"Maybe I'm just trying too hard."
"To do what? To be Mulder?"

Chris Carter is always proud of "the story" in interviews. Over the years 
he's convinced himself that people have always watched the X-Files for "good 
scary stories" rather than the characters. For this reason I find it highly 
amusing that in many of his scripts the only stuff that really works is the 
character based stuff. I've sat through many a lame and hole filled plot and 
still enjoyed the episode. "Darkness Falls" is a great example, as is "Jersey 
Devil" - both written by Carter. "Patience" too falls into that camp. I found 
Scully's character arc in it both insightful and interesting. I thought her 
struggle was well done. However, the straight out of the Weekly World News 
bat boy plot was just plain silly. I suppose, as Carter also directed this 
one, we should be happy he did not resort to the gimmicks that have been 
trademark in written and directed by Chris Carter episodes the past few 
years. I mean after all we could have had that bat thing flying at us in the 
glory that is 3D with our X-Files Collector Edition Batacular Glasses.

So before I play with Carter's idea of a "good scary story" let's talk about 
what worked for me. The story starts in isolation with Scully contemplating 
Mulder's nameplate and making a decision to put it away. Just as she's about 
to place it in a drawer she hears Doggett (who actually has friends he can 
laugh with in the FBI unlike the others who have occupied the office) and 
pals mocking the X-Files. So, instead of going through with her initial 
instinct she defiantly marks the territory of the X-Files and the office as 
Mulder's. She tells Doggett that this is not their office, it is "her 
partner's". Never does she refer to Doggett as her partner even though he and 
others use that word. She then takes on the facade of Mulder, and everyone 
knows that starts with a slide show, right? Scully misses Mulder by trying to 
become him. She toys smugly with Doggett in the slide show like she's been 
toyed with so many times before: "Any thoughts? Any Questions?" It's a test.

What's interesting is to watch her falter with this plan to mark the X-Files 
as Mulder's by being him. Gillian Anderson shows us Scully's vulnerability in 
this position time and time again. At first she's got the pissing off the 
local law aspect down, but she moves in and out of confidence in her role. 
Sometimes awkwardly or uncomfortably answering questions. Sometimes backing 
down when her science that she has always relied on does not help her draw 
conclusions. Parts of Scully start to peek through and she feels she owes the 
Detective an apology - certainly not something Mulder would say. She 
struggles with where science belongs with her now, still using it as a shield 
such that she buckles against being called a "leading authority on paranormal 
phenomena" and counters by classifying herself as a scientist who has seen 
things. Later, when she second-guesses herself ("maybe I'm wrong") she 
mentions science again. Even in the end, when Ernie points out it was she who 
figured it all out, Scully uncomfortably offers that Doggett got them there. 
Yeah, she made the connections and he, well, he rowed. 

It's apparent the "be Mulder" plan is not working. If she is to honor him by 
continuing his work she must find her own way and keep what makes her strong 
on this journey. So, two weeks later we are back to the nameplate and Scully 
looks caught when Doggett enters as she is holding it. Doggett has just found 
out that since he now works on the X-Files he too will be mocked. So, Scully 
being Scully offers a kindness. Something that was always important to her - 
that in "Never Again" she equated with being respected and valued: "I never 
had a desk in here Agent Doggett, but I'll see that you get one." 

In "Patience" Doggett and Scully are still circling each other warily and 
sniffing - both making some of these types of concessions. When Scully tries 
to spar with him by offering Mulder's take on Occam's razor in doing so she 
also offers up that Doggett is clearly no Mulder. Doggett doesn't take the 
bait and instead says he's just trying to figure it out like she is. He tries 
to show her respect in his own way by classifying her as an expert or calling 
what she's suggested they do "good cop work". 

Where Doggett makes his big mistake this episode is in how he handles having 
a female partner with the local law. I've always been interested in the way 
the X-Files has explored Scully and the sexism she faces. In this case the 
Detective immediately turns his back on her to her chagrin to favor her male 
counterpart. Later when Doggett pulls the Detective aside to get him to do 
what she wants she is pissed off by this behavior. I am reminded of an almost 
direct counterpoint with Mulder when the local law in "DPO" confronts Scully 
and rather than jumping in Mulder does absolutely nothing and allows her to 
handle it herself. Doggett would be wise to learn this technique.

