REVIEWED BY: Jennifer J. Chen ON: February 28, 1999
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: February 28, 1999
"Fate."
"Free will. With every choice, you change your fate."
"Then let's change yours. I will deposit your check."
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Will I ever have to sit through a more nerve-wracking hour of TV again? The creators and writers of The X-Files continue to amaze me with their genius. So many episodes contain the whole spectrum of human emotion, and this one was one of those. It was comedic, suspenseful, and also hauntingly sad. Everything about this episode was great (although, as a Shipper, I wouldn't have minded more mushy scenes between Mulder and Scully).
My heart almost stopped during the teaser and the "first" full Monday that we saw, with Mulder dying on the floor and Scully's horror as Bernard activates the bomb. 
Even though I know that they will both live at the end of the episode, watching Mulder get shot, his blood pooling on the floor beneath him, and Scully's agonized helplessness, was still extremely painful to watch. I had to think about how agonizing it must have been for Scully to see Mulder get shot, yet not be able to rush to his side, because she had to deal with the seriously disturbed Bernard first. Or to think about Mulder, seeing Scully from outside about to enter the bank, unable to warn her, yet also confident that her appearance and ability would help them get out of their situation.
I found Duchovny to be hilarious in each of his wake up scenes. Tripping over his shoes, banging himself on the head with the pot, finding himself soaking wet, his bed made into a fountain, he was completely endearing. It could have been pretty tedious, and perhaps after seeing this ep a few dozen or more times, it will get to that point, but for now, I thought they did a good job of injecting some freshness into basically the same scenes.
I thought that Scully should have been shot once to see what would have happened (although, in the Mondays that happened that weren't shown, that might have happened). But notice that they were always both in the bank--never did it blow up with only one of them in there. Maybe that is another fate of sorts--always together, in life or in death. But I loved the twist and the irony that it was Pam's death that needed to happen, she who wanted more than anyone for the cycle to stop. It explains why she was "different"--the only one who could remember every single Monday that happened. It was hell for her, but would she have preferred it to her eventual death?
By the way, they are the only two characters on TV where one will actually physically seek out the other in the middle of a meeting if one of them is taking too long. They are also the only characters, who, when they do this, I'm not thinking, "Please! She's only been gone for two seconds, for Pete's sake!" Instead, it is right and natural that they should be so concerned with each other's welfare. It's gotten to the point where their superiors just take it in stride. Can you imagine if you walked out of a meeting just because your partner was taking too long at the bank?
I also read somewhere that Scully's act of taking Mulder's paycheck to the bank was very "wifely"--I'm not sure I agree with that, but it is definitely something you would only do with someone you are very comfortable with. Mulder doesn't even bat an eye as he lets her. And what about Scully's utter fixation with Mulder's waterbed? Anytime he mentioned it, it was a detail that she latched onto. Because she didn't even know he had a waterbed, or because of a deeper longing? Anyway, did anyone else notice that shoulder touch during the last Monday? This is the only show where the male star can touch the female star's shoulder and make it such a sexy and endearing moment.
We see how far Scully has come in her trust of Mulder, as she, with only a little hesitation, lowers her gun on Bernard when Mulder tries to explain the bizarre situation. Even third season Scully would not have done that. But now, Mulder offers even the wildest scenario and in the end, she believes him, or at least, trusts him enough that he knows what he is doing, even if it is completely against everything she has believed for so long. 
And I think there is a little of the fact that, even if he were off his rocker, breaking protocol was more feasible and acceptable than not trusting him.
My last thought about this episode: What if the Monday hadn't been stuck in a loop and Mulder had actually gotten shot and killed? If Bernard did not then blow up the building, is there any force on this earth that would have saved him from Scully?
"Bernard. I have to get my partner out of here."
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1999 by Jennifer J. Chen