S11.E02: This

[luna1122]

35 minutes ago, domina89 said:

Did anyone else get a feeling of "Home" with the opening scene of the creepy guys driving an old car to a small home to murder people with a peppy song playing over it?  When the episode started for a split second I thought we were going to get some kind of sequel, especially knowing Glen Morgan was the writer.

absolutely...I didn't think it was any kind of sequel, but the drive with the creepy thugs, the old music...completely diff kind of music and creepy thugs, but absolutely eerily similar....that's why I said in my post above that the opening sequence was evocative. Also why I loved it.

[DaynaPhile]

1 hour ago, domina89 said:

Did anyone else get a feeling of "Home" with the opening scene of the creepy guys driving an old car to a small home to murder people with a peppy song playing over it?  When the episode started for a split second I thought we were going to get some kind of sequel, especially knowing Glen Morgan was the writer.

*waves madly*

I thought if they played that song any longer it was going to be ruined for me forever just like “Wonderful” was, along with whatever other one I can’t remember but I know it when I hear it. 

4 hours ago, Happy Harpy said:

The scene in the bar was my favorite, Mulder turned on by badass Scully.

Who isn’t? ?

[ganesh]

I think the whole peppy song playing loudly to portend Ominous Things has been played out for a while so I didn't really care for it. To be fair though, it was foreshadowing Langley's appearance; it was the same song that Langley said was played every night and it was playing in Chili's too. So they at least had some direction to it.

[Taryn74]

Well, that was a fun romp.  I didn't like, super love it! but I certainly didn't borderline hate it (the way I did Weremonster.....sorry, guys, I just can't with that one).  I have a feeling in the old days this would have been one of those episodes where it gets classified as a mytharc ep, and you have to stop and remember that oh yeah, it did have Barbara Hershey in it for a couple of minutes, and she's apparently tied to the mytharc now, so it counts, even though it feels like a MotW and doesn't advance the mytharc at all.  (Kind of like Red Museum.) 

Or then again, maybe it will be the Key to Everything.  We'll see.

Did anyone else think the long haired guy looked like CSM in a wig?  Until they did a closer shot of him I totally thought it was supposed to be a different version of him and I couldn't figure out what in the world they were trying to sell us now.  Heh.

So one of the grave markers in Arlington Cemetery is completely backwards and nobody has noticed?  Okay then.

I kept expecting them to find out (or at least suspect) that William is in the simulation.  Which would be incredibly sad on the one hand (because it would mean he is dead already in this world) but would explain a lot.

Telling Mulder he could choose to not use his cell phone made me legit LOL. 

I think we were supposed to "get" that whatever this latest group is, has falsified information so that M/S can't return to their office....or something....and that's why they had to meet with Skinner in secret, but then it makes no sense that Scully kept giving her badge number, and....you know what?  Whatever.  This show give me a headache sometimes.

I guess the Lone Gunmen really are dead, then?  *sad*

But Langly has had a wife/girlfriend/SO/whatever she was, all this time?  You go, dude.  It's a shame she went 16 years without being chased/killed, but five minutes with our Dynamic Duo and she's toast, but that's life in the X-Files world.  Although I guess getting killed in this world just freed her real self for the next one, so it's a good thing?  Or something?  Gah.  Must focus on fun innuendos instead.

Speaking of - "Why do you operate so well with your hands cuffed behind your back?" "As if you didn't know."  More of this M/S.  Please.

[luna1122]

22 minutes ago, Taryn74 said:

 

Did anyone else think the long haired guy looked like CSM in a wig?  Until they did a closer shot of him I totally thought it was supposed to be a different version of him and I couldn't figure out what in the world they were trying to sell us now.  Heh.

he really does! check him out here, without all the long hair in his face. he really does look like CSM. I think that can't be accident, but I have no idea why he would look like him. CSM has another son? his name on this was Softie Boy, which: ??

 

 

Quote

 

I think we were supposed to "get" that whatever this latest group is, has falsified information so that M/S can't return to their office....or something....and that's why they had to meet with Skinner in secret, but then it makes no sense that Scully kept giving her badge number, and....you know what?  Whatever.  This show give me a headache sometimes.

I just assumed that they couldn't go back to their home or office cuz the Russian goons were trying to, you know, murder them.

