The X Files - My Struggle III

I want to believe.  I really do.

The X-Files returned for season 11 with a premier that will test the faith of it's followers.  

Sorely.

The mythology we've come to know and love has once again gone under a revision.  Something we've should be getting used to I suppose.  It's a big twist considering where we left off season 10.  But it's not the only twist.

Our faith in the series will also be tested by the late revelation in this episode.  This time dealing with our beloved Agent Scully and the ever nefarious, Cigarette Smoking Man (CSM).  This particular reveal, I must admit, saddened me.

To me, it was another tale of "parentage upended" and the violation of an empowered woman.  The X-Files can always be credited with being up to date and topical.  But a woman of power being violated?  Again?  Painful, and sadly, a bit cliche.

But, it isn't all bad news.  There is a lot to discuss including some major player story arcs, the introduction of some new players and and whether the "Truth" or "Lies" are out there. 


Scully or CSM Centric?

We may as well start with the CSM since he gave us that stirring prologue wherein he seemed to take credit for every major event of the modern era.  It was a little humorous to hear him go on and on especially since he cited his "gift" for shaping events.

Faking the Moon landing was one of best.  That's how heroes are made!  Interesting to note, Skinner accused CSM of playing the hero in their little "car conference" at the end of the episode.  Something CSM was quick to dismiss.  But it got me to thinking, Since we got our normal "I Want to Believe" card to open the episode which dissolved into "I Want to Lie".  It made me think back to my question of, who is really authoring "My Struggle" when it comes to these episode titles?

If it's the Cigarette Smoking Man (Carl Gerhard Busch Spender.)  Then when, "I Want to Believe" dissolves into, "I Want to Lie" it makes me think that almost everything that comes out of his mouth is a mis-truth in some way, shape or form.  Especially, in light of Scully's vision!  (As a narrative device.)

Who can be trusted?  Are they both unreliable witnesses?

So, to get back to my point of "Centricity".  This really did seem like a CSM episode.  After taking credit for virtually every major event of the late 20th and early 21st centuries he drops a bomb on us by revealing he is the father to "William" the son of Scully and Mulder.

This was an "ew, gross" moment for a lot of people.  It especially generated a lot of consternation on Twitter.  But before we get too disgusted, can we really trust this version of events?  If the CSM is the author of "My Struggle" and he "Wants to Lie".  (The, "My Struggle" author.)  Then the answer is simply no.

Also, who among us really wants to see that split between Mulder and Scully when Mulder finds out he is not the father.  No one.  Its just more of the story we don't want to see turned upside down.  Plus, don't forget, Scully told Mulder near the end that William is reaching out to both of them.  Would that be plausible if there was biological connection between father and son?  (Has Mulder had any visions?)

More importantly, why isn't William reaching out to CSM?  Especially if it could mean spoiling Smokie's plans?  If CSM is such a threat then why doesn't William seek to thwart him.  You know, makes his brain seizure permanent.  

Perhaps CSM isn't the father after all.


Scully

You could argue this is really a Scully-centric episode.  Truth be told, I am leaning that way.  I should also mention, it seems that Scully and or the CSM will impel this season with their own narrative, and Mulder will be there just to ride along.  Let's hope that isn't true.  At the very least he should get a Mulder-centric episode like the one with the Were-Monster.  Or perhaps something like the Mushroom episode.

So, when we first meet Scully she is seated in Mulder's office.  I captured that moment in the pictured posted just above.  Here's what happens next.

  

Scully wakes up to find a team of Paramedics and Mulder standing over her.  It was all a vision.  The season 10 finale and who knows how much else was just a dream.

That's a lot to digest!  It makes one think, is Chris Carter the author of "My Struggle"?  Is he the one that "Wants to Lie" as our title card tells us?  How much of this can we believe?

Well, it is official.  It was all a vision.  A vision that William apparently compelled Scully to experience.  It's a bold movie to make your past season finale just a dream.

What shall we believe?  Will any of the 14th St. bridge events come to pass?  If Scully does successfully meet with William, as is her mission now, then why should any of that happen?  She'll have the stem cells and thanks to the efforts of her and Agent Einstein they will know of the cure.

Crises averted.

An odd narrative choice to start the season and frankly a bit of a cheat in my estimation.  But as the video linked to above shows, Carter had this planned out all along.

Knowing this, it really should be a Scully-centric season with the race to find William the great motivator.  

That being said, Scully's health should be called into question.

If William is reaching out to her and we know these visions she's getting are as debilitating as a seizure, then she is in big trouble for the coming season.  How many times will she be rendered Hors de combat?  Will it affect her duties?  It should.  How many times will she crumple into a ball and have the paramedics called for her?  Not to mention she was assaulted in her hospital bed after she had gotten into a car accident.  By any stretch of the imagination she should be greatly impaired!

