The X-Files 3x17: Pusher
Jul. 19th, 2019 11:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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tori_reviewsThe X-Files 3x17: Pusher
All through this episode I couldn’t quite work out if I thought it was a Darin Morgan script or not. It had really good dialog and good moments, but it’s also serious and thoughtful. Morgan’s scripts tend to be the former and I wasn’t sure if I thought he was putting more focus on the latter; but it turns out not. And I liked this a lot better than I have most Darin Morgan episodes. They are the most fun, and this isn’t exactly fun, but there’s a reason it’s one of the most remembered episodes of the show, because it has a good and well told story.
I’d almost go so far as to say that this feels more like TXF as I remember it than a lot of episodes have, especially lately. It’s a case of the week episode, but it does care about Mulder and Scully, the drama comes from understanding their relationship (in all its ambiguity), they matter to solving it rather than just being spectators in whatever nonsense is going on in the case. I wasn’t frustrated at all by this episode, except why we can’t have more like this.
If I was going to be frustrated, I could point out that I’m not sure how this tracks with Scully’s lack of belief in the paranormal, but even that is almost within tolerances. Hypnosis is a thing, Scully doesn’t dispute that; and while this is definitely a step farther than usual susceptibility, considering the other mutants they’ve see over the last few years I can just about see her rolling with the idea that this explanation makes sense. This story actually sidesteps the ‘how’ question most of the time, spending more focus on the psychology of Pusher, which is actually a good move and one I’m surprised more writers don’t take with this show.
Also I have to say this is one of the shippiest episodes in quite a while. Even in the couple episodes where got randomly jealous Scully they didn’t actually take the time to show the Mulder and Scully relationship that well. It is again a benefit of actually making the main characters relevant to the story; when they matter you find little moments where their bond to each other becomes quite relevant too. And seeing as the director has done a lot of other episodes, I think a lot of the shippy moments must have come from the writing too.
Just because I’ve made a thing of it the last couple episodes, this episode has less to offer on the Scully/Skinner front, though she does seem to be the first person he calls when something happens. Mulder just sort of wanders in later. And I really kept expecting him to have a hand on her shoulder at some point; it wouldn’t have been professional and since the story wasn’t actually going there it’s better that he wouldn’t, but my newfound/renewed interest in this ship was soft of hoping. This also must be long enough after the last set of episodes that Skinner’s over his gunshot wound, as that would be noteworthy when he got beat up again. Actually, that makes me suspect this was commissioned around the time of ‘Grotesque’ as it would have served the same point (and done so better) of bringing Skinner back into the story just before that two-parter.
Surprisingly I’m not sure I have that much to say about this one. It’s good, so I don’t have to tell you all about the version of the episode taking place in my head that for other eps has somewhat improved my experience. This is definitely top tier of episodes for me so far; more of this.
Previous status
Never seen before...I think. I’ve seen so many clips from this over the years that I felt like a lot of it was familiar, but I can’t remember actually seeing the story, probably just the many shippy clips, of which the climax counts.
Are they in love?
If you watched this episode in isolation I’m not sure how you would assume anything but yes (or at least a confident maybe). This is the MSR I remember and still ship all these years later; they’re super cute and devoted to each other, there’s a lot of significant handholding and glancing, they’re just...Mulder and Scully for the first time in a long time it seems.
Mulder’s guilt complex check in
I’m not sure what it says exactly, but Mulder doesn’t much fight against pulling the trigger on himself, but he fights like hell to not shoot Scully, giving her time to find a way out of it. His resistance to his own death is a lot less powerful than his love for Scully.
The gang that’s here
Skinner is still here. And while I don’t remember Holly, it sure feels like she should be part of the sometimes recurring cast.
Forehead kisses
There sure felt like there should have been, but I’m going to say handholding again, because I feel like we haven’t even gotten that lately (Scully and Skinner got some last time). Also some adorable face-booping.
Who’s driving?
I don’t actually remember car/exiting scenes, but also feel like I noticed Mulder driving at some point. I don’t take notes for these reviews, so I could always be wrong. And sitting in the car on stakeout doesn’t count the same.
Is that continuity?
Fluke Man gets a headline, also a callback to ‘Anasazi’
Are we saying it’s aliens?
Tumor –induced ‘psycho-kinesis,’ which as far as TXF goes is about as grounded as it gets.
Scully’s convenient miss of the week
That this is considered ‘grounded’ is all the more evident by the fact that Scully sees pretty much everything go down, she’s even part of putting the pieces together. If it was consistent I would buy this as where her skepticism is these days, but I’m sure it won’t be consistent.
How crazy does Mulder sound?
This case goes the way so many of these cases should in the end, trying to convict a suspect on the grounds that he totally exhibited some kind of super-human power that no we don’t have actual evidence of. This is what Mulder gets when he doesn’t confine his crazy theories to the woman who has decided to just roll with them.
Kill counts
Mulder doesn’t quite kill Pusher, and he’s apparently going to just die of a brain tumor at some point (I don’t remember a follow-up down the road); but it wasn’t for lack of trying on Mulder’s part, he only had one bullet.
Is it rapey?
Mind control is inherently kind of rapey, although we’re never told that he was using it for that.
Is that a cautionary tale I see?
Pusher’s apartment looks a lot like Mulder’s. And while the parallel never quite lands with me, the way the dialog is written and presented about Pusher’s failures to make something of himself, it feels like it’s trying to present a parallel to Mulder.
Does GA deserve an Emmy?
Probably, she’s sure bringing a lot to her performance here.
Can DD act?