Quote

I guess the Lone Gunmen really are dead, then?  *sad*

But Langly has had a wife/girlfriend/SO/whatever she was, all this time?  You go, dude.  It's a shame she went 16 years without being chased/killed, but five minutes with our Dynamic Duo and she's toast, but that's life in the X-Files world.  Although I guess getting killed in this world just freed her real self for the next one, so it's a good thing?  Or something?  Gah.  Must focus on fun innuendos instead.

I knew her from "The Returned"...she's super pretty. I'm thinking since they pulled the plug, she's a goner in every spectrum. or not..if there's a backup.

Quote

Speaking of - "Why do you operate so well with your hands cuffed behind your back?" "As if you didn't know."  More of this M/S.  Please.

Yes, yes, yes.

 

Edited January 11, 2018 by luna1122

[david gideon]

This was a lot better than the opener; there were some good bits of dialogue that helped. But the plot...a little too similar to 'The Framework' arc on Agents of SHIELD which aired just last season (they did it better).

[AConspiracy]

14 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I just have no idea how any of this fits into last season finale and this season premiere.

I think these stand alone episodes take place in a different timeline than the conspiracy arc stories.

There have been a conspiracy story the first and last of each season, and monster-of-the-week type in between.

Most viewers like these type of MOTW as they remind us of the original series long ago.

[Sandman]

15 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

The cold open was better than anything we got last week. Thank you, Glen Morgan.

M: I'ma open an X-File on this bran muffin! I need to find out how it's so freakin' good.

S: I don't care if it came out of an alien's butt. I'm gonna eat the whole thing.

Silly, but refreshingly in character at the same time. How much are we betting on

• Mulder and Scully run home-invasion drills in their off-hours; OR
• they just anticipate each other's moves down to the heartbeat at this point?

ACCUSE OTHERS OF THAT [OF] WHICH YOU ARE GUILTY.

Well, my, my! Somebody's getting political with the taglines...

Am I too far behind in the mythology if I say I want Price to be absorbed by an oilien, like, yesterday. (Barbara Hershey can play smug and taunting like no one's freakin' business.)

Edited January 11, 2018 by Sandman

[kokapetl]

1 hour ago, Taryn74 said:

So one of the grave markers in Arlington Cemetery is completely backwards and nobody has noticed?  Okay then.

They should’ve at least spray painted the grass green. The real thing was the most meticulously kept place I saw in the DC area. 

[Sandman]

1 hour ago, luna1122 said:

I knew her from "The Returned"...she's super pretty

Sandrine Holt -- I think of her as from Once A Thief ... with one Nicholas Lea. (Still think of her that way, I guess I should say, some 22 years later... Yikes!)

Edited January 11, 2018 by Sandman
1996?! Oy. SHE. LOOKS. THE. SAME.

[ganesh]

1 hour ago, Taryn74 said:

I have a feeling in the old days this would have been one of those episodes where it gets classified as a mytharc ep, and you have to stop and remember that oh yeah, it did have Barbara Hershey in it for a couple of minutes, and she's apparently tied to the mytharc now, so it counts, even though it feels like a MotW and doesn't advance the mytharc at all. 

Which again is a strong argument for moving away from aliens. There's a private military company slowly consolidating a 'deep state' type control of the government, and their using government contracts to build this virtual world to harness all these dead genuises to further their agenda. That's how you look at the X Files and ask how can the show be relevant in current times. This is the reason why the X FIles need to be reopened, so they can investigate this shadowy organization. It's a great fit for the show. This even gives you the option for the classic "unholy alliance" with CSM. He doesn't want to give up his own shadowy power, but the aliens are gone, his time is coming to a close, but he's still not done yet. 

[car54]

Now I have to go look for this guy.

https://www.avclub.com/ever-dream-this-man-he-could-be-the-key-to-decrypting-1821964397

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, domina89 said:

Did anyone else get a feeling of "Home" with the opening scene of the creepy guys driving an old car to a small home to murder people with a peppy song playing over it?  When the episode started for a split second I thought we were going to get some kind of sequel, especially knowing Glen Morgan was the writer.

Yes, even though it was a different car, and I think maybe only one Peacock brother was alive by the end of Home, as soon as this episode started, I thought of the Peacock brothers.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

2 hours ago, Taryn74 said:

Did anyone else think the long haired guy looked like CSM in a wig?  Until they did a closer shot of him I totally thought it was supposed to be a different version of him and I couldn't figure out what in the world they were trying to sell us now.  Heh.

