G: The G-Woman...Agent Scully

OK, so a couple of years ago I wrote this post about Female Role Models on the Tube. In it I describe the reasons why two female characters became my foundations growing up. Here are my reasons if you don't want to click:

1] How you dress does not determine how you are perceived 
2] Nice girls finish first
3] Girls are powerful in body and mind
4] Less is More
5] Girls with Brains Rule
6] Strong, Smart Girls Don't Always Have to Win

While Laura Holt and Wonder Woman are definitely the core of me...Dana Scully is me all grown-up and sassy.

And, what have I learned from her:

1] Stand up for yourself and be your own person
"I'm not a part of any agenda. You've got to trust me. I'm here just like you, to solve this." ~"Pilot" S01 E01

2] Be skeptical, don't doubt the science of things, but have faith
"But you saved me! As difficult and as frustrating as it's been sometimes, your goddamned strict rationalism and science have saved me a thousand times over! You've kept me honest. You've made me a whole person. I owe you everything... Scully, and you owe me nothing. I don't know if I wanna do this alone. I don't even know if I can. And if I quit now, they win." ~The X-Files: Fight the Future

3] Listen to others and allow them to have their stories, allow them to be who they want to be
MULDER: I would've never seen you again. But you believed me.
SCULLY: In your dreams. Mulder, I want you to close your eyes and I want you to think to yourself "there's no place like home."
MULDER: Mmm. 
MULDER: Hey, Scully. 
SCULLY: Yes?
MULDER: I love you.
SCULLY: Oh, brother...
~"Triangle" S6 E03

4] Be willing to change your mind when presented with new facts and new situations
SCULLY: He's not dying. He is more alive than he's ever been and what's causing it may be extraterrestrial. ~"The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati" S7 E02

5] Laugh at yourself, laugh with others
MULDER:  And I can neither confirm nor deny agent Scully's version of events, but, um...
SCULLY: Anyway... I was drugged.
MULDER: That is ... essentially, exactly the way it happened.
SCULLY: Essentially.
~"Bad Blood" S5 E12

6] 7 years isn't a long time to wait if you know, that in waiting, you are making the right choice
"Well, it seems to me that the best relationships-- the ones that last-- are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with." ~"The Rain King" S6 E07

And, you can raise your kiddos to be just like her. Check it out here.

F: Fight the Future (movie one)

