"Folie A Deux"
Most Philes everywhere (not all, most) are excited to see Gilligan's name attached to an episode. I get particularly excited when his name is attached to "written by", especially when he's written the script alone. While I thoroughly enjoyed this episode for all the reasons I always love his work, I can see his fans and fans of the show in general being a little bit disappointed. In some respects, I would not blame them.
Gilligan gives the viewers who appreciate good writing his usual focus on character rather than plot, a lesson many of his colleagues should take from him (and they seem to have done so, actually). And as always, his script strikes the right balance between ambiguous and coherent; I always love that he gives the viewers a central theme to hang her or his mental hat on, so to speak. He leaves me intrigued and thoughtful, not annoyed. The idea of "madness shared by two" (Folie a deux) is the hook we hang our hats on this time, and I think it describes Mulder and Scully's relationship perfectly--especially from the perspective of our favorite skeptic, Scully, who for some reason has chosen to share the daily madness with Fox Mulder. His scripts never leave me with the feeling that he threw it together for a deadline or that he strung together a series of scenes and called it an episode. His scenes and dialogue are designed to put forth ideas he wants to explore--in this, the notion of perception and sanity, as well as an interesting parallel to worker-drones literally having the life sucked out of them by a vapid meaninglessness.
One of the many other things I love about Gilligan
is that while he does focus on Mulder and Scully and more specifically their
relationship, for me he never sacrifices the chill factor. While this was
no "Pusher" (there will never be another Pusher; I really should
just get over it and move on
The nature of perception is a common theme on this show, one of my favorites, and there was plenty of that here, highlighted especially when Mulder asked if he was demented too because he could see the monster. (For the record, her "no" was not convincing.) Did Mulder really see those weird bugs? Did Scully really see them or was her partner's madness passed onto her? We don't have any way really of knowing for certain, which is as it should be. The monsters might be in their head or not. In the end, if it terrifies and controls someone, does it matter? They are just as "real" either way. Here again we see the idea of perception.I always appreciate that Gilligan leaves the viewer that option. I don't have to believe in the monster of the week if I don't want to, being someone who prefers her monsters in my mind and NOT slithering out of someone's mouth, thank you. I can concentrate on what he is saying about the characters and the ideas he is offering. The visuals used reinforced this quite well, too. The reminded me of the hallucinations Scully was seeing in "Wetwired"--spoty and crackling and not quite there. And the "zombies: were cheesy enough to be fun. So, as expected, Gilligan turned in a rather original, intriguing MOTW, even if it was not quite up to his saintly standards.
I was quite please with Mulder in this episode, as I have been for the past several, generally speaking. Despite my alarm at his rather rude ditch that I did not expect to come from Gilligan, it seemed clear that Mulder was angry and frustrated at being "Monster boy", seemingly trying to put the past behind him and actually care about his life and career for once (and count on His Continuityness to remember poor Tortured!Mulder's broken finger-- since the cameramen obviously wanted us to see it). He makes a false assumption that this is a loser case, presumably tries to spare Scully having to deal with it and admits his mistake when he discovers he's wrong. She even got to say, "I told you so," in a rather adorable Moose and Squirrel moment. And I think I counted more "pleases", "thank yous", and "I'd be grateful ifs" than I've heard from him all season. Also, I had express concern that Mulder's character was being weakened be overdosing on wallowing in his pity, which made him seem, especially next to Scully, selfish. My respect for him skyrocketed when he jumped in front of the Pinkis (inadvertently saving the monster-- but no one's perfect.) Seeing him in compassionate, brilliant profiler mode recalled for me the man I loved in the first couple of season--the man I could consider worthy of working with Scully. I'm glad he seems to be back.
Scully's part in this episode was well done too, though I might have liked more exploration of how Mulder's madness is affecting her inside. I loved her gun-blazing rescue in the hospital and her palpable concern for Mulder after the hostage situation is over and when she catches him working after not having slept for 36 hours, as well as the fact that she calls him on assuming Skinner meant "I" when she heard "we." Anderson should patent and bottle her tone of voice and expression when Scully is worried about him. *That* is one in five billion. But I have to say, this episode left me sad for her. I would hate to think he is pulling her down instead of her pulling him up. It also troubled me that she seemed so upset about things and said little to nothing about them; that break from Denial!Scully that "All Souls" gave us was nice.
Anderson, in a wonderfully realized moment, makes it clear that she knows she is referring to herself when she says, "In close association, in tense situations, the madness of one can be passed onto the other." Skinner asks if she has anything to tell him; she says no. And when she visits Mulder in the hospital, she has no complaints or hard words about the fact that he signed her up for an autopsy she clearly refused to do. I suppose shortly after a mental breakdown was not the best time.
But I am used to a much stronger Scully from Gilligan, considering, for example "Paper Hearts." I have always loved that he could strike a seemingly perfect balance between these two strong, stubborn people and that balance seemed less perfect, though still certainly good. Since I pretty much refuse to see her as weak, based on nearly every other episode I have seen, I shall just assume she's choosing her battles.
Skinner certainly deserves a mention for his protective, hard-nosed brand of tough love. It says a lot for Mitch Pleggi that I, shipper though I am, could see him with Scully (that's about the best compliment I can give a character). Pleggi's performance was as always honest and powerful.
Obviously, this episode had a lot to say about Mulder and Scully's relationship. In another testimony for Gilligan's skill, Scully telling Mulder not to assume Skinner meant "I" instead of "we" (guess which was my favorite line?) could have another layer in the context of the whole episode: she's telling his dosen't have to face this madness alone.
Not that he gets that. Again, "madness by two" nails them, as did Anderson and Duchovny's's performance. They interacted with the familiarity we might expect from partners who have been together for five years nearly non-stop. Mulder knows when Scully's is hedging as he prods, "More or less," when she explains that her autopsy revealed the body had been dead longer than they presumed. And she seems to know he's not meaning to be rude when he leaves her in D.C. and heads off alone (otherwise I like to think she'd call him on it). Perhaps this explains why he signed her up for the exam she said she wasn't going to do; he knows she'll at least consider it (even if he did ask her later if she had done it-- I was glad he hadn't assumed). And I don't think I have ever heard Mulder so clearly, desperately explain his love for and need for Scully's faith in him. "You have to believe me. No one else on this whole damn planet ever has or ever will." Scully's reaction, "It's not that simple" affected me, troubled me. Again, what is she not saying? What is going on inside her because of his declaration? She seemed almost resigned more than pleased, with the weight of it on her, saddened for both of them. I found this scene beautiful and sad and evocative all at once. Dare I say they are together for better or for worse?
All in all, a thoughtful, well-crafted, strongly acted episode that explored interesting ideas and a fascinating relationship that was still somehow not up to Uberstandards. I'll give it 9 tic tacs out of ten.
SWILS Note: That lavendar suit was lovely.
MulderDrooling: Another lethal puppy dog face that no woman on Earth (or Riticula for that matter) could resist