Icy Kool Scully

In recent interviews, Gillian Anderson described her alter-ego, Dana Scully as  "square", a "12 year-old...".  In truth though, as I have become a fan of the show 20 years after it began and 10 years after it went off the air, I have found Scully an amazing study in reserve. An original that many have attempted to duplicate but none has succeeded in copying.

Dana Scully remains an iconic fictional figure, much beloved by legions of former geeks, current fanboys and girls and a host of men and women of varying ages.   This glorious redhead with the pillowy lips that seemed permanently puckered for a kiss, tormented young boys and made being smart both fashionably interesting and sexy.  She was a badass, a loyal partner, a brilliant woman who did not need to be obvious to be hot.

When you get to be known by one name, "Scully", you know you have attained a certain level of fame that can never be taken away.  Scully was the Mrs. Peel of the 90's generation.

 Peel and Scully could not be more different yet so much a like.  Sound like a contradiction?  Not really.  Both smoldered - were cool, sexy, professional women, proficient at handling themselves in the most dangerous of situations, who could kick some serious.... well you get the point.  They were cutting edge women who shattered the notion that they couldn't be equal partners to their male counterparts in safeguarding the world against threats from evil doers.

Where the two differed was is in the things that made them uniquely distinct.  Emma Peel was considered a fashion icon in her body accentuating "mod" outfits, one piece cat suits, hip-hugger pants and 60's go-go boots.

She was easily the most stylish character on air - a true fashionista - appropriately attired for any occasion.  Scully - not so much.  At least not at the very start of the series.  She seemed to be suffering from a serious case of fashion deprivation.  The pant suits and oversized trenches did nothing to accentuate her sensuality, serving only to enhance her petite stature.

While Emma battled a parade of cartoon villans, Scully's challenges were far more plausible -- made so by the growth spurt in the areas of science and technology during the time the show was on the air, advancing the impossible into the realm of possibility.  Though a skeptic, Dana Scully followed her partner on his quest willingly.  His search for the truth became hers as well.  And while she had first been planted to debunk his findings, she quickly became his most ardent ally.

Over the course of nine seasons audiences saw Scully transform from a slightly unsophisticated young person,  into a highly self assured beauty, unafraid of facing the possibility that science might not hold all of the answers.  The connective thread in every episode of the series was this impossible relationship that had developed between Mulder and Scully, without which the show might easily have been dismissed as just another poorly made scifi - but they gave it credibility.

What is it about these two fictional characters that remains so solidly imprinted in our memories, that even now there is a global hunger to see them on screen together once again?

It might very well be that we, the audience, fell in love with the longing these two people felt for one another. For the audience, they were the perfect representation of the best in a relationship - in a partnership. Their creator Chris Carter once said that what made the series work was a simple truth,  "Mulder loved Scully, and Scully loved Mulder." This was the essence of the series.  More than the fantastical exploits, the question of alliens taking over or the investigation of paranormal activities - the undeniable simple truth was that we all fell in love with their passionate connection and unrequited love.  Their relationship, based on unconditional love, mutual respect and admiration was the linchpin in an otherwise average series.  Whether intentional or accidental Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny possessed a chemistry that ignited the screen and became the stuff of entertainment legend.

This is a rare occurrence and only a few on screen couples have left such a lasting impression.

Though fictional, these two people became each other's better halves and our best friends.  And for the audience, it allowed them to become voyeurs for an hour each week - peering through a window at the idealism of their partnership. 

As I have watched and re-watched the complete series, I must admit, I have watched it with an eye toward understanding the fan attraction.  I've come away crediting the casting of Gillian Anderson as Scully and David Duchovny as Mulder for the success of the series.  I cannot imagine any other pairing that would have worked as well.  You felt it from the start, though it was an awkward beginning to a series that, I am sure, no one thought would end up earning Golden Globes, Emmys and a host of other honors.

In that first episode setting up the basic tenets of the series, you can clearly see Scully's heart lost to Mulder.  That spark would grow into a smoldering fire that would ultimate lead to what the audience wanted from the start.

Chirs Carter has maintained that it would have been wrong for the series to have evolved any other way.  I agree.  The slow burn was much more engaging and appropriate as they would have had to give up their badges had they crossed that line early on.

On the 20th anniversary of the series, Gillian Anderson has exploded onto our consciousness once again.  She seems to be everywhere and she has gotten better, bolder and sexier with age.  For her it seems, time has simply taken a detour.  After a series of amazing roles in British made projects and small indie films, the U.S. is reclaiming the gorgeous former FBI agent Dana Scully.  The twittersphere and blogosphere has been all a-buzz with news of her recently aired television series "The Fall" (catch it on Netflix), her recurring role on Hannibal and her upcoming NBC pilot and series titled "Crisis", in addition to a long list of other projects that should keep her fans truly happy.  But I am still catching up on the exploits of Scully and Mulder and plan to write two more pieces on observations I've made on a series that continues to have life long after its expiration date and that has served as the launchpad for other popular programs including Fringe.


Topping my chart of favorite episodes are "Bad Blood" which made me laugh so hard I cried.  A close second is "How the Ghost Stole Christmas" featuring Ed Asner and Lilly Tomlin as two of the most unlikely ghosts ever. And "The Unatural", a simple ode to America's favorite pass time - baseball.  I also have a much longer list of episodes I would give honorary mentions to.

So now that I am hooked and a fan - I have joined the millions around the globe who look forward to the announcement of a third X-Files movie with much anticipation and to the return of the stunning duo of Scully and Mulder.

