X-Files: Mind's Eye 'Shipper Survey

To be fair this isn't a very 'Shippy episode because Scully isn't in it that much (story was she was busy re-filming scenes for a movie), but it's been awhile since I posted a survey and with NaNoWriMo coming up I have NO TIME to write any fresh surveys so I'm pulling from Season Five reviews...  Sorry.  NOW GO WRITE 50,000 WORDS FOR YOUR NOVEL!  Ack, I'm a Municipal Liaison this year so I gotta motivate writers.

Anywho, survey time.  All answers should be in the form of a question, such as "Do you, Agent Dana take Agent Fox to be your one and only Moose...?"


Senseless 'Shipper Survey - Mind's Eye


1) As the episode begins we see a young woman living a grungy life in Delaware. Suddenly, she gets psychic flashes of someone dying. This leads up to police officers entering a trashed hotel finding a dead body and a cowering figure in the shower stall. They pull back the curtain to reveal the young woman is Lili Taylor, Cult Movie Goddess from such art films as "Dogfight" and "The Addiction". You note:

A) That, given her psychic abilities and spiritual coolness, she would qualify for her own religion...sigh...

B) That you've got a major crush for brunettes...sigh...

C) That there's no sign of Dana or Fox, and that no one has held hands yet...sigh...

Our Gen-X actresses had CLASS, dammit

2) We get a slide show presentation of the murder scene, the victim, and the suspect. But there are two catches: one is that the suspect is blind, the other is that Scully is doing the slide show presentation. This leads you to conclude:

A) That Scully is expert enough to handle audiovisual equipment, meaning she should get her own desk

B) That Lili looks really cute with those straight-ahead photo shots but ought to work on her over-the-shoulder look

C) That Dana and Fox should kick the detective out of the office and use the light projector to perform some erotic hand puppet show

3) Mulder and Scully get to interview the blind woman, whose name is Marty. You note:

A) That Scully most likely drove the car here

B) Lili's named after Mulder's alter ego? That is so...arousing...

C) That Fox is looking at Marty the wrong way...NOooooo...the RIFT!...

4) Lili Taylor acts like a real smart-ass during the first interrogation, but does it in a real cool, hip way, leading Mulder to say this about her "perfecting her poor blind girl stand-up routine." You note:

A) That Gillian's got the deadpan delivery for stand-up routines, given the number of off-the-wall SREs (Standard Rational Explanations to you noobs) she's had to memorize over the years

B) That Mulder's got Lili Taylor confused with Janeane Garofalo, yet another caustic-yet-cool brunette who's great at stand-up routines...hmm, Lili AND Janeane...deep sigh...

C) That Dana and Fox haven't held hands yet this episode, and we're already closing in on the second commercial break...something's wrong here...

5) While examining Marty's blindness with visual-stimuli testing, her "vision" causes a bizarre reaction, leading Scully to ponder a Rational Explanation that sounded so irrational you can't even remember it. This leaves you to ponder:

A) That the poor Saint has been distracted by her quest for a desk, forcing her to miss out reading up all those technical journals she needs in coming up with all these SREs.

B) That while Mulder and Scully are bickering about whether a blind girl can see, poor Lili's watching another victim get sliced and diced

C) That Dana and Fox have finally gotten around to flirting this episode...Thank God!...

6) Having been freed for lack of evidence, Marty is checking out her personal belongings and making sure her money's the way she left it. When the cop on duty snidely notes that he replaced all her tens with twentys because of her sweet disposition, you reply:

A) "Yeah, right. Hit him with a trout, Lili!"

B) "Sweet disposition? Lili?!? She's as brutal as they come, but hey that's what we love about her! Fugeddaboutit!..."

C) "Sigh...if only Fox would complement Dana about HER sweet disposition...sigh..."

7) Marty witnesses another murder, and this time confesses, but she uses the confession to interfere with the true killer's plan to sell drugs. Mulder pouts while Scully is off hand-delivering physical evidence for the crime labs. Lili Taylor puts her character through every conceivable emotion between her confession and her first confrontation (and "self-recognition") with the real killer. You take this all in by:

A) Guessing which movie it is that GA had to re-shoot when this episode was being filmed

B) Trying to find a Lili Taylor web site so you can make sure her fans know she kicked ass in this episode

C) Crying because Dana isn't there to console Fox

8) Mulder has figured out the connection between Marty and the killer. The killer is the same one who killed Marty's mother, who killed all the others and who left his blood on a glove Scully found at the first crime scene (please refrain from making OJ jokes until the survey is completed). Mulder knows the killer is Marty's father. As she and the audience reels from that knowledge, you respond by:

A) Noting it was Scully who found the bloody glove, it was her that works her butt off solving these cases, and she does it all for you, Mulder! You you you!

B) Humming the theme to "Empire Strikes Back" and noting that Mulder (and in a lesser extent Scully) has a problem with father figures too

C) Waiting for Dana to show up to console Fox, only because it would be nice to see that...deep sigh...

