S11.E06: Kitten

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

Skinner goes AWOL when his past comes back to haunt him. As Mulder and Scully try to track him down, their growing mistrust of him reaches its apex.

[janeta]

Damn, Skinner's a tough SOB.

Now i'm going to have nightmares about teeth.

Edited February 8, 2018 by janeta

[chitowngirl]

That’s an hour I’ll never get back. And I especially dislike theses episodes where all the action is in the dark woods. I can’t see a thing!

Edited February 8, 2018 by chitowngirl

[tennisgurl]

Skinner! Backstory Skinner! Supportive Skinner! Leader Skinner! Action Hero Skinner! All of the Skinner! Awesome!

Mulder so perked right up when they mentioned a monster in the woods! I do wish it had been an actual monster, and not more Tin Foil Hat stuff. But, X Files gonna X File. I always prefer monsters and magic and stuff to boring conspiracy's. 

Edited February 8, 2018 by tennisgurl

[AimingforYoko]

12 minutes ago, janeta said:

Damn, Skinner's a tough SOB.

Mitch Pileggi is 65 years old. I hope to look half that good when I hit 65. Many, many years from now, of course. *cough*

[welnoc]

Good god, was that Haley Joel Osment? 

Skinner was damned sexy bleeding on the couch in those trousers and that belt. And then Mulder in the white t-shirt! 

Those two things alone made up for the fake monster crap.

Were Scully & Mulder exposed enough to lose their teeth, do you think? 

[Italian Ice]

So to tie it all in to the likely Finale and William, if you read ghouli.net, you know that William was also exposed to the exact same gas that Skinner/Kitten were, but he had no reaction to it, and he was a CHILD. In fact, he's basically like the gas himself - he can make OTHER people see whatever he wants (like ghouli) at will. William/Jackson also mentions in his blogs that he grew up in a glass room, and was subjected to those tests.  With the DOD trying to get him, it makes me think that William is the ultimate weapon that the government wants as part of its master plan. 

Edited February 8, 2018 by Italian Ice

[callie lee 29]

Skinner is a mf beast!! I love it! I glanced away for a second and he's out of the pit, did he seriously haul his own ass out, alone, after being stuck in the gut with a stake??? As much as I like Mulder and Scully, I'm Team Skinner forever.

And I wish it had been a real monster and not just another government conspiracy. Been there, done that.

[EUROTRASH]

I didn't like this episode. It had some OK moments and that's that. Aside from some quality directing, the rest was quite mediocre. To each their own as always. I also feel really bad for Osment being part of this.

Looking very forward to episode eight though. Episode seven not so much.

[bethy]

I liked that the three of them were on the same page by the end of the episode. I haven't understood why M & S are so hostile toward Skinner - did they know he was working with CSM again? - this season, but I didn't watch most of last season so I'm sure I missed something. So I liked that they were supporting each other again by the time Skinner lost that tooth. Yikes.

I must say that I find DD remarkably better looking at this point in the season than I did at the beginning. In the first episode he looked exhausted and kind of puffy as well as bored to me. But maybe those were symptoms of CC's writing. In that t-shirt at the end this week, though? NOICE. 

[Italian Ice]

Here's the Ghouli.net entry where William/Jackson wrote about his experience with the yellow gas. Sounds like this was an updated version of the MK NAOMI gas, which is what they alluded to in the show tonight. The Van de Kamps sound like godawful people for letting the government experiment on William like that. I still say they paid the VDK's off for access to William, hence the massive house in Virginia after being on a farm in the middle of nowhere Wyoming.

 

https://ghouli.net/2017/10/24/your-imploding-cells/

An excerpt:

Quote

They kept taking his cells, the ones called “stem cells” from his hip bone. He could feel it, even when they put him to sleep. It felt weird. But he healed quickly and now it was an everyday part of his routine.

There’s something special about his stem cells, only he’s not sure in a good way. He thinks maybe instead of helping people – and that’s what dad said he was here to do – it’s killing everything it touches, making other cells sick. Making them implode.

BOOM!

Phase 4.

He thinks they’re afraid of him now. The doctors won’t come inside his room. No one comes in to play with him anymore. He hasn’t seen his dad in a long time. Did they forget about him here?

