Veiled Vesta

Finally saw the trailer (not on the official website because they suck. ) and I loved it! Saw it half a dozen times and got so giddy I was hit upside the head by my annoyed brother. I had my head phones on and I didn't realize I was squeeing so loudly. I'll vote on season 3 episodes after I post all my recaps which seem to be going slower than usual because I realized I have finals this coming week. This is what happens when I focus too much on The X-Files and not enough on school. I know, I know, blasphemy but that's real life for ya'.

Without further ado, my thoughts on the next episode of the viewing party list. Mulder angst awaits!

One Breath

(**Side Note**: I was SOOO glad Scully wasn't gone for too long! God, if we had gotten more than one episode without Scully as well as Mulder doing nasty things with a wannabe vampire, I was going to start drop kicking people - maybe drop kick Mulder myself, which sounds crazy, I know, but if The X-Files has taught me anything it's that you've gotta believe. On to the episode!)

What a pretty blue sky and clouds. I sense a metaphor coming. And here it is, right on time. Mama Scully is doing a special voice over: Once on a nice autumn day, when Dana was a little girl, she was cavorting in the woods with her brothers. Little Dana had always been a tomboy and for her birthday, her brothers got her a B.B. gun. That's a pretty cool gift, actually. You can use it to shoot down some lunch (not just animals but fruits hanging in trees), you can impress potential crushes, and of course, you can use it to threaten the same brothers who gave it to you if they start being bossy. That's the gift that keeps on giving. Well, it just so happens that in this flashback, Bill Jr. found a garter snake to shoot at. So even when he was a kid, he was kind of an ass. They all shot at the snake with the B.B gun, and little Dana, always the approval-seeker, shot at the snake too. Because she's awesome, even as a child, she actually did hit her target and when she realized it, she went to the snake and took it into her hands, looking all sad. Even though she was "deathly afraid" of snakes (I suspect it's the same way that I'm "deathly afraid" of seeing Krycek naked – that is to say if I ever encountered my "fear", I'd just avoid it and move on, and yes I'm comparing snakes to Krycek nudity, so enjoy that visual as long as you'd like, Krycek fangirls), she cried for it and held the animal as if "sheer human will could keep it alive." Surprise: it can't. And that's why Dana is not a doctor. Well, not one for living patients.
We end this little flashback and realize Mrs. Scully was telling this story to Mulder. He says it's too soon and they can't give up. She sort of indirectly addresses the question by saying something about how she knows now what her daughter felt for the snake (a weak metaphor at best) then she reveals the tombstone she got for Dana Scully. Mulder looks unhappy, and I don't blame him; this is worse than her non-answer in Beyond the Sea. The lady sure knows how to be vague. Maybe everyone on this show is "deathly afraid" of speaking directly and without mincing words.

Opening Credits! Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo... I can't believe Scully's mom gave up like that. I suppose she's facing the cold hard facts and statistically speaking, Scully's chances of being found alive get lower with every day she's gone but what about Jesus? Isn't he all about optimism and never giving up? Or am I mixing him up with Buddha again? Good thing our plucky agent will survive, and she'll have herself a free tombstone to boot. That's the kind of positivity that comes from Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed.