9) We see what Marty sees through the killer's eyes as he comes to kill her, and we see how she handles her final confrontation with her father: she stands up, points a gun towards the killer/herself/the audience, whispers "I hate the way you look at me," and pulls the trigger. Your primary thought is:

A) "She needs to work on her aim...Scully would've taught her how to aim for the shoulder..."

B) "No! Lili! Don't hate us for looking at you like that! Nooooooooooooo..."

C) "Thankfully, Dana doesn't hate the way Fox looks at her...deep sigh..."

10) Marty ends up in jail, guilty of the crime of killing the true Monster Of The Week. Mulder arrives to see how she's doing, and she notes of how she saw the ocean through her father's eyes and that now it is the only vision she can remember. Mulder cracks a joke at the expense of the Ice Capades and holds her hands along the jail bars. Your final thought is:

A) "Dammit! I know Gillian's off filming additional movie scenes, but that means there's no Enigmatic One around to keep the Punk in line!"

B) "The only way Lili Taylor doesn't get the Emmy for Best Guest Actress is if Posey Parker or whatever her name is makes a cameo on NYPD Blue..."

C) "Noooooo, Fox, you should be holding hands with Dana right now...in her apartment...with a bottle of red wine chilling nearby...talking about bad prom nights..."

If you more often than not answered:

A) Then you are a member of the OBSSE who's mailing a membership application to Lili Taylor so she can sign up and hang out with other cool, smart people

B) Then you are a lot like me, a X-Philer who'll always look at GA but still think of Lili...deep sigh...

C) Then you are a 'Shipper who's worried Fox held Marty's hands this episode and not Dana's...NOOOOOOOoooooooo...

You Say It's Your Birthday: Mulder Edition

Numerology plays a role in The X-Files.

Especially birthdays.

10/13 is in the real world Chris Carter's birthday, so like the egomaniac he is Carter went and gave that day of birth to Fox Mulder as well.

So screw Chris.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MULDER!!!

I'd love to get the artist's name on this please

Where IS Bree Sharp nowadays...?

Tell Me What You Want Me To Say

To tide things over, a fanvid:

You want a revelation,
You want to get it right
But, it's a conversation,
I just can't have tonight
You want a revelation, some kind of resolution
You want a revelation

No light, no light in your bright blue eyes
I never knew daylight could be so violent
A revelation in the light of day,
You can't choose what stays and what fades away...

We didn't have YouTube back in the day, but there were clips of video/song mixes bouncing around the very slow Intertubes.  It'd be nice to find some of them again.

(decides to use search parameters to check on something) FOUND SOMETHING.

I remember this one!  This was a trailer promo for a Scully videowatching marathon that the OBSSE hosted back in 2001.  I remember driving all the way from South Florida to the suburbs of Orlando for a house party get-together.

Does anybody remember that?

New Trailers for the X-Files 9/29/15

I can at least share these from the Intertubes:

So we know for a fact that the FBI just doesn't do a good job of revamping office space when needed.

/ow stop hitting me

Time Is Not On My Side

I hate to admit I am jumping in too many directions at once in the real world.  So for now I have to place my work on this blog on hold.

I hope to get back on track with some 'Shipper Surveys when I can, and maybe that Orphan Black/X-Files crossover fic sometime in December.

Keep track of things over on the Links I have, some of those sites are bound to pick up activity soon. :)

Okay, Among the Season Three Episodes, Which Ones Are The 'Shippiest?

Looking back, Season Three is arguably one of the most solid seasons The X-Files had.  Great guest stars, great writing (this was when Darin Morgan tossed in three of the funniest and thought-provoking scripts of science fiction television in the 1990s), fully getting into the mytharc and giving us classic Monsters of the Week.

But which episodes during Season Three would you deem the most Relationshipper-friendly, UST-fueled, Just-Kiss-Already episodes?  I'd like your opinion.

I'm gonna see if I can embed a poll here.  Yes, it seems to have worked...


Paperclip
DPO
Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose
Oubliette
War of the Coprophages
Jose Chung's From Outer Space
Quagmire
Wetwired

I will not list Syzygy.  That is a NoRomos wet dream.

I will not list the Killer Kitteh one either.  That was just bad.

I will throw in Avatar for the Walter Skinner fanbase, though.

Go ahead and fill out the poll please and thank ye.  In the meantime, I've kinda made up my mind and will try to write up 'Shipper Surveys for Oubliette and War of the Coprophages.  I may also post a non-survey bit for Jose Chung, see if people here recognize it...

X-Files: Pusher 'Shipper Survey

The rewatching of the X-Files during the 201 Days Of has reached Season Three, and to my shame I don't have 'Shipper Surveys for much of this season (since, as posted before, I started doing these Season Five).

I *do* have a couple of Season Threes done already, and this is one of them.  It's a pretty simplified and short survey, and there's not much 'Shippiness to it except for the end scenes.  And of course the best line in the show ever!

So here goes!

