XF2, Psychic Boogaloo!

[icepixie]

Bar none, the best part was finding that Mulder and Scully's pillow talk consists of toxicology reports and animal tranquilizers. WHY DOES THAT NOT SURPRISE ME AT ALL. (Also? Squee. And heh, their combined paranoia put them in a house with a giant chain link gate out in the middle of nowhere, either in West Virginia or near DC. I was never quite clear on exactly where they lived.)

Did I mention squee above? Because yes, squee. I had heard rumors of a bitter separation prior to the film, and the whole "I won't come home tonight" thing made me a bit faint in the heart, but ahhhhh, that scene in front o their house? WORTH. IT. (Although I did wonder if there would be a bee somewhere in there...) Er, question, though...so Scully says it's Mulder's stubbornness that made her fall in love with him (*cheers*), and he says that's why they can't be together. Uh, they looked pretty damn "together" to me. That was one of several things I didn't quite understand.

In general, the nostalgia factor was VERY high, which was really all I was expecting. Hell, M&S could read the phone book at each other for two hours and I'd watch. Plus there was the Skin-man! I love me some Skin-man. (Also loved the little trick with Mulder's cellphone. BWAH! Although I might have appreciated it more with Morgan & Wong on that list as well, but, eh. Still funny.) I cackled at the bit with the boat in the credits. HEE!

Beyond that...hmm. Okay, the most unbelievable part was that Scully could go from forensic pathologist to brain surgeon in, apparently, very little time. Scully the county medical examiner I would believe; Scully the brain surgeon, not so much. But anyway.

I had always wondered what it would look like when Scully finally said no more, and...I guess it looks a lot like this. (Except without the unbelievable brain surgery. But anyway.) I guess she had no choice after the ending of the series, but...it seemed to work for her? Mostly? Except for the dying kid? (And ow, that "if you were a mother" comment. OUCH.) However, the plot...was not so good. I think it didn't work as well for me because M&S were in consultant positions to the FBI rather than agents themselves. They weren't at the center of the action until practically at the end, and then the whole Russians-and-Callum-Keith-Rennie-sewing-heads-on-and-mutilating-dogs...thing didn't make much sense at all. The psychic priest was supposed to be creepier than he turned out to be, I think. Oh, well.

But plot failings aside...this wasn't about the plot, this was about nostalgia and 'ship, not necessarily in that order, and it delivered on both counts, so I'm happy. (Okay, I would've been happier if Mulder hadn't had that tribble on his face for the first half hour, but, eh. I can deal.)

Comments

[rowdycamels.livejournal.com]

Bar none, the best part was finding that Mulder and Scully's pillow talk consists of toxicology reports and animal tranquilizers

YES YES AND YES. I love them.

and he says that's why they can't be together. Uh, they looked pretty damn "together" to me. That was one of several things I didn't quite understand.

I took that to mean "together anymore", but I'm not sure either. I can't even figure out if Scully was actually living in Mulder's hermit shack or not. Were they already together? Or had they drifted apart, and her needing to find him for the FBI brought them back together? Because she looked awfully at home there, but... the beard and the "you're a psycho hermit" talk suggest otherwise. (And really, would she have let that beard happen if she'd been sleeping with him all the months he was growing it? Ugh.) If they'd been together for the past six years, you'd think it'd take more than a random consulting case to make her go all "OMG you're a crazy UFO freak!", especially if they'd been doing fine for years beforehand.

Conclusion: I just have no idea where they're coming from.

Also loved the little trick with Mulder's cellphone. BWAH! Although I might have appreciated it more with Morgan & Wong on that list as well, but, eh. Still funny.

Wait, what was on the phone? I only got as far as "ha, he's got a Gillian in his contacts list!" and "wait, does he seriously only have four people in his phone?" before the shot ended. I was in bad seats. : (

I cackled at the bit with the boat in the credits. HEE!

There was post-credits stuff? NOOOOOOOOO!!! Sarah wanted to leave, and I was all, "Well, okay, it's not like anything interesting's going to happen anyway..." CURSES.

Okay, the most unbelievable part was that Scully could go from forensic pathologist to brain surgeon in, apparently, very little time.

Uhhhh, maybe she got her brain surgery training online while she was googling stem cell research? :::facepalm:::

I think it didn't work as well for me because M&S were in consultant positions to the FBI rather than agents themselves.

Dunno, I kinda liked the fact that they had an outsider's perspective for once. The plot wasn't their best, though, no.

