precedex-files - Tumblr blog

[precedex-files]

Incredibly well said. It’s a show, and it’s so much more

“You can’t get the truth. You can’t. There’s a larger truth, though: that you can’t harness the forces of the cosmos, but you may find somebody else. You may find another human being. That may be kind of corny and all of that, but that’s really it: Love is the only truth we can hope to know, as human beings. That’s what Mulder and Scully found after nine years. And that’s a lot.” –Frank Spotnitz

One day in the hottest and cloudiest slump of a New York City August, while I was watching season 5 of The X-Files for the first time, I was crossing the street after work and I realized that I didn’t think I knew anything for sure anymore.

The X-Files is my favorite idea of bravery, which is to say that it’s a show about people unafraid to ask the questions that have no tangible answers. Mulder wants to believe, but his confessions to Scully are about the cost of that belief, the pain of it and the effort behind it: “You think believing is easy?” And still he wants to believe. But not in lies. In searching for the proof to back up his ideas, he’s lost his reputation and everyone he cares about, but he finds ways to keep searching, risking his own life because it matters less

Scully, with her integrity as an investigator, a scientist, and a human being, puts the truth above herself and so puts asking the right questions above holding on to what she thought were the answers. She loses her certainty in the ideals that were tentpoles of her life: faith, government, reason. But she doesn’t lose hope; she finds ways to reshape those ideals and let her questions live inside them. Scully likes to see herself as capable of believing only what can be proven, but her confessions to Mulder are that she already believes in More, in miracles, in love

Mulder works to prove everything he believes but falls back on what he knows. Scully works to understand everything but falls back on what she believes. Where Mulder and Scully meet is in that place of falling, of not knowing–but of having something (someone) to fall back on. The X-Files tells us that we’re never going to have all of the answers, and we have to find a way to be okay with that. And the way to be okay, for Mulder and Scully, is in each other.

This is why, I think, Mulder and Scully are themselves so appealing and why it’s impossible to separate any of the show’s values from their relationship: because they have nothing else

Mulder and Scully are completely tethered to each other. They have no other force to ground them; they’re united by working toward a goal, but it’s not the goal that unites them–it’s the work. It’s the process. They have to define success for themselves–they have a whole language and a system of relating to the world that’s just for them, just so they can get through the day–and the only moral imperatives they really have are to help people and not give up. That’s it. Basically their whole idea for what constitutes a life lived successfully hinges on whether they live it side by side, together, which is why they’ll never be out of each other’s lives even when they’re living apart, because if one of them falls, really falls, they both do, they’ve both failed.

The X-Files is basically about how you keep going when there’s nothing to put your back up against. It doesn’t sand down any of the rough edges. It just hands you this broken life and asks you to sit with that brokenness. And that feels true to where I am right now, but I’m here right now in part because The X-Files put me here, because it gave me an excuse to think twice about how I made sense of my relationship with the world. That terrifies me, but I’m better for it. And that’s a lot. 

[precedex-files]

That’s one thing the revival got right!

What was the point of Alpha if Scully didn't get to adopt another dog?

[precedex-files]

Exactly

there are many hours of the day that can be used to watch episodes of the x files if you choose to neglect all other responsibilities. they dont want you to know this

[precedex-files]

A little fun with this meme I saw. Blocked out the boring generic people with the far superior Fox freakin’ Mulder

[precedex-files]

Can’t help but think of this whenever I watch the whole Anasazi/Blessing Way/Paper Clip trilogy. I know I’m not the first 😂

[precedex-files]

This scene lives rent free in my head

TXF 11x07

[precedex-files]

MSR forever

ok you’re all welcome and loved here but u can’t. call it sculder

[precedex-files]

The more egregious crime in “The Calusari” is when the dad throws out three perfectly good, uneaten ice cream cones and proclaims “what a waste”. Yes, it’s a waste when you throw them in the trash! He could’ve eaten at least one himself.

