If Pusher controlled any or all of the men it would be an unmitigated disaster- no guns, period.

M:  I think we should give him what he wants.

S: ( crushed and worried) You.

Instead, Mulder will go in alone, with a wire and a camera. 

He hands his gun to Scully, which only makes her more worried, but he tries to comfort her. A little humour goes a long way, but as is often the case, they say more with visual clues than they do with words. He kneels in front of her;

M: Smile, Scully. (grins at her, then becomes serious as he places his gun in her hands)

S: (eyes wide)Take it.

M: No. I wouldn't want to end up pointing it at anybody except Modell. 

Scully understands but that doesn't mean she likes it. More than worried, she looks fearful; she places her hands over his, and they share a good long look at each other. I think she's really afraid she's about to lose him.

She watches and listens fearfully; the position of the camera allows her to see everything exactly the way her partner does- another way they remain connected here. She even directs him to Pusher's MRI results so she can take a look at them;

S: Mulder, wait, wait. Get close to the computer monitor.

M: Over here?

S: Yeah, yeah, yeah, right there. There.  (sexy?) That light mass in his temporal lobe.

M: Right here?

S: You were right, Mulder (about the tumor). Now check around you. Modell's chart should be somewhere around there.

M: We're batting a thousand, Scully. Modell's dying. He's got nothing to lose. 

Mulder pauses and mouths something here- there has been a lot of debate over what he says. Most shippers insist he mouths 'I love you', which I admit, it kind of looks like. I read recently that -I'm not making this up- Duchovny  was mouthing "motherfucker". Seriously, that is even better!

He turns around and suddenly- bam!- Pusher on the monitor with a gun in Mulder's face!!

Woah, effing scary!

S: God!

Scully wastes zero time in donning a flack jacket and storming the hospital to rescue Mulder.

She finds Mulder totally out of it, expressionless, sitting in a chair facing Pusher, a gun on the table between them.

The Russian Roulette scene is so powerful- all three characters are intense. Scully's fear; Pusher's angry acceptance of his self destruction; Mulder's determination. This is the 'bang' Pusher was waiting for before he goes quietly into that good night.

Mulder is used like a deadly puppet- first aiming the gun at Pusher.

Pusher: Budo teaches the warrior to leave himself outside the battle. In other words...To disregard his own death. Because of that, the budo warrior always wins. I am that warrior. I don't fear my death.

When the chamber clicks empty, Pusher makes Mulder turn the gun on himself. Scully is in disbelief, and she quietly tries to talk Mulder out of it. She struggles to maintain her composure as tears well up in her eyes.

S: Mulder, no.

PUSHER: Mulder, yes. Go.

S: Mulder, listen to me. Give me the gun. We can stop this thing right now. You and I can walk outside of this room... 

Mulder exhibits signs of fear, tenses and squeezes his eyes shut, but makes little effort to prevent the gun from reaching his head as his pulls the trigger. Scully flips; she jumps to her feet and pounds the table with both hands, yelling at Pusher.

S: No! Damn you! You bastard! Mulder, hand me the g...

Pusher has Mulder aiming the gun at his partner now. Now Mulder is fighting it.

S: Mulder, you don't have to do this. You're stronger than this. 

Scully, despite her naked fear, she uses her most soothing voice to try and keep the situation under control and prevent her partner from shooting her. Pusher eggs Mulder on, even teasing him about Scully shooting him (in Anasazi, remember?)

M: (furious) I'm going to kill you, Modell.

PUSHER: Yeah, pull the trigger, you get another crack at me.

Scully notices a fire alarm on the wall and slowly starts to back toward it. She thinks if she can break Pusher's concentration it release his hold on Mulder. Meanwhile Mulder is staring at her with fear as intense as her own, and he starts to plead with her to run, insistent at first then quiet and desperate. And quite frankly it gives me chills.

He gives her an 'I can hold on but not for much longer' look, so she makes a break for the alarm and pulls it. Pusher's concentration broken, Mulder fires the gun at him with the bullet that very nearly killed his partner, then continues to fire even though the gun is empty. He stands and continues to shoot until he slumps back down in his chair, emotionally spent.

God damn, he nearly killed Scully!

Next scene, he's watching over Pusher in his hospital room. Scully enters, and Mulder gives her a guilty look as if he's expecting her to be mad at him for what happened.

They contemplate Pusher as a small man wanting to be big; his refusal of treatment of the tumor that remained operable until the very end, and finally decide he is not worth wasting their time on.

They let their fingers touch and play a little before Mulder squeezes her hand, and then they leave.