Veiled Vesta

I don't suppose you have a link of all these icons, Tanith, or even have a few examples, yourself? I'd love to look at some Mulder/Scully prettiness! And I managed to find the original picture which is gorgeous, by the way! Man, I can't wait for the movie!

Oh, and I'm glad you all like my recaps so far. Makes me glad I joined the fandom and can contribute something I enjoy doing. One of my favorite episodes is up next. The return of dumb, creepy Tooms.

Tooms

(**Side Note**: It's the return of Tooms! The first monster that Mulder faced to save Scully! And just like the last episode, this one also has an adorable M/S scene. A scene that damn near rivals Squeeze's necklace fondling scene. Ah, memories...)

Well we're back in the mental facility/prison that Tooms was put in. And there he is, his evil eyes all yellow and creepy, trying to stretch his arm to reach the lock of his prison door. You know, if he could actually stretch far enough to unlock his cell door why didn't he do that earlier? I mean, how long does this take place after Squeeze? A few months? And he's just now trying to escape? Now I'm not saying that's stupid... I'm just saying it's the opposite of smart. Yeah, the guy is an idiot, just like his doctor. Speaking of which, here he comes now, along with a prison guard to interrupt his too-late escape. The doctor sees him sitting in his cell and informs Tooms that he's going be released soon, looking all glad and cheerful. Argh. He tells Tooms not to worry and to keep his fingers crossed before leaving. He does so and looks all evil while doing it.

Opening Credits! This episode takes place after the previous episode Darkness Falls so it's nice to know our favorite FBI pair have healed up enough to face their season 1 arch nemesis. I wouldn't recommend eating anything during this episode, particularly liver and root beer. You all know why, I'm sure. If not, just know that No-romos love liver and root beer, and they eat it while tending to their bee hives and making shrines to Phoebe, the chick from season two's 3 and *shudder* Diana.

A meeting in Skinner's office? Already? Well I see Scully there but where's Mulder? Oh, wait. Is this meeting to gossip about Mulder behind his back? No, that's tomorrow. Today, Scully's called in because Skinner is having trouble with her and Mulder's unorthodox methods of investigation. Plus the expenses they rack up on all their trips across the states is outrageous:
"Three hundred dollars for phone sex? How is that a bureau expense, Agent Scully?"
"He claims he was under the control of aliens when he did it, um, on 12 separate occasions, sir."
"Giving him a hot female partner was supposed to curtail that behavior."
"Shut up, Smokey."
Yeah... I wish that happened. But no, actually Scully is reminded that they work for the government and must do things by the book, etc, etc. Basically she's Mulder's baby-sitter. I feel like there's a joke in there about spanking when he's disobeys the baby-sitter in charge but I can't formulate it properly. Maybe it'll come to me later...

Meanwhile, Tooms is having his court hearing with Mulder sitting in the back, watching intently, and waiting for someone. The first doctor who testifies says Tooms seems physically normal, the second doctor who testifies says Tooms was frustrated but pretty much misunderstood, and the third doctor, the one from pre-credits, says that Tooms is a nice and sane and all that good stuff. Mulder does not think it's good stuff. For a moment, Tooms is watching his doctor in Tooms-o'vision: where everything gets grey except for his next target. But he quickly snaps out of it because attacking the guy who's standing up for you isn't the best move to make when you wanna appear sane and not creepy. It's Mulder's turn on the stand and he... well I know they made him take the "whole truth and nothing but the truth" oath but he could've left out the stuff about Tooms being a liver eating mutant and being over 1000 years old. I'm just saying, that didn't go well last time around with Colton and his fellow agents, so why does he think it would go well this time around? (P.S: Too bad they didn't mention Colton. I mean, this was originally his case. I didn't expect him to appear but a mention of him doing desk duty or even that he spread the rumor of Mulder being Spooky to discredit him on the stand... oh well.) Scully shows up at the hearing just as Mulder gets to the liver extraction. Lovely. After a nice slide show, which wasn't nice enough to help his case, the judge dismisses Mulder from the bench, pretty much thinking the guy's a loony. Mulder thinks he would've done better if he wore the grey suit. Dude, you could've worn your birthday suit and I still wouldn't believe your crazy theories and the rant near the end. It would be a nice distraction though.

