I get the day off tomorrow! Yippee! I can post after the show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9:10 p.m. -- Just let me be the first to go on record and say I'm REALLY glad Ittot has had her baby already.

Ahhhhh, that one went down smooth (so to speak).

I know I've been a critic of Duchovny in the past, but I have to admit I miss the guy. The dynamic between Mulder and Scully is an intangible that I didn't appreciate until it was taken away. If Carter has designs on turning the show into a monster of the week festival with replaceable agents, he's misguided. CLEARLY the success of the X-files has come from the chemistry between the stars. I'm not veering onto a shipper avenue here, but the show is infinitely more compelling when you feel something for the characters. That's what I felt tonight.

Not to mention I got a taste of what the show would be like if previous events were referenced. Mulder telling Scully about his "discovery" was a long-overdue element.

Also encouraging is the teaser for next week in which we see Jeremiah Smith. It's about damn time they brought him back!

Now that I've got the excitement out of the way, I can focus a bit more on the critical analysis of "Per Manum."

The spice of real conspiracy is what made this episode for me. It had that trust no one feel that's been lacking for the last few seasons (although Scully should have known better in many instances -- an Army hospital?). Backstabbing and evildoers around every corner really sucked me in -- not to mention great effects work with those alien babies.

I have to think about this one more, but my first impressions are good. I'm sure plot holes will hit me over the head, but it's nice to be riled up about the show for a change.

Well, the shippers won't be raging and the rest of us won't be mourning the degradation of the show into a sappy lovefest. Mulder's the father, and still, neither of them has gotten any.

It is about friggin' time that Mulder told Scully about the ova, though if they weren't frozen I have no idea how they possibly could have been viable.

As Trust said, the Mulder-Scully dynamic was back and it was a welcomed change of pace from the past episodes of this season. By the way, why are Scully and Doggett still referring to each other as 'agent'? If Scully is only 14 weeks along, they've known each other for about two months, but surely that is enough time to get past the 'agent' formalities.

Also good to see some conspiracy stuff back, even though I'm still having trouble tying it all together. BTW, was Duffy initially called Duffy McCready, when his wife was in labor? I'm still trying to piece together that part of the backstory.

Oh and it was good to see the Zig again. The army hospital in the episode was the Orange County Federal Building affectionately known as the Ziggaurat. It was also featured in Outbreak as an important Army scientific research center. In reality, nothing of any import ever happens at the Zig, which is probably why production companies have no problem booking it to shoot.

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Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was. - Dag Hammarskjold

Well, that loud klunk you heard during the "previously on the XFiles" segment was me falling off the couch. An actual reference to former episodes! My favorite of all was Zeus Genetics! When was the last time CC actually threw a bone to long time viewers? (and one of my favorites too- The Erlenmeyer Flask). There was lots of drama and not a good guy in sight. It was hard to believe that so many gynecologists were in on the conspiracy. Like Trust said, why on earth did she go to an army hospital?
Dogget's "friend" was played by Adam Baldwin-if anyone else is a fan of the movie "My Bodygurad", you may have thought he looked familiar.(I wouldn't mind if he became a regular)
OK-now for the rants. Why didn't she trust Dogget enough to tell him about her pregnancy? They have been through a lot already and he has definitely shown his loyalty. That annoyed me-especially as there were precious few people to trust in this ep.
I haven't decided if I liked seeing Mulder in the episode or not. He seemed a bit detached to me. It was almost a distraction from the story for me. Instead of feeling like the old days or like all was right with the show again because Mulder was in it, I felt disconcerted by his being there. I'm not expressing this well. Maybe someone else can-unless everyone else feels like Trust did-then I will be by myself in my uneasiness about it.
The camera work in the army hospital scene made me dizzy.
The music alternated between sounding a lot like the old days(which I liked) and a vocal version of Pleasantville.
If Scully is 14 wks. pregnant, that means she has only been pregnant during sweeps months.
One last thing(for now). Will Scully EVER check to see who is at her door before opening it? Luckily for her, it was a harmless pregnant woman.
XQQ-I thought the same thing about ITTOT-especially in that room with all the babies in the jars.(perhaps another reference to Erlenmeyer Flask)
Looking forward to reading everyone's thoughts.

Mr. Govt and I couldn't get over how dumb Scully was - why she would trust any doctor (esp. after she was told that Parenti was one of the doctors who was suspicious), but, esp. Parenti left us shaking our heads.

I'm surprised Doggett didn't deck Scully in the office for her incredible "attitude". Why would he want to help her now - she's been nothing but evasive - how can he trust her?

MR. GOVT's THEORY: Mulder may be the "dad" but he'll disappear again because he doesn't want to pay child support.

GOVT HOUSEHOLD THEORY: When Scully's ova were stolen (I never can figure how the actors can talk about this with a straight face), the aliens missed at least one ovum. Scully and Mulder then made the baby the old-fashioned way and ----there you have it!

From what I can gather it appears that Scully's pregnancy will fall into the realm of the X-files space-time continuum. If X-files cast members can bend time to travel between locations, apparently pregnancy falls into the same time wrinkle. That's the only explanation for Scully not showing. If the season premiere was supposed to take place in May, this episode would take place in July or August. Ugh, it makes my brain hurt.

