"I had the strength of your beliefs."

There are a few episodes in X-Files history that really helped 
define and stretch the show. "One Breath" is one of those
episodes. Just as "Humbug" proved that the X-Files could do 
comedy, "One Breath" allowed the show to be more than just 
"scary" - it proved that it could be an emotional, personal 
drama with impact as well. Not that it wasn't scary. 
The first time I saw the headstone in the teaser for "Dana 
Katherine Scully" was, for me, one of the show's most 
frightening moments. So, still this episode was about what 
scares us - in this instance writers Morgan and Wong examined 
one of the most frightening things about being human - the 
death of someone you love.

"One Breath" has one of my very favorite teasers as it captures
the tones of the episode from the start - it is in parts
mystical, painful, and shocking. This Mrs. Scully narrated 
story is a glimpse into a past event that shaped the Scully we 
know today. It describes a tomboy fraught with guilt from taking
a life and a mother's pain at her own helplessness. There is a 
real beauty in the way this sequence is presented with no voices
except the narration and the other sounds - the shots, the 
steps, the sobs - echoing over the lovely music.

This was an absolute standout episode for acting. David Duchovny
puts in one of his very best performances of the series. He has 
several great moments as Mulder's many emotions are played close
to the surface. I especially liked the way he snapped in the 
beginning at her return with the impassioned "I will do 
anything" attitude. His guilt, fear, anger, love, and grief are 
all on display and when Mulder returns to his ruined apartment 
after trying to express to a comatose Scully the depth of his 
feeling the audience collapses with him in emotion. I've also 
got to make mention of that intense, sweaty, angry, and edgy 
scene with Steven Williams. Watching Steven Williams again just 
makes me yearn for the days when Mulder's informants had a 
powerful presence. I'll take Williams growling "You're my tool" 
over a lispy "bee husbandry" any day. His "I used to be you" is 
more chilling than a hundred maliciously snuffed out cigarettes.

Actually, from a supporting standpoint everyone was wonderful. 
Sheila Larken has a talent for silently radiating emotion 
through her eyes and proves once again what an addition she 
makes to every show she is featured in. I really liked Melinda 
McGraw in her all too short stint as Melissa Scully on this 
series. She does a great job of making us believe, despite their
differences, that these stubborn Scully women are sisters. 
Melissa Scully was the one character on the show who really knew
how to read and challenge both Mulder and Scully into expressing 
their feelings or exploring inward. Tom Braidwood was sweet as 
Frohike all dressed up (but still with a vest on) to call on his
beloved. William B. Davis gave us one of the first peeks inside 
the Cigarette Smoking Man when he beats Mulder despite having a 
gun at his head. Mitch Pileggi also gives one of his best 
performances as he explains to Mulder via a painful story from 
his past just why he supports Mulder's work. 
However, Don Davis as Mr. Scully steals this episode for me. 
There have been a lot of "philosophical dead guy" speeches in 
the history of this show, but none have ever come close to the 
beautifully written and performed soliloquy he gives to his 
dying daughter. Everything about this scene is emotionally 
perfect from the way the camera slowly swoops over Scully 
swathed in a virginal white to Mark Snow's perfect score to 
Davis' heartfelt performance which, to this day, despite the 
fact I have seen this episode more times than I can count, still 
has the power to make me tear up. It's one of my very favorite 
moments of the entire series.

This was a standout episode technically as well. John Bartley's 
cinematography - from the hazy lake shots, to the darkened 
bowels of the hospital, to the brightness at Scully's recovery 
all reflected the mood. I'm especially fond of his use of 
shadows during the confrontation with X and the shot towards the 
end where Mulder sits half in darkness and half in light when 
the call about Scully comes through. The effect of moving from 
the depths of Mulder's despair to Scully awaking as the forest 
slowly turns into a hospital room, bird chirps changing to 
mechanical beeps is a highly effective moment of sensation for 
the viewer.

All in all, one of the best episodes of the X-Files - an
emotional look at the depth of the partnership between two 
people who, oddly enough, seem to be utterly incapable of really 
expressing their feelings for each other. The hospital reunion 
scene says so much more in subtext than it ever approaches in 
words. Well done. A great launching pad for giving Scully a 
place in the mythology.

Random Musings
------------------------
-In another Porno!Mulder moment he takes a break from gazing at 
the case file complete with the Bondage!Scully photo by 
listlessly watching an X-rated film and fast forwarding to the 
"good" parts. I'm not even going to speculate on what the hell 
that means ...

-I really got a kick out of the way they had Scully wired up 
good. I'm still trying to figure out why they had her eyelids 
taped shut at one point or why they had diodes connected to her 
earlobes - what kind or reading do you get from that?

-This episode features the very first "X" in the window, 
inadvertently creating a new online sport where upon hundreds 
of newbies could repeatedly ask what it meant. Not that it did 
Mulder any good - no visitor and not even a tape in the newspaper.

-It's a good thing Mulder shouts "Hey!" to that guy in the 
overcoat who is *walking* away with Scully's blood - it warned 
him that he was being pursued.

-What was with that pitiful search for change Mulder feigns - he
should have just said "no" as it was obvious he didn't even try 
to look. Like his breast pocket is going to be full of quarters.

-Frank's Fashion Spot: While I can't say I liked that big old 
ornate coat that Scully was wearing in the boat, I did like the 
way they shifted colors on the hospital gowns - the blue when 
she was dying giving way to the lighter yellow to accompany the 
streaming light that filled the room of her recovery.

-Besides giving Scully a "reason to live" with his gift of 
"Superstars of the Superbowls" just what other video delights 
did he bring her - there is clearly another tape in the bag. 
The possibilities are frightening.

-While we never really find out exactly what happened to Scully,
the effect of the tests on her was quite amazing. Not only was 
she left with "branched DNA" she was sporting breasts twice 
their normal size - it seems her stomach wasn't the only thing 
that got inflated. Sorta made me nervous for a second when 
Melissa tells Mulder "You can feel her". 

-We get a healthy dose of Psychic!Scully this episode as she 
sends messages to her sister, hears the voice of her father, and 
even experiences her guardian angel. I've always wondered what 
it was that Scully wanted to give Nurse Owens at the end.

-Those Scully gals are all psychic. "I've been told not to call 
you Fox" is a perfect opening line for Melissa. Though one has 
to wonder why Mrs. Scully seems to have issues with Missy's 
perception powers even though she herself seems to harbor them. 
Perhaps its the new age edge that gets to the Catholic mom.

-Well you probably never thought you'd here it from me, but I'm 
pleased to say this is the only episode I've ever seen Gillian 
Anderson "sleep" through.

-There's a weird date on Scully's chart that takes a ride home 
in Frohike's pants. It says 01/01/94 at the top.

-Morgan and Wong take a bit of a potshot at the internet crowd 
with their comment about nitpicking. 
I have no idea what they are talking about ...

-This episode was also another example of how everyone gets to 
call him Fox *but* Scully.

-It was funny to watch Skinner try to stand up to CancerMan with
that no smoking sign - if he was really serious though he 
probably should remove the ashtrays from his office.

-Someone really had Mulder's number this episode. When Melissa 
comes to visit his door reads "4" instead of "42".

Autumn
"Not Fox, Mulder."