Russians-and-Callum-Keith-Rennie-sewing-heads-on-and-mutilating-dogs

GAH THAT'S WHY HE LOOKED SO FAMILIAR. I am made of fail.

this wasn't about the plot, this was about nostalgia and 'ship, not necessarily in that order, and it delivered on both counts, so I'm happy.

Heheheh, yes.

(Okay, I would've been happier if Mulder hadn't had that tribble on his face for the first half hour

Seriously. Seriously. I'm just glad she finally called him on it.

[icepixie]

YES YES AND YES. I love them.

I want to hug them and squeeze them and call them George. SO CUTE!

I took that to mean "together anymore", but I'm not sure either.

I got the distinct impression it was something they'd talked about several times before, and it was like this standing thing between them, but...I dunno.

Because she looked awfully at home there, but... the beard and the "you're a psycho hermit" talk suggest otherwise.

Yeah, I wondered about that too. I can explain away the "it's not good for you to be so isolated" as "...from people other than me" (and let's face it, they have juuuust about the most unhealthily codependent relationship in TVdom), but...yeah. I don't know. Although the bed scene made it really seem like they were living together, even with the "scratchy beard" comment (maybe this was a longstanding argument?).

(And really, would she have let that beard happen if she'd been sleeping with him all the months he was growing it? Ugh.)

She was always too indulgent of him. I can see it, actually.

If they'd been together for the past six years, you'd think it'd take more than a random consulting case to make her go all "OMG you're a crazy UFO freak!", especially if they'd been doing fine for years beforehand.

Well, I got the impression that they'd had no contact whatsoever with the FBI, aliens, conspiricists, or monsters of any sort in between the finale and this movie, so it was kind of a relatively out-of-nowhere UFO freakout. Maybe.

Conclusion: I just have no idea where they're coming from.Wait, what was on the phone? I only got as far as "ha, he's got a Gillian in his contacts list!" and "wait, does he seriously only have four people in his phone?" before the shot ended. I was in bad seats. : (

I thought it was a Gillian at first, but it's actually Gilligan, Spotnitz, and Shiban (aka the writers and co-producers for much of the series). Hee!

There was post-credits stuff? NOOOOOOOOO!!!

!!!!!!!!

IT WAS AWESOME! The credits turned from a background of sweeping snow to sweeping waves, rather of a tropical hue, then you could see the shadow of a helicopter on the ocean, and then a rowboat came into view. Mulder was rowing, and Scully was leaning back in the bow. Both were wearing bathing suits. They looked up and waved to the helicopter.

Best fanservice ever!

Uhhhh, maybe she got her brain surgery training online while she was googling stem cell research? :::facepalm:::

She took courses from Phoenix University!

Dunno, I kinda liked the fact that they had an outsider's perspective for once. The plot wasn't their best, though, no.

I didn't like that they ended up spending so much time apart while actually investigating. Especially in the scene where Mulder and Amanda Peet are chasing after RayK in the reallyreally tall building, I felt like that should've been Scully and not whatsherface. It needed more of them actually working together.

GAH THAT'S WHY HE LOOKED SO FAMILIAR. I am made of fail.

Dood. You need your eyes checked. ;)

Seriously. Seriously. I'm just glad she finally called him on it.

Oof, for real though.

[icepixie]

Oh, and re: co-habitation: Another thing that made me think they'd been living together was Scully's line about them having created a home, and not wanting to let the darkness into it. Also, they seemed to share one car pretty freely back and forth.

Now all they need is poor baby William. William and his magical alien powers.

[sleepingcbw.livejournal.com]

I took that to mean "together anymore", but I'm not sure either. I can't even figure out if Scully was actually living in Mulder's hermit shack or not. Were they already together?

They can't've been together. Too many pencils in the ceiling.


Okay, I would've been happier if Mulder hadn't had that tribble on his face for the first half hour

He looked like Al from Home Improvement. So wrong.

[icepixie]

They can't've been together. Too many pencils in the ceiling.

Maybe she was pulling a double shift at the hospital and he got bored? (Or maybe he was just bored in general? All he seemed to be doing was combing newspapers for paranormal/alien reports.)

He looked like Al from Home Improvement. So wrong.

ARGH ARGH YES.

[sleepingcbw.livejournal.com]

If Mulder and Scully are bored with their relationship, then this is the crappiest shipper movie ever?

[icepixie]

I was thinking more that he used to come see her at the hospital when he had nothing to do, until she finally told him to cut it out, she had work to do, she'd see him when she got home and really, she'd take a vaction soon, she promised, and so he switched to the pencils because she wasn't there to talk to.