There's an X-File in Mulder's apartment (is it Scully's file?) and he's presumably dealing with the grief of being the only one who's holding on to hope that his partner is alive. He's watching TV with people moaning and we never quite see what show it is but I assume it's crucial to the grieving process. Yeah... if I see someone's snake I might squirm. Suddenly, Mulder gets a phone call and you don't have to be a psychic to know that it's news about Scully. Yes! Scully Is Back! Sound the trumpets and say "Boo yeah!" to Death and Mama Scully because they were so damn sure she was a goner! In honor of her return, let's rough up some hospital orderlies, Mulder! He's rushing down the hospital corridor, shoving a nurse along the way because ain't no one gonna stop him from seeing his Scully. 'Authorized Personnel Only' sign be damned! He's in her room in 3.2 seconds and the sight that greets him is not pretty. Scully looks horribly injured if the tape on her face, the many machines hooked up to her body, and the dreariest little balloon ever are to be believed. Mrs. Scully is by her daughter's side. Hey, she's not authorized personnel. Mulder asks who brought Scully here. A nurse comes in to calm him down. Hah! Mulder is now shouting his question. The nurse tries to tell him that she doesn't know how Scully got there so Mulder targets his rage on the doctor. He gets in the doctors face demanding to know how Scully got there and who did that to her. His paranoia is rather endearing in this scene, I think. After Mulder starts looking for information on Scully himself, security finally makes an appearance and drag Mulder away, virtually kicking and screaming. It's all so beautiful... almost as touching as his grieving process. Heh.

After a nice sedative cocktail, Mulder is willing to listen to what the good doctor has to say about Scully's condition. Her formerly-negative mother is there as well. Looks like she's comatose, and no one at the hospital knows how she got there. The doctor has no idea how long she's been like that, how long she'll stay that way, or even what caused the coma. According to her living will, if she should ever be in such a vegetative state, she wants them to pull the plug on her. Mulder signed it as her witness and boy is he kicking himself now. Back in Scully's room, we are introduced to the Scully hippie sister. She's got a crystal above Scully's body and when Mulder walks in she tells him that she's been told not to call him Fox. Mulder asks who told her that, and she tells her it was Dana, of course. Mulder informs her that if Scully talked or moved in any way, the machine would have told them. She got the message from Scully's soul. Wow. Can you imagine analytical Scully growing up with her free-spirit sister? That's the kind of wackiness that comedy sitcoms thrive on! 'Here's a story, of a lovely lady...' (wait, that's The Brady Bunch) 'Hello, world, here's the song that we’re singing...' (no, that's The Partridge Family... did The Odd Couple have an opening with lyrics? That's the song I'm looking for! Anyway, Scully's mom comes in to let Mulder know that the hippie chick hovering over the comatose Scully is actually her sister. To say Mulder is shocked would be putting it lightly. Now that Scully's mom told everyone that the hippie chick is called Melissa, she leaves her and Mulder to debate whether Scully will be cured with a shiny rock. Melissa tells Mulder that Scully is currently waging a war inside her mind as to whether to come back to them or go to the great beyond. This inner struggle looks alot like a boat ride. This episode is giving you an extra dose of visual metaphor: we see Scully sitting in a little rowboat that's tied to a small pier. Mulder, Melissa, and a nurse are standing on the dock, enjoying the scenery. Well, maybe not so much with Mulder because he thinks Melissa is full of crap and Melissa insists that his negative chi is keeping him from "feeling" her aura or something... Mulder takes matters into his own hands. Namely by asking for help from his newest informant: X. He summons X by taping that letter on his window and waiting. It's like the bat signal but way more frustrating. And kind of evil. Mulder waits and waits and waits... looks like X-man isn't coming Mulder. You may throw a tantrum now.

In the hospital, Scully's got herself a cool little visitor. Cool and little like a penguin is cool and little. Seriously, who wears a tuxedo to visit someone at the hospital? The sentiment was nice though, along with the flowers. I am of course talking about Frohike, the only member of the Lone Gunmen who pulls off Mulder's innuendo and crush on Scully without the assistance of a Mulder-like body. That's a damn good talent. When he asks for Dana Scully at the front desk, it catches Mulder's attention. Yeah, he's been there for a while it seems. The two men are at Scully's bed looking all somber. Then Frohike takes a look at her charts and notices that something is weird. Yeah, the short guy dressed like a butler says something is weird. Time for the other two lone gunmen to make a cameo! Byers (who has some competition in the suit department) compliments Frohike on sneaking out Scully's charts. He says he stuck them in his pants and Mulder quips that there's plenty of room down there. Heh. That's why I love these guys. Langly notices that Mulder looks a little down and offers to cheer him up by inviting to an internet geek-out. Mulder declines and they finally get down to business. Scully's chart shows some medical anomalies. They get help from a hacking genius called "The Thinker". After The Thinker checks out Scully's info via internet, they get the results: she's got branched DNA which seems to act as a tracking system, a "high-tech identity card" if you will. Or rather it would be if it was active. Her DNA's change is the end-result of being experimented on and the chances of her surviving are low. They're 'Scully making a pass at Frohike' low.