 Phase 5.

A bright yellow tin cube sat in the middle of the floor. It had a hand crank, like a Jack-in-the-box. Was it a Jack-in-the-box? The Boy approached it, toed it gingerly with his foot. It was so light that it tipped over to another one of its sides.

This side had block letters on it. He was not old enough to really read, but he did know the alphabet and how to write his name. He recited the letters. M-K-C-H-I-C-K-W-I-T. These letters did not spell his name.

He picked it up. Shook it. Nothing rattled inside. It felt empty. Dare he turn the crank? What might pop out? What if it was another big, scary spider?

Curiosity killed the cat. He turned the crank once. Twice. On the third turn, the top popped open and viscous yellow smoke began to fill his own cube. It did not smell like something that he should be breathing in, but what choice did he have? The gas filled his lungs. Irritated his eyes. Irritated him.

He looked inside the tin, nothing there but that yellow stuff, and now its empty.

Phase 6.

They thought the gas had no effect on The Boy. He remained healthy. Strong. Doctors were both excited by this, but also afraid. He could tell from the tenor of their voices. They kept telling him that he was perfectly healthy. Maybe even healthier than he had ever been in his life. Invincible. Like Superman!

But they still wouldn’t let him go outside to play. This made him very mad. He began to cry. He threw a fit, a tantrum. No one considered that this might be a side effect of the gas. They sedated him and tucked him in bed.

They told him to use his words. What would make him feel better?

He wanted to destroy things, he told Them.

And so, that’s what They let him do.

Edited February 8, 2018 by Italian Ice

[WritinMan]

It wasn't great, but I liked this episode, I don't really have much to say about it, though. I think that's the biggest difference between the old episodes and these new ones. The old episodes seemed to generate more conversation. Still, a mediocre X-Files episode is still better than most other things on TV.

42 minutes ago, EUROTRASH said:

I also feel really bad for Osment being part of this.

Why?

[Batgirl]

I thought this episode was just okay. I like Skinner, I just felt like they could have done more with his story and tied it more to recent events, CSM, etc.  

A few things I must have missed... did Davy send the ear to Skinner? Did Kitten kill himself, or did Davy kill him? What was the deal with Davy’s mom? 

[ganesh]

53 minutes ago, Italian Ice said:

  With the DOD trying to get him, it makes me think that William is the ultimate weapon that the government wants as part of its master plan. 

I can roll with this much more than any of the alien garbage. 

I liked the opening. Well done, and the tight shots were suspenseful. 

[SparklesBitch]

10 minutes ago, Batgirl said:

A few things I must have missed... did Davy send the ear to Skinner? Did Kitten kill himself, or did Davy kill him? What was the deal with Davy’s mom? 

I don’t think any of these questions got answered because I was left wondering about them too. 

Still, I enjoyed this glimpse into Skinner’s background. I’ve always had a soft spot for him. 

[EUROTRASH]

11 minutes ago, WritinMan said:

Why?

Because he's a good actor and deserved better than to be part of a very bad X-Files episode. In my view, of course.

And I have to lol @ some comments outside this forum comparing it to "Sleepless" and "Blood". Aside from some rehashed themes, the quality is really incomparable. Those two episodes are spectacular.

[tennisgurl]

5 minutes ago, EUROTRASH said:

And I have to lol @ some comments outside this forum comparing it to "Sleepless" and "Blood". Aside from some rehashed themes, the quality is really incomparable. Those two episodes are spectacular.

I can see it. Sleepless and Blood are certainly better episodes, but they have pretty similar plots. In fact, the episode might be basically a mash up of the two, but with more Skinner. It has the "Vietnam vets exposed to experimental treatment to make them better soldiers, but instead make them crazy and commit war crimes that haunt them later" plot of Sleepless, mixed with the "government or someone dusts crops with creepy poison to make people see things and get violent" plot from Blood. I actually thought of both during the episode. And, while this episode wasn't as scary or tightly written as those episodes, it did have more Skinner, so thats a win. 

