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Date Posted: 20:20:15 12/01/02 Sun
Author: SMH
Subject: Conduit: Most complicated episode so far
In reply to: detoured 's message, "Sometimes these early episodes do have some sorting out to do" on 17:49:28 11/29/02 Fri

As y'all can tell by my multiple posts in here today, I've gone on an XF spree and think that I'm all caught up!

Ok, so Conduit. I hadn't watched this episode in a really long time, and there is a lot packed into it. In the beginning we have Blevins and Scully together again, but this meeting is very different from the last. It's apparant that even this early in the series that Scully trusts Mulder, even if she doesn't understand him. Scully is clearly uncomfortable during the exchange, and she only half heartedly tries to talk Mulder out of going to Iowa. This is good writing, IMO, as it shows that while Scully is still by the book she's realized that Mulder's work does have validity.

This episode is really about Mulder and his obsession with his sister more than anything else, IMO. The plot only serves to showcase just how much it consumes him. I agree with det and kande that Scully is wrong in her behavior in this episode. Mark that down, kids, cause I rarely disagree with Scully. Unlike in Deep Throat, Scully is wrong when she tries to convince Mulder that they should just leave because they've done what they could. Personally, I think it was more a case of Scully not knowing how to react to Mulder's compulsion to solve this case than her actually believing they had nothing more to do.

I think Scully's reaction to Mulder, while it did seem insensitive, fit in with her character. We don't know exactly how long Mulder and Scully have been partners up to this point, but since it's only the third episode, it can't be all that long. We've established that Mulder and Scully like each other and trust each other, but now we see that they don't know each other all that well. I think Scully learned a lot about Mulder in this episode. Even though he told her in the Pilot that nothing is more important than him finding his sister, she finally gets to see that obsession in action. If we compare it to how Scully deals with Mulder in Paper Hearts, when their relationship is established, we see that while her beliefs about the situation are the same, her actions with Mulder are much more compassionate.

This is a serious episode and much different from both Pilot and Squeeze. While both of those dealt with serious things, they had moments of light hearted banter between Mulder and Scully and we were given bits of comic relief with Mulder's dry sense of humor. Not so in this episode, and to be honest it was a bit of a downer. The tone of the entire episode really did a good job showing us just how much weight Mulder's obsession with his sister carries with him. I think later in the series we tend to forget about that as the mytharc heats up and we have comedy episodes and various MOTW.

Now, onto the actual plot. One thing I never really, truly understood was the little boy. What exactly was the deal with him? Why did he detect those signals? Were they being broadcast by the aliens? And if so, does that mean that the aliens are responsible for the Quran and the double helix? If so, that's a great bit of continuity down the road when Scully finds the spaceship in Africa. Am I just stupid for not really knowing what was going on with that kid?

Oh, and about Mulder in the church. I have issues with Mulder and religion. Someone here said that Mulder doesn't like anything conventional and that is why he doesn't like religion. That seems like the best conclusion yet but it still bothers me that Mulder would discount something based on the fact that it's popular. I just have trouble reconciling the fact that Mulder believes in demons who snatch babies but doesn't believe in God. That being said, I don't think there is anything to be read into RE him going to that church. I think he just needed a quiet place to be alone and think, and churches are really good for that.

Ok, now that I've written a book I'm gonna go :-)

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