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The X-Files Recap: Plus One (The One Where We FINALLY Get Some Action)

The level of insanity that is currently sweeping the X-Files fandom is relatively unparalleled at the moment, especially because we didn’t have social media back in the year 2000. Yes, last night’s episode was one for the books as Mulder and Scully finally got some. You are reading correctly – “Plus One” featured some very typically-offscreen lovin’ for our two favorite agents. About damn time, Chris Carter. About damn time. This doesn’t mean that it was without its issues, but I think they have a hidden, deeper meaning and a whole lot of foreshadowing. Onward, to destiny!

Things began at a club where a punk band played a cover of one of David Duchovny’s songs from his first album “Hell or High Water”, the song is entitled “Unsaid Undone” – it’s a good one. Have a listen, you will like! Anyway, a kid sees his double while crowdsurfing and then said double is in his car, grabbing the wheel and causing him to crash. Credits, then Mulder explaining the situation to Scully in the LBO (Lush Basement Office, credit to Jessica currently of Fug Girls and formerly of TV Without Pity) and they head out to investigate. Apparently, this is a local phenomenon having claimed a number of victims over the years. Scully thinks it has to do with mental illness and some kind of mass hysteria. Mulder isn’t so sure.

Karin Konoval as Judy (and Chucky)

They head to the local psych ward and talk about it with a doctor when a patient catches Mulder’s eye. Judy is played by Karin Konoval, who you may (or may not, since heavy makeup was involved) recognize as the mother-under-the-bed from the Glen Morgan episode “Home” back in season 4. Yes, THAT episode. Konoval is terrific in this episode as she plays brother/sister twins – Judy in the mental ward with split personality disorder – and maybe some other powers – and Chucky, her brother who works at the jail. Both are relatively unpleasant people, especially Chucky. They play hangman telepathically, one of which is the concert-goer’s name, Arkie.

Scully looks so fierce in this entire episode

Mulder and Scully need a hotel room and in classic fanfic stlye, only one room is left at the inn. The inn’s name is Saint Rachel’s, which I will 100% return to in just a minute. Mulder says they’ll take the room as Scully eyeballs him – I guess she has rules now about sharing while on a case. Not that they didn’t share a house for like a decade! Sheesh. Mulder later startles Scully awake with the news that Arkie has died in his jail cell. Judy and Chucky strike again!

Scully goes to visit Judy the next morning while Mulder visits Chucky. Scully gets “dookie” thrown at her while Judy calls her pretty awful things, like old and dried up and past her childbearing years. I must be honest, I was quite mad at this. Can Chris Carter not go a single episode without referring to Scully’s fertility????? It is getting extremely disrespectful. Later, back at the hotel, Scully examines herself in the mirror and when Mulder knocks, beer in hand, she asks him if he sees her as old, because “a woman thinks about these things”. Ugh. Like Chris Carter knows what a woman thinks about. Mulder very awkwardly reassures her that she’s “still got it going on” and “still has some scoot in your boot.” Lordy. The dialogue, it is trying to kill us all. Scully playfully pushes Mulder out of the bedroom area into his pullout-couch area when they should have just been making out already.

Elsewhere, the late Arkie’s lawyer sees his double and later that evening, dies in his house full of samurai swords. Mulder wakes Scully up again to check out the crime scene. She also sees her double in the crowd. After, they go back to the hotel but Scully can’t sleep because this case is freaking her out. She goes to Mulder and asks “can you hold me?” Because Mulder ain’t stupid, he welcomes her into bed super fast and they snuggle up for reals.

AND WE ALL DIE.

But wait THERE IS MORE. They have a frankly absurd conversation about the future, where Scully is like, what if you meet someone younger who can have kids and Mulder is like, what if you do? So much eye rolling on my part, because these two idiots have been by each other’s side for 25 years, hello. Mulder asks if she wanted more kids and she says yes, another one. And now we’ve reached my guess as to the point of this conversation – they are staying at a hotel called Saint Rachel’s. Who was Saint Rachel? So glad you asked.

Who is Saint Rachel?

See? Chris Carter is going to make 54-year-old Scully pregnant, because she has magic chip science in her neck (and also she’s immortal) and this episode is even called “Plus One” which we think relates to doppelgangers but really relates to the plus one that results from Scully and Mulder having sex. Because that is exactly what they do – Mulder asks what he and Scully will do in the mean time and she says “oh, we’ll think of something” and rolls over, smiling at him, and then the camera pans away before we can at least see them kiss. Ugh. Fine. We get a little something because later on, Mulder gets out of bed to go to the bathroom and gives himself the best goofy grin in the mirror. He’s got it bad for his Scully, y’all. Still got it after all these years.