OK, now for the fun part - let's talk about the plot. Now let me get this 
straight. This bat thing has waited around for 44 years to take further 
vengeance after killing a bunch of people because what was apparently his 
lovely batspouse was killed in Montana. Never mind we are in the middle of 
southern Idaho now quite a ways from Montana. Batman is an EXCELLENT tracker 
and very patient. Hmm and the episode is called "Patience" - I get it. 
Anyway, where was I? Oh right - all of a sudden hell hath no fury like a man 
bat wronged. Its excellent sense of smell allows it to smell one of the guys 
that killed its main bat squeeze 44 years ago through contact with a burned 
body that was near the guy. Even if the person reeked of embalming fluid! 
Still, for some odd reason it can't smell the guy himself living on an island 
a stone's throw away from the rest of the folks until Scully and Doggett get 
there? And this guy's been getting rafts full of supplies for years and never 
sending anything back because well, it would be contaminated with his scent, 
right? I mean who wouldn't rather hole themselves up on an island in the 
middle of nowhere Idaho cut off from everything living in a creepy house 
where you play with bats all day and cover up every inch of your body when 
you could, say, MOVE TO ENGLAND? Or even Florida? Better to cut yourself and 
your wife off from civilization. After all brother Myron who is also a 
nutcase will send you cans of beans and expensive radar equipment. Now that 
makes perfect sense. Almost as much sense as that line about the batish one 
only killing at night when we just watched it off an old lady at 3:18PM 
according to the time stamp. And just where did Doggett get a 1956 Montana 
newspaper clipping from in the middle of Idaho? Did Mister "I don't leap" 
just head on down to the Burley library and start going through old Montana 
papers on a whim? Or did he fly back to DC really quick and search through 
the files again? OK, I think I'm done talking about the plot now and I did 
not even mention the logic about a man springing from a bat since this is the 
X-Files and stuff like that happens. But I reserve the right to mock it 
further if the mood strikes.

I will give them points for cinematography and mood though. I liked the night 
on the island shots a lot. Almost reminded me of Vancouver again. I will 
admit I jumped when Mr. Bat flew out at Doggett. He also looked pretty creepy 
when Ernie turned around from the fireplace to see him there. They did a nice 
job as well on the makeup for the creature.

>From a supporting actor standpoint, I thought that Bradford English as 
Detective Abbott certainly found the right amount of priggishness for the 
character. Plus as a bonus, he got to die like most anyone that is rude to 
Scully. While we didn't learn if Ernie Stefuniak actually died, I know that I 
could do without that weird and highly distracting delivery that actor Gene 
Dynarski decided on for the part. Then again, it did make him seem like 
someone stupid enough not to just move. And here his brother went all the way 
to Wyoming to get away! That must have taken hours.

Yeah, I obviously laughed at the silly parts of "Patience", but there was 
payoff for me as well. Watching Scully struggle with how to approach that 
first monster of the week with someone new was fascinating to me. Going back 
to work, doing your job does not mean giving up or forgetting. Mulder and 
Scully have always handled their emotions differently. I felt Mulder was a 
huge influence in coloring Scully in this episode. As I recall Mulder too 
went back to work after placing Scully's things (which I suppose would have 
included a nameplate if she had one) in a file the episode after she was 
abducted. I'm just glad she channeled herself into trying to do what he would 
do in solving a case rather than deciding to let the Winged Wonder shave her 
legs before sleeping with it or sitting at home listlessly watching porn to 
express her pain. God only knows how much folks would have been upset about 
her behavior if that were the case.

Random Musings
-----------------------
-As soon as old George had his pants around his ankles I knew he was a dead 
man. Killing someone in that matter has become such a favorite of 1013 it's 
become as X-Files cliche as dying in the bathroom. Now if, as a supporting 
actor, you can die in the X-Files with your pants around your ankles in the 
bathroom... well that's the stuff dreams are made of.

-And the credits change again. I'd be shocked, but it's my bet it was done 
just to stay in accordance with the Screen Actor's Guild rules.