[EUROTRASH]

7 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I can see it. Sleepless and Blood are certainly better episodes, but they have pretty similar plots. In fact, the episode might be basically a mash up of the two, but with more Skinner. It has the "Vietnam vets exposed to experimental treatment to make them better soldiers, but instead make them crazy and commit war crimes that haunt them later" plot of Sleepless, mixed with the "government or someone dusts crops with creepy poison to make people see things and get violent" plot from Blood. I actually thought of both during the episode. And, while this episode wasn't as scary or tightly written as those episodes, it did have more Skinner, so thats a win. 

Which is more or less what I said. Re-hashed themes, but in terms of quality incomparable IMO.

[domina89]

Why did it have to be teeth falling out?  <shudder>  

[ganesh]

I actuality went to the dentist today. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 hour ago, welnoc said:

Good god, was that Haley Joel Osment? 

Skinner was damned sexy bleeding on the couch in those trousers and that belt. And then Mulder in the white t-shirt! 

Those two things alone made up for the fake monster crap.

Were Scully & Mulder exposed enough to lose their teeth, do you think? 

Word about Skinner and especially Mulder. s7-s9 Mulder has a new competitor with s11 Mulder >:).

Good question. I hope not. But now I'm wondering how poor Skinner will be affected/how he's been affected by it.

[Affogato]

I liked the backstory reinforcing Skinner’s loyalty to Mulder and Scully. He has reasons not to be a government wonk and a Marine’s loyalty to they people that fight with him. It seemed believable and since this is endgame it is an important note to hit. 

I think it was implied that Dad killed Mom. 

I wish there was less myth and more monster of the week. 

[Frozendiva]

It was a so-so episode. Not a fan of the military type stories. Not my interest. The end scene with the plane spraying the crop/chemtrails reminded me of the corn from 'Fight the Future'. Thought Skinner's condo would have more personality, but it was still a nice two storey unit.

[WritinMan]

1 hour ago, EUROTRASH said:

Because he's a good actor and deserved better than to be part of a very bad X-Files episode. In my view, of course.

I don't think many producers are knocking down his door anymore. Better an X-Files episode than those couple episodes he did of Silicon Valley, in my opinion.

[phalange]

I'm not usually a fan of the non-M&S centric episodes, especially with so few episodes left, though it was better than I expected. Not a favorite, but ok. I guess I missed the explanation for everyone's teeth falling out. Was it just exposure to the gas? I liked Scully coming to Mulder and Skinner's rescue, and Skinner affirming his loyalty to them.

I rolled my eyes incredibly hard at the "chemtrail" at the end. There's already way too many people who believe that crap. They don't need reinforcement! 

[Ghost of TWOP Past]

"I see monster people!" 

I think I would consider this a solid MOTW if it wasn't such familiar material. Soldiers unwittingly experimented upon for the purposes of mind control has been used in multiple episodes, and I found myself really not caring about it happening again. So not terrible, but certainly not memorable. Some notes: 
Why did Mulder pick Skinner's lock instead of getting a warrant or even getting the building's super to open the apartment so they could see if Skinner was inside, sick or injured? 
How did injured Skinner climb out of the pit and somehow beat M&S to the other trap location? 
And I really don't understand what was going on with the mask. How did the son manage to have one in his trailer? Have they been using the same mask since 1968? Was it used both in Vietnam and at the local facility? That are the kinds of loose ends XF episodes never tie up. 

Edited February 8, 2018 by Ghost of TWOP Past

[Bastet]

I was annoyed they gave the one female director of the season (or one of two? one of the few, at any rate) the Skinner episode, but Banker did a good job with it; visually, the episode was pretty damn good.

In terms of writing, I feared this was going to be like an Agnes episode of Moonlighting; sure, I love Miss DiPesto, but as a secondary character – center an episode around her, and that’s not what I’m here for.  Same with Skinner.  But at least this had more of M&S than we got of Maddie and David.  It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good, either.  Kind of like this season.

The government plot seemed reminiscent of a couple of the thoroughly underwhelming episodes from the Scully-light time of season two – Sleepless and Blood?

And talk about allusions to old episodes – Mulder tells Scully to do something, she asks him what he’s going to do, and he gives some vague answer (at least not sarcastic this time) that doesn’t actually tell her where he’s going to be.

But she shows up to save the guys, and I’m always down with that.  How the hell did Skinner get out of the pit to save them in turn, though?

