REVIEWED BY: Jennifer J. Chen ON: March 20, 1999
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: February 11, 1994
Perhaps not only one of the most unshippiest episodes ever, but also an episode that is callous in regard to even the natural affection found between partners. This episode has no real redeeming qualities whatsoever, but the worst thing about it has got to be Mulder’s unnatural manner. He is quite out of character—I think that most anyone would agree with me, Shippers and non-Shippers alike. Even non-Shippers wouldn’t have the temerity to suggest that Mulder and Scully don’t have any affection toward one another, even platonic.
In this episode, not only does Mulder ask Scully to be a target for a man known for his lack of conscience and has already killed several people that he believes are Mulder’s friends, but when she actually does get shot, he barely spares her a glance; he only yells for someone to check on her. What if she had been shot in the head? In the arm? In the leg? Anywhere that her bullet-proof vest wasn’t covering? Mulder didn’t spare even that cursory a glance—I highly doubt that he could have told anyone whether she was hurt or not. This incredibly callous behavior is just not like him. Sure, he’s self-centered and single-minded, but he’s not completely lacking in human emotion.
Then, at the end, instead of being by Scully’s side, making sure she’s okay, he’s witnessing the hospital’s attempt to save Barnett’s life. Okay, so he has a right to fear for his life, since Barnett is out to get him and completely conscienceless, but when has preservation of his own life ever been Mulder’s motivation? I believe this is the one and only example in the entire history of the show. When Scully shows up to keep him company, he barely spares her a cursory glance, and says, with incredible indifference, “That bullet went through eight layers of kevlar. You’re lucky to be alive.” He offers no apology, nor does he show regret at being the one to place her in danger in the first place. Season Six Mulder—and I contend, every Mulder in every other episode, would never have allowed Scully to be deliberately put in harm’s way, much less be the one to suggest it. Or if for some reason she were shot, he would make absolutely sure that she was all right before pursuing the suspect, because nothing is worth more than Scully’s well-being. Or if she were in a hospital, he would be there to apologize and be full of remorse for his part in it, whether it was directly or indirectly. It amazes me that such an episode as “Ice,” an episode that, in my opinion, portrays the perfect blend of sexual tension, partnership in its purest form, the meaning of trust, along with a great X-File, that makes The X-Files such a joy to watch, was one of the show’s first episodes. It should have been one of the last of Season One’s, because it made all the later episodes that weren’t so good, Young At Heart definitely amongst them, pale considerably in comparison.
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1999 by Jennifer J. Chen