A Crisis of Faith

When I was 17 years old I refused to stand with the rest of my high school graduating class, and walk down the isle of our church to take communion.  Let's just say my mother did not approve of my decision.  She did not, and could not understand that I did not arrive at this action, or lack of, easily.  She saw only a willful child.

Perhaps it was a bit of willful spite.  A teenager's demonstration of emancipation: compounded by the simple fact that, for me, there was a disconnect between what we were taught by the church and what was actually going on in the world - for that matter in my own school among those we placed our trust in.

There was a war going on that came into my living room every night, courtesy of the evening news. I watched from a distance, at the extent of man’s inhumanity.  All of us who came of age during that time, watched the destructive power of an arsenal of weapons unleashed indiscriminately against civilians and soldiers a like.  We saw the aftermath  -  the dead and mutilated bodies of children, women and men, all of it in living color. And I wondered where was God in all of this?

For as long as I can remember, I have been in a struggle with my faith and with each passing year, that struggle has intensified.  My questions have found few answers and each time I think, “OK, maybe there is something to this God talk,” I am struck by how much evil is done in the name of God.  And then all of those old questions come rushing back.

More recently, after the massacre in Newtown, I found myself reflecting on the faith I so desperately seek, but which has eluded me.  This horrible deed,  committed only weeks before the celebration of Christmas, the day reserved in celebration of the birth of Christ.  I looked at the pained faces on the news, of a community in shock,  grappling to find the meaning in this senseless act committed against 20 innocent children and six brave adults.  I wondered what preachers and priests and pastors would tell their flock during this time of mourning.  How would they weave the word of God into this painful and horrible event?  How would they position God in all of this?

I was taught that God was the creator of everything.  That he was all knowing and all seeing -- that we were all created in his image and likeness.  But even as a child I wondered: “If he, God, is all knowing, why would he create a world where tragedy can be visited upon us by man or mother nature?”   Why would any being, so utterly good and merciful, create a world in which the most inhuman things are done every single day in some part of this world?  How could he not have known that man would turn out to be two sides of a coin – both good and evil?  And if he knew, why did he create us knowing the  disastrous consequences of that decision?

Yes, I think for many of us the bible is simply a series of parables, not an exact account of historical facts - written by men who set a tone for the on-going, division of power, racism, gender bias, capital punishment, class and cultural warfare and for the use of fear, as a tool to control. 

Remember, this good and merciful God is also a vengeful God.  Striking down sinners and non-believers, causing floods, pestilence, and drought.  Testing man’s faith at every turn.  Why, if he is all seeing, all knowing – should he not choose to stop man’s evil intent? The standard answer that I’ve heard: “God gave man free will,” just doesn't hold up, because it leads to an endless stream of additional questions.

I once asked someone dear and close to me, about their unquestioning devotion and belief.  “The day I gave my faith over to him,” I was told, “everything turned around and I began to receive his bounty.”

I envy this blind devotion -- this pure and utter conviction that some invisible being is the reason for all of the good fortune we might receive.  

I do understand that in times of great and small crisis, many people need to turn to something that will help them make sense of the incomprehensible or simply help them get through the bad times.  That is when many turn to their church, their synagogue, their temple and they lean on their faith.  I have done the same on occasions.  But inevitably my cynicism sneaks in and with clarity I see things that beg questioning.   Things that seem so counterintuitive.

Jesus, we are told, was a simple carpenter.  The son of God came into this world a poor man.  Born in a stable not a palace.  He lived a humble life, preaching parables and performing miracles until his death. 

So how do we justify the riches of the Vatican?  A group of men, hidden from the world, making decisions that govern the principles and ideals of a global congregation.  They decree that women cannot be priests and deny them leadership in the church.  They condemn the use of contraceptives and damn abortions even if a woman’s life hangs in the balance, while at the same time aiding and abetting, through their silence, the actions of pedophile priests.  They slam alternative lifestyles as sinful, but tell us that God created us all.  Preachers like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham have used the pulpit for a series of outrageous criticisms, many politically motivated and much of it unfathomable coming from men who call themselves, “men of God”.

An easy fix these days is becoming a pastor of a mega-church.  As if God decreed, build it big and they

will come.  These mega-churches have sprung up everywhere, yielding their pastors, unheard of  riches.  Some fly around in their own private jets, have a fleet of cars, several mansions and are multi-millionaires.  I cannot imagine this was the intention for tithing.  Their answer to all of this – “God has willed it so.”  REALLY?  So I am to believe that God sent his only begotten son to be born and raised humbly, die on a cross so that some snake oil salesman can live high off the hog?

In spite of my internal conflicts, I still keep a bible close by and every now and then I thumb through passages that I remember studying as a child – the story of David, of Esther, Cane & Abel, the miracle of the loaves and fishes.  I think about my own life and how differently things might have turned out for me had certain things not happened precisely as they did when they did.  I think about how complex this existence is.  And I often pause to contemplate the invisible, unseen hand that moves the pieces on this chessboard we call earth.

As I have gotten older, I find that I want answers desperately. I want clarity.  I want to know what lesson there is in a child’s death, in rape, in war, in starvation, in poverty, in disease, in annihilation?   If God truly created us all in his own likeness – whether through the big bang theory, or the Adam and Eve, Garden of Eden version, what was his purpose?  Why are we here?

I simply want to believe that this life I have lived counts for something.  That there is a reason for the hordes of people living homeless and hungry in the streets; that there is some justification for the children we raise and send off to war – who die or come home broken;  that there is a lesson to be learned from the victims of violent crimes or those lost in natural disasters, and that there is an answer to the rising tide of anger we see around the world.  While my brain questions, my heart still wants to believe that saying a prayer every night might just help.