I can’t properly recall the scene from the original series in which Skinner tells Mulder of his potentially paranormal experience in Vietnam (the “I was afraid to look too deeply into that experience, while you’re not” thing), so does this relate to that at all?  I think the part about him having enlisted in the Marines the day he turned 18 was part of that, but that’s about all I can remember.

I have only a couple of random notes, owing to the fact I found this episode neither good nor bad – nothing much stuck.  (It’s a rather unfortunate offering heading into a three-week break.  Back in the day, I’d have been coming out of my hair having to wait.  Now?  I’m quite happy to watch the Olympics and pick back up with the series afterward):

- Mulder’s (actually, DD's) parking job in that wide open space at the curb was funny

- Fanning the “chemtrail” bullshit I can do without; the best part of these conspiracy theory scenes remain Scully’s reactions to them.  But validating it in the final shot?  That’s some My Struggle level crap.

[Mystery]

I could see Skinner in the young Marine in Vietnam, before the had him say his name. I'm wondering if maybe they inserted a few frames of Skinner in there so we'd see it subliminally. Or maybe the young actor just wore Skinner's glasses. 

[JackONeill]

Man, if there were ever an episode where both DD and GA phoned in their performances. The director should have just filmed them as they read from their scripts. Then it could have billed as a “Making of The X-Files.”

[wanderingstar]

Mitch Pileggi has aged like fine wine. Damn.

This was the first episode I watched since the awful premiere, and I thought it was not too bad. I mean, that might have to do with my lowered expectations, but this at least felt more like X-Files of old.

[luna1122]

Well, the chemtrails--which are stupid--notwithstanding, I liked this episode. I wasn't sure I was interested in a Skinner-centric episode, but I like him, and it wasn't JUST about him. Also, I live in Kentucky--there really IS a Mud Lick, KY, tho as far as I know, I've never been there--and I liked that tho this dealt with a very rural area, everyone wasn't shown to be a stupid toothless yokel (tho, hmmm...the teeth falling out...was that a slam? j/k), and I loved the idea of M&S being in my state. I'm lame.

I thought Haley Joel Osment was excellent: he managed to convey equal parts polite Southern deference with cold cunning menace. And you gotta love a big old country boy slightly misquoting albert Schweitzer. He still looks kind of like Fat Mac, which is funny to me, but I found him just terrific. The scene where Mulder has opened the closet to see the monster mask, and then you see that he's IN the mask/suit...creepy!

5 hours ago, Mystery said:

I could see Skinner in the young Marine in Vietnam, before the had him say his name. I'm wondering if maybe they inserted a few frames of Skinner in there so we'd see it subliminally. Or maybe the young actor just wore Skinner's glasses. 

That actor was Mitch Pileggi's nephew, Cory Rempel! And he was a hottie.

"David Duchovny white T-shirted hotness' is making the rounds on Instagram. I think he's always hot, but never moreso than when he's all casual and T-shirted.

[festivus]

40 minutes ago, luna1122 said:

Well, the chemtrails--which are stupid--notwithstanding, I liked this episode. I wasn't sure I was interested in a Skinner-centric episode, but I like him, and it wasn't JUST about him. Also, I live in Kentucky--there really IS a Mud Lick, KY, tho as far as I know, I've never been there--and I liked that tho this dealt with a very rural area, everyone wasn't shown to be a stupid toothless yokel (tho, hmmm...the teeth falling out...was that a slam? j/k), and I loved the idea of M&S being in my state. I'm lame.

It's not lame and I actually really liked the sheriff and his not believing Mulder and Scully about Skinner. I wouldn't either! The only time I can remember M/S coming to my state, it was the episode about crazy religious snake handling people. Ugh.

[Imapanda]

A whole episode devoted to Skinner and still no mention of whatever happened to his wife/ex wife.  Who apparently only existed for one epipsde in season 3.

[MissL]

12 hours ago, bethy said:

 

I must say that I find DD remarkably better looking at this point in the season than I did at the beginning. In the first episode he looked exhausted and kind of puffy as well as bored to me. But maybe those were symptoms of CC's writing. In that t-shirt at the end this week, though? NOICE. 

Right? It was like all the suckiness of MSIII was being absorbed into DDs skin or something. But after that he has looked FINE.