Whatever, I'm just happy Jeremiah Smith is coming back. The last time a major character from the X-files Abyss (remember that thing? One of these days I'll bring it back) reappeared it was Senator Matheson in "SR819," which went on to be a solid episode. Hopefully the same will hold true with Smith's return next week.

Nahal We should start an anti-Agent campaign. For crying out loud! If you're involved in at least one life-threatening case you should drop this agent nonsense.

Hi, all!

So, they finally told us the history of the baby...but did you notice that nothing was truly confirmed and that there is still a good chance that this ISN'T Mulder's kid? Scully told Mulder it didn't "take" and that had been her last chance. Could Mulder's "miracle" be an alien implant??? YIKES! This is really creepy! (I LOVE IT!)

And I loved seeing Mulder again...I hope they don't kill him off...that would distress me mightily, even though his presence is very minimal now. I MISS MULDER!!! (Though, after poor Doggett got shot and killed and nearly burned with acid, I found I DO like him...a lot actually! And I like the way he is so protective of Scully. I sure hope they don't turn him into a bad guy...)

The guy who played Doggett's friend--I've seen him before as well, but I remember him as the officer in charge of Area 51 in "Independence Day." I liked him in that--now he looks a LOT more rugged and timeworn. I guess I wouldn't mind seeing him on more eps either!

Does anyone wonder why all the strange fetuses and slain alien babies?

Xroads

Govt: Mr. Govt's theory sounds completely plausible. Perhaps he should join the writing staff

Xroads: I'm probably mistaken, but I took those "strange" fetuses to be genetic experiments gone awry rather than alien fetuses. Then again, I might have missed something. Frankly, the scene reminded me a lot of "Alien 4" -- Ripley stumbles upon a genetic archive of alien/human hybrids that didn't take. Of course, that was slightly different and it's further proof I've seen far too many movies (especially if I'm referencing a piece of crap like "Alien 4").

quote:

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Originally posted by Xroads:
Does anyone wonder why all the strange fetuses and slain alien babies?

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Apparently, not the FBI

GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK, X-roads!!!!

I'd just skimmed cassandra's post on the last thread, where she was wishing for the old days of government conspiracies, when. . . . yes, Zeus Genetics itself!!! And agents careening around corners evading government types. The car-chase scene even reminded me of fateful car chases on dark roads, Pine Bluff Variant and the like. Hear hear for more of this. Government conspiracies would also give a new twist to the Doggett character. Sure, he can believe in alien abduction, but that the U.S. government is lying to us??????

This ep had more emotional depth because finally the agents are talking about their relationship and what motivates them to do their job. Could've used a bit more of this all season, but it worked here. Yes, DD wasn't really into his acting this time, and it's hard to do flashback cameos. But I still think they worked. Except timeline; so are they discussing sperm donation before or after they kissed over New Years?

Re the army hospital: doesn't Scully have any old ob-gyn friends from med school to go to? But it's XF tradition to trust the government connections; maybe this was a place Skinner thought they could trust.

This was fun. Makes it easier to forget last week's.

Oh, argo: really cool photos. But it does make one wonder--what part of the earth was supposed to be asleep then? Do we really need all those lights on all night?

It'll be on here in about a half hour.

Maybe the government place offered Scully a deal. Those sorts of treatments are very expensive, and it's doubtful a lowly agent could really afford them. Does explain all the black clothes the past couple seasons - she needed the money.

X-Roads-hi! Good to see you. Reminds me of our old after-show chats. (although I could never type fast enough to keep up!) "My Bodyguard" was made in 1980 and was a wonderful movie.(it also starred a fairly young Matt Dillon, Martin Mull, and my role model for old age, Ruth Gordon) Thanks for the IDay reference-I can see that guy in my head and I don't think I realized it was him when I saw the movie.
As for the baby, it seemed like CC was leaning more in the direction(or misdirection)of the baby being an alien-between the fake sonogram and the Mulder contribution not "taking", it looked like a set-up for Scully to be in the same situation as those other women.(and again she is in the company of other women in trouble) But CC could easily write himself out of this with either CSM's involovement or,as you said, the old-fashioned way. In spite of the shipperness of that, I would prefer the latter.

XQQ-thanks for using the phrase "flashback cameos". I think that, and trying to put them into a logical sequence with past events, was what I found disconcerting. It certainly was nice though, to have many of the elements of the old shows back-although I was wondering how they could drive that truck in the dark with no lights on.

Hi, XQQ (X-Arf???) and Cassandra!

TN1--I'm sure you're right about the fetuses...still very creepy! They should have been cremated or buried or something, not pickled!

Cass, I'd rather the baby be Mulder's too--ANYWAY it was conceived! (I'm not going to allow my imagination too much free rein on that statement!)

But I don't suppose they'll allow a real, honest to goodness baby to keep Scully from her FBI work, so I'll bet she somehow looses it in the next few months...and if it IS an alien hybrid, that'd make it a BIT easier for her to handle!

I'm SO glad the conspiracy eps are back! Eehaah!