[precedex-files]

Hoo-boy

Never underestimate how much people want to watch two hot people who are madly in love with each other never fuck

[precedex-files]

I’ve always thought of Mulder as Jesus and Scully is literally his God. He basically says so during the church scene in “Nothing Lasts Forever”. But yeah, they both live for the push/pull of their partnership. Great summary of why the IWTB poster is so iconic for the show. As well as the phrase itself, which comes up numerous times. It’s about much more than aliens and UFO’s and cryptids, but belief in general. Belief in science. Belief in religion. Belief in love. Belief in the search for the truth. Belief in each other.

Fox Mulder doesn't have the "I Want To Believe" poster there because he's crazy. He doesn't have it there to broadcast his beliefs or as a mantra or to remind him to always look for aliens.

Fox Mulder keeps that "I Want To Believe" sign above his desk to remind him of his own internal biases.

That sign hangs above Mulder's desk to remind him of his own shortcomings and flaws. He's aware that he's a hack with dangerous beliefs and prone to flights of fancy and maybe even delusions. He's aware that he's desperately searching for aliens and monsters where there are only men doing bad things. And he has to remind himself of that, constantly.

That's why he's thrilled when he meets Scully and she challenges his beliefs, says that logically aliens don't exist. He's thrilled when she tells him to cut the crap in the pilot episode. He needs someone to challenge him. He needs someone who won't take his shit and put up with his flights of fancy. And he knows it. He's been dealing with himself for years and he feels relief and joy when Scully comes in and says enough of your bullshit. We're doing this my way. With science and logic. He isn't smiling and teasing her because he thinks he's smarter and better than her. He's smiling because she's exactly the person he needs in his life.

That's why he tells her right away that he's a UFO freak with trauma about his sister and a true believer. Not because he's trying to convince her to believe, but because he needs her to understand where he's coming from and what's wrong with him. So she can understand that either he's a dangerous lunatic himself, or he's delving into a dangerous conspiracy and either way she could be collateral damage if she stays with him. He spends the pilot episode reckoning with the idea that either he's a maniac or he's pulling this young fresh detective into danger. When she starts agreeing with him he gets upset, talks her out of it.

Mulder keeps that sign above his desk to remind himself to look into the "reasonable logical" explanations. He keeps that sign on his desk because he knows he's flawed and biased and frankly, dangerous.

He tells Scully exactly what he thinks is happening and about all the crazy stuff he believes not because he's trying to convince her to believe too, but so she can be his sounding board. So she can throw his illogical bullshit back in his face and remind him to look past his own biases and paranoia and quasi-religious zealotry. Because he knows he needs that. He knows he's in a conspiracy brained echo chamber of his own making and having a slow-burn mental breakdown. And he sees Scully as salvation from himself. As another figure in his quasi-religious belief system. The savior.

As the series develops he relies on her more and more to reality check him. Literally reality check him and manage what he worries might all be a delusion.

Mulder pretends he's confident and all the constant criticism and sidelong glances don't get to him and that might be true because he doesn't respect those people but he respects Scully. And he needs someone he respects to tell him when he's wrong, when he's being biased or actively delusional. Scully is his salvation. She's compassionate about his trauma and the reasoning behind his beliefs, but confident and logical enough to tell him when it's all bullshit. She's his savior, his rock, and often his only real connection to material reality.

[precedex-files]

Please leave the X-Files alone. If they want to go the expanded universe route I’d be into exploring the back story of some other characters ie. origins of the Syndicate or something along those lines. But please don’t try to recast Mulder and Scully or other classic characters.

Okay Disney has crossed the line this time, apparently they recently announced a reboot of X-files.

No, I do not want to a reboot of one of my all time favorite shows. This series was one of the first shows that got me into fandoms.

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson had such an amazing chemistry while acting as Mulder and Scully and I don’t think that can be recaptured.

I don’t want to sound like someone who hates reboots but this one just doesn’t sit right with me.

Mulder/Scully is literally the reason why we have the word shipping in the first place.

Would they just rehash the same storylines? Will they bring in the smoking man? Who would even play the characters?