 

Im with everybody here. It was not as bad as I feared but it was still just....meh. I realize XF usually leaves a lot unexplained but generally we get something that Mulder comes up with even if it's outlandish. An explanation on if John really killed himself. Was Davey going crazy because of the gas? Was Davey targeting other vets or was he just practicing while he lured Skinner? I though for a minute Davey WAS John and he didn't age because of the gas and that awful hair was to hide the scar. I just ended up not caring much.

 I too rolled my eyes at the chemtrail thing. I think back in the day when they showed that the Lone Gunman or Mulder were right about some crazy theory it seemed cute and harmless and part of the show but now the people who believe that feel dangerous to me (they organize and apparently they VOTE) especially when I know powerful people listen to the crazies now so I don't like reinforcing it in any way. 

 

I just started a rewatch so i know there were hits and misses back in the day, but wow the show really came out swinging with the first three episodes (Pilot, Deep Throat, Squeeze). Anyway...as I was saying I would think after the thrashing they received for last season they'd make sure these 10 were really on point. 

[eleanorofaquitaine]

8 hours ago, Mystery said:

I could see Skinner in the young Marine in Vietnam, before the had him say his name. I'm wondering if maybe they inserted a few frames of Skinner in there so we'd see it subliminally. Or maybe the young actor just wore Skinner's glasses. 

The actor who played young Skinner, Cory Rempel, is Mitch Pileggi's nephew. 

[tpel]

As I was watching the first scene, set in Vietnam, and I saw the guy in glasses, I said to myself, "Ooooh, I bet that's Skinner . . . I hope that's Skinner!" And it was Skinner -- woo hoo!

I've always loved Skinner, so having an episode centered on him was a treat. Yeah, it didn't cover much new ground, but that was OK: it solidified the relationship between him and his problem-child agents. 

Mitch Pileggi has aged so well that I initially thought the math didn't work. I mean, it had already been established that Skinner was in Vietnam, but (not recalling any dates that may have been given in the earlier seasons) he could have been there only at the very tail end of the war, in the 1970s. But for him to be at least 18 in 1969, Skinner would be about 66 now. Looking at him, that didn't seem likely. Then I checked online and learned that Pileggi was born in 1952.

I was genuinely worried when Mulder and Scully left Skinner alone, injured, stuck in a pit, covered in gasoline. But, of course, he hauled himself out and kicked ass! The feat is more plausible, given that there was now a rope hanging down into the pit, that Scully let down for Mulder. Still, pretty impressive!

[Soobs]

I liked this episode but I've always been interested in the relationship between M/S and Skinner. Liked the Vietnam flashbacks, seeing that Kersh is still salty as hell and the part in Skinner's apartment with the fiber and Mulder's juices. One plot point I didn't get was why was the son evil. The dad was exposed to chemicals but the son wasn't. Sure the son was pissed that he didn't get to know his dad but dig a hole in the ground and impale people pissed? Seemed a like a convenient way to use HJO all the way through the episode. But whatever, this season is still better than the last one.

[Batgirl]

2 minutes ago, Soobs said:

I liked this episode but I've always been interested in the relationship between M/S and Skinner. Liked the Vietnam flashbacks, seeing that Kersh is still salty as hell and the part in Skinner's apartment with the fiber and Mulder's juices. One plot point I didn't get was why was the son evil. The dad was exposed to chemicals but the son wasn't. Sure the son was pissed that he didn't get to know his dad but dig a hole in the ground and impale people pissed? Seemed a like a convenient way to use HJO all the way through the episode. But whatever, this season is still better than the last one.

It wasn’t clear to me whether Davey had been killing people all along, or if it had been his dad killing people, and he just tried to kill Skinner because he blamed him for the family’s problems. 

[Taryn74]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

I can’t properly recall the scene from the original series in which Skinner tells Mulder of his potentially paranormal experience in Vietnam (the “I was afraid to look too deeply into that experience, while you’re not” thing), so does this relate to that at all?  I think the part about him having enlisted in the Marines the day he turned 18 was part of that, but that’s about all I can remember.

He didn't talk about the Kitten thing, but enlisting the day he turned 18 and the boy who walked into camp covered in grenades was the same.  

