Veiled Vesta

I also recently saw All Things! My God I can't wait to recap that! (Well mostly the first and last scenes. The stuff in between I can live without.)

It's Monday, and what better day to post my Monday recap than on a Monday?

Monday

**(Special Note: Repeating the same day over and over again, plus some continuity on Mulder's bedroom status? Well color me surprised and amused. Scully angst and Mulder clumsiness make for an episode that appeals to everyone. Oh and we see Mulder shirtless a bunch of times. I'd say that appeals to pretty much everyone with an XX chromosome.)**

We're outside Cradock Marine bank where something is going down because SWAT team in on the scene and cop cars are all around. A woman with short hair, who's not quite pulling off the punk look, watches amidst the crowd. Skinner rushes over to the SWAT guy in charge, showing his badge and looking worried. The lieutenant tells Skinner that the bank's silent alarm was tripped, and they suspect an armed robber is inside, and report a shot was fired. A robber who is not a pro but he makes up for his experience with desperation. Skinner tells him that he suspects two of his FBI agents might be in the bank. One guess as to who those agents might be. The tired looking, not punk woman runs over and calls Skinner's name but gets held back by a cop. Skinner doesn't know her but she seems to know him and she yells at him to not let "this" happen. Perhaps you could elaborate on that, missy?

Inside the bank we see the two FBI agents plus the person who took the shot heard earlier by the SWAT team is none other than Mulder. Surprise, surprise. Scully is cradling him on her lap while his shirt is open. If only he weren't bleeding heavily from that chest wound... Scully looks like she's about to cry as she tries to stop the bleeding. Everyone else in the bank is down on the ground and it's up to the real professional, Scully, to try and talk some sense into the bank robber and save her partner. Her hand is on his face and why is it that they touch each other so intimately when one is near death? I guess that's why they're always hospitalized. though I'm sure if they just asked each other for a hug or something... oh wait, I forgot I was speaking to a pair of agents who are as emotionally open as a doormat. And yet I love them. Argh. As shippers we pledge to share in their frustration while they keep doing this dance of hovering worry and displays of affection when ill, but acting platonically when healthy and working. (Unless they were "forced" to act affectionate while on a case. Maybe a special undercover case where the image of little baby cats are even *more* adorable?) So where was I? Oh yes. Worried Scully and Injured Mulder. And a robber who's got a bomb strapped to him. Not good. Scully tells him in this low, pleading voice that he's in charge and "it doesn't have to end like this". The robber disagrees and just as SWAT enters, Scully yells out this angsty cry; "NNNOOOOOOO!" just before the whole bank explodes, showering Skinner, the lieutenant, and some cop cars with debris. Well that plan certainly went to hell.

Opening credits! When I first watched this episode the first song that popped into my head was 'Manic Monday' by The Bangles (And I'm not alone, just check the link! ). I just knew it would be a great choice for this episode's honorary theme song 'It's just another manic Monday...' or rather, a normal Monday when you're an investigator of the X-Files.

We're outside Mulder's apartment where the paperboy seems to overestimate his throwing strength as a newspaper thunks against Mulder's door. Wait a sec, Mulder's apartment building has a paperboy? That's a bit odd. Yes, out of the entire episode, this is what strikes me as most odd. Mulder's sensitive hearing catches sound of a newspaper being hurled against his front door but his sense of touch lags behind because it takes him like a full minute to realize something is wet. Heh. He catches his reflection on the mirror over his bed (did I mention he's shirtless?) and when he gets out of bed his feet come into contact with a soggy carpet. Looks like his waterbed sprung a leak. (The bed which was obtained in the episode Dreamland II when Mulder switched bodies with a skirt chasing man in black; bet you wish I recapped that one. ) Mulder curses under his breath as he realizes his bed is rebelling against him. What's more his alarm didn't go off because somehow the leak managed to short out his electrical outlet. He unplugs it and I'm just surprised he didn't get electrocuted seeing as how the less-than-pleasant day seems to be unfolding for our favorite believer. He also knocks over his cell phone and it gets wet and rendered useless for the day. The accounting department will be surprised that this'll be one of the more mundane excuses as to why Mulder needs a new phone. Checking his watch we see that it's 7:16 am on a Monday. Nice Omega watch. Mulder is grumbling as he leaves his room but the phone starts ringing and he enters with a pot so he's distracted as he falls forward, tripping over a pair of sneakers he left in the middle of the room. If the waterlogged carpet didn't adequately cushion his fall, we can rest assured that his hard head helped him out. His phone is ringing and he grudgingly answers, after putting the pot down to catch the leaking water. He finds out that the tenant downstairs is getting soaked and Mulder tries to explain the leaking bed situation but he doesn't know how he got the waterbed, and thinks it may have been a gift. The waterbed fairy is not just a myth. When Mulder hangs up, he tries to plug up the hole with a finger but with predictable hilarity, it just makes things worse as the squirting leak becomes a full on spray. He fumbles around with the pot before putting it over the leak. That thing's gotta run out eventually.