...yes. He’s actually doing some acting in this episode which is staggering after so many episodes of blandness. Keep it up.
All through this episode I couldn’t quite work out if I thought it was a Darin Morgan script or not. It had really good dialog and good moments, but it’s also serious and thoughtful. Morgan’s scripts tend to be the former and I wasn’t sure if I thought he was putting more focus on the latter; but it turns out not. And I liked this a lot better than I have most Darin Morgan episodes. They are the most fun, and this isn’t exactly fun, but there’s a reason it’s one of the most remembered episodes of the show, because it has a good and well told story.
I’d almost go so far as to say that this feels more like TXF as I remember it than a lot of episodes have, especially lately. It’s a case of the week episode, but it does care about Mulder and Scully, the drama comes from understanding their relationship (in all its ambiguity), they matter to solving it rather than just being spectators in whatever nonsense is going on in the case. I wasn’t frustrated at all by this episode, except why we can’t have more like this.
If I was going to be frustrated, I could point out that I’m not sure how this tracks with Scully’s lack of belief in the paranormal, but even that is almost within tolerances. Hypnosis is a thing, Scully doesn’t dispute that; and while this is definitely a step farther than usual susceptibility, considering the other mutants they’ve see over the last few years I can just about see her rolling with the idea that this explanation makes sense. This story actually sidesteps the ‘how’ question most of the time, spending more focus on the psychology of Pusher, which is actually a good move and one I’m surprised more writers don’t take with this show.
Also I have to say this is one of the shippiest episodes in quite a while. Even in the couple episodes where got randomly jealous Scully they didn’t actually take the time to show the Mulder and Scully relationship that well. It is again a benefit of actually making the main characters relevant to the story; when they matter you find little moments where their bond to each other becomes quite relevant too. And seeing as the director has done a lot of other episodes, I think a lot of the shippy moments must have come from the writing too.
Just because I’ve made a thing of it the last couple episodes, this episode has less to offer on the Scully/Skinner front, though she does seem to be the first person he calls when something happens. Mulder just sort of wanders in later. And I really kept expecting him to have a hand on her shoulder at some point; it wouldn’t have been professional and since the story wasn’t actually going there it’s better that he wouldn’t, but my newfound/renewed interest in this ship was soft of hoping. This also must be long enough after the last set of episodes that Skinner’s over his gunshot wound, as that would be noteworthy when he got beat up again. Actually, that makes me suspect this was commissioned around the time of ‘Grotesque’ as it would have served the same point (and done so better) of bringing Skinner back into the story just before that two-parter.
Surprisingly I’m not sure I have that much to say about this one. It’s good, so I don’t have to tell you all about the version of the episode taking place in my head that for other eps has somewhat improved my experience. This is definitely top tier of episodes for me so far; more of this.
Previous status
Never seen before...I think. I’ve seen so many clips from this over the years that I felt like a lot of it was familiar, but I can’t remember actually seeing the story, probably just the many shippy clips, of which the climax counts.
Are they in love?
If you watched this episode in isolation I’m not sure how you would assume anything but yes (or at least a confident maybe). This is the MSR I remember and still ship all these years later; they’re super cute and devoted to each other, there’s a lot of significant handholding and glancing, they’re just...Mulder and Scully for the first time in a long time it seems.
Mulder’s guilt complex check in
I’m not sure what it says exactly, but Mulder doesn’t much fight against pulling the trigger on himself, but he fights like hell to not shoot Scully, giving her time to find a way out of it. His resistance to his own death is a lot less powerful than his love for Scully.
The gang that’s here
Skinner is still here. And while I don’t remember Holly, it sure feels like she should be part of the sometimes recurring cast.
Forehead kisses
There sure felt like there should have been, but I’m going to say handholding again, because I feel like we haven’t even gotten that lately (Scully and Skinner got some last time). Also some adorable face-booping.
Who’s driving?
I don’t actually remember car/exiting scenes, but also feel like I noticed Mulder driving at some point. I don’t take notes for these reviews, so I could always be wrong. And sitting in the car on stakeout doesn’t count the same.
Is that continuity?
Fluke Man gets a headline, also a callback to ‘Anasazi’
Are we saying it’s aliens?
Tumor –induced ‘psycho-kinesis,’ which as far as TXF goes is about as grounded as it gets.
Scully’s convenient miss of the week
That this is considered ‘grounded’ is all the more evident by the fact that Scully sees pretty much everything go down, she’s even part of putting the pieces together. If it was consistent I would buy this as where her skepticism is these days, but I’m sure it won’t be consistent.
How crazy does Mulder sound?
This case goes the way so many of these cases should in the end, trying to convict a suspect on the grounds that he totally exhibited some kind of super-human power that no we don’t have actual evidence of. This is what Mulder gets when he doesn’t confine his crazy theories to the woman who has decided to just roll with them.
Kill counts
Mulder doesn’t quite kill Pusher, and he’s apparently going to just die of a brain tumor at some point (I don’t remember a follow-up down the road); but it wasn’t for lack of trying on Mulder’s part, he only had one bullet.
Is it rapey?
Mind control is inherently kind of rapey, although we’re never told that he was using it for that.
Is that a cautionary tale I see?
Pusher’s apartment looks a lot like Mulder’s. And while the parallel never quite lands with me, the way the dialog is written and presented about Pusher’s failures to make something of himself, it feels like it’s trying to present a parallel to Mulder.
Does GA deserve an Emmy?
Probably, she’s sure bringing a lot to her performance here.
Can DD act?
...yes. He’s actually doing some acting in this episode which is staggering after so many episodes of blandness. Keep it up.