Govt--I'm STILL waiting to find out whether CSM is (was?) Mulder's father... I recall a certain little wager that had to do with one cheese curd--and something else (my memory is not THAT good...)

Take care all, I've got to go, but I'll try to touch base on Sunday nights!

Xroads

i thought the alien baby was cute. i would rather have one of those then a real baby

W~

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"I read somewhere that 77 per cent of all the mentally ill live in
poverty. Actually, I'm more intrigued by the 23 per cent who are
apparently doing quite well for themselves."
Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead)

Wolfie, perhaps a puppy instead?

Is this Doggett's intro to all the world's a conspiracy and that all his friends are part of it?

Haskell seemed incredibly blase about his wife having had an alien baby. In the days of suing people for having coffee that's one degree too hot, wouldn't he have launched a suit against the doctors? It barely fazed him that there was an alien baby to begin with. If I was Scully, I'd be terrified and I'd be looking for a doctor who isn't part of the global conspiracy.

I took a lot of the show as a treatise on technology and the new ideas of human cloning and playing around with genetics. Man, in playing God, creates things he does not understand and has no idea what the consequences will be.

Zeus came to mind as head honcho of the Greek gods - he had novel ways of producing offspring with nymphs and other goddesses - as a bull, a cloud, etc.

You'd also think that conspirators would take Conspiracy 101 - that you dispose of the evidence and don't leave hundreds of sample fetuses lying around as creative samples.

I felt bad for Doggett - poor guy has no idea how the government operates. Dept of Justice being Dept of Obfuscation and Secrets. Didn't see him as the pickup truck type, but one learns a new thing every day.

Forgot the Dr. Parenti rant too. Creative name. What, not Dr. Frank N. Steiner? Ooops. That's Days of Our Lives.

I'm not sure I like this fill-in-the-blanks-via-flashback approach. It's too easy.

I couldn't get in last night - my ISP took a vacation or something .... grrr !!!

Whatever anyone says ... Doggett is a ROCK!!! Scully should thank her lucky starlight that she's got him watching her back.

urggh .. gotta run ... more comments later.

argo

Yes, argo, this ep gave Doggett a chance to act hunky. Hunky is a good thing (grin). And this allows his character to emulate some of the best of the old Mulder-Scully dynamic; he gets to be strong and protective and understanding of her feelings,but with no complicating shippyness (though if some UST slips in now and then, who's to complain? ) Plus, the agents get to do some of the trust-building that M & S had to do in seasons 1-2.

In fact, no pun intended--or intended only after the fact--but Doggett reminded me of a Rottweiller in this episode: big and agressive and growly, but also the kind of dog you could name Carl and feature in a children's book where he babysits the two-year-old (remember those books, anyone?).

cassandra: still thinking about your corporate-conspiracy idea. Big Corporate America has been attacked before in TXF; well, ok, attacking the cigarette industry IS a bit like shooting fish in a barrel. But the foes behind SR 819 definitely included the high-tech industry in cahoots with the syndicate. Hey, FOX--you're trying to market to the Nader crowd, so bring in an XF conspiracy that involves Big Corporate Money, and your ratings may go up (irony fully intended).

GGRRRROOWWFFF!!

I think this episode took us no farther than where we started from. I did like it, and I liked the Scully-Mulder interaction like pretty much everyone else, but the question still remains--what is Scully's baby?.... or whose is it? I find it hard to beleive that every gyno. on earth is in on this conspiracy, along with Doggett's CIA buddies. And what's so hard about doing a blood test on the Hendershot child? I'm sure that would answer questions. And there must be somewhere that she can get an actual ultrasound done to her... I just want some ANSWERS!!!! or I'll flame them all!!

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I don't have much to say about this ep.
I liked the ep's idea in that it was trying to put some more of the conspiracy back into the X-files, but we still don't know about the paternity of Scully's baby. If Mulder agreed to fertilize the ova, does that mean he's agreeing to become more intimate with Scully? Or are they suggesting they've already been intimate? What are they trying to say?
Did anyone catch that joke Mulder made about donating sperm? I thought that was a nice addition after all the seriousness we've had the past few weeks. It's nice to have some of the wry Mulder-humor back.
I think the reason they don't want Scully to get past the "Agent" formality with Doggett is because the writers want it to seem that Scully is closer to Mulder than Doggett. I like that idea, since I'm not fond of the Scully/Doggett relationship, which seems to be where the entire show is heading. Who knows, maybe one day Scully will give up on Mulder and turn to Doggett instead. I'm just hoping that the show doesn't drag that long.

Wolfie ---I- would MUCH rather have a real baby than whatever Scully's got in her abdomen...but then, that's what I've got.

Arren/Mini-Ittot is doing fine, gaining weight, eating like a lumberjack (which means he's almost -never- off my breast -- I'm feeding him the way god and nature intended infants to eat), and he's now lost that puffy newborn look. When he's alert, he's alert and looking at everything with keen little dark grey eyes. I think he'll have brown eyes, or at least dark hazel.

Oops. Gotta go. I think my daughter just too enthusiastic about rocking him awake! Damn!

Ittot