From: ask-me-in-public-if-you-want-my-address@address.invalid   
      
   My adorable lady and I watched the next two episodes of The X-Files, and   
   s01e12 Fire and s01e13 Beyond the Sea.  They turned out to match each   
   other in a sense, both being character studies; Fire about Mulder,   
   Beyond the Sea about Scully.   
      
   In s01e12 Fire we follow an aristocratic English family relocating to   
   the US to escape the threat of an arsonist.  The solution, revealed   
   since the beginning to the audience but not to the agents investigating,   
   is a young man with supernatural “pyromancy” abilities, who in fact is   
   working with the family and has followed them.   
      
   The character itself is interesting and well-developed, slightly   
   disturbing in his manipulative way of talking to children to get their   
   trust; but the real focal point of the episode was the female   
   investigator coming from London to request Mulder's assistance and in a   
   not too subtle way trying to rekindle her past relationship with him   
   dating back from their time at Oxford University.   
   We also learn about Mulder's profound fear of fire, related to a past   
   accident, that he eventually heroically overcomes.   
      
   The English investigator, Phoebe Green, was played by Amanda Pays; I   
   recognised her from The Flash.  My wife took an immediate strong dislike   
   of the character.  Mulder looked uneasy, weak and somewhat rather in   
   front of her.  Scully observed the two, keeping her opinions to herself   
   but certainly judging.   
      
      
   In s01e13 Beyond the Sea Mulder receives an offer to help from a death   
   row inmate he contributed to capture: the inmate claims that his   
   clairvoyance powers revealed him the truth about a kidnapping case.   
   Mulder considers the idea with very hostile scepticism, and openly   
   dismisses the possibility, influenced by his opinion about the inmate.   
   The inmate happens to reveal a detail, “Beyond the Sea” -- the title of   
   Scully's father favourite song.   
      
   Tragedy strikes: Scully's father (played Don Davis, Major Briggs from   
   Twin Peaks) suddenly dies; right before it happens Scully has a vision   
   of him.  From that point on and almost to the end of the episode, Scully   
   will feel the need to believe, in opposition to Mulder.  Hoping to have   
   his sentence commuted the inmate keeps contributing hints, which do lead   
   to the right direction.  In the End both Mulder and Scully switch   
   positions again, remaining in conflict with each other.  - Why is it so   
   difficult for you to believe?, says one to the other.   
      
   At least at this state the work relationship between Mulder and Scully   
   is formal and detached, to a degree.  After the tragedy Mulder tries to   
   console Scully addressing her by her first name, only to get immediately   
   mocked for it: - “Dana”!, says Dana in scorn, maintaining her distance.   
      
   The struggle between Mulder's honest will to discreetly help and   
   Scully's effort of remaining calm and keep her pain private were shown   
   in a psychologically realistic way, more interesting to me than the   
   already tired conflict between scepticism and belief.   
      
      
   Two good episodes.   
      
   --   
   Scruffy Beard   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)