Someone is very proud of himself – talk about afterglow!

The post-sex moment is ruined as he sees his double in the bathroom mirror and starts freaking out. Scully mumbles, “Mulder come back to bed,” which I never thought I’d hear and it was utterly perfect. Mulder is taking off his t-shirt to get dressed so they can stop Judy and Chucky, and he’s all worked up, and tells Scully to dim her afterglow, but who cares because Scully sits up and she’s definitely naked under that sheet. The best.

Let’s all observe this photo again – one happy Scully

Scully gets to the hospital and Mulder fights himself with his shirt sexily unbuttoned at Chucky’s house while the two are playing their weird psychic murder hangman, and we think they are spelling out “Scully” but they spell out each other’s names and then they are dead. Case closed, I guess. Our favorite agents in all the land go back to the best hotel room ever and Mulder says he’s going to get some sleep, and Scully tells him go right ahead. He says to call him if she needs anything, but she’s won’t, and he goes in the other room and closes the door. However, Scully thinks about it and says “but it’s not outside the realm of extreme possibility” and opens the door, where Mulder is waiting for her, leaning against the door frame, and it’s super hot, and I’m dying, and they go off to do it again for the second time that night as the episode ends.

The best moment

Frankly, Twitter has been on fire since 9pm last night and it has been a bit glorious. We are all happy that Scully and Mulder did the naked pretzel and both of them looked exceptionally tasty throughout the entire episode. Scully was rocking her chic suits and Mulder…well, I am straight and he looked delicious. I am seeing David Duchovny on Saturday in NYC at his new album listening party and I am going to try real hard to keep my hands to myself but it might not happen.

Gillian tweeted this right after the episode ended <3

Yes, the dialogue was problematic. I mentioned the fertility thing above and I stand by it, but I think it is Chris Carter’s ridiculous way of foreshadowing what might be a pregnancy by the end of this season. If that is what happens, well, so be it. Scully will be happy about it, and Mulder will be too, and it is their baby and not anyone else’s. Who cares how old they are. 54 is the new 34, and I can say that since I’m 34. I do think that Carter is entirely too obsessed with Scully’s lady bits, scientific or not. It would be magnificent if she could have a non-fertility storyline but since Carter is a man and thinks that all women care about are babies and if we look old, that is what we’re getting. It’s not ok but it is where we stand.

My utter enjoyment over them banging does not eclipse all the issues that I had with “My Struggle 3,” or season 10 on the whole, which apparently all the writers are ignoring anyway. Good, because it was still half terrible. I said last week that I’d be happy with season 11 if we only got “This” as the one badass episode of awesome, but I am pretty happy with “Plus One” even if some of the better parts had some pretty awkward dialogue and a load of tosh about them not being together in the future HAHAHA like that’s gonna happen. Scully has been it for Mulder since the FBI’s most unwanted and for Carter to posture otherwise is downright hilarious at best and disrespectful of their 25-year partnership (and our 25-year fandom) at worst. That is The Truth and Carter’s been searching for it for so long he doesn’t realize what is under is nose, but that is okay because we all know it for him.

Heather got it right

No truly snappy dialogue this week to quote, because we all know why. The direction and David and Gillian’s knowing looks and smirks at each other (plus I swear Mulder checked out Scully’s ass when they were checking into the hotel) more than made up for it. While “Plus One” was written by Carter, X-Files newcomer Kevin Hooks directed and did a great job. I welcome him to our weird family on Twitter and you should do the same!

To my XF Twitter fam – you are all a bunch of delightful, sex-crazed pervs and I love you all. If you aren’t in the posse, join us next week for the live-tweet of Darin Morgan’s new episode, “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat,” the preview of which looks hilarious and just his style. I’ll see you there @lightstar1013!

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Amy Imhoff

Amy Imhoff is a writer and editor who blogs at Shoes and Starships, a geek lifestyle blog that specializes in genre fandom, pop culture, travel, fashion, and feminism. She is a featured convention panelist, podcast contributor, and interviewer. Amy has her masters in literature, enjoys a slightly unhealthy obsession with all things British, and likes to sniff old books. Amy is based outside NYC, where she lives with her husband and two silly cats. Find her freaking out about X-Files and Star Trek @lightstar1013