Someone suggested that the AV Club, as well.  I confess that I didn't see the similarity - as I mentioned there, that character reminded me of Twin Peaks' Bob.  I do wonder if we were left to believe that this character (IMDB calls him "Softie Boy") had somehow escaped the grid and somehow assumed a body.  In other words, maybe he wasn't a tool being sent by Barbara Hershey at all, but someone from inside the grid who was trying to assassinate Mulder and Scully because he knew that Langley was contacting them to destroy the world he now lives in.

[Tachi Rocinante]

I thought the three guys were supposed to be rough impressions of the Lone Gunmen.

Also, who was the goofy agent that had his badge picture in the scanned files?  There was no name on it.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

35 minutes ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

I thought the three guys were supposed to be rough impressions of the Lone Gunmen.

Also, who was the goofy agent that had his badge picture in the scanned files?  There was no name on it.

That's an interesting thought. Which could indicate that Byers and Frohicke also uploaded themselves to this grid.  And maybe Mulder wasn't wrong when he said, "this may have nothing to do with that."  (In other words, Scully thought that the Russian thugs were directly related to the three that attacked them at the beginning, but again, what if they had nothing to do with the Russian thugs. What if all three of those individuals were Lone Gunmen doppelgangers who had somehow escaped the matrix to try to prevent Mulder and Scully from destroying the grid?)

Re: Your second sentence - I missed that in the scanned files but there is this in the EW recap:

Quote

This seems like a good time to note, then, that there’s something off with the photo of the Lone Gunmen in Mulder and Scully’s home: A fourth face looms in the background, and judging by eyebrows alone, it’s almost definitely “This Man,” a viral hoax that claimed people around the world were seeing the same creepy face in their dreams. What does this mean? Is it just a playful nod to the kind of hoax the Gunmen loved, or is it a sign to distrust our memories? (At one point, we flash to the photo after Scully assures Mulder that yes, the Gunmen are dead, and their bodies were incinerated.) It may also be a tie-in to the fourth episode of this season, written and directed by Glen Morgan’s brother Darin Morgan, which looks at the Mandela Effect. A face from that episode, actor Brian Huskey, can be spotted in the files our agents are about to search. How will we remember him in two weeks?

Edited January 11, 2018 by eleanorofaquitaine

[tpel]

1 hour ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

I thought the three guys were supposed to be rough impressions of the Lone Gunmen.

Yeah, I thought we were supposed to wonder if maybe all three Lone Gunmen were there, at least momentarily. If Langly were alive, his hair might be long and gray. One of the others was short and stocky--but younger and maybe African American. So, clearly, they weren't the Gunmen, but it was a visual shout-out to them.

Like many previous posters, I wasn't sure what the hell was happening, but totally enjoyed the ride. The Mulder and Scully interaction was delightful--funny and comfortable. Loved the reference to Kill-Switch. Langly was a hoot, but also poignant. 

In rough terms, I think this is where we are at in the myth-arc: CSM is trying to bring about an apocalyptic event because . . . reasons. Barbara Hershey and her shady crew would like to kill CSM to prevent this, or maybe just because he is evil. But they are kind of evil too, because their efforts to preserve people are elitist. Maybe. Actually, the thing that confused me most was why the personality preservation stuff was supposed to be bad. I mean, Langly et al knew it would be a simulation when they signed up. Yeah, it sucks to figure out that your existence is simulated, nothing means anything, etc. But I'm not sure how that makes them digital slaves, or whatever it is he said.  

[pagooey]

10 hours ago, baileythedog said:

according to his Tombstone, Deep Throat's name is evidently "Ronald Pakula." 

Alan Pakula directed "All the President's Men" which TXF owes a stylistic debt of gratitude to, including the character "Deep Throat."  

Thanks, Bailey! I knew I "knew" this from somewhere, but probably never would have found it on my own. 

I enjoyed this. Cinematic and gorgeous to look at, the cold open especially...and while I am not sure that Mulder and Scully should be kicking quite so much action ass at their ages (if I jumped down a flight of stairs like that, I am pretty sure my legs would just both snap off at the hip), it was hella fun and beautiful to watch. The table slide was glorious! M&S, communicating their every move over the psychic soul bond they OBVIOUSLY have? Magnificent!

