X-Files 6.6 "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas"

I wanted scary, and i get cute. I'm not saying it's bad, but again,
taken with all that has come before, this is the fourth funny episode in a
row--and I know, it wasn't all funny, but...I can't give an enthusiastic
thumbs up to an episode that resolves itself by Scully saying "that
didn't really happen, right?" And Mulder going "Of course not." I mean, if it
WAS in their heads, then wasn't it in both their heads??? And if that is
the case isn't that really really weird?

SIGH.

So basically, the X-file sucked. There was actually a really cool
episodeof Buffy the Vampire Slayer last year, where people kept reliving this
murder-suicide that occured in the high school years ago, and elements of
this episode reminded me of that. I GET not being too creepy for
Christmas, but last years Christmas episodes (the Scully Family
Christmas, to be re-run the next two weeks) were very poignant.
I guess I feel like Chris carter took the wind outta my analytical sails:
Much of what I wanted to comment on, HE COMMENTED ON in the episode by
having the ghosts psychoanalyse (my e-mail doesn't spell check, sorry)
our heroes. But I'll do it anyway. :D

I liked that Scully still hadn't wrapped her presents and it was
Christmas Eve. i think it's interesting that Mulder doesn't have a life, he's got
this mother that he doesn't see much of anymore (have we seen her since
she slapped him?) and maybe she's Jewish, who knows? So He's got nowhere to
be BUT a haunted House on christmas Eve. But Scully has this big irish
Catholic military family and yet.....she can't help herself.

If Mulder had waggled his eyebrows at ME, in the leather jacket, no less,
well, My car keys would be "locked" in my own vehicle, I assure you. But
remember last Christmas? She's in San Diego and she keeps wating to call
Mulder, keeps waiting to work rather than relate to a family which can no
longer seem to relate much to her. She HAS a life, but she keeps running
from it. Can you imagine the talk around the hearth if Scully's late to
Christmas DInner because she's with that Mulder guy AS USUAL? It's bad
enough brother Charlie is in a Taiwanese Prison (Just go with me here,
people, OK?). i loved her reference to "6 am roll call" under the tree,
it portrayed a militaristic background. Loved her "New years resolution"
remark, and I can't believe Mulder really took her keys! You Fiend!
Didn't care for Mulder's flatulence joke, his third that I can recall,
jeez Mulder. i really enjoyed Scully's supreme irritation at Mulder, how
tired and annoyed she was. I loved her rationalizing to herself through her fear.
It actually makes sense that perhaps our little scully was a
fearful child who took up science as a means of understanding the things that
frightened her. She's talking to herself--Mulder sure isn't
listening!--and i loved how the distinction between rational and irrational fear is
IMPORTANT to her. "I know it's stupid, so I'm not being stupid."
whateveryou say Dana. Liked that Scully recognizes HER OUTFIT before Mulder
does, as most of us gals would, and i liked Mulder's not getting it and
thinking she'd just made some kind of paranormal faux pas by wearing what the
corpse is. If none of that happened, does this mean their weapons didn't discharge?
Otherwise, if those are their service weapons, they have to account for
the bullets to the Bureau, and that might not be easy.
Then there's the part where Chris carter has the ghost put Mulder on
the couch (which must have happened because mulder is using what he learned
in therapy in his conversation with Scully at the end where he acknowledges
his self-rightoues narcissistic ego-mania--or as Scully once called it
his "meglomaniacal worldview") ANYWAY, liked that in his blue jeans, t-shirt
and black leather, mulder looked the part of the anti-hero. MMMMM, yeah
liked that a lot.......(ahem).

Anyway, did anyone notice light reflecting off the camera? i point this
out because X-files does it ALL the time, has them shine their
flashlights or whatever and it reflects off the camera glass and you get streaks or a
"ghost" of the light or whatever. I think it looks cool, but when I took
film classes, our teacher wouldn't let that happen, she said it reminds
the audience of the camera and we'd get in trouble, so whenever I see it in
film or TV it ticks me off, like "they get to do it," and we never could.
Liked how mulder has fun with the ghosts, is at ease, enjoys Lily's
trick with the books, etc., is almost blase about the whole thing.
Spooky's at home with the spooks. Scully is not, and when she has that
moment of discernment it's to realize that she is encountering EVIL. I
really didn't get the ghosts sitting in front of the fire saying they had
the Spirit of Christmas because, my own personal religious beleifs aside,
I think we can all agree that it does not involve luring lonely people into
ahouse to engineer their doom. I'd also like to go on record, Mulder,
that NOT everyone believes in ghosts, that i do not believe in "ghosts," i do
not believe we can return to this plane once we have departed, but I do
believe in evil spirits and i would not ever intentionally put myself in
a place where i would encounter them, and Scully, considering they tried to
kill you, I think that fear you were feeling was QUITE rational.

It was a sad moment indeed when mulder scoffed at the very idea of he and
Scully spending eternity together, but hey, maybe he was just trying not
to tip his hand to the ghost lest he use it against him. Then came the
bad-buffy rip-off part (also a bit of the Shining) that makes no sense to
me and if anyone made sense of the story, if anyone can explain how they
could go through that and shrug it off, let me know. I don't think
Carter cared.