Back at the Metaphorical Lake of Life, Scully is still sitting in her little row boat while the nurse from earlier calls her from the dock. She is Nurse Owens, world's sweetest and non-realistic nurse. She's coaxing Scully to come back to the world of the living when she's ready. Nurse Owens promises to take care of her and even kisses Scully's forehead before leaving her alone with the just-entering-visitor, Mulder. Another nurse steps in to draw some blood from Scully and Mulder notices a suspicious man in the other room. After the nurse takes a vial of Scully's blood, the patient in the other room with the suspicious man gets ill enough to get the attention of Scully's nurse and some other doctors. The suspicious man isn't in the room, and in all the commotion, Scully's blood vial disappears. Mulder notices the suspicious man leaving and he gives chase. The suspicious man takes the elevator to the parking garage while Mulder takes the stairs. With his gun out, Mulder closes in on the suspicious man when suddenly he gets blindsided by X! Mulder tells him about the suspicious man who took Scully's blood but X warns him to stop his pursuit. He demands Mulder not try and look for Scully's abductors. Mulder tells him to go to hell. X tells him that he refuses to be put on the spot for Mulder's rash decisions and says that Mulder has no idea what he's getting into. I love how passionate Mulder is about wanting to know what happens to Scully. So much so that even with a gun to his head, Mulder breaks free of X's hold and runs after the suspicious man once again. Mulder finally catches sight of the suspicious man and when he announces he's a federal agent, he gets shot at. The two end up in a laundry room (there's a laundry room in a parking garage? ) and Mulder manages to get the vial of Scully's blood before suspicious man attacks Mulder. The two fight and Mulder is not exactly winning. Tag team! X takes over for Mulder! Cool! Mulder watches as X shoots the suspicious man, execution style. Now Mulder will never know who that man was working for... well, time to go visit Scully for the 600th time.

Scully's mother, Melissa, and Mulder are currently meeting with Scully's doctor. He's telling them the pros and cons of disconnecting Scully's respirator. Maybe the shock to her system will force her brain to wake up. Or maybe, because of her weakened state, the shock will kill her. This reminds me that I should probably make my own living will. Thanks for reminding me of my mortality, X-Files. That's exactly what I look for in entertainment television. Well that and some eye-candy. Mulder thinks that because Scully has branched DNA she can be treated with some kind of designer antibiotic. The doctor thinks that Mulder needs another sedative cocktail. Mulder insists that they study Scully but Melissa steps in at this and says she's not a piece of evidence. I'll agree with Melissa on that little comment. Scully is a piece of something, but evidence is not it. Melissa gives a little speech on the nature of death and how the hospitals prolong patients' lives in a wholly unnatural way. Mulder doesn't laugh in her face out of politeness. Mrs. Scully stops this sorta-argument, saying that the decision has already been made in Scully's living will and she will respect that decision. The plug shall be pulled - it's a moment for the family but Mulder is being invited. The sentiment is sweet but Mama Scully is obviously putting Mulder through angsty mental hell. In Scully's Metaphorical Boat Ride of Life, Nurse Owens watches as the rope that has kept Scully tethered to the dock snaps and she floats away. Plug successfully pulled.

