actual human

The willow woman.

happy new year -------------_--------------------

This, too, is a trashed bathroom; young queer people living through hell and having precious little control over their circumstances or the world in which they exist can affect something by using the language of social justice as a cudgel on their would-be allies, as well as getting a brief feeling of power over someone else by doing it.

i. the monster's body is a cultural body

ii. the monster always escapes

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire

these are all direct quotes from jeffrey jerome cohen's "monster culture (seven theses)" (full pdf linked) i highly encourage you to read it yourself!

that said, while i think cohen's writing is evocative, it can be a little dense, so while i'm here, here's my capsule summary (you can also hear me talk about this in the first episode of my podcast) (listen to @ghostswerepeopletoo)

i. the monster's body is a cultural body - The monster is a work of fiction to be analyzed through tools of literary and sociological theory.

ii. the monster always escapes - As long as the cultural fear from which the monster stems persists, the monster will reappear in retellings, reimaginings, and sequels.

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis - Monsters defy binaries and challenge easy comprehension or categorization.

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference - The monster represents the Other.

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible - Tales of the monster exist to discourage unacceptable or taboo behaviors.

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire - Subjects can vicariously participate in the disruption of the social order through the monster.

W: Shiban D: Bowman

Washington, DC; Gabels Corner, OH; Angola, DE; Harrisburg, PA

Scully finally witnesses something she can't explain -- but it's her partner's behavior. During a joint FBI/CIA sting operation, Mulder lets their target get away. Afterward, he won't talk to her about it, avoiding her and making her fear for his role in the pursuit of a domestic terrorism group.

John Shiban had wanted to send Mulder undercover for a while, but the timing or the story was never quite right. But here, on the heels of Patient X's broadcast of Mulder's government distrust, at a time when Mulder's beliefs were still in doubt, and M&S were somewhat distanced, Mulder was in prime position to infiltrate a militia organization.

The second component, of course, had to be the X-File, which fell right into Scully's wheelhouse. There was an actual Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas during the Cold War that housed chemical weapons. Making it remotely plausible to engineer an unknown bioweapon from a primitive strain that may have existed there in the 1960s.

Shiban has incorporated numerous references into his script. His biggest inspirations were John le Carré's novel "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and the movie Heat (1995). The Aaron Burr Motor Court was named after the Vice-President who, similar to Mulder, was accused of treason and later exonerated. The name he's registered under, Mr. Kaplan, is taken from Hitchcock's North by Northwest's (1959) imaginary secret agent.

The movie theater is showing Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), which also features terrorists and US banks. "The Gimp" is from Pulp Fiction. The 'Usherette' (ticket sales girl) is Kate Braidwood, Tom 'Frohike' Braidwood's daughter. DD was originally given the Wolfman mask to wear in the bank heist, but he asked if he could be Dracula instead. The vampire was his favorite of the monsters as a kid. He also ad libbed the Pepsi Challenge line when Mulder is hooded at the table.

All together, TPBV is tight and suspenseful. Mark Snow deviated from his standard score on this episode, building the tension. The guns, torture (shudder), and execution scenes, while common enough on other crime dramas, are unusual for the X-Files, and Bowman has done great work. Things feel as if they have been taken to another level. I like the duplicity both within the government committee and the militia group. I like how Scully acts in the interest of Mulder's safety over the mission every time, forcing Skinner to see the distinction in where Leamus' loyalties fall.

MSR: Mulder struggles with lying to Scully as much as she does lying to him. I love that he can barely look at her in the office. (And where did she get that suit??) At his apartment, his instinct is to get her away from him, to keep her out of harm's way (like that ever works). I hate how dark this scene is because it is so quintessentially them. S: "Oh, Mulder, what did they do to you? God, this needs to be set. You're in pain." M: "Yeah, if you keep pulling it around like that." But the real love shows when they're united at the end, and the betrayal is revealed. Mulder has been used, and Scully is feral.

Fanfic: Things get personal...

"Calling Bluffs" by Mangokiwitropicalswirl

"All of this (a round) Us" by secondsflat

"Passing Solace" by DarlaBlack

"I Need to Hear You Say It" by ScarlettStarlett, part 19 of An Immortal Truth Among Platonic Lies

Thanks so much for reading!

“I was going to get my masters degree but then it was 2020, so yeah”

“I was cast in a play and then it was 2020”