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Dana Scully: 'Baby' Her and You'll Be Peeing From a Catheter

Bastet

By Bastet
in The X-Files [V]

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Bastet

Bastet

This is the place to discuss the enigmatic Agent Scully.

I'm a t-shirt wearing denizen of Camp Scully, and my hat is off to Gillian Anderson for that.  It's hard to play the straight man, especially when your character is the skeptic on a show about the paranormal.  Not to mention when your character is a woman written almost exclusively by men.  But in Gillian's capable hands, Scully became a fully-realized character. 

One of the many things I love about Scully is her ability not to lose sight of the individuals affected by their cases, seeing them as people rather than pawns in the larger game.  As an example, I love her sheer frustration in Unruhe.  They can't get Schnauz to crack, they didn't figure things in time to avoid a second kidnapping and they didn't find that victim in time to prevent the lobotomy.  And this pisses her off as an investigator.  I love it. 

She's also extra pretty when she's mad, so there's that. 

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smrou

smrou

(edited)
I'm a t-shirt wearing denizen of Camp Scully, and my hat is off to Gillian Anderson for that.  It's hard to play the straight man, especially when your character is the skeptic on a show about the paranormal.

Just yesterday I was listening a two-year-old episode of Extra Hot Great during which the canon submission was "Jose Chung's from Outer Space" and one of the comments that I think David made was that it was nice for Gillian to get an opportunity to inject a bit more humor than usual into her portrayal of Scully.  And I totally agree.  It was so nice when she got to have a little fun with Scully and not be so serious.  Playing the straight man/skeptic--especially on a show when the character is constantly being confronted with paranormal stuff but has to keep spouting skeptical lines in the face of sort of ridiculous evidence to the contrary--can be thankless, but Gillian did it in a way that made it possible to really identify with and respect Scully.

 

She's also extra pretty when she's mad, so there's that.

Well, I mean, she's always so pretty. 

Edited by smrou
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Taryn74

Taryn74

Totally agree to all of the above!

 

I think one of my favorite things about Scully is that when she can actually SEE (or hear, or touch, or whatever) something paranormal that she can't deny, she doesn't go into "la la la I CAN'T HEAR YOU" mode, she just accepts it for what it is and keeps plugging on.  Even when she's determined to come up with some kind of explanation that makes sense with what she knows, she doesn't completely dismiss something just because she can't explain it yet.

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smrou

smrou

(edited)
I am watching the pilot again after 20 years. My goodness, Gillian was so young.

God, it always freaks me out when I go back and watch some season one stuff.  Gillian was a baby.  It's jarring and also adorable.

But I do think she is more beautiful now than 20 years ago.

Good lord, she's so gorgeous these days.  I marvel at her beauty.

Edited by smrou
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Bastet

Bastet

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God, it always freaks me out when I go back and watch some season one stuff.  Gillian was a baby.  It's jarring and also adorable.

The scene in the pilot where she's sitting on the bed before Mulder asks if she wants to go for a run with him -- she looks about 16 years old to me.

I think one of my favorite things about Scully is that when she can actually SEE (or hear, or touch, or whatever) something paranormal that she can't deny, she doesn't go into "la la la I CAN'T HEAR YOU" mode, she just accepts it for what it is and keeps plugging on.  Even when she's determined to come up with some kind of explanation that makes sense with what she knows, she doesn't completely dismiss something just because she can't explain it yet.

I generally love Scully as a scientist, and did from the pilot.  "The girl obviously died of something. If it was natural causes it's plausible that there was something missed in the post-mortem. If she was murdered it's plausible there was a sloppy investigation. What I find fantastic is that there are any answers beyond the realm of science. The answers are there. You just have to know where to look."

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IndependentMind

IndependentMind

Yes. I think she said she got the job at 24. And yes, I am mystified by how gorgeous she is as she gets older. I remember seeing the last X Files movie and I was like "She is so gorgeous".

Scully was just a different female character than what we see nowadays. She doesnt have to be kicking butts for us to say she is strong. We just know it.

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AntiBeeSpray

AntiBeeSpray

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One of my favorite Scully pictures! I just love that 'totally GETS Mulder even when she doesn't agree with him' smile :) 

 

I hope he gets that one for a completely different reason this time around  >:).

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amensisterfriend

amensisterfriend

(edited)

I can't either, Taryn! It's just in my 'favorite female characters' folder (yes, I'm geeky enough to have one!), so I wanted to share :) 

 

Scully actually took a few episodes to grow on me. I never disliked her, but I found her a somewhat flat character when I first started watching and found myself quietly wondering whether I'd ever 'get' the big deal about her. I soon fell totally in love with her, though---I love how she's a cerebral, introverted brainiac yet still so quietly brave and badass.  I love how she's calm and poised yet still capable of such deep emotions. She's interestingly, relatably flawed (sometimes rigid, stubborn and skeptical to a fault, etc) yet a woman of so many strengths. And I love how beneath the serious exterior lies an awesomely sly, snarky humor. I kind of want her as my real life BFF :) 

Edited by amensisterfriend
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M.F. Luder

M.F. Luder

I like that particular scene. Darin Morgan talked about it on the X-Files Files podcast and he said that the network wanted him to rewrite some things so that it makes sense why Scully was sad when Clyde dies at the end of the episode. But, he was pretty adamant that even though the connection that Scully feels with Clyde wasn't apparent on paper, Gillian and Peter's performances during this scene (when they're talking in the hotel and he tells her she doesn't die) would sell it to the audience. He was absolutely correct about that :)

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Blandings

Blandings

Quote

 She was intelligent, strong, compassionate, high morals, and didn't compromise her integrity.

Quote

My hero and inspiration.'

Same here. I also like how someone noted that she's one of the few cerebral introverted females we get to see on TV.

She's not perfect, which is a relief since it's her flaws that makes her such a rounded and complex character. She can be a little uptight, distant in a protective way, too structured and inhibited, too unwilling to trust her heart and instincts. She is more comfortable dealing in facts than feelings, especially when those feelings are her own. That's a perfect contrast to Mulder, who's all about feelings, instincts and impulses over knowledge, facts, calm and thoughtful decision making. Now I'm getting teary about how perfectly they complement each other.  

I like how Scully's faith was always a part of her character. I'm not religious myself, but it's refreshing to see a character who's both an intellectual and religious and who believes that faith and science can coexist. 

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