Grace Duffy, For The Mary Sue
“Scully prepares a profile arguing that the killer has a form of OCD. She suggests that he may revisit the crime scenes to relive the high. Investigators thank her in the most dismissive way possible, but Colton says she can come on their stakeout of the crime scenes because he’s nicely condescending like that.”
“So now the perception is, yes, women are here to stay. And when I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the supreme court]? And I say when there are nine, people are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.”
In which Mulder and Scully discover that Baltimore has only the finest quality monsters.
Squeeze: Season 1 Episode 3
Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong, Directed by Harry Longstreet
First aired September 24, 1993
Wait, you didn’t think I’d read this novel for any reason other than these two dudes, right? LOL.
The Night Manager
Written by John le Carré; Published 1991
Caveat: Bringing about Armageddon can be dangerous. Do not attempt it in your own home.
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecices of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Written by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett; Published 1990
So, first things first: I’m going to need some quality Aziraphale/Crowley fanfiction recommendations. Because these two are clearly meant to be.
I love just about every element of this book. In fact it’s difficult to write a review that isn’t just a list of praise. I love the tone, the metatextuality, and I love love love the occasional bits of medieval language. I hadn’t got to use that section of my brain since grad school. Gaiman and Pratchett blend their talents seamlessly. I only wish they’d been able to write more together.
Not sure. Not fine. Not whatever. Fuck you Carter.
Season 10, Episode 6: My Struggle II
Written by Chris Carter, Directed by Chris Carter
First Aired: February 22, 2016
Well, here we are. After all the anticipation, the doubt and fear and hope and excitement, the final puzzle piece of the revival has fallen into place. Unless and until we get information about Season 11, this is it.
After Babylon I went into this episode with equal measures of hope and hostility. I want to be clear: I had high hopes for this episode. I had high hopes for every episode in the revival, but especially for this one: with no Season 11 confirmed, this could very well be the very last time I ever saw Mulder and Scully. Not only did I want to love this episode, I wanted it to be the best episode of The X-Files ever made.
I’m left feeling so conflicted. Because as an episode, it has its flaws but I kind of like it. But as the last? This episode is the worst conclusion to a twenty-years long story imaginable.
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“Not to worry Mulder. I got Ms. Virgata’s card.”
So you all know how I felt about Babylon. In the aftermath I found a rewrite of the episode by the fantastic Aloysia Virgata. What I love about this story is that it isn’t a total re-imagining. She didn’t truly rewrite it. She revised it. She fixed it. This feels like a second draft. I could go on for much too long on everything I love about it, from the treatment of the Muslim characters, to the interactions between Mulder and Scully, to the social commentary. But I won’t go on, I’ll just beg you: read it.
Acheron by Aloysia Virgata
You can also find her on tumblr!
Season 10, Episode 5: Babylon
Written by Chris Carter, Directed by Chris Carter
First Aired: February 16, 2016
I’ll be honest: I did not enjoy this episode. Even with their imperfections I’ve enjoyed every single episode up until now, but this was awful. I was offended by “Babylon’s” politics and horrified by its dialogue and characterization. And as usual in Carter episodes, the plot makes no sense. After looking forward to the revival for almost a year, I’m angry at this catastrophe episode on a personal level. There were a few enjoyable moments (courtesy of Mulder/Scully/Duchovny/Anderson, who are doing their best with the material as always) but there’s not much nice to say here. This is a rant, my darlings.
Season 10, Episode 4: Home Again
Written by Glen Morgan, Directed by Glen Morgan
First Aired: February 8, 2016
Okay, fair warning: this episode hit me very hard. My Dad died last April, which means that my reading of this episode is going to be very personal. I wasn’t sure I could write about it at all, or whether it would be a good idea if I did. But I watched the episode again today, and I’m gonna give it a shot.