So it's been a while since we've seen the basement office (remember that they've been taken off the X-Files in the beginning of the season?) but after alot of myth arc shocks our duo finally got the X-Files back and I believe this is the first episode where Mulder and Scully are back in their office. How I've missed seeing them in there. Goodbye Spender and Snake Woman, the rightful owners of the X-Files are back! Mulder is in the office opening up his paycheck when Scully enters and we find out Mulder is extraordinarily late for the meeting. They're currently taking a break so Scully went looking for Mulder and she asks him what he's doing down in the office. Mulder gives her a cliffs notes version of his crappy, crappy day and sarcastically remarks that he's ready to burst into song ("Zip a dee doo dah", a lyric from a banned Disney film. Alrighty then.) He says he has to deposit his pay so the check he wrote his landlord for the water damage won't bounce. When he asks if she ever had "one of those days", she responds "since I've been working here". Amen, sister. Scully then addresses the waterbed issue, curious as to when he got it. Mulder stops mid-leave, thinks about it, then changes the subject and asks her to cover for him while he's gone. When does she not? Oh! And she says just that.

Now we're at the street corner by the bank where a car pulls up containing two familiar passengers: the bank robber bomber and his girlfriend, the not punk chick, also known as Bernard and Pam. Bernard the bank robber does some road rage insulting before turning to Pam who looks tired and sad. Bernard says he'll just be picking up something and he'll be out in ten minutes. When he gets out of the car, a bicyclist nearly runs into Bernard, and inside the car, Pam silently says the words of both the bicyclist and Bernard. Interesting. When he gets inside, she sees Mulder walking along the street towards the bank, and judging by her "right on schedule, poor guy" comments, she recognizes him. Mulder pauses to look right at her through the car window for a moment, then continues on his way. Pam is surprised because he "never did that before". Maybe he just wanted to see the face of someone who looked more miserable than him on this joyless Monday morning.

Inside the bank, Mulder waits in line while Bernard is off to the side writing his "this is a stick-up" note to give the teller. You'd think he'd have that taken care off beforehand but then they did mention that he wasn't a professional robber. Scully's Monday isn't fairing much better as she's in the most boring meeting I've ever seen. If you've ever considered getting a job as an FBI agent, remember this scene. It's not all dangerous excitement and partnerly sexual tension. After alot of talk about boring figures, including an honest to goodness bar chart, Skinner interrupts to ask about Mulder's whereabouts and Scully takes that as a cue to get out and "look for him". I bet she'd leave even if Skinner asked her to look for CSM and the Snake Woman, and she might even try to hash out their differences if only to stall and keep from returning to that meeting.

Mulder is still waiting in line, checking his watch to see if time has slowed down and he hasn't noticed. Nope. It's just another tedious Monday. Bernard finishes his note, decides his penmanship needs improvement and crumples up the paper before taking out his gun and yelling for the customers to get down because they "know what this is". The worst Candid Camera prank ever? Oh, a bank robbery. This woman next to Mulder gets all hysterical as she begs the robber not to shoot them and finally she and Mulder join the rest of the customers down on the floor as Bernard rushes around demanding the tellers fill up the sack, but he's wise to the tricks of dye packs and silent alarms. Well, sort of wise. Just because he knows about a silent alarm doesn't mean he can tell when it gets activated, like now. Mulder mutters "Zip a dee doo dah" and sees Scully outside walking towards the bank. Mulder gets panicky and yells at Bernard to lock the doors. Awww, he wants to protect Scully. Too bad it's he who'll need protecting, if the pre-credit scene is any indication. Bernard doesn't hear him so Scully walks in and gets his attention and his gun directed at her. Mulder gets up in a hurry to point his gun at Bernard but that damned hysterical woman yells and Bernard turns to see Mulder with the weapon, and he doesn't hesitate to shoot Mulder. Scully has her own gun out now and demands that he drop his weapon but he wont, and tells her to drop her weapon, showing the bomb strapped under his jacket which kind of gives him the upper hand. Scully drops her weapon slowly, looking shocked.

