SEASON 1

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SEASON 3

SEASON 4

SEASON 5

FIGHT THE FUTURE

SEASON 6

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SEASON 8

SEASON 9

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Allentown Medical Centre. Scully pushes open a door and gets a good look at how she’s going to look in less than a year. Penny Northern is in a mismatching outfit made up of a maroon bathrobe and blue towel/turban thing. She smiles serenely at Scully and says, “Dana!” I don’t mean to be harsh, but those colors are not doing Penny any favors. Whatever happened to dying with dignity? If I was on my deathbed I would totally be decked out in silk peignoirs and the like.

Scully asks if Penny knew she was coming, and Penny smiles that serene Madonna smile and says no, she recognized Scully from their shared abduction. She then says she used to sit with Scully and comfort her. Scully apologizes if she appears to be insensitive but she doesn’t share those memories. Penny smiles that smile of hers again and says it is alright. Scully approaches the bedside and sits down telling Penny she is here to ask her some questions. Penny volunteers if the questions are about Dr. Scanlon. Scully says no, and asks who Dr. Scanlon is. I like the way half of Penny’s face is in the light and half of it is in the dark, as is Scully’s. If one was to get all whimsical and deep about this it is like the two women both have a foot in the grave, but they also have that small chance of survival. Penny explains that Scanlon’s the doctor treating her cancer and he treated Betsy’s. He also believes that he could have saved Betsy and Penny if they had caught the cancer sooner. Scully and I both feel the tender wings of hope flutter in our chests. “His name’s Scanlon?” Scully asks. Good call Mulder, I’m sorry I was hating you earlier. This is something that we can work with here!

Mulder is in Betsy’s basement, going through files, when his phone rings. He answers and starts rambling the second Scully confirms it’s her. We hear Mulder try so hard to be cool about the fact that Scully (that with which he cannot live without) is in a hospital interviewing the last living woman who’s dying of the same incurable disease that she has. He talks without letting Scully get a word in edgewise, as if his talking faster will somehow alter the course of events or news that Scully is going to give him. I love false bravado. I employ it all the time. We get a shot of Scully listening to him and she closes her eyes, telling us the information Mulder has found is not that important in the grand scheme of things. She’s also partially trying to steel herself for whatever she’s going to say, and I think she’s worried about how he’s going to take what she is about to say. She tells Mulder to bring her overnight bag to the hospital and call her Mom to ask her to bring up some things, and that whatever he’s found or whatever he will find, she thinks they both know the truth is in her. Can I just say if they both already knew that way back in season 4, why does it take another three years for Mulder to find it in her pants? Or does he? Ugh, yes he does! Anyway, back to the emotional evisceration. Mulder says, “I’ll be right there.” And Duchovny’s face and voice almost finish me off... again. Scully smiles poignantly at the handset as Mulder hangs up, then she grimaces a little. Her face is in shadow but Penny, behind her, is lit. She turns around after a second and faces the light. Get it?

Back at Betsy’s, Mulder shoves the file cabinet door shut angrily, gets up, picks up his jacket and just walks out leaving Kurt in the basement alone wondering what just happened. My God, did Duchovny and Anderson take their acting spinach in this episode or what? Mark Snow’s Drums of Impending Action pick up as we see Mulder get into his car, completely focused on what’s ahead as he drives off. A car parked on the same street starts up and drives into Mulder’s recently vacated space. The drums are still going here. Someone enters Betsy’s and we hear Kurt call out “Agent Mulder?” It so isn’t! Whoever it is pulls out those alien killing spiky things and after a brief futile struggle stabs Kurt in the back of the neck with it. He proceeds to turn into green goo. Oh no! Not Kurt! Does this mean his bad?

Back at the hospital, Scully’s in a bed. She’s sleeping and looks so cute. She wakes up and turns over to look at this bright white light. We see there is a man standing there. I initially thought it was Papa Scully come to visit her from the beyond. But it’s not! It’s a real live man in a white coat watching her. Creepy. I don’t know what the rules of doctor/patient etiquette are but I can’t imagine it is remotely proper for a doctor to stand and watch his patient sleep as he waits for her to wake up. I mean how does he know when she is going to wake up? Is he just going to stand there for hours on end and ignore other patients while he waits? Anyway, they talk shop about her illness, etc. Anderson acts the hell out of this scene when Dr. Scanlon brings up the effects that the chemotherapy and radiation are going to have on her. MaScully comes in, just in time! She’s worried and over-compensating. My memory is a little rusty, but am I correct in assuming we never saw any parents from the Mulder family hover around Mulder whenever he was in hospital? Scully tells her Mom she’s fine. Scanlon leaves, thank God. He gives me the creeps! MaScully, like me, is justifiably upset, and demands to know why Scully didn’t tell her about her illness immediately. Scully tells her Mom she didn’t want to until she had all the facts. MaScully tells Scully she shouldn’t keep her in the dark; she is her only daughter now. (Sob!) She gets all teary and hugs Scully while Scully maintains her composure and holds her Mom, offering more comfort than taking it. Can I just say Anderson is a consummate actress with incredible range? She is so underrated!