Mulder asks where Scully's been and she tells him about her meeting with Skinner, and how he wanted to "reel her in". Break's over! Back to the courtroom so you can find out Tooms will be released into the custody of a couple whose job it is to assist the crazies back into society. Outside the courtroom, Mulder tells Scully that he's not going to take his eyes off Tooms and Scully tries to offer her help but he tells her to do some evidence searching to prove Tooms did commit those murders that apparently he wasn't tried for. Scully reminds him that this procedure isn't "by the book" but Mulder says something akin to "You gonna listen to the man? I thought you were cool." Well when you put it like that...

Tooms is back at work picking up road kill. Ah, the smell of freedom. He picks up this dead rat thing, shoves it into a garbage bag then licks his fingers! Ick! That's not necessary, I mean do dead, squished rats taste like liver? Why did he even...? Ugh. Anyway, he focuses on a woman, his next victim and just as he heads towards her, he runs into Mulder. Good timing Mulder! He tells him he needs help finding his dog. A Norwegian Elkhound named Heinrich. Really having fun with this, huh, Mulder? Tooms just drives off looking annoyed.

Hey, it's the retired wheelchair cop from Squeeze! I knew I'd see you back again. How's it going, Briggs? Not so good because the one that got away managed to escape after you thought he got captured? And you missed sloppy joe day? Well that's just awful. Scully is asking for his help again, wondering if there's something he might have missed the last time they met. It seems impossible but this is the sequel and they do need him for something so yeah, it just so happens there is a little detail he failed to mention in the last episode, why not: a liver from one of the bodies of the first spree killings. While the first four victims were found, the last one wasn't, which leads Briggs to believe that Tooms hid the body because it had incriminating evidence. Going on a hunch, the two must look for the body in the cement foundation of a chemical plant. They start searching using cool ground penetrating radar. Not much luck so far, but then Briggs gets another hunch and points out a spot on the cement where the body should be buried. He's pretty sure of himself, considering he scoffed at the radar guy for "guessing" where the body is.
Over on the other side of town it looks like Tooms finds his next victim. In the time it took him to give his new target the ole' Tooms-o'vision, Scully and her crew got protective eyewear and ear wear, started drilling into the concrete and found their body. Wow. That Scully sure can work fast.

Looks like Tooms followed his new target to his house, and Mulder followed Tooms. They must've looked like an odd conga line. Tooms' new victim gets to work on his 90s computer while his wife peeks in on him says something about their baby, then leaves him to his work. I guess Tooms likes biding his time because at the moment, Mulder is sleeping in his car. I wonder what he's dreaming of... maybe a very special 'Baby-Sitter's Club scenario between him and a certain red haired agent, um... involving spanking? Nope, still got nothing with that joke. Mulder wakes up and finds that Tooms isn't in his van. He quickly runs to the possible victim's house. Should've checked the manhole cover, Mulder. Inside, the wife is checking out her hair then checking out the toilet which is spewing icky green water. She uses what I can only describe as a drain clog snake; a sort of fishing rod to unclog toilets. Basically she goes to way more trouble than I would trying to fix that darn toilet. If it were up to me, I'd flush a few times then call it quits. Her baby starts crying which distracts her for a while. When she leaves the bathroom, her snake line gets pulled which can only mean that Tooms has found the worse possible way of sneaking inside a house. The chimney from his first episode was pretty bad but this? Gross. The wife returns, tugs on the line a bit, then shuts the toilet lid down and slams the baby proof lock on the lid. Hah! Looks like Tooms' plans have gone "down the drain". Mulder is still in ninja spy mode and Tooms figured out the toilet is a no go so now he's going to try the window... why he didn't just use the window in the first place is beyond me, but then I guess since he likes the taste of road kill rats, a swere is no bother to him. Plus he's an idiot. Mulder finally figures out where Tooms is entering through and uses his FBI badge to get inside. Although they do find an open window, there is not a smelly Tooms inside. Looks like he figured out Mulder was nearby and bid a hasty retreat.