And I'll be the first to admit that I would just as happily watch an hour of Mulder and Scully pivoting from couch naps to coffee shops to dive bars or even IKEA, bantering and theorizing and comfortably, sexily flirting with each other. Somehow, my favorite moment was them returning to the general wreckage of the Unremarkable House, picking up a few strewn files (how many times d'ya think these two have picked up scattered/burnt/shredded/stolen paperwork?) and then shrugging and giving up and going to grab another quick snooze together. Their affection and comfort in each other really struck me, in this episode. I careth not, about the conspiracy. 

Poor Langly. I still miss the Lone Gunmen. Even you, Frohike, you old dirty bastard. 

One severe nitpick: I'm an editor by trade. So seeing Byers' headstone reading John FITGERALD Byers gave me a tiny rage stroke. I paused the DVR to make sure, and then it wasn't even some sort of clue. FITGERALD. YOU HAD ONE JOB, HEADSTONE SPELLER. GET IT TOGETHER. 

[queenanne]

18 hours ago, AmeliaBedelia said:

I liked but didn't love this one. I had a hard time hearing/seeing what was going on at times and I was sitting 6 feet away from my tv. Will definitely rewatch this weekend. 

No kidding, I’m so ticked off when it’s so dark I can’t see the actors’ faces!  So sloppy.

[Sandman]

1 hour ago, pagooey said:

And I'll be the first to admit that I would just as happily watch an hour of Mulder and Scully pivoting from couch naps to coffee shops to dive bars or even IKEA, bantering and theorizing and comfortably, sexily flirting with each other. Somehow, my favorite moment was them returning to the general wreckage of the Unremarkable House, picking up a few strewn files (how many times d'ya think these two have picked up scattered/burnt/shredded/stolen paperwork?) and then shrugging and giving up and going to grab another quick snooze together. Their affection and comfort in each other really struck me, in this episode.

Same here.

And I think "Pick up scattered/burnt/shredded/stolen paperwork; vacuum; stack furniture shards in kindling box" is probably on the Chore List tacked to the fridge along with "Weekly Home Invasion drill."

And "Buy more bran muffins," of course. (I think that might be the one nod to their ages in the ep. Mulder always seemed like a KrispyKreme/Morning Bun/Cronut guy, but not so much now. Because bran.)

Edited January 11, 2018 by Sandman

[Soobs]

Better episode than the first even though I eye rolled at some of the action hero stuff. Seemed over the top to me. I do like how competent Scully is as an agent. The first few seasons of this show she was the not the best and had to constantly be rescued. It was so annoying.

Little weird that Scully turns off the simulator and expects that to be the end of it. Then they both go and get help and expect the damn thing to be there when they get back! I mean how many times has this happened? One of them needs to stay there and guard the evidence. I would think that was FBI 101 type stuff. Jeez.

I never watched the seasons 8 and 9 so did the Lone Gunman die then? I thought they had a short lived spin off.

Edited January 11, 2018 by Soobs

[Taryn74]

3 minutes ago, Soobs said:

I never watched the seasons 8 and 9 so did the Lone Gunman die then? I thought they had a short lived spin off.

Yes. They had to lock themselves in an airtight room with an airborne contagion to keep it from infecting thousands of others.  Or something.  (As the recapper put it, they managed to make the actual deaths of the Lone Gunmen boring.  Travesty!)

Their spinoff was earlier in the XF original series.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

On 1/11/2018 at 3:18 PM, tpel said:

In rough terms, I think this is where we are at in the myth-arc: CSM is trying to bring about an apocalyptic event because . . . reasons. Barbara Hershey and her shady crew would like to kill CSM to prevent this, or maybe just because he is evil. But they are kind of evil too, because their efforts to preserve people are elitist. Maybe. Actually, the thing that confused me most was why the personality preservation stuff was supposed to be bad. I mean, Langly et al knew it would be a simulation when they signed up. Yeah, it sucks to figure out that your existence is simulated, nothing means anything, etc. But I'm not sure how that makes them digital slaves, or whatever it is he said.  

Well, if you take the point of view that Steven Moffat advanced in the Doctor Who Christmas special, it isn't necessarily bad. That episode argued that what makes all of us human are our memories, so finding ways to preserve those memories is just as valid a way to live as walking around in our actual bodies.