But I'm a pretty hardcore shipper.

[sleepingcbw.livejournal.com]

I would've loved to see that! In the movie!

I think the movie would've been greatly improved if they'd chosen either the shipper plot or the Fr. Joe plot and run with it, instead of trying to do both. Both plots ended up missing too many pieces.

[icepixie]

I would've loved to see that! In the movie!

I have half a mind to write it as fanfic. Although someone else probably has already. (That's the major benefit of such a large fandom...anything TPTB screw up, someone fixes! Yay!)

I think the movie would've been greatly improved if they'd chosen either the shipper plot or the Fr. Joe plot and run with it, instead of trying to do both. Both plots ended up missing too many pieces.

I don't know if just the shipper plot could've sustained the whole movie, though, even with the Frankenstein plot. I think if I were writing the movie, I would've dumped everything but the shipper plot, then had some kind of mutant or ghost show up figuratively at M&S's doorstep, and threaten them in such a way that they had to get involved, and be the primary "investigators" in the "case." There would've been many more creepy aspects, and a lot more of them working together to find the truth.

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

Bar none, the best part was finding that Mulder and Scully's pillow talk consists of toxicology reports and animal tranquilizers.

YES. It went directly from Scully talking about Mulder's package to "Oh, yeah, remember that guy's chopped off arm?"

I, too, was afraid of a separation, but that was much more together than I had hoped for.

I really want to see the fic coming out of this, especially in regard to Skin-Man and such. They need to have him over for dinner or something. That and rowboat!fics. ;)

Scully the county medical examiner I would believe; Scully the brain surgeon, not so much.

Yeah, I was trying to figure out what her specialty was supposed to be. Wear your mask, Scully! I'm sure she can slice and dice with the best of them, but she hasn't dealt with live patients (other than Mulder) in years. It does sound like she was the solitary breadwinner in the family.

But plot failings aside...this wasn't about the plot, this was about nostalgia and 'ship, not necessarily in that order, and it delivered on both counts, so I'm happy.

Exactly. :)

[icepixie]

YES. It went directly from Scully talking about Mulder's package to "Oh, yeah, remember that guy's chopped off arm?"

Heh. Yes.

I, too, was afraid of a separation, but that was much more together than I had hoped for.

That was a nice bit of misdirection by the publicity team, I must say.

I really want to see the fic coming out of this, especially in regard to Skin-Man and such. They need to have him over for dinner or something. That and rowboat!fics. ;)

Bwahahaha, yes. Me, I want something like I described above in response to someone else, about how a bored Mulder used to come see Scully at the hospital when he had nothing to do (which appears to be much of the time), until she finally told him to cut it out, she had work to do, she'd see him when she got home and really, she'd take a vaction soon, she promised, and so he switched to throwing pencils at the ceiling because she wasn't there to talk to.

Yeah, I was trying to figure out what her specialty was supposed to be.

That was a puzzler. I think pediatrics? Although pretty much anything from cutting up dead people is a pretty big eyebrow-raiser. Perhaps her experience with Mulder's head injuries led her to brain surgery?

I'm sure she can slice and dice with the best of them, but she hasn't dealt with live patients (other than Mulder) in years.

Exactly! And I know nothing about medical school, so would she have even gotten the training to work on live people back then if she was interested in forensic pathology?

It does sound like she was the solitary breadwinner in the family.

Yeah, unless Mulder was writing erotica under a penname or something. ;)

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

That was a nice bit of misdirection by the publicity team, I must say.

No kidding. I tried to stay away from spoilers, but it sounds like they did an excellent job keeping people from getting to the heart of the matter.

Bored!Mulder is always a fun Mulder.

And I know nothing about medical school, so would she have even gotten the training to work on live people back then if she was interested in forensic pathology?

I think she would have done all of the regular rotations as a med student, but I really don't know. Even so, she's gotta be out of practice. I wonder what they've been doing during those six years.

Also, since Scully's using her real name, I wonder if she's in contact with her mom and other family. Assuming her mom's still alive. :P

Yeah, unless Mulder was writing erotica under a penname or something. ;)

She has encouraged him to write. And she could certainly help provide inspiration...

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

Oh, question: did anybody else half-wonder if Christopher was William? I was a bit afraid he got some weird-ass brain disease from his daddy. I miss William, but I'm really glad that wasn't the case.

[sleepingcbw.livejournal.com]

I have half a mind to write it as fanfic. Although someone else probably has already.

I almost wonder if that was the point of the story: to leave gaps for fanficcers to fill in.