Scully and the local forensic anthropologist are looking over the body from the cement, and they find that there's some bite marks near the ribs. It could be from rats and stuff chewing at the body, but we all know it was from the liver lovin' mutant. The anthropologist says he did a little something that isn't exactly by the book, and Scully says it's fine because only uncool kids do things by the book and she's totally cool. Turns out the skeleton is indeed their fifth victim from the first murder spree, just as officer Briggs said.

Time to present your findings, Scully! And here we go, the lovely car scene. Best M/S scene of the episode. She presents the evidence amassed so far but he's not satisfied. She notes that his car smells kinda funky with all the garbage piled up from his unofficial stake-out. Mulder remedies that with a pine tree air freshener. Heh. He tells her that Tooms hasn't left the house all day, and he's sat through sports games, oldies music, then took a walk around the block when his butt fell asleep. He wonders if she brought him the sandwich he asked for. She says she got him liverwurst. Hah. (BTW: According to Wikipedia liverwurst is a type of sausage patty made up of 20% pork liver. Still doesn't sound too good.) Scully reminds Mulder that proper surveillance requires two pairs of agents, not one pair, and definitely not just one rogue agent who needs to be looked after by a red headed women 3/4 his size, no matter how awesome she may be. Mulder is all "Article 30, paragraph 8.7" and Scully is all, "Quit your anti 'by the book' spiel." She's worried about him because he needs to get some real food in him, get some sleep, and maybe take a shower. Okay, definitely take a shower. She volunteers to cover him. Not in the shower, but on the stakeout. Mulder is all sweet about how he doesn't want Scully to get her record all tarnished because she's not doing things by the book. Scully is all swooning as she calls him Fox; a first! About time too. But it's the only time, because Mulder prefers going by his last name, saying he even made his parents call him Fox. LIAR! ... So Scully calls him Mulder and says she wouldn't put herself on the line for anybody but him. Very nice. He sort of looks at her and she looks at him, then he says "If there’s an ice tea in that bag, could be love." Ohhhh.... I love iced tea! Show me iced tea, Scully! She pulls out the drink... *drumroll* and she says it must be fate... because she brought him root beer. *wah wah waahh* Mulder takes it very well, I think. I, on the other hand, feel like chugging a Nestea and a Brisk simultaneously while cursing Dr. Pepper. Mulder gives her his sandwich, saying he only took one bite. That struck me as kind of cute. Them sharing food already? It may not be iced tea kind of love but it's definitely something. He makes sure to let her know that if anything happens, give him a call, then he suggests some nice radio station to listen to before he leaves. Scully fails to notice that something got into Mulder's trunk. Maybe it's a raccoon. And maybe Mulder will profess his undying love to Scully in the next episode.

You know what always puts me to sleep? Cheesy horror movies. No wait, I'm thinking of what puts Mulder to sleep. After 3 days awake in his car, the insomniac finally gets some shut-eye, and of all the times he could've picked to be "dead to the world", sound asleep, this is the worst. Tooms is unscrewing his vent and he's in Mulder's apartment! There he is, Mulder is asleep and vulnerable and at his mercy so of course he... starts beating himself up. O-kay. But wait, it's all part of his plan to frame Mulder, and make it seem like the rogue FBI agent beat him up. Remember when I said he was an idiot? Yeah, this is like the third time he's proven it. First the late escape, then the failed toilet sneak attack, now these self-inflicted injuries in a lame attempt to get Mulder in trouble? Epic Fail!
Tooms ends up at a hospital where he tells the authorities that Mulder attacked him, even kicked him in the face judging by the shoe print. A detective decides to stop by Mulder's apartment and he IDs the shoe print that was on Tooms' face. He arrests a confused Mulder who looks down to see a loose nail. From his vent. Oh, looks like he's got an 'aha' moment!

