"Little Green Men" was to me an exciting blend of characterization, stunning photography, excellent performances and and wonderful depiction of the trust and devotion between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. It was not perfect or flawless but I found it wonderfully fast-paced and full of the things (especially visuals) I have come to think of as vintage "X-files."
Mulder in this episode has lost the only thing he has said matters to him: the ability to discover the truth about his sister. He is despairing and frustrated. Scully sees this instantly and, though they are not supposed to have any contact, her concern for her partner (as she seems to still consider him although the X-files have been shut down) is more important and she arranges to meet him (in the Watergate Motel, no less-- a touch I personally loved). This scene was a highlight of the episode for me as Scully, with her patentled mix of wisdom, tenderness and steel, encourages Mulder to "not give up." She remind him that he said he "would go on for as long as the truth was out there" and says she "no longer feels that from." She assures him that the journey they are on *is* worthwhile and teases him gently, in a line that highlights their different personalities and outlooks by insisting that "next time we meet out in the open." The loyalty and frustration at being separated was tangible, a credit to the wonderful acting in this scene. I could feel Duchovny's despair; I could feel Anderson's warmth and concern. She used her velvety voice to full effect-- it was rich and tender and full, adding a wonderful layer to her performance. Duchovny used his soft, throaty voice nicely to bring home Mulder's pain as well. And how refreshing was it to here Mulder himself say he felt he needed hard proof of his theories *and* (I might faint) add, "I learned that from you" to Scully. I was cheering.
This also scene proves that the bond between Mulder and Scully goes beyond the professional, whatever its personal nature might or might not be. It also demonstrated that Scully believes in this quest independently of Mulder; she differs with him about cause and method, but has he said in "Squeeze", she "respects the journey." I am always pleased and touched and grateful when the writers find another way to make this quest Scully's as well-- especially in such a early episode.
David Duchovny was in top form, in my opinion. I could feel the urgency he felt; I could see the emotions on his face and in his eyes; he seemed commited fully to each scene. His taped letter to Scully was well done and I thought the decision to make it a letter to his partner and not just field notes was a good one. It upped the stakes somehow.
The script offered him a lot to work with: there were many insights into his character. We see what drives him in this episode. One could (rightly) argue that many of the insights were not new-- we know he is in search of his sister and the truth about extra terrestrial life already. We've known that since the Pilot. So I will just mention the insight that did strike me as new and touching and memorable. In his taped letter to Scully, he tells her, "Before I could only trust myself, Now I can only trust you...." An amazing statement from Mr. Trust No One himself. He now not only trusts someone else but trusts her more than himself, a result, no doubt, of beginning to doubt his memories of Samantha's abduction. We also learn that contrary to what he might wish others to believe, not trusting anyone "is hard...wears you down." Of *course* it does! No one can really live like that. How beautifully human!
Another inherently human question Mulder asks himself is what he could do "if they really came?" In other words, is what we think we want really what we want? Or is it the act of wanting itself that fuels us and gives us purpose, and not the object of our quest? And how can anyone not wonder if he would be up to the challenges he has set for himself? If he got what he says he wanted, could he handle it. As luck would have it, of course, he get to find out exactly what he would do as the room begins to shake and lights flash (in a scene I found visually stunning and incredible tense-- as I said, vintage X-files). Duchovny handles Mulder's greatest dream and worst nightmare coming true quite well; we see that the answer to Mulder's quest-ion is that he would be terrified and do him damnedest to fight anyway (too bad his gun wasn't helping much).
The best of Scully is present in this episode as well. Granted the "Mulder runs off and Scully rescues his ass" formula has been used in episodes both before and after this one. But I found the clever, competent, quick thinking she displayed impossible to complain about. She uses her formidable investigative skills to locate her wayward partner, refuses to be intimidated by the Suits who try to do so and outwits the aloha-costumed bad guys at the airport. And when she does find Mulder, Anderson makes her worry for Mulder a living, breathing thing. She touches Mulder's forehead gently, asking if that is where the little green men really are and grips his bare arm, trying to talk sense into and and get them both to safety as the military team sent to kill them the closes in (and causing shippers worldwide to feel short of breath). And the beginning of the episode gives her a little character moment as "Mrs. Spooky" waxes philosophical over her class autopsy, pondering, as any scientist with depth would, how those organs she is removing somehow all add up to...life.
And finally, the sense of our heroes going one step forward, two steps back is a common one for this show. We journey with them, worry and fret, come full circle...and nothing has changed. Sometimes the show makes it work, as that is a common truth of life and we feel their anger. Sometimes it does not. I felt it did this time, because the note we ended on was refreshingly positive (almost out of character, but I'll certainly take it) as Mulder regains his will to keep fighting, even if it means gritting his teeth and taking whatever assignment Skinner hands out ("I still have my work; I still have you; I still have myself"). That scene with Skinner also gave a beautifully unexpected moment where Skinner gets a glimpse into the Evil that is CancerMan. My jaw dropped when I realized Skinner's gritted, "Get out" was not directed at Mulder! A wonderful momnet by Pleggi. The Dynamic Duo has no more evidence than they did to begin with, but the purpose of the narrative, rekindling Mulder's passion for his quest, was thus accomplished.
For a solid, layer script, excellent performances and almost relentlessly stunning X-files visuals that created quite a sense of excitement, but remembering that this had been done, and considering it was not quite One Breath or Anasazi, I give this episode 9 tic tacs out of ten.
SWILS Note: She's just precious in those glasses.
MulderDrooling: Sweaty!Mulder in a muscle shirt-- YUM!