The X-Files: Dreamland (Part 1/2) Rewatch
June 27, 2020 7:34 PM - Season 6, Episode 4 - Subscribe
Driving to Area 51 in the middle of the night to meet with an informant, Scully and Mulder are stopped on the highway by a caravan of soldiers and a man in a black suit. In the middle of this encounter, a mysterious craft passes overhead and then crashes, sending a wave of energy across all the bystanders, and changing some of them radically.
Mulder "This is a normal life."
Michael McKean was a great casting choice for Morris Fletcher, and was useful as a recurring character. IMDB trivia says that Garry Shandling was the first choice - but he will later get cast as the movie version of Fox Mulder.
We find out that Fletcher is disatisfied with his life, but why would he just drive off with Scully after switching bodies so nonchalantly unless he was already familiar with the body switch phenomenon (he isn't) and just went fuckit?
The audience sees the person inside, but Mulder-as-Fletcher has a wedding ring on.
The mirror gag was charming.
I'm assuming that colour blindness was also transferred to Fletcher's body. Likewise Fletcher's nicotine dependency into Mulder's.
posted by porpoise at 10:53 AM on June 28, 2020
Michael McKean was a great casting choice for Morris Fletcher, and was useful as a recurring character. IMDB trivia says that Garry Shandling was the first choice - but he will later get cast as the movie version of Fox Mulder.
We find out that Fletcher is disatisfied with his life, but why would he just drive off with Scully after switching bodies so nonchalantly unless he was already familiar with the body switch phenomenon (he isn't) and just went fuckit?
The audience sees the person inside, but Mulder-as-Fletcher has a wedding ring on.
The mirror gag was charming.
I'm assuming that colour blindness was also transferred to Fletcher's body. Likewise Fletcher's nicotine dependency into Mulder's.
posted by porpoise at 10:53 AM on June 28, 2020
I can't help wishing that this episode had gone with switching personalities instead of the actual actors. It would have been fun to watch David Duchovny play Morris Fletcher and Michael McKean play Mulder, just as it was to see the switched personalities of Mrs. Chee and Captain McDonough. Of course, there would be no mirror gags and you'd have half the episode without either Mulder or Scully.
We find out that Fletcher is dissatisfied with his life, but why would he just drive off with Scully after switching bodies so nonchalantly unless he was already familiar with the body switch phenomenon (he isn't) and just went fuckit?
As they say, the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. It is a stretch that Fletcher would clue into what was going on and go along with it without missing a beat, but not that he would choose to go along with it. His personal life is a mess... but the thing is, he promptly messes up Mulder's life, given that he's a total pig. And, of course, he's a smoker, as all the bad people are in the X-Files universe.
Scully was too slow to realize what was going on. Mulder would NEVER treat her the way Fletcher was doing.
Joanne Fletcher's role was a lot of fun. Love the way Mulder tries to tell her, in his usual vague nonsensical way, what's going on and she assumes he's talking about erectile dysfunction.
posted by orange swan at 10:18 AM on July 1, 2020
We find out that Fletcher is dissatisfied with his life, but why would he just drive off with Scully after switching bodies so nonchalantly unless he was already familiar with the body switch phenomenon (he isn't) and just went fuckit?
As they say, the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. It is a stretch that Fletcher would clue into what was going on and go along with it without missing a beat, but not that he would choose to go along with it. His personal life is a mess... but the thing is, he promptly messes up Mulder's life, given that he's a total pig. And, of course, he's a smoker, as all the bad people are in the X-Files universe.
Scully was too slow to realize what was going on. Mulder would NEVER treat her the way Fletcher was doing.
Joanne Fletcher's role was a lot of fun. Love the way Mulder tries to tell her, in his usual vague nonsensical way, what's going on and she assumes he's talking about erectile dysfunction.
posted by orange swan at 10:18 AM on July 1, 2020
the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation
I'm passing familiar with the Thoreau quote, but does that apply to people in general in this society, or men in particular even now?
The ED thing was a good joke - and also ripped from the headlines; Viagra was released in '98 and I recall the TV ads for it.
Mulder assuming Chris' "issue of the nose" was about rhinoplasty (instead of a nose ring) is very Mulder - not that Duchovny has that prominent of a profile.
posted by porpoise at 1:19 PM on July 1, 2020
I'm passing familiar with the Thoreau quote, but does that apply to people in general in this society, or men in particular even now?
The ED thing was a good joke - and also ripped from the headlines; Viagra was released in '98 and I recall the TV ads for it.
Mulder assuming Chris' "issue of the nose" was about rhinoplasty (instead of a nose ring) is very Mulder - not that Duchovny has that prominent of a profile.
posted by porpoise at 1:19 PM on July 1, 2020
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posted by acrasis at 10:06 AM on June 28, 2020