The X-Files 2x10: Red Museum
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tori_reviewsThe X-Files 2x10: Red Museum
I remember this one was a bit of a find last time, since I had no idea going in that it was an arc episode, and surprise arc episodes excite me. Although, this one a bit less than normal, as one of the reasons I usually get so excited for arc episodes it the supporting cast putting in appearances and we don’t get any of that here; on the other hand they’ve gotten some work in already this season and this is still a solid episode.
There’s an odd disconnect between the writing and the direction and acting on this one, as the writing seems entirely unwilling to hint towards Scully’s recent experiences, but the director seems aware of it and keeps Scully in focus when they’re talking about things like abductions and medical experiments. Especially the scene in the interrogation room, it’s almost like even Mulder thinks she’s being affected by the discussions because of what happened to her, only for her to come back with more information for the investigation.
Titling this the Red Museum is a strange choice since the Red Museum has basically nothing to do with the story. While Scully’s report at the end proposes that they were being used as a control group, she doesn’t provide any evidence to that; we’re never told there was anything suspicious about how they got started, it’s presented as if head guy was the main person and we’re never told anything to dirty him up. Since everyone was safe going out there at the end it sure seems like no one presently there was in on the grand plot.
I seem to have surprisingly little to say about this one, though a few things that are best addressed in the questions.
When are we?
They were supposed to be in quarantine for a month following last episode which tracks with the surprising mention that they’re 18 years from some new world order. December 1994 would be 18 years from December 2012 when the world was supposed to end. Don’t try to convince me at this point that CC had a real plan for that, but this tracks shockingly well.
Who’s driving?
They let the locals drive a fair amount, but Mulder drives when it’s just the two of them. Although he seems to always be willing to take the less comfortable seat as a passenger (the back seat – though admittedly behind short legged Scully – in the beginning, the middle seat in the truck).
Is that continuity?
2/3 of the way through the episode it suddenly becomes continuity porn. Although for a man afraid of fire, Mulder doesn’t seem particularly frightened by the prospect of being burned alive.
Are we saying it’s aliens?
Scully is very deliberately not saying its aliens. In spite of what was said in Erlenmeyer, she’s since decided the tests weren’t conclusive and she doesn’t really know what it was she saw with the Purity Control project.
Scully’s convenient miss of the week
There’s very little for her to miss. A guy goes around killing people (admittedly for possibly alien and/or conspiracy related reasons) who had been subjected to some kind of medical experiments. That’s...practically normal; you can write a straight-forward report about that as long as no one ask too many questions about motivations of a conveniently dead killer.
How crazy does Mulder sound?
He asks a subject whether he would psychically violate someone, which is a question I would side-eye any cop asking in an interrogation; maybe if the suspect brought up psychic abilities first you’d see what they thought was happening through those means; but don’t initiate, Mulder.
Is it rapey?
They bring up rape several times in this one, though it isn’t part of the immediate story.
Are they in love?
It’s sure not any wonder that the kids (including the one who was apparently not baby Joseph Gordon Levitt) assume they’re a couple, I suspect most people who saw them on this case assumed that. Mulder either put on his good-boyfriend behavior or it’s more common than this dry-climate living gal would think that he’s holding an umbrella for both of them (he is the taller one). They’ve apparently reached a stage of casually brushing sauce off one’s partner’s face (and some serious bedroom eyes in response). They’re just super into each other this time; and Chris Carter of all people wrote the first time openly anyone assumes they’re married.
2x10: Red Museum (2016 thoughts)
(Previous status: we’re actually in a string of episodes I don’t remember seeing before)
I know I never saw this one before as I was completely surprised that it turned out to be mytharc related, in fact I couldn’t remember if purity control was ever followed through on directly (although I’m not sure this counts as directly). I’m going to end up largely judging it as a mytharc story even though it disguises for a long time that it is one, and that twist is one of the most interesting elements...well it very much changed how I could judge things.