In Skinner's office, Cigarette Smoking Man puts a paper on Skinner's desk and tells him that if he has trouble with Mulder, he'd have no trouble handling him. Unsettling. CSM then takes out a cigarette and Skinner taps a sign on his desk that reads "Thank You For Not Smoking." CSM says 'you're not welcome' and smokes a Morley anyway. He leaves and shortly afterward, Mulder steps inside. Mulder notices the cigarette stub from our little smoking friend in an ashtray. Skinner asks about the incident in the hospital laundry room. Mulder says he was with Scully. Skinner says they found her blood at the scene and Mulder is all too calm when he asks for the police report. There is none and Mulder denies it all with such awesome calmness that it pisses Skinner off. Mulder asks him how it feels to be on the receiving end of the evasiveness and denial of accusations. Touché, Mulder. Skinner wants to know what happened and Mulder says that it was all the "Cancer Man's" doing (CSM), taking his cigarette butt for emphasis. Mulder demands to know who he is and where he lives, willing to give up everything for that information. Skinner points out that he's not a mafia hit man and reminds him that they actually work for the Department of Justice. Taxpayers money at work. But Mulder only wants the info on CSM so he can get justice for Scully. You know, live up to the title in the coolest of ways. Skinner sounds exasperated. He knows how Mulder feels, and he feels bad about what happened to Scully because he liked her. She was the good one of the duo, plus she was easy on the eyes. With all the rationality of an Assistant Director, he tells Mulder that these are the risks they take when they step out on the field. Mulder starts to go but asks "what if [he] knew the risks and potential consequences for [them in the X-Files], but he never told [her]?" Skinner is all too happy to lay even more guilt on Mulder as he tells him that he's as much to blame as "the Cancer Man". Kick him while he's down, why don't you?

There is no more Metaphorical Lake of Life. We are now in a Metaphorical Room of White Light. I suspect it's limbo with less maracas. Scully and her huge boobs are clad in a white dress and lying on a table in the white room. (Seriously, her chest is huge. I've been told it's because this was filmed after the actress, Gillian, gave birth. Those are some nice post-pregnancy boobs right there. Maybe in the X-Files world, being abducted temporarily increases your bust size? I wonder how many flat-chested girls are now going to run out into a field and wait to be taken by aliens ) Scully's dead father, dressed in military uniform, appears before her. He gives a heartfelt speech about how short life is, how he took it for granted, and how it wasn't until he met his untimely demise that he realized he never got a chance to truly tell Scully that he loved her. He confesses that he would trade every medal, commendation, and promotion for just one more second with his daughter. Just so you know, she's unconscious through all of this. He finishes his speech by saying that they'll be together again... (gulp!) but not now (whew!). Soon. (o-kay...) Nurse Owens in the hospital also echoes these words. It is not Scully's time to go. Fight it Scully! Death is a wuss, you can take him!

In the hospital cafeteria, Mulder and Melissa are eating lunch and trying not to sorta-argue again. I hope they steer clear of the jello. I heard there was a tooth in it. Melissa tells him that all the renegade vengeance seeking in the world isn't going to bring Scully back and whoever did that to Scully will get what's coming to them. Such optimism! Mulder asks if she would include him in the list of people who will get punished for Scully's condition and that earns him a confused look. A woman breaks up the uncomfortable silence to ask for change for the cigarette machine. Cigarette machines in hospitals?! Oh right, it's the 90s. I forget that sometimes. Mulder does not and the woman walks away. Melissa tries to ask what Mulder meant but the woman returns to say that there's already a pack in the machine. Morleys. So... she gave up a pack of free cigarettes because it wasn't her brand? Lucky for Mulder because he finds a slip of paper hidden in the pack. It's got an address.