[precedex-files]

If I had a nickel for every time a Scottish Doctor and northern companion recreated the Abbey Road cover, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[precedex-files]

‘3’ is an episode I just really don’t care for. Probably mostly due to the shipper in me and it is illogical but *shrug*. Even Duchovny wasn’t a believer and he got to cast his then-girlfriend in it! But as with everything X-Files I have the uncanny ability to manage to find some good stuff no matter what to make any episode worth watching (in my opinion). Here are some slightly redeeming scenes from this episode:

- back to the basement office and the IWTB poster after the X-Files are reopened (side note: the basement must be incredibly undesirable, no one ever bothers to touch the office, let alone try and take it over despite multiple shutdowns)

- Mulder opens an X-File on Scully and decides to hang onto her cross necklace personally, heeding Maggie’s request

- when Mulder tells Detective Munson “I don’t sleep anymore” and you know it’s because he is still torn up over Scully’s abduction

- the medical examiner telling Mulder “You are really upsetting me. On several levels” after he gets schooled on porphyria by Mulder. That’s the spooky Mulder we love.

- the shaving scene, despite some other feelings I harbor about that particular scene, Mulder looks smokin’! With regard to the book excerpt, why DID Kristen need to shave him? In fact, why did he even need to shave at all? To show his transformation out of despair over Scully? The only answer I am willing to entertain as correct is for us to appreciate the abs. 😌

- Mulder looking reflective while holding Scully’s cross at the end. This is THE most important scene of this otherwise hot mess of an episode.

[precedex-files]

Thanks @sagan-starstuff for the tag!

Favorite Painter: does Brian Kesinger count?

Favorite Writer: Michael Crichton, his novels are so thought provoking, engaging, and thrilling; Morgan & Mikhail for teaching me anesthesiology in an understandable fashion

Favorite Band: U2! Living in NYC means usually most popular acts will come my way. But U2 I’ll travel for. I was fortunate to go see them at the Sphere in Vegas. Epic show!

Favorite Meal: tough decision since I love food, but probably something Asian, I’m going to say dim sum with its large variety of dishes

Favorite Drink: Diet Coke, I think this is borderline an addiction; I also love bubble tea

Favorite outfit aesthetic: looking like I work at a startup - hoodie, t-shirt, joggers/jeans, sneakers; scrubs

Favorite Singer: Bono, duh!

Favorite item: probably my cell phone 😅

Favorite Possession: my X-Files collection and a few childhood toys (a musical turtle which was the first toy I ever received as a baby from my mom, and a plush Ernie & Bert set from my dad)

Perfume: CK One, I don’t wear fragrances daily since I work in a hospital, but this is the scent I always reach for on the rare occasions I can!

No pressure tag for @psygerlily @thexfileswithoutcontext @bakedbakermom @muldersfav

[precedex-files]

"You got a fast car Is it fast enough so we can fly away? We gotta make a decision Leave tonight or live and die this way"

I'm going to tell my kids that this song is about Mulder and Scully. Scully once asked Mulder "Don't you ever just want to stop? Get out of the damn car... settle down and live something approaching a normal life?" His response: "This is a normal life." And she stayed in that damn car with him - literally and figuratively. They may have made some pit stops along the way, but it's always been clear that their place was meant to be in the car. Together. Always.

[precedex-files]

Word.

Thinking about The X Files.

Thinking about the truth that’s out there.

Thinking about how the truth is love.

Thinking about how Mulder and Scully fell in love with each other piece by piece, unnoticeably. But there were signs along the way. To pay attention to.

Thinking about how it could’ve only ever been Mulder and Scully. How anyone else would’ve debunked Mulder’s work or driven Scully away.

Thinking about the intangibility of the truth. How it evaded them always. How it presided over them always. How they knew from the beginning. How they could feel it. How inevitable it was.

Thinking about how you can possibly prove something that intangible. Something chasing them in circles. Something that kept getting robbed from them.

Thinking about miracles.

Thinking about how they never gave up.

Thinking about how love is a choice, a dedication.

[precedex-files]

Not enough people are insane about The X Files