Skinner manages to get out of the meeting himself when his assistant interrupts to give him some news. We all know where this is going. Outside the bank, Pam watches the SWAT team arrive, saying their words before they do, and getting out when she sees Skinner arriving at the scene. Skinner asks for the lieutenant in charge and non-punk Pam runs over, calling Skinner's name. Once again she's being held back by a cop. She actually does elaborate a little more than the last time, telling him to stop the SWAT guys from charging inside the bank. Skinner still doesn't know her. Maybe he doesn't take her seriously because she's rocking the disheveled look.

Inside the bank again, we see Scully taking off Mulder's tie and shirt (nice!) before placing his head on her lap and trying to stop the bleeding with her hand. It's just another angsty Monday. Scully resists the urge to sob her unyielding love to her dying partner, and instead focuses on the bank robber bomber. She asks him his name and when he doesn't answer, she tries to name him Steve. I would've gone for Ishmael or Bangle-boo but that's just me. When he tells her his name is Bernard, she makes sure to address him by name and pleads with him to let her take Mulder outside and get him taken care of. He threatens that if SWAT enters the bank, he'll blow them all up. Scully tells him that they don't know he's got a bomb and he needs to show them but he's not falling for that trick. Scully's voice is soft and beseeching as she says she wants everyone to live and he's the one in control. It doesn't have to end with a big ole' kaboom. He thinks otherwise and we see SWAT entering then see Scully yelling her "NNNOOOOOOO!" just before he flips the switch and the whole bank blows up, sending tons of smoke and debris towards Skinner, the lieutenant, and some cop cars. Despite Scully giving it the good college try, looks like she's not cut out to be a negotiator. Or maybe Bernard was too crazy. Yeah, I'll go with that - I mean what sane man can deny Scully anything when she's all tearful and pleading like that?

Hey, we're outside Mulder's apartment building again! I'm getting that deja vu feeling. The newspaper gets tossed at Mulder's apartment door with more force than necessary. Maybe he doesn't tip the paperboy very well (remember his two cent tip to the pizza boy in Bad Blood?) Mulder wakes up and notices his sheets and pants, and pretty much the whole area around his bed, is wet. Just want to mention once again that he's shirtless. That's what's great about watching them repeat the day over again. That and me trying to recap the same events but adding different comments. Like Mulder's pretty, yellow pajama pants. Reminds me of a banana. Who's the first one who'll crack the obvious "is that a banana in his pants" joke? Getting out of bed, he notices the soggy carpet and then pulls back the covers to find the leak in his waterbed. A low, half completed curse and he looks at his alarm clock to see it's not working. Mr. Handy Man does the tried and true, "bang the appliance against a table" but of course, it still refuses to work. His cell phone gets knocked over in the process and upon picking it up he actually pours water out of it. Think the banging method would work on it? Mulder's product placement Omega watch shows us that it's 7:14 am on a Monday. The day is repeating! ...Okay, I'm sure you all figured that out a long time ago, but for the one or two of you left that still didn't realize, I'm here to assure you that Monday is indeed repeating. See, that's why this episode is titled Monday. Alright, so he leaves his room, comes back with the pot, and actually sidesteps his sneakers lying in the middle of the room. The cosmic gods will not stand for this. After Mulder answers his ringing phone and apologizes to the guy downstairs who's now also gonna have a crappy Monday, Mulder tries to unsuccessfully plug up the leak. He stands up, walks back a bit to look for something to stop up the leak, and then he trips backwards! Sneakers: 2, Mulder: 0. Thank you cosmic gods. The phone rings again but Mulder's bad mood gets the best of him and he ignores it while leaving the room to curse sneakers and waterbeds.