 

Quote

 

SKINNER: When I was eighteen, I, uh... I went to Vietnam. I wasn’t drafted, Mulder, I... I enlisted in the Marine Corps the day of my eighteenth birthday. I did it on a blind faith. I did it because I believed it was the right thing to do. I don’t know, maybe I still do. Three weeks into my tour, a ten-year-old North Vietnamese boy walked into camp covered with grenades and I, uh... I blew his head off from a distance of ten yards. 

(Mulder looks at him, shocked. He listens intently now.) 

I lost my faith. Not in my country or in myself, but in everything. There was just no point to anything anymore. One night on patrol, we were, uh... caught... and everyone... everyone fell. I mean, everyone. I looked down... at my body... from outside of it. I didn’t recognize it at first. I watched the V.C. strip my uniform, take my weapon and I remained... in this thick jungle... peaceful... unafraid... watching my... my dead friends. Watching myself. In the morning, the corpsmen arrived and put me in a bodybag until... I guess they found a pulse. I woke in a Saigon hospital two weeks later. 

(He walks towards him.) 

I’m afraid to look any further beyond that experience. You? You are not. Your resignation is unacceptable.

 

 

I thought this was a really good, solid episode.  Definitely better than the other Skinner-centric eps we've gotten before.

It's just my take on it, but I think either John killed his wife and that was part of why they locked him up, or Davey started going crazy himself after being exposed to the gas (maybe since he was conceived after his dad was exposed it affected him worse - or more quickly - than the others in town?) and killed her.  I definitely think Davey killed John, though, and used his body as a lure to get Skinner to the trap.  I also think it was Davey who was killing the people.

Is the ghouli.net stuff to be taken as canon?  I haven't looked into it at all.

[teddysmom]

That was all over the place. I liked the idea but the execution was terrible. 

When Skinner asked David where his dad was, and the "yes I will take you to him, and they walk outside and he's like "its not far" I couldn't believe Skinner would fall for that. 

 ITS A TRAP!!!

Cannot believe that was Haley Joel Osment. 

How did Skinner get out of that hole?  A stake thru the gut and then didn't David stab him too? 

Has anyone else noticed Gillian's voice sounds a lot different than it did in the old episodes?  I wondered last night if she's had Botox and it's affecting her jaw and ability to speak or something. Nothing wrong if she has, but it's noticeable something is different.  A friend mentioned it as well. 

[Baby Button Eyes]

I suspect perhaps Gillian damaged her vocal chords when she was doing that play "Streetcar Named Desire" playing Blanche. It was a lot of screaming and crying every night for weeks and I'm just thinking maybe it did something long term to her voice as a result. 

[teddysmom]

13 minutes ago, Baby Button Eyes said:

I suspect perhaps Gillian damaged her vocal chords when she was doing that play "Streetcar Named Desire" playing Blanche. It was a lot of screaming and crying every night for weeks and I'm just thinking maybe it did something long term to her voice as a result. 

That was my other thought, that she damaged it on another acting job. I forgot she was doing Streetcar. 

[festivus]

19 minutes ago, Baby Button Eyes said:

I suspect perhaps Gillian damaged her vocal chords when she was doing that play "Streetcar Named Desire" playing Blanche. It was a lot of screaming and crying every night for weeks and I'm just thinking maybe it did something long term to her voice as a result. 

That sounds plausible. Her voice is different and I'm trying not to but I can't lie that it distracts me. I loved her voice so much.

[luna1122]

Her voice has been mentioned many times over the last two seasons...I barely noticed it last season, but this year find it really distracting too. She doesn't sound like Scully--or Gillian--anymore. She sounds like Bedelia Du Maurier taunting Will Graham about being in love with Hannibal Lector , which was effective there, but it's not how I want Scully to sound. I've never seen it actually addressed anywhere, and it's really none of our business, but it's discomfiting sometimes.

[AntiBeeSpray]

8 hours ago, JackONeill said:

Man, if there were ever an episode where both DD and GA phoned in their performances. The director should have just filmed them as they read from their scripts. Then it could have billed as a “Making of The X-Files.”

Yep and it's called Founder's Mutation for me. That one was far worse for me. Didn't give a damn about them there. Was this one good by them... not as much as the other ones, but I just viewed it as muted.

