In many ways, this was one Hell of an episode (if you'll pardon the expression). Mulder was at his smart-assed, punkish, concerned, skeptical (hey...wait a minute) best. Moose and Squirrel were both deeply invested in the case, which always makes an episode more riveting for me. And if St. Scully squaring off against Satan was not an OBSSE sister's dream, I don't know what is. Maybe that they would stop torturing her. But I digress.
Like "Irresistible" and "Elegy", this episode put the fears, hopes and strength of Dana Scully on clear display, highlighted by a performance that was brilliant even by Gillian Anderson's standards. The confessional scenes were wonderful. We learn (or have confirmed) an incredible amount about this woman in nearly every line but one especiallt stood out for me as the epitome of Scully: "I've taken it as my code and purpose to uphold the law-- to save lives." And in another confessional scene, Scully says, "Science only teaches us how, not why," something I have wanted to hear her say for a while. It fit nicely with the themes of faith and loss and courage that this explores. We also learn that evidently Scully has begun to go to confession and Mass on a more regular basis, furthering the journey they put her on in "Emily" but started really as early as "Revelations." She is on a search for her own answers; she believes she is on "a journey guided by an unseen hand." Here, she acted on those convictions, trusting her intuition as Mulder usually does. And this was quite an episode for continuity- how wonderful to get to see her deal with the death of her daughter and not ignore it! I for one did not appreciate RobotScully in, for example, "Schizogny." "All Souls" was a natural progession of the event that have happend in her life, as storytelling should be.
I was a bit nervous about how 1013 would handle the themes of faith and religion. They did a fine job with one or two stumbles. The second scene in which Scully talks to her priest seemed a little awkward and I did NOT want to be shown the monster in the final standoff scene. He had been cleverly disguised before that; seeing him prevented me from losing myself in the scene completely-- although they did provide a reason for it with the explanation that he was a seraphim. But again, her confessional scenes were excellent and real. That standoff with Satan was admittedly not something I will soon forget, thanks mostly to Anderson's electric performance. I was gapsing with her as she glanced about once the girl she appointed herself to protect was gone. Every look of disbelief and emotional wrenching was flawless. This was what saved the autopsy scene in which Scully sees her daughter for me, during which I was crying and stunned by her acting despite myself. I found them effective and powerful but a bit cliche and heavy, to say the least, on the Scully torture. At first this torture seemed pointless but by the end of the episode, the lesson Scully learned and the price she paid to learn it are clear. She feels she has made the right decision in letting her daughter, who seems now to be Scully's Samantha, go. Also appreciated was the fact the she was the one who verablized this lesson: faith means accepting your loss. Scully does not want a clockwork God. I loved the glimmer of hope in her eyes when she left the church.
That said, I had a little bit of trouble with Scully as the Believer. She seemed to accept things almost too easily, not questioning quite as much as I am used to her doing. We were treated to seeing her heart and soul, which I loved. It would have been perfect it we could have seen more of that mind. But this was made up for by the evocative themes, the continuity and the material for Anderson's tour de force. Here's the thing about her: it never matters how high I set my expectations; she always exceeds them. She outdid herself.
Duchovny did a fine job with what he had. He was all those lovable and annoying things that Mulder is- saracastic, concerned, flip, intelligent, caring. He's certainly given better performances but then, this episode was clearly Anderson's. I will say that the porn flick did not annoy me (other than that 1013 seems to think it's funny) nearly as much as the fact that he lied to her. It ain't like she doesn't know. But in the end he made up for it, helping her and supporting her for the most part. The scene with his hand on her shoulders was particularly nice, as he admitted that he was afraid for her: "It scares me because I don't know why." Is it just me or did he express his feelings in a mature, clear, adult manner? In an "I statement" no less.
I would also like to point out here that Mulder was WRONG! And it was okay, Mr. Carter, I promise. He's allowed to be wrong once in a while. I won't lose any respect for him. It happens to everyone, even His Spookiness.
That priceless bond between Moose and Squirrel was there; you just had to know where to look. It was not lost on me that he was the first person she called, naturally and rightly, to "temper her feelings." And he was there. Too bad he couldn't handle her faith without being a little less cynical and partronzing about it (call her secreitve squirrel one more time, Punk). Consider the events in his life, he has every right to doubt God, but then, so does she. What a testement to her strength that she rises above. It has always interested me that when he believes in something supernatural, it is usually dark in nature, whereas when she does it is usually not. How refreshing to see the supernatural as a potentially positive thing on this show.
Overall, a powerful continuation of the themes from "Emily" with one of Anderson's best ever performances. Unforgettable stuff, though I don't know if I would consider it a standard to judge all others by. I give it nine tic tacs (maybe nine and a half) out of ten.
SWILS Note: I don't know what it is about bathing her face in that blue autopsy light, but she looked (appropriately enough) like an angel.
Mulder Drooling: God I�love that leather jacket....
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