But this episode seemed to be arguing more a conception of free will than anything else - living a blissful life, where this is no messiness, is fine, but none of those whose conscious were uploaded seemed to have the free will to do what they want. (Though, if my theory holds, that could be contradicted by the long-haired assassin guy).  And so Morgan seems to be arguing that having the free will to make mistakes, to do what you want even if it is the wrong thing, is important.  Plus, there did seem to be some indication that Barbara Hershey's company was using all of those geniuses for her own ends, rather than allowing them to do what they want, which would argue for digital slavery.

Quote

I never watched the seasons 8 and 9 so did the Lone Gunman die then? I thought they had a short lived spin off.

They died in a Season 9 episode called "Jump the Shark."  They got trapped in a hallway that was sealed off from the rest of the public with a deadly contagion.  They essentially sacrificed themselves - together - to protect the rest of humanity.

Edited January 12, 2018 by eleanorofaquitaine

[Taryn74]

20 minutes ago, eleanorofaquitaine said:

Plus, there did seem to be some indication that Barbara Hershey's company was using all of those geniuses for her own ends, rather than allowing them to do what they want, which would argue for digital slavery.

Yeah, I've only watched the episode once but I think the simulation was tied in with the plan to send "everyone" to space (i.e. they'll be sending their consciousness instead of their bodies) and that's the bad thing.  That wasn't disclosed fully.

[pagooey]

4 hours ago, Sandman said:

And I think "Pick up scattered/burnt/shredded/stolen paperwork; vacuum; stack furniture shards in kindling box" is probably on the Chore List tacked to the fridge along with "Weekly Home Invasion drill."

And "Buy more bran muffins," of course.

Shopping list:
Bran muffins
Coffee
Yogurt
Tuna
Limes
Spackle (for patching bullet holes. These two never got back a security deposit in their lives, man.)

ETA ibuprofen, because of all the ass-kicking. 

Edited January 12, 2018 by pagooey

[tpel]

^^^ Sunflower seeds ;-)

[AntiBeeSpray]

21 hours ago, MissL said:

Yas!   This was so much better!!! I didn't understand some of it for sure and there was some -just roll with the crazy moments- but it felt like the show was back.  I even had a moment of "don't go and leave the evidence behind guys it's gonna be gone"...and it was. 

I do love seeing kick ass Mulder and Scully for sure but I felt like the old days was a little more realistic.  They either fought down and dirty and sloppy (or lost) or looked like they'd had FBI basic defend and subdue training. When did Mulder get Jason Bourne fighting skills and Scully become a sliding Ninja? Ok you know what? I'm going with it. It's more dynamic and this appears to be a new show for a new age. 

Favorite moments are definitely Scully startling awake at "chilis", the kids, and the handcuff comment.  Oh and the way they worked together to fight back when attacked and process the scene at the house and competing cell phone hide/not hide/hide again thing.  Just every moment of them working together as a team. Unlike Carter who seems to want to split them at every opportunity Morgan really really let the partnership and understanding shine. 

I've lost track of when Skinner  came the bad guy to them again? When did that happen? 

The muffin thing seemed weird.  You guys think that was an adlib?  

i feel so much better now.... they should never have let CC write for this reboot. 

Yes it was. Gillian mentioned about it via Twitter during her live tweet of the west coast viewing of the ep.

I liked the new ep ok enough. Better than MS III. Still had to deal with a bit of that annoying quick cutting. But thankfully it didn't overwhelm the episode like it did during the previous episode.

[Italian Ice]

9 hours ago, car54 said:

Now I have to go look for this guy.

https://www.avclub.com/ever-dream-this-man-he-could-be-the-key-to-decrypting-1821964397

I noticed that when I watched the show, but I didn't know the significance of him. It does make you go hmmmm as for their theory. It actually makes a lot of sense. Maybe S10 is actually what happened, and S11 is Scully's brain going through an alternative scenario before she ultimately dies trying to save Mulder/William/Humanity.

That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it.

[Cthulhudrew]

This episode was obviously a hoax.

There's no way Langly ever had a girlfriend.

[Ghost of TWOP Past]

I remembered the other thing that bothered me about the ep, and it bothered me A LOT.

Somebody put the whole contents of the X Files on a government server? The files wherein are contained the inner workings of 9 bazillion evil/treasonous/murderous secret schemes? Stuff the Air Force is doing but doesn't want anyone else in the government to know about? Stuff the Army is doing but doesn't want anyone else in the government to know about? Cancer man's real name, CGB Spender, which he doesn't want most people to know about? All kinds of crap the government keeps trying to deny even to its own personnel is now on government server accessible to government personnel? Implicating the Army in JFK's assassination? Semi-alien army supersoldiers no one is supposed to know about? We used to be told that the bad guys tolerated Mulder digging into this stuff for various reasons which didn't make a lot of sense, but at least they could still claim he was just a lone nutjob. But now all that stuff is on a government server, with the implication that it's considered reliable and useful information by the government that committed all the villainy in the first place? Does that make the slightest bit of sense? 

