REVIEWED BY: JJC ON: November 30, 1999
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: November 28, 1999
The X-File brought us back to days of old, when The X-Files was as spooky as its hero. The zombies are somewhat trite, but with the backdrop of the millennium, events were made more interesting. Curiously enough, not once did I feel that "the time" was near – I thought they did a poor job in suspense. Aside from the activities of the Millennium Group, no other "signs" were given that Armageddon was at all arriving, and hence I felt absolutely no fear in that regard.
However, I suppose that being attacked by someone one knew to be dead would shake anybody up.
That's what irked me the most when I first heard the rumors of a Millennium crossover – it annoyed me that it was going to be The X-Files' last season and they were going to use it as a vehicle to tie up the loose ends for another show. If it hadn't been good, it would have "wasted" one of the episodes. Even after I learned about the supposed kiss, that aspect still disturbed me. While as a shipper I wanted to see Mulder and Scully finally kiss, it seemed like a ploy to get viewers for an otherwise ho-hum episode. But the episode was fine.
The same goes for the Ouroboros symbol of the Millennium Group. Here is an opportunity to reflect back on past events, but it's merely hinted at. There is a close-up of Scully's face as she looks at it, and we see Mulder look at her, but no mention of Scully's tattoo is even lightly referred to. Of course, it's probably not something they want to remember in particular, but I thought it was a wasted opportunity for some additional angst.
I enjoyed Black's profile, and hearing about the beliefs of the Millennium group. I also enjoyed the Mulder/Scully banter throughout the episode, even if I was a little disappointed to hear that they most likely didn't spend Christmas together. At least, I can infer as much by this exchange:
MULDER: Merry Christmas, by the way, Scully.
I did feel for poor Mulder when he was standing in his little circle of salt with his bloody arm. Poor guy. (Although, my friends and I had just watched Toy Story 2 and the parallel between Mulder's injury and Woody's torn arm was more than a little funny.)
Despite all of the things I felt the show's producers could have done better with, I really did enjoy the episode. It's the kind of episode they used to do. I personally enjoyed Season 6's humor-driven approach, but getting back to the old is kind of nice. I would have enjoyed this episode even if it hadn't ended the way it had. :)
It was thrilling just to see Mulder lean down with the intent to kiss Scully – like we saw a few summers ago. It may not have been passionate, it may not have involved tongues. *g* But it was beautiful. The slow, soft way they went about it brought more meaning to the act than if Mulder had simply grabbed Scully and kissed her with passion. That would have been more easily interpreted as a simple New Year's kiss, over-zealous on purpose, Mulder simply teasing.
They were serious - there's no doubt about that. They both closed their eyes, and the kiss lasted a good while. Their "happy new year" exchange was quiet and meaningful. They weren't merely celebrating the advent of the new year, they were celebrating their time together, that they had made it this far.
I've always thought that Chris Carter made the right decision in cutting the kiss from Memento Mori. It wasn't right then – it would have had too many possible interpretations. This one really only has one. What other couple can say that they waited seven years for their first kiss, so that it could land on a date like January 1, 2000? It seems incredibly appropriate that such a significant date should mark the day their lips first touched.
The best explanation I've heard for their "sad" looks afterward is this: to parallel their goals with that of Frank Black's. He is able to be happy and continue happily on with his daughter because his quest is finished. He's accomplished what he had to do; his goal has been reached. The same is not true of Mulder and Scully. They still have a ways to go before they can finally achieve that same luxury of a "normal" life. They still have goals to be reached.
To me, their kiss was assurance to one another that those aspirations they would reach together – and when they started their "normal" lives, it would also be together. That was the promise I saw made with that kiss.
"Happy new year, Scully."
Please feel free to
"Go ahead, Scully - nay say me. The body of an FBI agent gets disinterred, only to climb out on its own and disappear into the Yuletide night."
"See, you had me up until there."
"Did I?"
It's amazing how quickly time passes when The X-Files is on the air again. It seems like just yesterday the online Phile community was agog with the news that our favorite duo would be locking lips in an episode – and now that episode is over.
The most suspense there was came from the times Mulder and Scully were attacked by various zombies, even though, of course, we know they'll come out all right. In fact, the possibility of the arrival of Armageddon was so far from my mind that I was actually disappointed with Scully for accepting the possibility. As a religious person, she would know that the Bible says no man will know when the coming of Armageddon is, and she says herself that the Millennium Group twisted all the information in the Bible, anyway. Not only that, but as a scientist and a logical thinker, she says that the actual beginning of the millennium isn't until January 1, 2001. Mulder is less than impressed. "Nobody likes a math geek, Scully."
What they did a good job with was combining The X-Files and Millennium into a hybrid that was good for someone who's never seen a single episode of Millennium - which I haven't. I don't know if the opposite is true – perhaps Millennium fans thought otherwise. It was an enormous relief that the episode was good, though, and the X-File sound. I would have hated to waste one of the show's final episodes so that 1013 could tie up the loose ends for a show that didn't have enough viewership to keep it on the air.
Another area in which they did poorly was the parallel between Frank Black's daughter and Emily. While nothing overt was said, it was clear that we were supposed to see Scully's sympathies for Black increase because of that factor. Either mention it outright, or don't go there at all. The way they did it was like something of a lower-caliber show – no development at all.
SCULLY: Thank you. Merry Christmas to you, too.
The datestamp on this episode cannot be mistaken, so are we to take it that every episode that airs from now until the new year actually takes place in the year 2000 in the X-Files world? They supposedly moved it up for purposes of sweeps, but they didn't even do a good job in promoting it, if that's what they were striving for.
I don't want to dissect the kiss too much. And I'm avoiding all the message boards and other people who I know are already complaining about it. I personally thought it was lovely the way it was, and I don't want my perceptions about it skewed by others. It was sweet. It was exactly the way it was supposed to be.
They both seem a little – well, sad is too strong a word, but the only one that fits, after. There's a moment when they're both radiant, but then that other emotion arrives. It obvious they're not sad about the kiss or what it's done to their relationship – they walk out with Mulder's good arm around Scully (I kind of wish the door was a little closer and they could have simply walked out right there – where they had to exit made their movement toward it kind of awkward and cheesily deliberate).
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me at jenu1bruin@centropolis.org
1999 by JJC