But first we need to talk about Scully. I’m willing to concede that this episode seems aware of how close to home this sort of thing hits after what happened to her (at least with her, it doesn’t seem to register with Mulder when it really should), but it’s not willing to really go there with that connection. It also throws into clarity all that was cut out of her recovery after One Breath, because the kind of questions and tests these kids are put through after their 12 hour disappearances, not to mention the psychological issues they clearly have afterward, must be nothing next to her experience, and yet we got none of it outside of hints that she’s uncomfortable with this case when it hit a nerve with her.
Her back-peddling on things from TEF is consistent with my view of the previous episode that she’s all the more determined to not believe some of these things are true now, but again it’s not explored in depth. Which under several circumstances I’d be fine with, letting it just be seen as part of her development until it actually is brought into a plot point that’s all the more earned for the build up; except that we deserved *something* in the immediate aftermath of the abduction arc and we’re not getting it.
As for Mulder he spends most of the episode resisting being lead to believe the supernatural explanation. He’s willing to entertain the idea more than most people would be but he doesn’t rush to believe it either. Since it doesn’t end up being the answer anyway. one could say he continues to have fourth wall powers and sense when the episode isn’t actually going to be about the first crazy explanation offered. But he does ask if someone would try and psychically harm the kids, so he doesn’t exactly come off as fully rational this round either.
The twist so near the end of the episode (I guess it would have been a little less near the end if I had thought for a second that the shooter should be familiar to me or why) really worked for me because up until then the episode had not been providing any clear answer, even in terms of clear answers for TXF. I’m not quite sure this makes a lot of sense in the grand schemes going on, but at least it was some follow-through on things introduced last season. While it wouldn’t work all the time, the structure really worked for me, keeping their cards hidden and seeing the mystery unfold until the reveal happens and completely changes the game...to keep metaphors only slightly mixed.
I think ultimately I liked it well enough, although I don’t think it’s a great episode by any means. And I can’t figure out why it’s called ‘Red Museum’ when calling it ‘Ribs’ would have been just as fitting.
I remember this one was a bit of a find last time, since I had no idea going in that it was an arc episode, and surprise arc episodes excite me. Although, this one a bit less than normal, as one of the reasons I usually get so excited for arc episodes it the supporting cast putting in appearances and we don’t get any of that here; on the other hand they’ve gotten some work in already this season and this is still a solid episode.
There’s an odd disconnect between the writing and the direction and acting on this one, as the writing seems entirely unwilling to hint towards Scully’s recent experiences, but the director seems aware of it and keeps Scully in focus when they’re talking about things like abductions and medical experiments. Especially the scene in the interrogation room, it’s almost like even Mulder thinks she’s being affected by the discussions because of what happened to her, only for her to come back with more information for the investigation.
Titling this the Red Museum is a strange choice since the Red Museum has basically nothing to do with the story. While Scully’s report at the end proposes that they were being used as a control group, she doesn’t provide any evidence to that; we’re never told there was anything suspicious about how they got started, it’s presented as if head guy was the main person and we’re never told anything to dirty him up. Since everyone was safe going out there at the end it sure seems like no one presently there was in on the grand plot.
I seem to have surprisingly little to say about this one, though a few things that are best addressed in the questions.
When are we?
They were supposed to be in quarantine for a month following last episode which tracks with the surprising mention that they’re 18 years from some new world order. December 1994 would be 18 years from December 2012 when the world was supposed to end. Don’t try to convince me at this point that CC had a real plan for that, but this tracks shockingly well.
Who’s driving?
They let the locals drive a fair amount, but Mulder drives when it’s just the two of them. Although he seems to always be willing to take the less comfortable seat as a passenger (the back seat – though admittedly behind short legged Scully – in the beginning, the middle seat in the truck).
Is that continuity?
2/3 of the way through the episode it suddenly becomes continuity porn. Although for a man afraid of fire, Mulder doesn’t seem particularly frightened by the prospect of being burned alive.