-It looks like Scully showed Doggett how to travel via magical X-Files air  - 
the fastest planes in the world! George and wife Tahoma die at 3:05AM. 
Neighbors find their bodies most likely sometime the next morning. Let's be 
generous and call it 6AM - which would be 8AM in DC. I think we can assume at 
least 2 hours for the cops to get there and pictures to somehow magically get 
in Scully's slide machine. And yet Scully and Doggett manage to fly to 
someplace in Idaho (normally a 5 hour flight from DC) and then drive at least 
an hour to this town (trust me there are no direct flights to anywhere in 
Southern Idaho from DC let alone Burley) and still arrive by 11ish AM with 
what must be every cop in a city of just under 9000 still milling around the 
crime scene? Color me impressed.

-Frank's Fashion Spot: You know I want to just think happy thoughts about the 
lovely blue turtleneck they had Scully in. Really I do. But no, it is 
completely ruined by that ridiculous, unprofessional, unbuttoned and gaping 
monstrosity of a blouse. Gee Scully, wonder why the other cops won't treat 
you professionally when you're giving them all a free peepshow? What planet 
is the wardrobe person from where she thinks that this is in character for 
professional wear? And why did the director shoot that shot where you can 
actually see her black bra because the blouse is gaping so much? Oh that's 
right. He was probably giggling "I made this" the whole time he was looking 
in her shirt. "Sorry Gillian that didn't quite work for me. Can you try 
pouting your lips and maybe arching your back a tad? Heh heh heh. One more 
time - take 1121 - and action!"

-How sad for Scully, she's now teamed with someone that doesn't understand 
all the big words she and Mulder used to toss around for sport. If Doggett is 
smart he'll spend next weekend studying a dictionary.

-I found the flashlight give and take amusing. After all Doggett's question 
as lame as it was did deserve that "never" response.

-While we're in that first attic, did that undertaker and his wife have some 
sort of odd lamp fetish? The place was filled with lamps of all kinds. It was 
like the place old lamps go to die.

-As someone actually from Montana I was quite surprised to find out that 
apparently Montana had it's own version of the USA Today in 1956 called "The 
Montana Press Telegram" that covered all the important mutant news fit to 
print statewide. Why not use one of those real local gems like the Hungry 
Horse News instead?

-Speaking of that newspaper, props didn't do much more than plunk the picture 
in. The story below that sensationalist headline had to do with the election 
of someone named Tom Wallace.

-Further proof Doggett is not Mulder: he actually wears gloves when poking 
his fingers around in an investigation. Where's the sport in that?

-"Patience" was worth the price of admission just to hear someone tell 
*Scully* "Honest to God you just jump at whatever explanation is the wildest 
and most farfetched don't you?" 

-Time Oopsie: At the same moment the screen legend reads 1:07 in the morning 
the clocks in the room are set to a totally different time.

-OK, so it's 1:07AM. You just figure out that someone is in danger. You have 
his address. It's a small town. Why does it take you until 6:58AM to find him 
down by the river near his house? Does Doggett drive that slow or did it just 
take Scully forever to change out of scrubs and by then they were hungry and 
stopped for pancakes at the Burley Breakfast Bistro?

-Manly Man Meter: Well first of all Doggett drives and rows as a bonus, 
because we all know he *is* the big macho man. Plus he feels the need to 
intervene for Scully with the local law and seems mystified why that would 
upset her. Very manly. As is that stance he likes to take where he rests his 
hand on his gun. Too bad he still has a tiny flashlight and let a flying 
thing with no obvious genitalia get the best of him and had to collapse in 
Scully's arms or he'd score better. This week's Spectacular Testicular Total 
a mere 3. And it could have been big. Really, really big.

-His batishness was pretty flexible for such an old bat dude. I'm not quite 
sure how he managed to get his whole body out of that rather small hole in 
the tree trunk that fast, but he did.

-Dialogue I really wanted to see after Ernie asks Scully if she's prepared to 
sacrifice family, children, etc and be terrorized by a monster. "No, I'm 
smart enough to spend my money on a plane ticket rather than a ground radar 
setup."

-How is it that Scully is always such a sure shot when she usually closes her 
eyes or turns her head when firing? Well, at least she got to kick the door 
in at the end. I was also glad to see that Scully's bottomless pockets can 
always produce another clip as well. 

-I have to take issue with the "Two Weeks Later" timestamp. Why that long? 
Just to give Myron time to move? Given their conversation it seems like 
Doggett and Scully have not talked much since returning from the case making 
that timestamp just seem weird and arbitrary.

Autumn 
"I'm not here to be a curiosity Agent Doggett. I'm here to work."