[Sandman]

Well, Skinner did say it was password-protected. ;)

[Yemayah]

Too much of the episode was so dark on the TV screen that I could not see what was happening. To make matters worse, I could not understand some of the dialogue.   I wanted to watch again, hopefully to try and see or hear what I missed, so I re-watched on Amazon Prime the next day. I was pleasantly surprised.  Those who have Amazon Prime will be pleased to know that a beautiful print is streaming.  However, I still had trouble hearing some dialogue but I replayed a few scenes and finally understood. 

[queenanne]

N/m, answered my own question

Edited January 12, 2018 by queenanne

[Sandman]

16 hours ago, eleanorofaquitaine said:

And so Morgan seems to be arguing that having the free will to make mistakes, to do what you want even if it is the wrong thing, is bad.  Plus, there did seem to be some indication that Barbara Hershey's company was using all of those geniuses for her own ends, rather than allowing them to do what they want, which would argue for digital slavery.

I didn't see it as an argument against free will. Morgan seems to be arguing that removing the capacity to choose, even if the world you're in appears to be a Utopia, could make a hell of any heaven. I agree that what Price is setting up appears to be a kind of slavery -- and also a kind of creeping contamination ("We can take a piece of your mind whenever you use your phone..."? So, even if you don't choose to enter This virtual world, it will overtake you little by little? Ughh. Barbara Hershey's characters so often freak me out.

Edited January 12, 2018 by Sandman

[Rushmoras]

Since I don't very much like to see anything related to IT in a television series or movies (just look at Die Hard 4.0), because generally to me they are snooze fest, so this episode was not any exception to the rule. For me it was really really boring. All talking about a virtual simulation (a life after death) bla bla bla bla bla. Plus, what was with the camera during action sequences? The camera moves more quicker than the one on Resident Evil. You can't make out what the hell is happening any more. Furthermore, the ending was like Twin Peaks meets the X-Files. Nah, this episode for me was definately a lot worse than the previous one. Did not help matters that Mulder and Scully talked about people who were dead for more than 20 years, as if I will remember who was Deepthroat or what he did (sure, I remember that he was in Season one, but that's it). Anyways, that's a no from me.

[ganesh]

I don't think they were expecting anyone to know exactly what Deepthroat did, but assuming that fans of the show know of him and that he was killed was probably the intent, which they basically talked about during the scene at the tombstone. 

[Anela]

I barely watched the x-files in the past. I was trying to binge it a few years ago, but didn't watch the whole thing. Intended to go back to it, but Netflix lost it. (I stopped watching when scully lost her mum, because my mum was sick.)

but I just watched this (and watched it last year), and can see why long-time fans love them together. I didn't know what was going on, and missed the scene with the kids, but I just enjoyed them doing their thing. I liked the scene in the graveyard. 

[eleanorofaquitaine]

7 hours ago, Sandman said:

I didn't see it as an argument against free will. Morgan seems to be arguing that removing the capacity to choose, even if the world you're in appears to be a Utopia, could make a hell of any heaven. I agree that what Price is setting up appears to be a kind of slavery -- and also a kind of creeping contamination ("We can take a piece of your mind whenever you use your phone..."? So, even if you don't choose to enter This virtual world, it will overtake you little by little? Ughh. Barbara Hershey's characters so often freak me out.

Oops, typo. I meant to say the "lack of" free will is bad, but forget those words. So, yes, I agree with you, Morgan was saying free will is good.

ETA: I went back and edited that post so that it actually communicates what I meant. ☺

Edited January 12, 2018 by eleanorofaquitaine

[Helena Dax]

Everything about Mulder and Scully in this episode was a delight. Their relationship is a thing of beauty.  They made me laugh several times and I just loved the reference to Hannibal, heh. 

[mirrorrim]

So what happened to the two younger agents, the wannabe Fox and Dana replacements? I wasn't entirely on board with them last season, but I thought it was pretty obvious the show was setting them up to ultimately take over the roles. Now I'm hearing reports that Gillian is not doing anymore X-Files and the creator of the show is not planning another season?? Am I getting this right? Were the two younger actors really that disliked that they wouldn't continue the show with them instead?