Has anyone used the song "Have yourself a merry little christmas" in
an unironic sense in the last 40 years? it's always used to counterpoint
someone's REALLY CRAPPY CHRISTMAS. You know, the lyric "faithful friends
who are dear to us/gather near to us once more" plays, and here's a sad
person all alone CUT TO: their family decorating the tree, pausing for a
moment to show us, they wish sad lonely person was there, etc. And it's
usually sung my someone totally tragic like Judy Garland or Karen
Carpenter. Even in "Meet Me in St. Louis," it's sad. That movie kicks
butt, by the way, and if you and your loved ones need to rent something
with a little something for everyone this Christmas, i heartily recommend
it!

I loved the end, with mulder and scully giving each
other.....???????????????????? Your guess is as good as mine! A
kaliedoscope? a Cheese log? It looks like Scully got him a video (The
Exorcist? It's one of her favorite movies! :D) or maybe a book. You can
bet it's not the kind of movie mulder gets for himself. this episode
REALLY made me want to go to Disneyland and visit the Haunted House ride.

Maybe I'll go this week, i've never seen it decked out for Christmas.
So i liked that mulder and Scully interacted a lot in this episode, a
nice change of pace, ho ho ho, but again, the show's creator couldn't explain
his "mystery" to my satisfaction.

Maybe NEXT YEAR, i'll be scared! Anyway, and I mean this in the most
sincere way possible: Have Yourselves a Merry Little Christmas! Let Your
Hearts Be Light! Christine :D

X-files 6.5 "Dreamland II" No, my first name's not baby, it's Dana--Miss Scully if you're nasty!!

Thank you, Janet Jackson.

Well, the previews for next week looked amusing, which isn't a complaint
(yet :D) because Scully looked scared, and if SCULLY is scared, i am
going to assume I will be scared too. Didn't scully rock this episode? I love
it when Scully goes all Jane Wayne. I liked the little history of mulder
through the eyes of Morris (as opposed to the eyes of Laura mars). I
liked the idea of :"if someone stepped into YOUR life, could they do more with
it? I mean, it's a grass is always greener thing too. WE should all
count our blessings---if someone assumed your identity, I bet they'd think:
Hey, this person rocks! Why don't they think so? Who's this Christine
person, her e-mails are hilarious :D!!! AS in "Small Potaotoes" a guy steps
into Mulders body and says, why isn't this guy getting more action? Of
course, there was that vampire in LA, but...It's interesting, that idea that
someone who looks like that would HAVE to use it to get oodles of sex,
but that's what's great about Mulder and Scully, they don't "get" that they
are so attractive. They're both nerds. Like in Small Potaotes when THAT
fake Mulder asked her if she had any big plans for the weekend, and she says,
since it's the weekend, she's excited about having time to work on an
article she's doing for some criminology journal. ANd he's like "Geek."
Anyway, i loved how Scully's true test is that fake Mulder acts like
she could actually get him to listen to her, and when he agrees with her,
she knows something wicked this way comes. Well, maybe not so much
wickedas....lame. His attempts at cameraderie and concern on her behalf are so
painful. Gillian is so great at registering how tramatic it is for her
to see a lesser soul in Mulder's body (and what a body it is hubba, hubba.)
Mulder's indian/pilot cellmate's code name is "Maverick" ala Tom Cruise
in "Top Gun." Tom Cruise was once married to Mimi Rogers, who plays dirty
Diana, Mulder's ex-squeeze. This puts me in mind of something Vickie
said to me in regards to this character :"Tom Cruise got rid of her, why
can't we?" She also critiqued the cruise (sense the pattern here??) ship
episode by complaining that Skinner and Cancer man weren't menacing
enough, they were like "Wonder Woman Nazi's," which is funny to me on sooo many
levels. It's also a cool name for a rock band...

Anyway, I liked how, just as Scully is tipped off by "mulder's"
cowardice, Morris's pal gets suspicious when "Morris" starts getting clever and
brave. "Baby me and you'll be peeing through a catheder." She means it!
Remember that commercial with that guy sexually harrasing tha woman and
she gets all small and then she gets big again and says "That's sexual
harrasment, and I DON'T have to take it."? They should show that scene
where he swats her butt and then cut to her with the gun saying the above
Scullyism. Awww Yeah, Scully's in the HOUSE!!
Loved that Lil Aley Inn. I didn't anticipate the Air Force guy being
Mulder's source, and Loved him asking MULDER for the truth, that was
great. The stuff in the bar with everyone avoiding someone for different resons
was amusing, as was the domestic scene with the lone gunmen, and didn't
you love how everyone just does what Scully says? She says jump, the men ask
How High. Loved how even they laughed at Scully's story.
the scene with Mulder and Scully as they contemplate their lives all
screwy and apart from one another was affecting, I think they did a nice job
showing how Scully is able to recognize Mulder's soul, because theirs is
a spiritual bond, not a physical one. gillian again was great, playing the
weirdess, unable to look at either man for very long because it was too
painful. Scully's attempt to lighten the mood "I'd kiss you if you
weren't so damned ugly," is VERY reminiscent of Mulder's "If there's iced tea in
that bag? Could be love." from season one's Tooms. (Damn the root beer,
DAMMIT!!!) The idea of going through the FBI without his support is
unfathomable to her. For all his shortcomings, Morris was GREAT at
sharing all the memories that made his wife realize who he was--the part Mulder
was so bad at last week. Mulder got major Christine points off his look of
absolute disgust when Morris patted Scully's butt--the idea of ANYONE
demeaning or degrading his beloved Scully so clearly abhorant to him.
Loved the warmth in Scully's voice as she told him they got away with the
trip to Nevada (on a bureau phone?) So...does this mean Mulder has the
waterbed??? :D

Hope you all have great weeks! Christine