Yeah, I doubt it too.

Add to this, this being Gillian Anderson's last call as Dana Scully.  Then this season should be all about Scully.

The Syndicate Revisited

 

Pictured above is "Mr.Y" as portrayed by A. C. Peterson.  He certainly has smug and arrogant down to a science.  I think Mulder was right about doubting his story.  Colonization of space.  Bah!  

I noticed "Y" is appropriately dressed in the "Royal Purple" befitting his status.  Either that, or his purple shirt has him ready for a funeral.  His?  Smokie's?  If had to bet, my money would be on the CSM.  He doesn't lose too many fights.

Also present is "Erika Price" as played by Barbara Hershey.

I can't wait to see what she brings to the table.  Nothing funereal about her.  Although, if you want to colonize space, you'd think you would want to start with a younger couple.  Just teasing "Y" and "P".  Hmm, do you suppose "Y" is for the chromosome he brings to the table.  Yuck.  The father of our future in space.

By the way, I suspect Scully and Price will have a throw down before the season is over.  (Even if it just a matching of wits.  Bring it!)

Odds and Ends Old Home Week Edition

 

We have a lot of odds and ends this week starting with Agent Spender.

Good to see his face again scars and all.  Poor dude.  He's been keeping one of the biggest secrets ever in William's hiding place and he's suffered for it.  (BTW, William is hidden with the Van de Kamp family.  Sounds a little fishy to me.)

I have to ask though, if The Syndicate wants to find William why try to run Spender down before they learn that information?

Did anyone else look up season two episode 9 of the X-Files?

I did.  The episode was called "Firewalker" and it was pretty much a stand alone monster of the week episode.  There doesn't seem to be too much of a connection between that entry and season 11 of The X-Files but it is still early.  In that episode, Scully risked being exposed to a malignant spore but she cleverly dodged it.  

Update!  Thanks to Vicki on Facebook the "209" reference refers to episode number 209 of the series.  Duh!  Next time I'll leave the sleuthing to Skinner.

Old pal Monica Reyes is back.  She was last seen in "My Struggle II" to close out season 10.  Of course, that never happened now that we know it was all just a vision.  So I guess she's not feeding cigarettes into CSM's blow hole anymore.  Come to think of it, CSM looks a lot better than he did in Struggle II.  

So, once agian I have to ask, how reliable is that vision if it doesn't match today's reality?  Something that is supposed to portend the future.  The tin foil hat theory would be that this is an alternate time line as teased out by Mulder in a season 11 trailer.   Would they really go there?  I'd be staring at the ceiling all night!

Scully should retain the info she got from "Vision Monica" though, which would be helpful.  We'll see how that plays out.

The man's man is back.  Thank the lord for Deputy Director Skinner.  Sadly, he finds himself tangled in CSM's ever expanding web.  Didn't he pocket CSM's alien plague?  Methinks he uses it to find a cure.  He's one of three parties looking to find William.  (The others being The Syndicate and Mulder & Scully.)  What a race this should be.

You have to love how Skinner shoved Mulder back when Fox once again lost it.  Rightly, he professed to caring about Scully too.

Like a good lawman, he used his detective skills to decipher the blinking in Scully's scans.  Did the ever emotional Mulder catch that?  Nope.  

Please let nothing happen to Walter Skinner this season.  Please.

Anyone else left for old home week?

Miller and Einstein are back.

They were Johnny on the spot when it came to rescuing Scully from her ill advised car trip.  I guess Miller will never have to locate Mulder in Smokie's house and Einstein won't have to help Scully with the cure for the Spartan plague.  It was all just a vision.

I was watching the Pilot to the X-Files the other day and Mulder called Scully "Einstein" when they were verbally fencing in his basement office.  Do you suppose that is where the inspiration for Agent Einstein came from?

Here's our best look at William.  A little shaky.  Is this a manifestation of how Scully sees him during one of her visions or is he suffering from having to communicate those visions in the first place?  I bet it's a lot of both.  If Scully is suffering then I bet William is too.  Get these two together quick!

Cool Zone

 

Back in the day one of the coolest scenes put to film was the car chase between Steve McQueen's 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 and the bad guy's Dodge Charger 440 Magnum in the iconic movie, "Bullitt".  

Care to guess when was the last time you saw these two cars locked up in a heart pounding duel?  That's right, Wednesday night when Mulder took his modern day Mustang and locked horns with today's version of the Charger.  

Somebody in the X-Files production team is a classic movie

car chase fan!

The title to next week's X-Files episode is, "This".  Does that mean we'll get a nod to Robert DeNiro's, "This is this" soliloquy from 1978's "The Deer Hunter"?

God I hope so.  We'll be breaking all sort of cool records this season.  

See you next week!