We are now at a dingy little apartment with a crummy movie playing on a small TV and several empty beer bottles and cigarette butts litter the table. yes, this is CSM's lovely abode and I must say, he could really use a visit from those Queer Eye guys. CSM grabs his Morley cigarettes and suddenly hears a noise. He gets up but not before Mulder grabs him and shoves him down into the chair. He yells at him to sit down, though CSM doesn't have much of a choice with that gun Mulder's got pointed to his head. CSM asks how he found him and Mulder shouts at him to shut up because tonight he's asking the questions. Mulder makes angry vengeance look so sexy. CSM will not be threatened because he's tough like that but when he puts a cigarette into his mouth, Mulder pimp-slaps it off! Is it me or did it just get hotter in here? (...Wait, the freakin' oven is on in the other room. But I stand by what I said about this being a hot, angry scene). Mulder asks why Scully and why not him. He does seem like the more logical choice given that he wants to see a real live alien and Scully does not. CSM simply says that he liked her, and he likes him too which is why she was returned to him. Didn't we just go over the "Scully is not a piece of *fill in the blank*?" It's the sweetest thing to come out of the "smoking son of a bitch's" mouth. Creepy. Mulder is slowly losing his cool and CSM knows it. He tells him that he's in his position of power because he believes what he's doing is right and when Mulder questions him about his right to decide what's right, CSM throws the question back at him and tells him he respects Mulder for having the stones to threaten him like this. But he knows Mulder won't shoot him, especially when he plays the "You won't know the truth" card. Damn it. They use that line on him like it's a carrot and he's a starving bunny. Mulder realizes he can't do it and CSM takes a victory smoke. My room is now chilled, half because of the evil of CSM and half because I opened a bunch of windows to let the heat out.

Since Mulder chickened out on his whole vengeance plan, looks like the only honorable thing to do is to quit the FBI. Wait, that's not honorable. That's cowardly! Come on, Mulder, where's that positivity from earlier? Think WWJB&MD? (What Would Jesus, Buddha & Mohammed Do). He already handed in his resignation but Skinner visits his basement office with the resignation in hand and tears it up. This cowardice is unacceptable, Mulder! It's up to Skinner to talk some sense into this broken shell of a man. Mulder tells him that he doesn't know what happened and he's lost himself so he's packing it up. Skinner regales him with the a war story. Back in Vietnam he shot a a ten-year-old Vietnamese boy that walked into their camp because he was covered in grenades. Skinner lost faith in everything after that and one night, his platoon was attacked and all his comrades died beside him. He just barely survived. The point of this story? Umm... life sucks then you die, so how about you suck it up, Fox? No wait, it's actually that Skinner knows Mulder has the will to continue looking for the truth. I think. Mulder is speechless for a moment then has a light bulb moment as he realizes Skinner was the one who gave him the Cancer Man’s address and a free pack of cigarettes. Skinner shrugs it off and leaves. I like him.

Mulder is carrying a box later on and he's at the FBI parking lot when he gets jumped by X. No, no, he's not there for another fight. He's got an airplane ticket for him. The men who took Scully believe Mulder's going to go out of town and they're going to search Mulder's apartment based on a false lead. Mulder will not, in fact, be out of town. He will be armed and waiting for them. X is giving him the chance to redeem himself for the CSM chickening-out thing. X leaves after saying he will not be able to contact him for several weeks. Let's see how Mulder's revenge part II goes, shall we?