71 Thoughts While Watching "X-Files: Fight the Future"

1. The black oil, coupled with the theme song revamp makes cold chills run up my spine
2. North Texas 3500 bc...what!? What an amazing intro!
3. How many children (people under 18) are killed or maimed or become killers in the X-Files?
4. Ok, so watching the show all the way through up to this point and then hearing Bronschweig talk about the ‘impossible scenario’ just shows me how brilliant Chris Carter is
5. 13 minutes in *boom* and with a gray t-shirt no less…
6. ‘I had you big time.’ ‘You had nothing.’ *cute*
7. 555.0113
8. I didn’t realize that the movie was made before season 5...it explains why they look so darned good during season 5...well, when they’re actually in an episode during season 5.
9. How many people sacrifice their lives to maintain the secret? Why do they do it?
10. I remember when they showed the making of this scene during an X-files movie preview...fun stunt. *understatement*
11. Sunflower seeds
12. Mulder drinks!?
13. "I'm the key figure in an ongoing government charade, the plot to conceal the truth about the existence of extraterrestrials. It's a global conspiracy, actually, with key players in the highest levels of power, that reaches down into the lives of every man, woman, and child on this planet, so, of course, no one believes me. I'm an annoyance to my superiors, a joke to my peers. They call me Spooky. Spooky Mulder, whose sister was abducted by aliens when he was just a kid and who now chases after little green men with a badge and a gun, shouting to the heavens or to anyone who will listen that the fix is in, that the sky is falling and when it hits it's gonna be the shit-storm of all time."
14. Can anyone but David Duchovny deliver lines like ‘You know, one is the loneliest number?’ Probably not.
15. Peeing on ‘Independence Day’. Lolol.
16. I like that Mulder would go from the city to Georgetown to wake up Scully in the middle of the night and she is questioning, but not upset or surprised
17. Did this movie come out before or after I’d been to DC for the first time?
18. That Mulder has balls.
19. I learned so much science from this movie. ‘I’m saying it wasn’t the Henta Virus’...goes to look up the henta virus…
20. ‘The systematic release of a ...’ Honestly isn’t this the darned scariest thing and then you add the alien war
21. What was the time table? Something 2012?
22. And, then the cellphone rings...what!? Silent...if only they’d had texting. lol.
23. That Scully, she saves the day loads of times...I love the look on his face when she walks through the door.
24. That alien is SCARY why is it so scary as a baby...and then turn into the adorable grey alien (see episode in season 6 or 7)
25. ‘A new extraterrestial biological entity’...’Spontaneous re-population’ ‘That we are nothing, but digestives for...’ ew.
26. ‘Kill Mulder and we take the risk of turning one man’s quest into a crusade.’
27. I miss Oldsmobile...well the Intrigue...anyway.
28. ‘Five years together and how many times have I been wrong *pause* never *incredulous look* not driving anyway.’ ha!
29. ‘Giant jiffy pop poppers’...in ‘98 all people got this...now...who get’s this?
30. Oh, and their cellphones are really out of date too, are those Nokias?
31. Watching this movie makes me want to write papers or grade papers
32. I want Scully’s pant suit
33. Oh, and that skirt suit she was wearing at the beginning of the movie
34. David Duchovny has the best lips ever
35. Salt Lake City, Utah...what!?
36. Sexiest non-kissing scene EVA! ‘You saved me...You’ve kept me honest. You’ve made me a whole person...I owe you everything and Scully, you owe me nothing’ kiss dammit. i say this everytime and everytime...there’s a damned bee.
37. What are David Duchovny’s arm muscles doing? What are they doing?
38. So weird to see him run into his apartment to call someone for help…cellphones...
39. ‘Hey, I know you...’ face
40. Love the leather jacket
41. ‘it’s the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Toto...’
42. ‘Strip Byers naked.’
43. The Well-Manicured Man is so…precise
44. Why introduce Kurtzweil to kill him...how many are there?
45. Ok, so there’s this big alien people field instead of an alien spaceship...does the vaccine save them all?
46. What is it with sliding down long slippery places?
47. Nice boots
48. Was that his gun or his cellphone?
49. "The Matrix" totally copied this whole scene
50. He gets to kiss her after all
51. Gee whiz those aliens are effing scary and there’s a whole green room of them
52. I like that they don’t forget what they say to one another and bring it back at weird moments, but is that real?
53. Ohhhh the alien hand and sharp claws and...gah, the suspense!
54. Gosh, Scully always misses all the good parts...that alien spaceship is amazing
55. I love that he gave her his nice warm coat...she still has to be pretty darned cold though
56. ‘Scully, you gotta see this.’ um, I can’t I’m too busy freezing to death and did I mention the fact that I had one of those in me...inside of me...what!?
57. ...and, then she hugs him and it’s cold, but she’s the protector
58. What if aliens are real?
59. Why isn’t Horseface in this movie? I don’t even remember missing that fact until now.
60. Hello Blythe Danner.
61. ‘...bees and corn crops...’
62. Let’s leave Texas...just business as usual for The Syndicate
63. ‘I don’t believe the FBI has an investigative unit qualified to pursue the evidence in hand.’ I love when Scully gets mad and uses her facts to throw things in the face of others. Suck it, Trebek.
64. What is OPR?
65. ‘Not unless your story can be programmed, categorized or easily referenced.’
66. Mulder mad is sexy...oh that voice, that hair...his eyes, and then there’s the hand holding *sigh*
67. ‘If I quit now, they win.’ this is also what I say to get through teaching…
68. Texas, Tunisia same diff
69. ‘He is but one man. One man alone cannot fight the future.’
70. Is Scully the reason why the X-files were reopened? She is such a bad ass. FULL STOP.
71. I love the soundtrack to this movie. I used to clean my apt. to it all the time.

E: Education...or, how I use my favorite show in the classroom

The best thing about being a teacher is sharing my thoughts and experiences with my students. I love
incorporating the things that I love (especially my love of Pop Culture) into my teaching. Over the years I've been able to use a couple of episodes of "The X-Files" in my classroom.

"Field Trip"
Class: Applied Communications (a remedial class)
How it was used: To talk about the various modes of communication (listening, speaking, reading, writing) and to show the difference between hearing and listening. While there are several episodes that show great communication and what happens when communication lacks, this one is one of the best because it's only when they truly listen that they can get away from the mushroom. Things keep getting repeated, but no one is listening.
What we did: Watched the episode, there was a handout to go with it with the four modes of communication, students were to note these and then there were questions on the back talking about listening specifically.
CCSS: SL.9-10.1; SL.9-10.3

"The Post-Modern Prometheus"
Class: AP Literature and Composition
How it was used: As part of the unit when we read Frankenstein, it's just too good not to add this 2nd layer to the book. We talk about Modernism (according to Shelley and according to our modern definition) and Postmodernism. We pull out all the allusions they can (some don't get the geekier stuff) and then we relate it to the novel and its themes and symbols and motifs. We also watch 'Blade Runner' and then compare all three. Good stuff.
CCSS: RL.11-12.1; RL.11-12.2; RL.11-12.3; RL.11-12.5; RL.11-12.6; RL.11-12.7

What episodes would you suggest are good for the classroom?