PUSHER - Senseless 'Shipper Survey

No SPOILER Space for a repeat, so:

1) When Pusher opened the episode and glanced at the tabloid filled with production in-jokes, your first thought was:

A) "That can't be St. Scully in that photo! The Enigmatic One's lingerie is red, dammit!"

B) "Fluke-boy's back!"

C) "Where's Mulder? Where's Scully? Where's Emily? A grocery store is a great place to show them as a family unit..."

2) As Pusher repeated the word "cerulean", did you:

A) counter that with the words "lipstick red"

B) fall into a trance and envision Alex Trebek as an MiB, oh wait that's a later episode...

C) picture Dana using that color for her bridesmaids when she and Fox get married

3) When Mulder noticed the word "ronin" and quipped to Scully "You never saw Yojimbo?", your first thought was:

A) "No. Scully watches more uplifting spiritual films...like the collective works of John Woo."

B) "Aw, gee, and the actor Minufe just died this weekend... (flashback note: true story)  :( :( :("

C) "I'm sure it's playing in an arthouse somewhere, Fox, why don't you take her on a date and go see it?"

4) As Scully rested on Mulder's shoulder, and Mulder reached over and gently touched the corner of her mouth, did you:

A) Task Mulder for not bringing a pillow for her to use.

B) Think Mulder should have used a tissue to wipe away the drool.

C) Drool yourself and begin hoping that this is where they do it.

5) When Pusher asks, "Do you and your pretty partner work well together?", your first thought was:

A) "Not really. The Punk never listens to her and keeps ditching her."

B) "Cerulean?"  Uh-oh, Modell's getting... into your... head... oh no..........

C) "Only in our dreams and fanfiction (deep sigh)."

6) During a shooting range practice (showing off Chekhov's Gun in the process), the two agents bicker about what happened in the courtroom and to the agents Modell drove to insane acts.
Mulder: Modell psyched the guy out, he put the Whammy on him.
Scully: Please explain to me the scientific nature of the Whammy.
You:

A) shout "You go, girl!"

B) ponder "Why was Mulder's target the letter Q? Isn't the letter K more dangerous?"

C) answer "Actually, show her the PHYSICAL nature of the Whammy!"

Basically the whole television series in one witty sentence.

7) As Modell makes his attempts to find out more about his new best friend Mulder by sneaking into the Hoover Building and causing Molly the office worker to beat up Skinner (don't ask!), the FBI is able to use that assault to get a warrant and search Modell's apartment.  They find evidence that Modell is sick in the head in more ways than one.  As Mulder and Scully debated the medical condition of Modell the Pusher, did you:

A) accept the rational abilities of Scully which matched Mulder's intuitive abilities

B) wonder if kiwi tropical fruit drinks taste any good

C) wish they'd close the bathroom door and jump into the shower

8) The investigation tracks down Modell to the hospital where he's getting treated.  Just as they show up, Modell turns it into a shooting/hostage situation.  Mulder volunteers to go in solo to confront him.  When Mulder aimed the MulderCam at Scully and asked her to smile, did you:

A) Smile

B) Groan

C) Both, very wickedly...!

9) In the final confrontation, as Modell forced Mulder to play Russian Roulette and Scully pleaded with Mulder to fight him, did you:

A) Wonder why Scully didn't punch out Modell which would have broken his concentration as easily as the fire alarm!  It would have been more satisfying too...

B) Realize that every other time Modell had been captured it was due to there being multiple people in the room, and that he can only control one person at a time, so a Zerg Rush was doable!  Dammit, people, this solution had been there all along!

C) Notice Fox's willingness to shoot himself, but struggle against Modell's push to shoot Dana, showing his deep concern and love for his partner, which nicely contrasted the tears flowing down Dana's face as she stood there, unwilling to desert Fox and using her own deep concern to keep Fox from pulling the trigger.  Awwwwwwwwwww...

Bonus points: If you shout out "CERULEAN" when Modell gets that Oh Crap look on his face when the fire alarm goes off, you win a firm handshake from Skinner.

10) Modell is laid up in the hospital, kept unconscious and likely to die from that tumor.  Mulder and Scully stand there, recognizing how pathetic Modell truly was, and as Scully reached for Mulder's hand, squeezing it ever so gently, did you:

A) See it as an act of forgiveness and redemption by a spiritually enlightened being known as the Enigmatic One

B) Wonder how Modell survived the brain tumor and shrapnel for that following season's sequel episode

C) Wish Fox and Dana pushed Modell's unconscious body off the hospital bed ("He won't be needing it!") so they can finally do it!

If you more often than now answered:

A) Then you are an OBSSEr who cannot be swayed by the mental powers of such a small man as Modell

B) Then you are...cerulean...ceruuuuuuulean...is a gentle... gentle...oh, what's the next word...?

C) Then you are a 'Shipper who knows the location of every fire alarm switch in your workplace.  Oh, and that Dana and Fox are meant for each other.

See ya at the sequel!