Edited January 13, 2018 by mirrorrim

[PreBabylonia]

6 hours ago, mirrorrim said:

So what happened to the two younger agents, the wannabe Fox and Dana replacements? I wasn't entirely on board with them last season, but I thought it was pretty obvious the show was setting them up to ultimately take over the roles. Now I'm hearing reports that Gillian is not doing anymore X-Files and the creator of the show is not planning another season?? Am I getting this right? Were the two younger actors really that disliked that they wouldn't continue the show with them instead?

The two of them passed Scully's would-be assassin in the hospital hallway outside her room and did a double-take, then kept walking. Not exactly stellar FBI instincts, there. (First episode, not second.) I don't think they were disliked but most people are wondering why we need a younger version of the two stars that we know and love. I think they would work better as younger versions of Scully and Mulder if they were to do a prequel. Although they are probably about the ages of David and Gillian when they began the show in 1990.

I watched the two first episodes right after each other, so I wasn't impressed. I think now that my disappoint in the second was coloured by my disbelief and disinterest in the first one. I missed a lot of the wit in this one. I was disappointed that Langly wasn't coming back to life though. I was hoping that he had in reality gone off the grid with the other two Lone Gunmen and Jimmy Bond (from the beloved spin-off - I think I may have been the only person to have enjoyed it). I am looking forward to #5 though - I think that is the one that the critics are praising the most.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Just re watched ‘This’ last night.

I think I like the ep even more the second time around. I kind of view it as the show realizing just how much time has past, how much has changed. It’s not totally about the plot as it is that. The world is still dangerous, only now that much more so and in even more insidious ways. 

As for the plot, I think it was meant to give a bit of a backstory about Erika Price and Mr. Y and who they’re working for.

[Cthulhudrew]

1 hour ago, PreBabylonia said:

I was hoping that he had in reality gone off the grid with the other two Lone Gunmen and Jimmy Bond (from the beloved spin-off - I think I may have been the only person to have enjoyed it).

Not the only one; just one of two, I think. ;)

I still have the boxed set of Lone Gunmen and watch it from time to time. I was never actually into the X-Files when it first aired (just couldn't get into it, though I did like the off the walls funny episodes, like the one when Michael McKean's FBI character switched bodies with Mulder). I always enjoyed the Lone Gunmen, though. Like you, I was hoping that Langly, Byers, and Frohike would have somehow escaped the clutches of death and we'd learn that in this episode. After all, we never saw the bodies.

[domina89]

On 1/11/2018 at 3:43 PM, pagooey said:

One severe nitpick: I'm an editor by trade. So seeing Byers' headstone reading John FITGERALD Byers gave me a tiny rage stroke. I paused the DVR to make sure, and then it wasn't even some sort of clue. FITGERALD. YOU HAD ONE JOB, HEADSTONE SPELLER. GET IT TOGETHER. 

Well I may be in the minority here, but I'm pretty sure a "mistake" that obvious was deliberate.  Just another hint, perhaps, that we are seeing an alternate reality and not the "real" one?  There is quite a lot of evidence that something is not right with this season- inconsistent character behaviors (Mulder cutting that guy's throat, the weirdness with Skinner, Einstein/Miller not remembering Scully, etc.), weird timelines (the jump from 2016 to 2018), continuity issues (CSM's dubbed comment about a maid in "En Emi" that wasn't in the original episode)... I've even seen the argument that Scully's hair is an indicator of an alternate reality.  I just think there's more to this than it seems on the surface and we need to give everyone involved the benefit of the doubt.

[festivus]

3 minutes ago, domina89 said:

Well I may be in the minority here, but I'm pretty sure a "mistake" that obvious was deliberate.  Just another hint, perhaps, that we are seeing an alternate reality and not the "real" one?  There is quite a lot of evidence that something is not right with this season- inconsistent character behaviors (Mulder cutting that guy's throat, the weirdness with Skinner, Einstein/Miller not remembering Scully, etc.), weird timelines (the jump from 2016 to 2018), continuity issues (CSM's dubbed comment about a maid in "En Emi" that wasn't in the original episode)... I've even seen the argument that Scully's hair is an indicator of an alternate reality.  I just think there's more to this than it seems on the surface and we need to give everyone involved the benefit of the doubt.

