Per Manum is our first real episode with Mulder and Scully back together
again... sort of.
This silly tale by Chris Carter and Frank Spotznitz is a mess. It
proposes that Scully and Mulder discussed the fact that she was barren
and made the conscious decision to try IVF (invitro fertilization) so
that she might have a child. With the hair style changes, we're lead to
believe that these discussions happened in the past. All of the scenes
between these two are in flashback form, but the time stamp is left
vague. We know that the talk in the elevator had to have happened in
season five, because that's when Scully tells her mother about her
fertility issues. (Christmas Carol) Everything else is up in the air.
What's most amazing about all of this drivel is there was no indication
of this happening in seasons past. This is a retcon of epic proportions.
It would be like having Scully collapse in Gethsemane and the audience
didn't know about her cancer or to have Mulder show up with a wedding
ring in Travelers without explaining that he was married (oops- they did do that! Sorry!) And with all of this set up... ta da! That isn't what caused Scully to become pregnant in the first place. So why go into it?
The secondary story, the X-File is equally silly.
A man, Duffy Haskel claims his wife was killed for delivering an alien
baby. Scully's paranoia about her baby leads her to the OBGYN that Mr.
Haskel's wife used. She observes some shady behavior and a creepy
storage room filled with fetuses in jars. Doggett investigates Duffy and
finds that he's a rabble rouser. He, Scully and Skinner question him
further. Then we find out that Haskel is in cahoots with the OBGYN. A
Miss Hendershot arrives at Scully's doorstep and explains that they're
both in danger (presumably because they're both pregnant.)
Tangent: How did Hendershot know to go to Scully for help, where did she
get Dana's address and how would she know that Scully's pregnant??? It's
the little things Chris- why can't you see that this makes no sense from
a story telling aspect?
Anyway, Scully goes to Skinner and informs him that she's taking a leave
of absence. Doggett is summoned to a midnight meeting where he's told
she's going, but not why. Scully then takes Miss Hendershot to an Army
Hospital. The doctors there are going to induce labor so that Miss
Hendershot can deliver her child in safety. Dana informs one of the
doctors that she thinks she might be in danger too and can they perform
an ultra-sound? The doctor completes the procedure and everything looks
fine for a 14 week old fetus (see nits for pregnancy time line woes) and
suggests an amnio. After the amniocentesis, Scully observes a tape in a
vcr. It appears that the ultrasound monitor was hooked up to the VCR and
that she was seeing a tape of someone else's child. Panicking, Scully
finds Miss Hendershot so they might exit the building. Before they can
leave, they run into Knowle Rohrer. Knowle is a friend of Doggett's, his
Deep Throat. He's there with some other covert ops types and they're
here to help. As they're zooming away, Miss Hendershot is ready to
deliver. They pull over and as Scully attempts to help, she's
restrained, then drugged. When she wakes, she's back in the army
hospital and Miss Hendershot has given birth to a healthy baby boy.
Scully is convinced that Knowle and his operatives have taken the alien
baby and replaced it with a human child. She then lapses into her final
flashback.
Why did Duffy Haskel start this whole ball rolling? Dr. Parenti,
Scully's OBGYN is part of the same group which killed his 'wife'. Now
Scully is aware of his nefarious leanings. If the consortium wanted to
keep tabs on her, they just went out of their way to break their only
connection. Miss Hendershot was already under the care of these same
doctors. Why did they let her go? The military connection to the
consortium is very strong, why would Scully have gone to an Army
Hospital in the first place? And are they that incompetent that they
left the VCR tape running where Dana could find it? Or was it just an
old tape being reused like they said? Knowle Rohrer was obviously trying
to keep Scully from seeing Miss Hendershot's birth. Who's he working
for? Is there anyone, in any aspect of Agent Scully's life who isn't
working for the Consortium? This all makes my head hurt.
Nice things:
Scully and Mulder, together in this episode. Oh how I miss their
chemistry! I slurped it up with a spoon. Mulder telling Scully he didn't
want the baby to come between them and Scully mistaking that to mean he
doesn't want to be the father. Then, psych- of course I'll do it. Great
face acting from Gillian there. And that final flashback. Mulder giving
Scully hope, "Never give up on a miracle." Indeed!
John Doggett. I can appreciate Robert Patrick's portrayal. He definitely
thought Scully was haring off on him with the sonogram, then to be
pulled out of bed in the dead of night to be told 'hey gotta go, and no
I don't trust you enough to tell you why.' Hee. He was royally pissed,
and who wouldn't be? But the best piece of acting from him was his
heartfelt, "I told you, I'd help you. I said we'd find him." ::Sniff:: I
think I like the big lug.
Mark Snow in a cameo. <g> It cracks me up. Just about everyone who's
worked on the show has played bit parts, which can be annoying, but I
think he's a fabulous composer, so why shouldn't he have a few moments
air time as one of the Army doctors?
Per Manum: despite seeing Mulder and Scully together again, the weak story is just too frustrating.
Sonya
Subject: Sonya's "Per Manum" review
