The X-Files: Fight Club Rewatch
August 4, 2020 8:36 PM - Season 7, Episode 20 - Subscribe
Mulder and Scully investigate a pair of women who look identical and cause mayhem to break out whenever they're near each other.
Another thing that stood out for me in this episode was Scully's complaint that "Mulder's always holding something back":
What I'm thinking, Mulder, is how familiar this seems. Playing Watson to your Sherlock. You dangling clues out in front of me one by one. It's a game, and... and, as usual, you're, you're holding something back from me. You're not telling me something about this case.
I've been meaning to comment on this aspect of their dynamic for awhile. Scully's right that Mulder isn't communicative about what he thinks or what he's planning. Time and time again, he'll ask Scully to do something, and then he'll turn to leave and she'll say, "What are you going to do/where are you going, Mulder?" I think it's partly a plot device to keep the suspense going, because if Mulder explains his theories before they even leave the X-files office it gives too much away too quickly, but psychologically speaking it might be because he wants to get Scully's take on the situation before she is influenced by his, or because he isn't sure of what he thinks yet, or because he's not very communicative, or because, as she says, it's a game for him to withhold information from her and enjoy the feeling of knowing things she doesn't know/watching her stumble through trying to figure it out. At any rate, I am surprised it's taken her this long to complain about it.
posted by orange swan at 5:28 PM on August 5, 2020
What I'm thinking, Mulder, is how familiar this seems. Playing Watson to your Sherlock. You dangling clues out in front of me one by one. It's a game, and... and, as usual, you're, you're holding something back from me. You're not telling me something about this case.
I've been meaning to comment on this aspect of their dynamic for awhile. Scully's right that Mulder isn't communicative about what he thinks or what he's planning. Time and time again, he'll ask Scully to do something, and then he'll turn to leave and she'll say, "What are you going to do/where are you going, Mulder?" I think it's partly a plot device to keep the suspense going, because if Mulder explains his theories before they even leave the X-files office it gives too much away too quickly, but psychologically speaking it might be because he wants to get Scully's take on the situation before she is influenced by his, or because he isn't sure of what he thinks yet, or because he's not very communicative, or because, as she says, it's a game for him to withhold information from her and enjoy the feeling of knowing things she doesn't know/watching her stumble through trying to figure it out. At any rate, I am surprised it's taken her this long to complain about it.
posted by orange swan at 5:28 PM on August 5, 2020
What's always struck me about this episode is why don't Betty and LuLu actually work together to avoid each other? I mean, seventeen moves and they never think, hey, maybe we should *decide together* to go to separate places and then keep each other posted about our whereabouts so our paths don't cross? I know they can't be in the same room without everything going to hell, but surely they could have a telephone conversation, or send each other postcards.
Each of them thinks the other is some evil entity that's stalking them and maliciously causing the mayhem. They don't know why it's actually happening.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:26 PM on August 5, 2020
Each of them thinks the other is some evil entity that's stalking them and maliciously causing the mayhem. They don't know why it's actually happening.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:26 PM on August 5, 2020
This might/ must be one of the very few Chris Carter sole writer episodes that I actually like?
But yes, the self indulgence and cuteness has been increasingly heavy handed this season, and maybe this one breaks the camel's back. But as orange swan points out, at least this one is self conscious enough to point out the routine use of Scully as a plot device would be really shitty irl.
Though, she's playful afterwards (which might make it worse?). But Mulder acknowledges repeatedly telling her to go do the autopsies...
Later from Scully, "That's why they put the I in FBI." - I googled that to double check and google gave me a clip from the pilot where Mulder says that line. It's only been four/ five months since the rewatch started but 7 years for the show. Anderson and Duchovny did a whole lot of growing up in that span.
But Kathy Griffin is definitely right in her wheelhouse. That and it's got Randall 'Tex' Cobb.
Pileggi (nee Warren) is cute as a button.
missionaries: anti abortion protestors, too.
Like, I don't wave around biochemistry texts or posters on examples of bad methodology in peoples faces 'cause its something I believe.
At least not, you know, on the streets/ door-to-door.
Finally! This show shows someone using a tension wrench with their lockpick! But that's not the hand movements of how it's done.
The photocopier counterfeits - yeah, photocopiers (even back then) have measures to detect currency and fails to do a good job. Which is kind of weird, it'd be easy to make a photocopier/ scanner without the thingbob, but a print shop would be buying/ leasing commercial/ industrial machines from reputable manufacturers (if only for the service contract/ warranty).