I've been thinking the same thing since someone in this thread mentioned the FITGERALD thing (which I did not notice). I'm going to be watching carefully because I do think something is up with the weirdness.

[Sandman]

On 1/12/2018 at 5:37 PM, eleanorofaquitaine said:

Oops, typo. I meant to say the "lack of" free will is bad, but forget those words. So, yes, I agree with you, Morgan was saying free will is good.

You know, I thought from the general tenor of your post that there might have been a "not" missing somewhere...

[AntiBeeSpray]

10 hours ago, domina89 said:

Well I may be in the minority here, but I'm pretty sure a "mistake" that obvious was deliberate.  Just another hint, perhaps, that we are seeing an alternate reality and not the "real" one?  There is quite a lot of evidence that something is not right with this season- inconsistent character behaviors (Mulder cutting that guy's throat, the weirdness with Skinner, Einstein/Miller not remembering Scully, etc.), weird timelines (the jump from 2016 to 2018), continuity issues (CSM's dubbed comment about a maid in "En Emi" that wasn't in the original episode)... I've even seen the argument that Scully's hair is an indicator of an alternate reality.  I just think there's more to this than it seems on the surface and we need to give everyone involved the benefit of the doubt.

Could be. But frankly, I'd take this reality over the mess that was s10 any day (in regards to CC's eps -- I want to forget that part of the season EVER existed).

Edited January 16, 2018 by AntiBeeSpray

[eleanorofaquitaine]

10 hours ago, domina89 said:

Well I may be in the minority here, but I'm pretty sure a "mistake" that obvious was deliberate.  Just another hint, perhaps, that we are seeing an alternate reality and not the "real" one?  There is quite a lot of evidence that something is not right with this season- inconsistent character behaviors (Mulder cutting that guy's throat, the weirdness with Skinner, Einstein/Miller not remembering Scully, etc.), weird timelines (the jump from 2016 to 2018), continuity issues (CSM's dubbed comment about a maid in "En Emi" that wasn't in the original episode)... I've even seen the argument that Scully's hair is an indicator of an alternate reality.  I just think there's more to this than it seems on the surface and we need to give everyone involved the benefit of the doubt.

FWIW, I don't it is inconsistent of Mulder to kill someone who was hurting or threatening to hurt Scully. He barely stopped himself from killing Duane Barry after he kidnapped her, and he likely only didn't kill him because he thought he could be helpful in finding Scully. And he shot and killed the guy in "Our Town" who was about to chop her head off (the Chaco chicken sheriff guy) and he shot and killed Schnauz in Unruhe.  Slitting the guy's throat is... extreme but again, not beyond what he's done previously.

I am not objecting to the theory, otherwise, which I think has merit. But I don't think Mulder's actions are evidence of it. 

[Taryn74]

28 minutes ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

But frankly, I'd take this reality over the mess that was s10 any day (in regards to CC's eps -- I want to forget that part of the season EVER existed).

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!  I am LOVING this season compared to S10.  Not even joking.  (In fact, I'm finding M/S far more in character THIS season than last.  If anything is an "alternate reality" S10 would be it for me.  Heh.)

 

2 minutes ago, eleanorofaquitaine said:

FWIW, I don't it is inconsistent of Mulder to kill someone who was hurting or threatening to hurt Scully.

Oh, certainly not, but I agree with the person who thought the throat-slitting was out of character.  Stab him in the side of the neck with a scalpel?  Sure.  Knock him off Scully from behind and then shoot him when he tried to go after her again?  Absolutely.  But grabbing him and slitting his throat?  That was.....odd.

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 minute ago, Taryn74 said:

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!  I am LOVING this season compared to S10.  Not even joking.  (In fact, I'm finding M/S far more in character THIS season than last.  If anything is an "alternate reality" S10 would be it for me.  Heh.)

 

Oh, certainly not, but I agree with the person who thought the throat-slitting was out of character.  Stab him in the side of the neck with a scalpel?  Sure.  Knock him off Scully from behind and then shoot him when he tried to go after her again?  Absolutely.  But grabbing him and slitting his throat?  That was.....odd.

Definitely! Minus Glen and Darin's efforts and what James brought to the table. And I sure as heck wouldn't trade the handcuff innuendo for the world either ;). 

 

That was CC pushing the violence envelope.

Edited January 16, 2018 by AntiBeeSpray