Per Manum
         First of all, wow! So Scully's baby is fathered by Mulder...well, maybe not-- like most things, this was left unclear. But it's the intent that counts, right? And Mulder wanted to, tried to father the baby, --although not in the most romantic of ways, granted. Still, while I think it's sweet that M & S would have a child together (it couldn't help but bring them closer togethre!), logically I feel that it would not be the best thing for the show. Mulder's right, it would make things awkward between them, not to mention sort of spoiling the mood of the show. I have a feeling that if Scully does have a normal baby, it will sort fade into the background, like babies do on many t.v. shows. (Sorry for the confusing mix of relationshipper idealism and practical logic, but I feel it's good to present both sides of the case:))
     The whole episode actually felt sort of off. Not the parts about conspiracies, government, and aliens, but the whole baby part. The X-Files isn't the sort of show that goes in for the sort of maudlin sentimantality that seeps out of many sitcoms, and parts of this episode were inching towards that dangerous ground. The scenes between Mulder and Scully were handled very well (ie, no weepy violins or tinkly pianos in the background), and seemed true enough to their relationship and characters, but Mulder and Scully having a baby together, in however unromantic a way just doesn't seem like something the show would do. There was some nice character development here, at least for Scully-- we got to see more of her as a person separate from the x-files. Still, this is The X-Files, a show full of red herrings, a show where several characters (including the main one)have died numerous times, only to reappear several months later, and as such, when it comes to seeming major events, such as the nature of Scully's pregnancy, it is best to trust no-one-- least of all Chris Carter.
     Speaking of trusting no-one, why did Scully seem to trust everyone this episode? Has working on the x-files for so many years taught her nothing? Why did she trust her doctor when the perpetrators of this particular conspiracy were, in fact, doctors? And, more to the point, why did she trust the ARMY (that was the army hospital she went to for safekeeping, remember?)? They are, after all, a branch of government, and furthermore, she and Mulder have on many previous occaisions found ample evidence of the army being a major player in the government conspiracy/coverup surrounding the aliens and all things bad. And don't get me started on the men in black near the end...
     Anyways, as usual, this episode posed more questions than it answered, the two major ones being: who IS the father of Scully's baby-- Mulder after all, or an alien? and whatdoes Scully believe? She didn't look very convinced at the end there when Doggett gave her the rational explanation for what had happened. Speaking of Doggett, he seemed to be coming round for a while there, until the end when he inexplicably reverted back to his former skepitcal, trusting self. That seemed a little odd to me-- if he had been so questioning and worried about Scully just a few hours before, what made him suddenly change his mind? It does seem like there might be a decent guy lurking under that unlikeable facade of his however, it's just taking a while for it to come out. He will be nice eventually though-- no major character stays truely unlikable on t.v. for long (the exceptions being the true villains such as Cancerman, but we got to see even his kinder, gentler side once).
     A few miscellaneous notes: enough with the camera circling a group of talking people already! Whatever to the good old shot-reverse shot that didn't make people dizzy, sick or disoriented to watch. This is something of a pet peeve of mine, as it has been cropping up more and more often on t.v. shows, I can only assume to give the show an edgy, 'indy' feel. My thoughts on the subject: it's bad enough in films that are legitimately edgy, nevermind in network t.v. shows, where it only serves to annoy people. As for the meaning of the title(always good to know), it means 'by hand' in Latin, which would relate to Scully's pregnancy--not mantion doubling as a nice little double entendre about Mulder's role in it. (Never let it be said that The X-Files has turned down an opportunity for a masturbation joke!):}
 
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