[Sharna Pax]

Just watched. I liked it in concept, and I thought Mitch Pileggi did a fantastic job, but the whole thing seemed flat and weirdly paced to me. I don't think it's the plot that's at fault. Yes, the whole episode is just about people running around in the woods and falling down holes, but so is Detour, and that one worked out fine. But there wasn't much suspense to the parts that were supposed to be suspenseful, and the climactic scene where Mulder finds Skinner, the monster pushes him in the hole, Scully rescues him, Skinner rescues them both just went by so fast it didn't seem like they were ever really in danger. Maybe if Mulder and Skinner had gotten stuck down in that hole for a bit longer while Scully was trying to find them? Maybe if I'd had more time to process the danger that Mulder and Scully were in from that tripwire before Skinner showed up to save them from it?

Mostly, though, I just felt like Duchovny and Anderson weren't really trying. They both had a lot of lines that seemed way too formal and like nothing anyone would really say, but Mulder and Scully sometimes talk like that, and the actors have usually been able to make it sound natural. In this episode they just sounded - weird. Like they were reciting, not acting. Meanwhile, Pileggi was acting up a storm, and all the scenes with Skinner had a lot of power; it was just in the Mulder-Scully scenes that the energy level really dropped. Even the sheriff was acting Duchovny and Anderson off the screen. Very odd, especially after the last few episodes we've had, where they were both so present and so good.

And thinking about that scene on the boat last episode, and the pain on Skinner's face when he thought that Mulder and Scully's son had died, I would have liked to see a little less emotional detachment from Mulder and Scully. The impression I get - and I can't tell for sure if I'm meant to have that impression - is that Skinner cares deeply about Mulder and Scully, on a personal level, and they don't have that same level of affection for him. They're concerned about him, yes, they respect and like and want to trust him - and I do like the bit where Scully tries to explain that he wouldn't kill anyone, but if he did, he'd do a better job - but they think of him as their boss, and he thinks of them as his kids. If we're meant to see it that way, then props to the X-Files for a realistic, nuanced bit of character development. I'm just not sure it's deliberate, rather than a side-effect of lackluster acting.

I agree about the difference in Gillian Anderson's voice. I don't think it's just her voice, though; it's her whole delivery and intonation that's subtly different from what it used to be. She's a fantastic actor, but I don't think she's got as good a handle on Scully as Duchovny has on Mulder, maybe because she's spent the past few years playing such a variety of characters. Sometimes she seems just like the old Scully, but then she'll seem unfamiliar again - she slides in and out of character in a way I find disconcerting. I have to say, though, this is mainly a criticism that belongs to last season - I haven't felt that sense of the unfamiliar this season, until now.

Skinner's final speech was great, and made me glad I watched the episode. Nice continuity with One Breath, and man, Mitch Pileggi has not forgotten anything at all about how to play Skinner.

Didn't have much reaction at all to Haley Joel Osment, but liked Davy's line about visiting his father and not being able to touch him. When I was four or so my dad had cancer and was treated with radiation, and he would come home from the hospital still radioactive and I wouldn't be allowed to hug him. That's the sort of thing that sticks in your mind, when you're a kid, and I thought it was a nice detail to include.

[festivus]

10 minutes ago, Sharna Pax said:

I agree about the difference in Gillian Anderson's voice. I don't think it's just her voice, though; it's her whole delivery and intonation that's subtly different from what it used to be. She's a fantastic actor, but I don't think she's got as good a handle on Scully as Duchovny has on Mulder, maybe because she's spent the past few years playing such a variety of characters. Sometimes she seems just like the old Scully, but then she'll seem unfamiliar again - she slides in and out of character in a way I find disconcerting. I have to say, though, this is mainly a criticism that belongs to last season - I haven't felt that sense of the unfamiliar this season, until now.

You know I agree with you here. I remember reading things in the past about David being more like Mulder than Gillian was ever like Scully, so it just may have been easier for him. I also feel like I read somewhere that Gillian said she had some trouble finding Scully again and where the character would be now. I'm sure the writing doesn't help her much because it can be all over the place from episode to episode. I also haven't really felt it till this episode but you've articulated it better than I could so I haven't tried to say anything. 