Are we saying it’s aliens?
Scully is very deliberately not saying its aliens. In spite of what was said in Erlenmeyer, she’s since decided the tests weren’t conclusive and she doesn’t really know what it was she saw with the Purity Control project.
Scully’s convenient miss of the week
There’s very little for her to miss. A guy goes around killing people (admittedly for possibly alien and/or conspiracy related reasons) who had been subjected to some kind of medical experiments. That’s...practically normal; you can write a straight-forward report about that as long as no one ask too many questions about motivations of a conveniently dead killer.
How crazy does Mulder sound?
He asks a subject whether he would psychically violate someone, which is a question I would side-eye any cop asking in an interrogation; maybe if the suspect brought up psychic abilities first you’d see what they thought was happening through those means; but don’t initiate, Mulder.
Is it rapey?
They bring up rape several times in this one, though it isn’t part of the immediate story.
Are they in love?
It’s sure not any wonder that the kids (including the one who was apparently not baby Joseph Gordon Levitt) assume they’re a couple, I suspect most people who saw them on this case assumed that. Mulder either put on his good-boyfriend behavior or it’s more common than this dry-climate living gal would think that he’s holding an umbrella for both of them (he is the taller one). They’ve apparently reached a stage of casually brushing sauce off one’s partner’s face (and some serious bedroom eyes in response). They’re just super into each other this time; and Chris Carter of all people wrote the first time openly anyone assumes they’re married.
2x10: Red Museum (2016 thoughts)
(Previous status: we’re actually in a string of episodes I don’t remember seeing before)
I know I never saw this one before as I was completely surprised that it turned out to be mytharc related, in fact I couldn’t remember if purity control was ever followed through on directly (although I’m not sure this counts as directly). I’m going to end up largely judging it as a mytharc story even though it disguises for a long time that it is one, and that twist is one of the most interesting elements...well it very much changed how I could judge things.
But first we need to talk about Scully. I’m willing to concede that this episode seems aware of how close to home this sort of thing hits after what happened to her (at least with her, it doesn’t seem to register with Mulder when it really should), but it’s not willing to really go there with that connection. It also throws into clarity all that was cut out of her recovery after One Breath, because the kind of questions and tests these kids are put through after their 12 hour disappearances, not to mention the psychological issues they clearly have afterward, must be nothing next to her experience, and yet we got none of it outside of hints that she’s uncomfortable with this case when it hit a nerve with her.
Her back-peddling on things from TEF is consistent with my view of the previous episode that she’s all the more determined to not believe some of these things are true now, but again it’s not explored in depth. Which under several circumstances I’d be fine with, letting it just be seen as part of her development until it actually is brought into a plot point that’s all the more earned for the build up; except that we deserved *something* in the immediate aftermath of the abduction arc and we’re not getting it.
As for Mulder he spends most of the episode resisting being lead to believe the supernatural explanation. He’s willing to entertain the idea more than most people would be but he doesn’t rush to believe it either. Since it doesn’t end up being the answer anyway. one could say he continues to have fourth wall powers and sense when the episode isn’t actually going to be about the first crazy explanation offered. But he does ask if someone would try and psychically harm the kids, so he doesn’t exactly come off as fully rational this round either.
The twist so near the end of the episode (I guess it would have been a little less near the end if I had thought for a second that the shooter should be familiar to me or why) really worked for me because up until then the episode had not been providing any clear answer, even in terms of clear answers for TXF. I’m not quite sure this makes a lot of sense in the grand schemes going on, but at least it was some follow-through on things introduced last season. While it wouldn’t work all the time, the structure really worked for me, keeping their cards hidden and seeing the mystery unfold until the reveal happens and completely changes the game...to keep metaphors only slightly mixed.
I think ultimately I liked it well enough, although I don’t think it’s a great episode by any means. And I can’t figure out why it’s called ‘Red Museum’ when calling it ‘Ribs’ would have been just as fitting.