So there he is. Sitting alone in the dark with his gun beside him. He looks very angsty and cool. Suddenly there's a shadow outside the door and he reaches for the gun. Then there's a knock at the door so either these men are the most polite covert government assasins, or it's not them. And... it's Melissa. When I first saw this I nearly yelled at my screen because she was going to ruin everything. I seriously thought she was going to end up in some crazy cross fire and Mrs. Scully would end up with even more misery on her plate. But that won't happen. At least not yet. She asks if she can come in. He just stares at her. She insists and he reluctantly lets her inside. She asks why it's so dark in his apartment and Mulder answers because the lights aren’t on. Oh Mulder, even when you're in mental anguish and thirsty for vengeance you retain that charming dry wit of yours. Melissa informs him that Scully is getting weaker and she could go at any minute. She figured Mulder would want to go see her. Mulder says he can't and they have a brief back and forth before she throws another flowery speech at him: she says she doesn't have to be psychic to see that Mulder's "in a very dark place" (Hah!) She says that his acceptance of the darkness won't help Scully, but embracing the light will, I guess. Mulder finally snaps at her, all but calling her a crazy hippie and Melissa accuses him of being a paranoid cynic who just pushes down his feelings and chooses to macho it up by seeking vengeance. She says that Scully would expect more from him. You know, I can't help but wonder if they would be this upset at each other in any other situation. I mean they're both open-minded and willing to accept ideas that are out there. He's a believer in aliens and she's a free spirited hippie who looks alot like Scully... this will be the only time you will see me type that I'm glad Scully was in that coma when Mulder and Melissa met. Melissa's parting words are for Mulder to tell Scully how he feels because "Even if it doesn’t bring her back, at least she’ll know. And so will [he]."

At the hospital, Scully is off the respirator and looking like she's alright but looks can be deceiving. Mulder walks into her room and sits beside her. He sort of gazes at her for a while before putting his hand on hers and this is what he says: "I feel, Scully... that you believe... you’re not ready to go. And you’ve always had the strength of your beliefs. I don’t know if my being here... will help bring you back. But I’m here." This is what Melissa meant by him confessing his feelings? Well it's only season 2 so it's good enough. Mulder sits in for a long wait by Scully's side. I'm getting the warm fuzzies over here. When Mulder returns to his apartment, he finds it completely trashed. Looks like Mulder's revenge part II failed as badly as part I but I cannot bring myself to mock him for it. He slumps against a hallway and starts to cry. Angst and vengeance are really making themselves at home there. Oh Mulder...

Scully’s hospital bed somehow ended up in a forest. Best prank ever or cruelest prank ever? Or both? Actually, neither. It's the brief appearance of Metaphorical Forest of Coma Dreams and it disappears to give way to the hospital surroundings. Scully opens her eyes. Suck on THAT Death! Meanwhile, Mulder has presumably cried himself out and is now on his couch. Is he going to do his special little "TV grieving process" from earlier because that would really ruin the moment. Mulder grabs the phone and as he listens he starts to smile. Thus the angst has been banished for another day. It's an MSR miracle.
Scully is awake and looking nearly good as new! Her mom and sister are already there when Mulder walks in so we won't be getting any declarations of love today. No matter, Mulder is still ecstatic to see she's alright and when Mrs Scully calls him Fox, Scully corrects her, saying he prefers Mulder. Those were the first words he heard from her in many, many weeks but you know it's like poetry to his grateful-Scully-is-alive ears. Scully tells him that she doesnt remember anything after the Duane Barry thing but Mulder says it doesn't matter. He got her a present (awww...) the video 'Superstars of the Super Bowl.' (... Oh. You got me there, Carter). Mulder sweetly takes her hand and tells her he just wanted to see with his own eyes that she was okay. He starts to go but she calls him back. He turns and she tells him that she had the strengths of *his* beliefs. He nods and takes out Scully's signature gold cross necklace from his pocket. (It was the only thing left of hers when she was disappeared in Ascension.) Was he just going to leave a minute ago without giving her back her necklace? Don't know why I think that's kind of sweet. I just do. Mulder tells her he was holding the necklace for her and Scully says thanks. He leaves her with her family, alot happier than when the episode started.

Later on, Scully fiddles with her necklace and asks a visiting nurse if she could see Nurse Owens. The visiting nurse is confused and Scully explains that Nurse Owens was with her, being all sweet and motherly and coaxing her away from Death's door. The visiting nurse says there is no one at that hospital by that name. So was Nurse Owens a guardian angel? That would be a bit cheesy for The X-Files. Maybe she was a secret double agent sent by CSM to make sure their subject survived above all else, and let's give her some Alien Bounty Hunter healing powers to boot. There. That sounds more plausible, at least in terms of the X-Files.