Turns out it was Pam calling Mulder at that second. Curses, foiled again. Pam hangs up just as Bernard enters and asks who she was calling. She says nobody and tells him to forget it. He tells her there's something he has to do and he wants her to go with him, but since she knows the bank robbery routine and it's outcome, she refuses to go. She tries to convince him to go to work but he's a janitor and no one will know if the janitor is missing. Unless there's a giant spill or someone pukes or something. Bernard says that he has a plan (yeah right) and things will be different for them tomorrow. Pam finishes his sentence and looks like she wants to cry or laugh or maybe hurl a heavy object against something as the two leave. It's 7:17 am.

We're at the X-Files basement office once again, where Mulder is trying to take out his check but sort of rips a corner and isn't that just the cherry to his crappy Mondae? (Like a sundae, but I substituted Monday... ) Scully enters the office to tell Mulder that he's late for the longest FBI meeting in history (don't forget most boring). During their break she went down to look for him and asks why his cell phone isn't working. Mulder seems to be trying to put tape on the rip in his check and he asks her if she ever has one of those days where she wishes she could rewind and start all over. Funny he should say that. Scully says she does, especially since she started working on the X-Files and alternately battles freaky monsters as well as her feelings for her partner. (Okay, the last part is implied). Scully muses that even if they could start their day over, who's to say it wouldn't turn out the same? Mulder and Scully get into a discussion about fate vs. free will. I guess I believe in both to a certain degree. Mulder segues his argument about free will with the crappy morning he had and Scully asks him about his waterbed. I'm sure he'd make a cute innuendo/joke about her wanting to test it out with him, if only it hadn't sprung a leak. Scully decides to deposit his check for him while he joins the meeting. Like I said, she'd do anything to get out of that snooze-fest of a meeting. By the way, how nice is it that Mulder trusts her enough to deposit his check for him?

Inside the bank, Scully waits in line while Bernard is in his corner, writing a slightly different version of his "this is a stick-up" note. He's not even going to use that, so why bother? At the office, Mulder is taking his sweet time finding all the notes he needs to present at the meeting and prove he actually does paper work in his weird division. He looks down and sees his check on the desk. Turns out he gave Scully the check stub, not the check. It's just another forgetful Monday. He is not as amused as I am and he leaves his office with the check.

Once outside, and close to the bank, Mulder gets stopped by disheveled Pam. She calls him by name and tells him not to go into the bank because today is the day Bernard kills everyone in the bank, including him and her partner. Mulder is confused but doesn't dismiss her, since he's heard crazier stories. She tells him that the last time she relived the day, he looked at her as if he remembered her and she hopes he does remember and hopes he takes her advice. No dice, especially when he hears the gunshot from inside the bank. Mulder rushes across the street, ignoring cars that could've run him over, and we all know it's because he's afraid that gunshot was directed toward Scully. It was not, rather instead the hysterical woman got shot. Now I don't normally cheer when innocent people get shot... so anyway, Mulder sees Bernard and Scully in the middle of a stand-off and he pulls out his gun, demanding Bernard drop his weapon. Bernard says he'll shoot Scully but Mulder is all "What do you think I'll do then?" Awww, he'd totally empty his clip into the bank robber bomber if the dude tries and plug her in the shoulder. Bernard reveals his trump card: the bomb under his jacket. Scully tends to the hysterical woman while Mulder tries his hand at being a negotiator, with some help from Scully. The teller is the one who ruins it all as she tells him she tripped the alarm and police are on their way. SWAT team and Skinner aren't even there as Bernard flips the switch and Mulder gives his weaker rendition of the Scully "Noooo!" (I suspect he'd probably match her urgency if Scully was the one bleeding in his arms). Pam ducks behind a car to take cover from the explosion and she just looks miserable while her smudged mascara gets even smudgier as she cries. There's always tomorrow.

