I really don't even know where to begin with this
humble little review of "The Red and the Black." I was blown away
by a lot of things and relieved by a lot of aspects as well. For the first
time in a while, this *felt* like an "X-files" to me, like the
show I fell in love with via Blockbuster reruns. First off, the teaser was
fasinating. In true nebulous X-files fashion, we were fed images and words
of paranoia that seemed to be sourceless. All we have are words like "monster"
and
"horror." We don't know how is writing the letter, who is delievering
it, to whom, or really even when this is set. I was fascinated.
The scenes between Mudler and Scully and the implications for their relationship
were what got me emotionally. I was glad to see the senstive side of Mulder
as least mostly return. "I'm just very happy to be here talking to
you." The scene with Mulder and Scully in her hospital room broke my
heart. I understood intellectually why she needed to tell him she could
not follow him blindly anymore. I was glad for it even as I cried. She needs
him to trust her and follow her now as she did him, and I don't know what
I would have done with my poor heart if he had refused. His anger for what
they did to her and his clear sadness at her hard word struck me. I was
glad that he did not react in anger but rather with an offer to help "give"
her the memories she needs to deal with unexplained experience that has
effected her so deeply. She is a fighter and will not just accept not having
answers, any more than he could. I am glad she was not asked to. It is like
she is starting from where we saw him five years ago. This was reaffirmed
in the scene where Mulder and Scully report to Skinner about her session;
he understood what she was going through like no one else could have. Yet
hearing him count it as false (as he now counts his own story of Samantha)
was clearly painful to her, even if he did acknowledge that is was a powerful
experience. He should know. It was painfully ironic to see her now forced
into the position he has been in so long: with an experience that her senses
tell her to be true and meaningful yet which is not beleive by those close
to her. He of all people should understand the need she feels for answers.
He offers to help, realizing he needs her to "stand by him" as
much as he needs to
stand by her. Her regression scene was incredible, too. It seemed very significant
of me that she chose, again, his solution, that even as she struggled with
blaming him for all that has happend to her, she trusts him. She has come
a long way, too. His expressions as he watched her fight her terror were
affecting. Because I found the hospital scene so painful, I was glad he
was there for her (they were even holding hands...but from a distance, which
seems a visual representation of
their relationship throughout the episode, united even despite her grief
and anger); she seemed to be relieved he was there as well..."You were
there the whole time?"
On a different note,it seemed at this point that they had offically switched
roles, and I was not glad for it. I *like* Scully as skeptic. It is so much
of what I admire in her: the intelligence, the
determination to find the Truth, the refusal to accept easy answers. I found
myself praying it would not last, that she would not make the mistake Mulder
has tortured hiself so long with by accepting what had happened to her at
face value. In another wonderful scene, she comes to
Mulder (which did my battered little heart even more good after the Hospital
Rift Scene) and tells him she has "reconsidered." Of *course*
she has reconsidered. To just accpet this would fly in the face of all she
has stood for the entire Show!!! My heart got battered a bit more by the
scene with Agt. Spender as he tried to place the blame on Mulder for all
that has happend to Scully, and tried to tempt her to do so as well (he
and Brotehr Bill should go bowling sometime). Interesting the way she defended
him even as she clearly is thinking the same thing (kudos to Goddes Almighty
for her divine ability to communicate these kind of things without words).
Spender obviously gets her to thinking, yet ironically, she ends up at Mulder's
after his little run in with Commrade Kryckek. While we are here in the
plot, I LOVED that "kiss of Judas" he gave Mulder. It caught me
utterly of guard and sees to fit his slippery, treacherous character to
a tea. Anyway, Mulder has been contemplating his and Scully's...their...destiny
and they are off to
follow Ratboy's lead. Part of me wanted, after all she had said in the hospital,
to see her aruge with him a little, but I admit to being so relieved that
she didn't hate him that any protests on my part would have been halfhearted.
:).
The end scene blew me away, as well; I said in the beginning that this ep
*felt* like an X-file to me. Maybe what I meant was, it looked like one,
compelte with dark, rainy nights, ufo-fly bys, Mulder and Scully sneaking
into a high security place (he can't be old enough to call someone "son"!
he sounded like Skinner) and flashlights illuminating a darken military
vechicle. Again, I started to wonder here why Scully wasn't allowed to get
in on the action, why she was just left in the car, but I decided that it
was illegal and not something she approved of anyway. And I appreicate the
fact that SuperMulder has gotten away with admittedly brave punkstunts like
this before, and her warnings proved false. In this case, my boy shoulda
listened to The Blessed One. I found the effects in that scene stunning
and classic X-fare: the muted sound, the trembling ground, the blinding
lights, the illuminated figure in light. And Scully's sweet, tentative hand
clasp when he buries his face in his hands was worthy of the Hand Clasp
of Pusher. I also loved
that you couldn't quite tell if his face was wet from the rain...or tears.
From there, we are brought back to the beginning (it ends where is beginns,
in nothingness). It appears Agent Spender has a very important role. Please
tell me he is not Mulder's half-brother. I loved, though, the circularity
of the script; it felt like good storytelling and I, personally, had felt
kinda deprived of that for a
while.
A couple of scenes that made me flashback...Mulder telling Scully where
she was and how she got there reminded me of the end of Endgame. And WMM's
"Do you have the vaccine" reminded me of CSM's panicked "Do
you have the damn tapes!"
All that said, here are a couple gratuitous complaints: NOTHING WAS FREAKING
RESOLVED. But such is this show. And while I am complaining, can I just
express my hope that this does NOT turn out to be aliens. It will, for me
anyway, remove the show from reality and and, for me, lessen its power.
And I found the Consortium scenes a bit cheesy (the
Rebels? What are they, working for Darth Vader?). But hey, they evidently
oilened Marita, so I am happy to let it slide.
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