 

18 minutes ago, Sharna Pax said:

The impression I get - and I can't tell for sure if I'm meant to have that impression - is that Skinner cares deeply about Mulder and Scully, on a personal level, and they don't have that same level of affection for him. They're concerned about him, yes, they respect and like and want to trust him - and I do like the bit where Scully tries to explain that he wouldn't kill anyone, but if he did, he'd do a better job - but they think of him as their boss, and he thinks of them as his kids.

Yeah something about the episode felt flat to me and what you said here is the reason why. But I've pretty much always felt this way, they don't think of Skinner the same way he thinks of them. Maybe they'll think differently after this episode. They do mention not knowing much personal information about him whereas he knows so much about them.

[pagooey]

33 minutes ago, Sharna Pax said:

The impression I get - and I can't tell for sure if I'm meant to have that impression - is that Skinner cares deeply about Mulder and Scully, on a personal level, and they don't have that same level of affection for him. They're concerned about him, yes, they respect and like and want to trust him - and I do like the bit where Scully tries to explain that he wouldn't kill anyone, but if he did, he'd do a better job - but they think of him as their boss, and he thinks of them as his kids. If we're meant to see it that way, then props to the X-Files for a realistic, nuanced bit of character development. I'm just not sure it's deliberate, rather than a side-effect of lackluster acting.

Nicely put. I hope it's deliberate, but it could just as well be something that Mitch Pileggi is bringing to the table when he gets the less-frequent opportunity to put on a showcase. Kind of like DD and GA just started playing the relationship as obvious to them (and us) circa season 7; they own and inhabit their characters so well that they can turn it on at will, and show much more than is written on the page. Mitch probably feels as grounded in Skinner; he just doesn't get to show it as much. 

I like, too, that even recently we've seen Skinner barking dad-like at Mulder and Scully, about how all the other agencies are giving him the bad dirt. He is their boss and their authority figure, but they've been through such shit together that he must also feel paternal, too. But as their authority and superior, he's stood in their way roughly as often as he's saved their asses...so I can see their relationship to him not being as visibly fond. 

Anyway, Skinner is a total badass, and until recently I had no idea that MP was 65. I'd never have guessed it; he looks great!

Other stuff:

• I found Haley Joel Osment incredibly compelling as both Kitten and Davey, despite all the dangling questions (which one did the bulk of the killing? what did happen to mom? did Kitten make the monster suit based on his initial gas-induced visions?). He may have aged out of "preternaturally gifted adorable moppet," but he clearly still has the acting chops he did as a wee thing. I'm glad he's still working, and that he's not a tragic child-actor headline.
• Spontaneous nosebleeds are SO old X-Files; the new X-Files is plucking your bloody molars out of your skull!
• I remembered Skinner's Vietnam story of being prematurely zipped into a body bag, but I'd forgotten the part about him blowing away a child. Kudos to whoever got the details exactly right, and yikes, that we watched young Skinner shoot a boy in the head, in prime time. (Aside: we can see this, but we can't have two actors' implied postcoital nekkidness onscreen at the same time? 'Murica!)
• Stop it with the chemtrails bullshit, 1013, seriously. 
• ETA: when the first victim fell into the spike pit, did anyone else holler "I fell in a HOOOLE!" at the TV? 

Edited February 8, 2018 by pagooey
Added a thought!

[Sunshinegal]

On a shallow note, Mitch Pileggi doesn't look like he aged that much, or at all really from the X-Files heyday.  DD hair looks a lot like early seasons, and I like his hair at that time.  GA hair is longer and I thought that Scully will tie back her hair so it won't get in her face.  I think GA in a bun, ponytail or half ponytail will look good.

I thought the clothes look a lot like earlier seasons too.

For some reason, I like that Kersh was there. 

[Sharna Pax]

15 minutes ago, Sunshinegal said:

For some reason, I like that Kersh was there. 

Me too! And I have no idea why, because I haaaated Kersh and everything that went with him - Fowley, Spender, all that nonsense - back in Season 6. But I saw him on the screen and actually cheered. I think it's the feeling that if Kersh is hauling Mulder and Scully into his office to yell at them, the X-Files must really be back. Welcome back, Kersh, all is forgiven!