We are, once again, outside of Mulder's apartment building. I'm getting that deja vu feeling times three. This time we get a quick cut montage of the newspaper boy smugly taking his frustrations out on his customer's paper, three fold. By that I mean we see that little scene of the paper hitting Mulder's door happening three times, so it's safe to assume that our FBI agents repeated that same Monday another three times. I'll thank the writers for not replaying the whole day three more times because there's only so many different ways to recap the beginning scene with Mulder. Drawback is we get less shirtless Mulder but that, my friends, is why we have pause buttons on our DVDs. Mulder wakes up all cranky that his waterbed is soaked and mentally mutters something about waterbed fairies punishing him. He is shirtless, of course, and his alarm didn't go off, his cell phone gets knocked down, and his home phone rings informing him that he's the weirdest sound sleeper for not realizing his bed was wet but somehow being woken up by a newspaper hitting a door several feet away. That's why he's Spooky Mulder, neighbor dude. Looking at his Omega watch, which reads 7:15 am on a Monday, he realizes he's late and gets up to presumably get that pot for the leak but he actually manages to trip over his sneakers on his way out of the room. We don't see him but we do hear him say "oww" and hear a satisfying thud as he injures his pride and maybe a rib or a knee. It's just another repeating Monday... it's just another repeating Monday... it's just another repeating Monday...

Over at the FBI hallway where Scully managed to sneak away from the dull as dirt meeting, she tries to call Mulder's cell phone but gets a recording that the cellular customer is not responding. Those phones may have amazing reception but they're not waterproof. Scully is at the elevator when Pam, with a tour guide pass, rushes over to warn her not to go to the Cradock Marine bank on eight street. She also tells her to keep Mulder from going to the bank too. The tour guide comes over to drag Pam away but she warns that they'll die if they step foot in the bank and then she's gone. Scully is confused and skeptical. This time around, she's the first in the basement office, and Mulder walks in, they mention the record-breaking meeting, then Mulder says he has the weirdest case of deja vu. Scully rationalizes it as usual, and manages a crack about Mulder doing alot of drinking in college. Heh. Scully doesn't believe Mulder's idea that they're re-living that moment to set things right, but when he mentions that he has to go to the bank, she has to relay the information she got from the doom-predicting tourist. She describes her to Mulder, and not wanting to tempt fate, Mulder decides he'll use the ATM machine.

We must suffer to the boring meeting where Scully and I pray for sweet, sweet death (for the droning speaker, above anyone else). Mulder is not there, instead he's at the ATM machine where he finds out that, wouldn't ya' know it, the machine is out of order. He notices Pam across the street, standing by her car and walks over to her, matching her to Scully's description then asking if they've met before. She explains to him that the day keeps repeating and even though little details change, it always ends in the same exploding way. She's the only one who's reliving that day over and over, saying no matter what she does, her boyfriend always manages to get to the bank and she concludes that the variable that needs to change is Mulder and his partner not going to the bank (because apparently she's tried stopping everyone else inside all those other times this day has repeated). So will Mulder listen to her?

Yes, for once in his life Mulder thinks about things and decides to err on the side of caution, joining the meeting extraordinarily late. He notices that Scully is gone, and when he asks her whereabouts, Skinner says she just left, probably to look for Mulder. Oh son of a... Mulder has to go after her. He does and inside the bank we see Scully looking around for Mulder while Bernard scribbles his "this is a stick-up" note but decides to screw it and whips out his gun and start the all too familiar robbery scenario. The hysterical woman gets all hysterical and Scully is forced to kneel down on the floor, trying to get to her gun while Bernard is distracted by the woman in hysterics. And this is why he shot her last time around. Before Scully can draw her weapon, Bernard turns and tells her to keep her hands visible. And that's when Mulder comes charging in. He actually shoots Bernard and Scully gets up to check on Bernard, while Mulder follows. Bernard has enough strength to open his jacket and reveal the bomb strapped to his body. Mulder and Scully stop in their tracks, with Mulder repeating "He's got a bomb" over and over again. He's probably hoping to embed those words deep in his mind so they stick even as he repeats this day tomorrow. His photographic memory would be awesome if he did manage to remember. Bernard activates the bomb and we don't get another explosion, just a fade to black.