But the promoter only does a cursory look (he doesn't even feel the bills) in a dimly lit venue, so maybe the copies were good enough (barring the thingbob fucking up the copies). There'd be Hell to pay afterwards (perhaps forgiven since the promoter stole the original cash?).
In the circumstances of a mass psychosis potentiated brawl event - Scully vs Mulder, if they could keep concentrating on each other and with no interference?
Scully would eventually break Mulder apart like a roast chicken - especially if her boots had solid heels instead of the lightweight mostly hollow plastic ones (qv Mulder's wired shut jaw). She'll take a lot of damage in the process, though.
In a kill/ don't-die, non-ambush circumstance, I'm going Mulder if it's empty hand/ no weapons (boot heel or no).
But, yeah, it's unclear (other than for the denouement glances) whether they inflicted the damage solely to each other or if other parties were involved.
The fight-damage effects were crap; stiches/ butterfly bandaids were way overdone and the inflammation (swelling/ colouration) way underdone. Amateur hour/ sillyness.
posted by porpoise at 10:19 PM on August 5, 2020
But yes, the self indulgence and cuteness has been increasingly heavy handed this season, and maybe this one breaks the camel's back. But as orange swan points out, at least this one is self conscious enough to point out the routine use of Scully as a plot device would be really shitty irl.
Though, she's playful afterwards (which might make it worse?). But Mulder acknowledges repeatedly telling her to go do the autopsies...
Later from Scully, "That's why they put the I in FBI." - I googled that to double check and google gave me a clip from the pilot where Mulder says that line. It's only been four/ five months since the rewatch started but 7 years for the show. Anderson and Duchovny did a whole lot of growing up in that span.
But Kathy Griffin is definitely right in her wheelhouse. That and it's got Randall 'Tex' Cobb.
Pileggi (nee Warren) is cute as a button.
missionaries: anti abortion protestors, too.
Like, I don't wave around biochemistry texts or posters on examples of bad methodology in peoples faces 'cause its something I believe.
At least not, you know, on the streets/ door-to-door.
Finally! This show shows someone using a tension wrench with their lockpick! But that's not the hand movements of how it's done.
The photocopier counterfeits - yeah, photocopiers (even back then) have measures to detect currency and fails to do a good job. Which is kind of weird, it'd be easy to make a photocopier/ scanner without the thingbob, but a print shop would be buying/ leasing commercial/ industrial machines from reputable manufacturers (if only for the service contract/ warranty).
But the promoter only does a cursory look (he doesn't even feel the bills) in a dimly lit venue, so maybe the copies were good enough (barring the thingbob fucking up the copies). There'd be Hell to pay afterwards (perhaps forgiven since the promoter stole the original cash?).
In the circumstances of a mass psychosis potentiated brawl event - Scully vs Mulder, if they could keep concentrating on each other and with no interference?
Scully would eventually break Mulder apart like a roast chicken - especially if her boots had solid heels instead of the lightweight mostly hollow plastic ones (qv Mulder's wired shut jaw). She'll take a lot of damage in the process, though.
In a kill/ don't-die, non-ambush circumstance, I'm going Mulder if it's empty hand/ no weapons (boot heel or no).
But, yeah, it's unclear (other than for the denouement glances) whether they inflicted the damage solely to each other or if other parties were involved.
The fight-damage effects were crap; stiches/ butterfly bandaids were way overdone and the inflammation (swelling/ colouration) way underdone. Amateur hour/ sillyness.
posted by porpoise at 10:19 PM on August 5, 2020
Bleagh.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:21 AM on August 6, 2020
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:21 AM on August 6, 2020
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What's always struck me about this episode is why don't Betty and LuLu actually work together to avoid each other? I mean, seventeen moves and they never think, hey, maybe we should *decide together* to go to separate places and then keep each other posted about our whereabouts so our paths don't cross? I know they can't be in the same room without everything going to hell, but surely they could have a telephone conversation, or send each other postcards.
In this episode, we get to see the faces of the people who play Duchovny and Anderson's body doubles. They've both played other roles, but this time we see them costumed as Mulder and Scully and it's a full reveal.
Those photocopy counterfeits look too convincing compared to what they'd actually look like.
It makes me snicker that the episode begins with two door-to-door missionaries out in service. There is a certain creepiness to those door to door religion salesman types. They always have a particular look... like they've been raised on special farms or something.
If Mulder and Scully beat each other up... Mulder seems to have gotten the worst of it.
posted by orange swan at 3:12 PM on August 5, 2020 [1 favorite]