[roadrunners 8x05]
© The X-Files

[This was written as a response to other fans' e-mail comments on the episode]

I really don't have more than my initial impressions of this episode. When the episode ended, I thought to myself, "There's something here I'm missing." It may be wishful thinking on my part, but I think there was much more going on in this episode than slug-worshipping bus jockeys. The x-file itself seemed to be secondary to Scully's state of mind and her budding relationship with Doggett. I really need to watch this again.

Some vague ramblings:

1. I watched the end of "Patience" as I set up the VCR last night, and was struck by Scully's question to Doggett at the end, "What do you believe, Agent Doggett?" (paraphrase). I really think Scully is rudderless without Mulder around. The mantle of Believer could always rest on his shoulders. She always had the comfort of her skepticism, rarely had to be the one to make those great leaps of faith. Now she's the one who has to forego linear thinking and I really think she's adrift right now. I was reminded of this conversation from "Nisei":

MULDER: Scully, after all you've seen... after all you've told me you've seen. The tunnel with medical files, the, the beings moving past you, the... the implant in your neck, why do you refuse to believe?

SCULLY: Believing's the easy part, Mulder. I just need more than you, I need proof.

MULDER: You think that believing is easy?

I think she may be realizing that it's much more difficult to be believe than she thought it was.

2. I was also a bit put off by her behavior after her car broke down, but you know what? I think she's just pissed at the world and she's mad as hell and she's not gonna take it anymore. She was absolutely ferocious in this episode and I loved it.

3. I think the episode was also about the continuing development of her relationship with Doggett. I wonder if maybe she perceives every advancement in that relationship as another move away from Mulder. Going off into the desert alone, basically ditching Doggett, seemed to me as if she was attempting to preserve her autonomy while sending a subconscious message to Doggett - "I don't trust you like I trust Mulder." It was wrong to do so, and Doggett called her on it.

4. Finally, I think "Roadrunners" brought home the reality of Scully's pregnancy, both to her and to us. She's had to deal with her pregnancy in secret, and we still don't know if this is something she has embraced. Here we get to see her screaming the fact right into our faces. That scene is one of the most powerful ones I have ever seen on The X-Files.

[back to ex post facto]

©2002, Regina M. Dardis, All Rights Reserved