How many times have we been outside of Mulder's apartment building this episode? I'm getting that deja vu feeling in slow-mo! Well that's an interesting change up. The paperboy delivers his paper. Shirtless Mulder wakes up and feels his feet hit the watery carpet. He looks at his watch and it's 7:15 am on a Monday. He has his familiar phone conversation with his pissed off neighbor downstairs. We don't see him fall in slow-mo. In the office, Mulder signs his check and acknowledges he's late for the blah-dee-blah meeting when Scully comes in. He asks her to cover for him as he heads to the bank. It's just another abridged Monday.

We're at the street corner by the bank where Bernard and Pam pull up and get ready to do it all again. Pam is despondent and Bernard asks what's wrong. She tells him that nothing ever changes and he doesn't get the real meaning as he proclaims that soon everything will change. We'll see. Bernard gets out of the car and nearly crosses paths with a bicyclist, and once again, Pam silently says the words of both the bicyclist and Bernard. Once inside, Mulder walks by her car but stops and tells her that she looks very familiar to him. She doesn't even bother to try and explain, just letting him go inside the bank and wait in line. He notices Bernard scribbling his stupid note and Mulder officially has awesome photographic memory because he whispers "He's got a bomb" over and over again. Way to beat this convoluted time loop, Mulder!

Scully must suffer through the dreadful meeting with the current speaker who puts Mulder's monotone to shame. We now see a line graph. Dear God, when will it end? Skinner's assistant calls for Scully and she leaves, thanking the gods of crazy situations for this temporary reprieve. Mulder is on the phone for her and he needs her to do a favor for him. Whatever you want, Mulder! :away: Outside the bank, we see Pam just sitting there, ready to relive the explosion part of the day for the hundredth rime but this time Scully is by her car door and gets her attention, asking Pam to follow her along inside as per Mulder's instructions.

Bernard just about finishes his note when Mulder, in one of the dumbest moves I can recall at the moment, puts his gun on the note, telling him to take it. I know negotiators tell you to try and earn the person's trust but come on. Mulder knows that he has a girlfriend waiting outside for him and knows that he's got a bomb. He tells Bernard that he's in charge of what he does, and he says if Bernard chooses to walk away, there will be no consequences. Bernard thinks it over for about two seconds before pulling Mulder's gun on everyone in the bank and commencing the robbery. Good thing Mulder has the back-up plan. And here it comes in the form of a scared Pam and a confused Scully. When Scully sees the gun in Bernard's hands, she reacts and pulls out her own gun yelling at him to drop the weapon. Pam is sure this plan is about as useful as the FBI meeting is to the plot but Mulder tells Bernard about Pam reliving the same day over and over again. He says it's making her life a living hell and Pam agrees while Bernard is aggravated. He demands Scully put the gun down and Mulder tells her she has to do it because Bernard's got a bomb. It looks like things might just be all right as Pam tearfully tries to get her boyfriend to leave. Too bad the cops decided to come driving over. Bernard gets livid and aims his gun at Mulder but when he shoots, Pam jumps in the way, taking the bullet! Bernard is stunned. He finally lets go off his gun and drops to his knees where Mulder gets the chance to cuff him. Scully calls 911 after checking on her and Mulder kneels beside Pam to hear her say that "This never happened before". Who knew it was Pam herself who was the variable?

This'll be the last time we're outside of Mulder's apartment building this episode. The paperboy does his thing and Mulder wakes up but he's not shirtless! And he's sleeping on his couch! When his phone rings, he picks it up and we see that it's Scully, not some angry, wet tenant. Mulder's watch tells us that it's 7:20 am, Tuesday. Hoorah, they all got to the next day! Mulder also walks over to get his newspaper and probably doesn't know the secret vengeance plotted on him by some punk newspaper delivery kid. Scully assures him that he's not late but she and Skinner are curious about the report he's going to make on the robbery the previous day. She's wondering how he knew about the bomb. He dismisses it as a feeling. She wouldn't have believed him if he told the truth. Maybe he doesn't know the truth himself. Scully definitely doesn't remember because she wonders about Bernard's accomplice, Pam. Mulder says she wasn't an accomplice, just a gal who wanted to get away. He looks at his paper which has the headline 'Woman Dies in Robbery Attempt'. The woman's picture is Pam. Well that's kind of sad. It's just another sad closure... Tuesday.