D: David Duchovny, why won't you love me?

"David Duchovny, Why Won't You Love Me?"

"David Duchovny, Why Won't You Love Me?"
~Bree Sharp

It's Sunday night, I am curled up in my room
The TV light, fills my heart like a balloon
I hold it in as best I can, I know I'm just another fan
But I can't help feeling I could love this secret agent man
And I can't
Wait any more for him to discover me, I got it bad for David Duchovny
David Duchovny why won't you love me, why won't you love me

My friends all tell me, "Girl you know it's just a show"
But deep within his eyes, I see me wrapped up like a bow
Watching the sky for a sign, the FBI is on my mind
I'm waiting for the day, when my lucky stars align
In the form of
David Duchovny floating above me, in the alien light
of the spaceship of love I need
David Duchovny hovering above me, American Heathcliff brooding and comely
David Duchovny why won't you love me, why won't you love me
Why won't you love me

So smug and so smart
He's abducted my heart
And I'm falling apart
From the looks I receive
From those eyes I can't leave
Well you can say I'm naive
But he told me to believe

Oooooooooooooooooooh

My bags are packed, I am ready for my flight
Wanna put an end to, my daydream days and sleepless nights
Sitting like a mindless clone, wishing he would tap my phone
And just to hear the breath of the man, the myth, the monotone
And I would say

David Duchovny why won't you love me, why won't you love me
Why won't you love me, David Duchovny why won't you love me
Why won't you love me, why won't you love me
David Duchovny I want you to love me, to kiss and to hug me
Debrief and debug me, David Duchovny I know you could love me
I'm sweet and I'm cuddly, I'm gonna kill SCULLY!
David Duchovny why won't you love me, why won't you love me
Why won't you love me, Yeah

I'll be waiting
In Nevada

C: Chris Carter

So, let's talk a minute about the guy who made all of this possible...Chris Carter.

He knows what makes a hero:

He understands the truth and what's at the heart of the X-Files:

He likes strong women:

And, we all know this to be true:

You know why, Mr Carter...you. know. why!!!

And, finally...The Speedo was a smart, ever so smart, choice.

B: The Books

Ok, so I haven't read all of the literature out there, but I have read all of the novels.

I enjoy movie tie-in novels, I always have. But, what I like about the X-Files novels themselves is that they aren't episodes of the show, but have plots and characters on and introduced in the series. My favorite one is Whirlwind.

Serial killers come in all shapes and sizes, but this one is particularly puzzling. There's no pattern to the mutilated bodies that have been showing up in Albuquerque: both sexes, all races, ages, ethnic groups. There is no evidence of rape or ritual. Only one thing connects the victims. They were the victims of a natural disaster. One of the most unnatural natural disasters imaginable, leading to a most painful, most certain and most hideous death.... 

Mulder and Scully, FBI: the agency maverick and the female agent assigned to keep him in line. Their job: investigate the eerie unsolved mysteries the Bureau wants handled quietly, but quickly, before the public finds out what's really out there. And panics. The cases filed under "X."

Novels

• Goblins by Charles L. Grant

• Whirlwind by Charles L. Grant: 

• Ground Zero by Kevin J. Anderson

• Ruins by Kevin J. Anderson

• Antibodies by Kevin J. Anderson

• Skin by Ben Mezrich

To find a full list of literature click here.

A: At the very beginning, a very good place to start

I can't exactly remember the first time I ever watched "The X-Files". I know I watched it on Fridays when I was in high school (when my mother would let me) and there are some episodes (mostly from that first season) that I remember quite well. I remember watching it on Sundays when I was in college, my roommate and I wrapped in blankets in the dark on either end of our garage-sale couch. You have to remember those first few seasons were creepier and scarier than subsequent seasons.

I am writing this while watching the finale of the 6th season...a finale I remember quite well, a finale that didn't tie in with the wonderfully, lighthearted episodes that makes this season my favorite season. This finale devastated me. Frankly, I think it did many people as it added another layer to the alien myth, put Mulder is some strange, unexplained danger and gave me at least 3 more reasons to really want to punch Diana Fowley in the gut.

With a new series in the works and my head full of this show and the memories it evokes I look forward to spending the next month talking about my love/obsession with Agents Mulder and Scully, AD Skinner and the various monsters, myths, aliens and conspiracies that really are much of the background noise of my favorite decade.

Click here if you need any help with abbreviations.

Note: I'm only talking about things that interest me or that I remember being integral to the show and its characters. If there's something you think I should comment on or talk about feel free to comment below.