"You muck up my case and Kersh will hear about it. Are we 
clear Dana?" 
"Scully... and we're done with this conversation."


As is the norm with Vince Gilligan episodes, "Tithonus" is a 
story with a lot of different layers to it. On the surface we 
have probably the most interesting "X-File" story of the season. 
Below that teems all sorts of subtext having to do with death 
and Scully's reactions to it. However, on still another level 
"Tithonus" is a great milestone in Scully's character arc over 
the past six years because it clearly shows us the substantial 
growth she has undergone.    

First, as far as the X-File goes, I'm a sucker for Gilligan's 
human "monsters". He has a knack for making things all the more 
real by giving us people instead of tree-monsters or the like 
to frighten us. I found this episode creepy from the start. The 
teaser expertly hones in on one of those irrational fears we 
all have of elevators. The tension was built in a wonderful 
way through interesting perspective shots, tight editing by 
Louise Innes, echoing footsteps, and a nice little performance 
of rising paranoia from the actress playing the secretary. 
Everything from the rushing air as the elevator plummeted to 
that last vision of a black and white arm surrounded by a tide 
of red as the camera clicked was great filmmaking.

It's also a fine idea on Vince Gilligan's part to put an 
episode that explores death in the capable hands of Gillian 
Anderson. Having had Scully go through the great cancer arc 
and avoid death herself has given the actress a wealth of 
subtext to play with, and play with it she does. I love it 
when she asks Fellig "How can you have too much life?" from 
the perspective of someone who almost had theirs cut short. 
Tie that together with Scully's unwavering compassion for 
others and you have one of the strongest character pieces 
for this actress that we've had in a long time. I loved 
watching a Scully who refused to let fate dictate death 
take on a thug twice her size and bitch slap him for good 
measure. The rising panic she brought to Scully as she tries 
to convince herself "I'm not going to die" while Fellig 
methodically prepares to capture her death is a another 
masterful sequence. I'm not sure I've heard a colder line 
than "I just want to take the picture."

I really like the choices Geoffrey Lewis made in playing 
Fellig. He moves and talks slowly with a lack of emotion. 
For all practical purposes he is already dead to the world, 
animated only when speaking of dying. Together with Anderson 
they personified life and death.

There was something else that really spoke to me about this 
episode as far as Dana Scully's journey. Here, six years 
into the adventure, she's teamed with a fresh, young, cocky, 
green pup of an Agent eager to make an impression in Ritter. 
Sound familiar? She's the Senior Agent now, the one who is 
almost dismissed as a "lost cause" unless things quickly 
change. It's Ritter who is taking his little notes on her 
saying nice things, mostly, and looking for the easy answers 
(classic exchange: when he tells her it is blood and she 
replies "yeah, I got that"). Even though our Scully has always 
been dedicated to the truth, unlike Ritter, the parallels are 
interesting. While she asks for "some science that I can hang 
this on", she is whollyunconvincing when she claims "you know 
I don't believe you" with shimmering eyes that skirt about. 
What a weight these years have exacted on her soul. Things 
just aren't black and white anymore.

Director Michael Watkins is a great addition to the X-Files 
team as far as I'm concerned. He has a wonderful sense of 
finding the emotional core in a scene without losing the 
ability to give us some exciting sequences. I think a perfect 
example of this is the pacing of the scene in which Scully 
tries to save the prostitute, and despite her adrenaline 
pumped efforts is faced with the shock of her attempt being 
made in vain. He and Director of Photography Bill Roe worked 
together quite well in setting the mood through lighting, 
whether is was shimmering through the slats of a window, 
bathed in a red glow of the darkroom, or that terrific 
sequence where Scully and Fellig await death in the form 
of Ritter. Time slows, the light is another character, and 
we hear Scully breathing as Ritter makes his fatal mistake. 
Watkins at times reminds me of my favorite X-Files director 
David Nutter. I look forward to his next effort.

Duchovny doesn't have a lot to do in this episode, but what 
he does have he does well. I especially loved his delivery 
of "Hi, my name is Fox Mulder, we used to sit next to each 
other at the FBI." He plays Mulder with an insecurity over 
Scully's adventure that is endearing. Covering her back as 
best he can via cell.

So let's see. A scary well acted tale. Enhanced by the 
directing and photography. Hmm. I'd say we have a winner. 
I couldn't be more pleased. It's not often they get a 
Scullycentric episode this right.


Random Musings
---------------

-Agent Pup tells us in his "I've been to rock concerts, I 
know how to do this - check, check" speech to the microphone 
that the date is January 4th. Which doesn't make too much 
sense unless the FBI is forcing Mulder and Scully to do 
background checks on the Sunday after New Years.

-Speaking of the date, it certainly indicates a rough couple 
of weeks from Scully's perspective as far as getting shot in 
the gut goes. Sure, one really didn't happen, but twice in 
two weeks would make any girl paranoid.

-Well, seems Scully has switched apartments AGAIN if you are 
to believe her file that Kersh is perusing. It has her address 
back in Annapolis which is highly unlikely. Let's just hope 
she keeps the fridge in the kitchen in the new digs, which 
I'm willing to bet when we see them look surprisingly like 
every apartment she's ever had.

-Frank's Fashion Spot: Well, if she had to sacrifice a shirt 
to a bullet they certainly made a good choice. It looked more 
like a light blue pj top to me than anything else. Also, I 
couldn't tell at first if Mr. heart attack was just suffering 
acute shame from wearing those "designer" jeans in public or 
he really had a medical problem.

-Well, at least we know Mulder and Scully aren't the only 
Agents Kersh is trying to get to quit, as there appeared to 
be at least one other lucky fellow sharing their current 
thrilling assignment.

-The crime report for Margareta (great name!) Stoller reads 
like a trashy novel. It's all about a neighbor hating her 
and thinking she was a bitch because of some yelping dog.

-You know, in all the years he'd been a photographer you'd 
think Fellig would have learned how to get a decent picture 
of himself. It's sort of a cruel irony that he was so damn 
unphotogenic.

-I loved the way Gillian played Scully making little faces 
like a kid being sent to the principal's office as she 
whispers to Mulder that she's been called to Kersh's office.

-Scully's loyalty to Mulder was also nicely highlighted with 
she dragged Mulder into the equation with Kersh and her 
reassurances to Mulder that this was a one time thing.

-Now for the whole "Is Scully now immortal" debate. Yes, 
there is a nice tie in with Darin Morgan's throw away line 
in "Clyde Bruckman" and I think Gilligan might be playing 
with us a little when Mulder tells Scully of her quick 
recovery, but I don't think she should go out sword shopping 
just yet. After all, she wasn't actively trying to cheat 
death as Fellig had done in his story. Plus, she did spend 
at least a week in the hospital and Fellig's recuperative 
powers had been much more dramatic.

-I guess if you are going to commit murder, New York is the 
place. Wiggins wears a mug shot date of 3-18-92 and is out 
to kill again less than seven years later. What do you get 
for assault there? A stern talking to?

-Just how long does it take to bring a suspect in? Scully 
handcuffs the thug around 3AM and yet it is 8 o'clock before 
they reach the precinct.     

-I think it is funny that in order to steal Scully's life 
line you merely take her cell phone.

-Great shot: Scully in stark black and white against that 
background bright with color.

-"You're a lucky man" is Mulderese for "If she had died I'd 
be feeding my fish your nuts."

-Now, I always knew the Dynamic Duo was way cool, but now 
they even have their own secret handshake. Perhaps they can 
use that next time one of them is not who they are...

Autumn

"I thought we were looking for the truth."