I think if I were writing the movie, I would've dumped everything but the shipper plot, then had some kind of mutant or ghost show up figuratively at M&S's doorstep, and threaten them in such a way that they had to get involved, and be the primary "investigators" in the "case." There would've been many more creepy aspects, and a lot more of them working together to find the truth.

Yeah -- more like a real monster of the week. It seems like unless the monster (dear movie people: MOTW episodes typically include a monster) is actually threatening Mulder and Scully, their characters have some serious lack-of-investment issues with the plot, given their distance from the Bureau.

I was so glad to see Skinner, though. I wish he'd had more to do.

[sleepingcbw.livejournal.com]

Yeah, unless Mulder was writing erotica under a penname or something. ;)

I don't read fanfic, but I would read fanfic about THAT. Mulder would write the funniest erotica.

[icepixie]

I think she would have done all of the regular rotations as a med student, but I really don't know. Even so, she's gotta be out of practice. I wonder what they've been doing during those six years.

Studying? *g*

Also, since Scully's using her real name, I wonder if she's in contact with her mom and other family. Assuming her mom's still alive. :P

I got the impression the writers were trying to forget, oh, pretty much everything from the finale, so they just kind of ignored the whole "on the run" thing...

She has encouraged him to write. And she could certainly help provide inspiration...

I'm currently thinking of an ongoing series involving a red-headed doctor and alien lovers...

[icepixie]

Huh. Can't say as that ever crossed my mind; actually, their mention of him in bed kind of surprised me, although I saw the connection with the age he would be once they mentioned it.

Poor Scully. Poor Mulder. Poor William.

[icepixie]

If there were any way to write it and still keep things PG, I'd be all over that. (I guess there probably is a way to do so, but it would require a defter hand with innuendo than I have.) Hmmm...perhaps it can be a background detail for something else...

[icepixie]

I almost wonder if that was the point of the story: to leave gaps for fanficcers to fill in.

You may very well be on to something. There are plenty of them.

Yeah -- more like a real monster of the week. It seems like unless the monster (dear movie people: MOTW episodes typically include a monster) is actually threatening Mulder and Scully, their characters have some serious lack-of-investment issues with the plot, given their distance from the Bureau.

Indeed. (And yeah, there's a reason it's MOTW and not PsychicOTW.)

I was so glad to see Skinner, though. I wish he'd had more to do.

Yes! I had kind of resigned myself to no Skinner by that point in the movie. It was wonderful to see him again.

[bigrosie.livejournal.com]

Ok, I was disappointed. Like every other shipper I was hoping for some more domestic bliss - like a meal together or some joking around. After seeing it again, I realize now that CC did the right thing with their relationship. After six years of Mulder isolating himself - and I think DD did a good job of portraying that stir-crazy syndrome, especially when he tells Scully that he's alright when clearly he isn't -OF COURSE there's going to be some distance! It's obvious that 6 years of that is taking its toll on Scully because Mulder refuses to associate with anyone but her - that's gotta be a hell of a lot of pressure to put on a person you are living with, to make them be the only one who can make you happy in life. So I see now why CC did this and plus it makes us shippers use more of our imagination and you all know what that means - FAN FICTION!!! I expect some good stuff to come out of this movie, now that none of us have to guess at M&S's current situation. And the ending was classic X-Files - we don't really know 100% that they are still together because Mulder hasn't really addressed his issues at all. He's still in his office cutting up newspapers.

If anyone knows where to find some great XFIWTB fan-fiction, please post it on here!

Oh and another thing, did anyone notice the book on Scully's nightstand during the cuddle session/toxicology report? CC didn't show the entire title, but the last word of the book title spelled SEX in big gold letters! I noticed it the second time I saw the movie.

Thoughts about the book?

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

Ephemeral has one fic up right now: http://www.ephemeralfic.org/ Hopefully more will soon follow!

I've been told the book was "Beautiful Wasps Having Sex" (http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Wasps-Having-Dori-Carter/dp/B0000C4JBF). I'll have to look at it further though. I spent a lot of time staring at their duvet for some reason.

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

The "If you were a mother" comment made me so sad. :(

Poor all of them.

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

You could do something about Scully helping proofread, maybe. "Mulder, 'mushroom head of love' is not the right phrasing here!"

Fan Fic

[bigrosie.livejournal.com]

I read the few that Ephemeral has up, but eh, not so great. Missy Pennington, please come out of retirement!!!

[serendipityxxi.livejournal.com]

Because it was a really really ugly duvet! *L*

Do you think that was a throwback to The Bee? *G*