Skinner has invited Mulder and Scully into his office for this latest meeting. I guess when your FBI agent is accused of attacking a recently freed man, it tends to look poorly on the management. Mulder uses his forensic know-how to plead his innocence and argue he was framed. Skinner brings up the fact that he was doing an unauthorized surveillance of Tooms before asking how Tooms could've gotten his shoe without him noticing. This is where Scully steps in and lies for her partner. Awww. That's so nice of her. And Skinner isn't buying it so it was nice but unnecessary. She's lucky that Skinner likes her. He asks to speak to Mulder alone. Not alone-alone because the Cigarette Smoking Man is still there but even if he wasn't you know he'd be listening in with his super advanced spy equipment. Skinner calls him Fox... is everyone going to call him Fox in this episode?
"Hey Fox, I totally framed you with that shoe thing, haha!"
"Did you get our latest issue of the Lone Gunmen, Fox?"
"I don't suppose you're going to answer to those phone sex charges you made in the expense reports, huh Fox? ... Fine, I get it. 'Shut up, Smoky'. *mutter*"
Skinner respects our crafty Fox but says if he's going to be pressuring those around him to be cool and disobey "the man", that's not gonna fly, you dig? Okay, I'll stop. He forbids him to go near Tooms and Mulder does not throw a hissy fit as I'd have hoped.

New evidence is uncovered on Tooms. About time. They got Tooms' dental records and matched it to the bite marks on the body using super cool computer software. Well, cool for the 90s. Meanwhile, Tooms is hungry for his last victim and looks like his stupid doctor is going to have to pay the price. There's some talking, mostly on the doctor's side, then Tooms closes the door and goes in for the kill. What trinket will he take from the doctor, I wonder. Because that's a quirk he had last time we saw him. Remember Scully's necklace? Well, no matter. Mulder and Scully get there way too late so now they have to track down Tooms before he goes into hibernation for 30 more years. Mulder thinks he'll go back to his old apartment but Scully tells him it's been torn down to make room for a mall or something. Wow, that's quick work. Tore down a building and built up a new win in presumably months; what contractors are they using, and where can I get them? They find out that Tooms' approximate nesting area now has an escalator covering it. I say, improvement. Scully is ready to climb down and get him but Mulder is all chivalrous and stops her, saying she can get the next one. Very cute. He takes off his coat, and tie before getting down under the escalator. There's slimy bile in the little tunnel and he keeps going until he finds the nest. Scully is trying to keep an eye out for Mulder but can't really see down that long tunnel. Mulder gets closer to the nest and suddenly gets attacked by Tooms! First thing to go is Mulder's gun, so now he's defenseless. Tooms is all covered in the yellow bile and now Mulder is fairly covered by it. Gross. Mulder knocks him back and tries to escape. This reminds me so much of the Scully vs. Tooms showdown from last episode, but she actually did better than Mulder. Though, too be fair, the "arena" was more open and less slipperier in Squeeze. Grab Scully's hand, Mulder! Quick! Oh no, he's got Mulder's leg! You're a tall, lean runner, Mulder, stretch a bit for goodness sake! He finally gets away and grabs Scully's hand. She is strong enough to pull him out; yay Scully! Then Mulder quickly presses a button to start up the escalator and Tooms gets caught on the metal stairs. That plays into the virtually non existent fear I now have of falling down an escalator at the mall and getting diced up. Ouch.

Skinner reads over their report. Case closed on this mutant. He looks over at Cigarette Smoking Man and asks if he believes it. CSM responds that of course he does, so I'm assuming that's worth the unorthodox methods our duo uses to get their answers. And a few hundred bucks worth of (900) number minutes. Well, that solves the mystery of the freaky liver eating mutant, once and for all.

But wait, one last scene. It's foreshadowing goodness as they look up at a caterpillar in a cocoon (somehow not reminded of their Darkness Falls adventure). Mulder muses that it's amazing how things change. Scully thinks he's talking about the caterpillar but he actually means a change for them... like a change in hourly rates for her sitting services? Because he should definitely give her more bang for her buck. Yeah... that's all I got.