The X-Files - 4.

French title: Jamais plus
translation: Nevermore or Never Again

US Airdate: February 2, 1997

writers: Glen Morgan and James Wong

director: John Shiban

STARRING:

David Duchovny as Special Agent Fox Mulder

Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully

Guest Cast:

RODNEY ROLAND as Ed Jerse

CARLA STEWART as the Judge

BARRY "BEAR" HORTIN as the Bartender

IGOR MOROZOV as Vsevlod Pudovkin

JAN BAILEY MATTIA as Mrs. Hadden

RITA BOZI as Ms. Vansen

MARILYN CHIN as Mrs. Shima-Tsuno

JILLIAN FARGEY as Kaye Schilling

B.J. HARRISON as Hannah

NATASHA VASILUK as Russian Store Owner

BILL CROFT as Comrade Svo

PETER NADLER as Ed's Lawyer

JEN FORGIE as Ed's Ex-Wife

JAY DONAHUE as Detective Gouveia

Very Special Guest Star: JODIE FOSTER

WHILE MULDER IS VACATIONING, SCULLY FINDS HERSELF ATTRACTED TO A HANDSOME DIVORCEE WHOSE BETTY PAGE-LIKE TATTOO SEEMINGLY HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN.

Ed Jerse, a handsome Philadelphia resident, is devastated by the terms of his divorce settlement. After downing too many drinks at a neighborhood bar, Ed enters a tattoo parlor and selects a Betty Page-like design (on which is printed the words, "never again.") The next day, while at work, Ed hears a female voice refer to him as a "loser." Angered, Ed picks a fight with some women close to his cubicle, but they don't understand his anger. His boss sends him home for the day.

Meanwhile, Mulder tells Scully he must take time off for vacation or face losing several week's pay. Tension erupts between the pair when Mulder tells his partner what cases need her attention during his absence. Scully refuses to waste her time on a dubious case involving a Russian living in Philadelphia whom Mulder believes possesses valuable information on UFOs. Scully tells Mulder she feels as though she has lost sight of herself-as if her own life -does nothing but stand still.

Ed hears the Betty tattoo taunting him, mocking him. Not realizing it's a voice inside his head, he thinks it's his downstairs neighbor. The voice eventually drives Ed to the point of madness. In a rage, Ed bursts into the woman's apartment and attacks her. Later, he drags the body into the basement and stuffs it inside an incinerator.

Despite reservations, Scully decides to keeps tabs on Mulder's Russian. She realizes the man is an extortionist and his activities have nothing to do with an X-File. Scully follows the Russian into a nearby tattoo parlor, where she strikes up a conversation with Ed (who is in the process of begging the tattoo artist to remove his handiwork). They strike up a conversation and an undeniable chemistry develops between the pair. Ed hands Scully his business card, and suggests they have dinner. She politely declines, but takes his card anyway.

After having a tense phone conversation with Mulder about the Russian, Scully sets up a date with Ed. The relationship continues to blossom, and after consuming a few drinks, Scully and Ed return to the tattoo parlor, where Scully has the image of a snake eating its own tail tattooed on her back. The pair return to Ed's apartment. Noting the bad weather, Ed suggests Scully spend the night. Scully notices blood dripping from Ed's tattoo and, doctor-like, helps him pull off his shirt. A moment of intimacy develops, but before Ed can act upon his feelings, the Betty tattoo cries out: "Kiss her... and she's dead."

The next morning, Ed awakens on the couch. He leaves Scully a note that he is going to get breakfast. While Ed is away, detectives roust Scully from her sleep. They reveal that a resident downstairs was reported missing, and that a blood type different from her own was found inside the apartment. The detectives tell Scully that the blood contains chemical abnormalities. Seeing the chemical breakdown, Scully realizes it is composed of the same odd ingredients the Russian tattoo artist used to make the ink he used in their tattoos.

When Ed returns with breakfast, Scully tells him about the detectives' visit. She also reveals that the chemical found in the blood is an ergot alkaloid that can produce dangerous hallucinations. Ed confides in Scully about hearing Betty's voice in his head, taunting him, controlling him. Ed learns Scully is an FBI agent, and his mind snaps. He attacks her and a struggle ensues and Scully is knocked unconscious. As Betty's voice urges him on, Ed drags Scully's body into the basement, intending to stuff it inside the incinerator. Scully regains consciousness and tells Ed to "take control." Suddenly, Ed gathers the strength to thrust his arm inside the incinerator, burning off the tattoo. He is transported to a burn center for treatment.

When Mulder returns from vacation, the air between him and Scully remains tense. Scully reminds her partner that not everything revolves around him-and that she intends to live her own life.

As for why Scully would choose this design, personally I think it fit in well with not only the discussion about her life going in circles, but also with the comments made in "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" about Scully not dying. With the new revelation of cancer, these words keep coming back to haunt us. Also the words from "Revelations" also ring in my head, "You have to come full circle to find the truth".

The tattooing itself was quite the experience! If it didn't look like a...ahem...orgasm to you, then clean your TV screen babe 'cause it certainly looked like that from here! Rumors have it that an actual sex scene was cut from the final version, with Scully and Ed getting it on. It is only implied here, but the tattoo scene was sufficient. But really, girls, if you ever see a family portrait with your lover-to-be's face burned out, get the heck outta there, he's a looney!

The other tattoo, namely Betty, was a delight. Jodie Foster seemed to relish her role and her evil laughter was frightening. And, no, that's not Jodie in a cameo role in Ed's office, just someone that looks a lot like her, or actually, looks like Clarice Starling, Jodie's role in "Silence Of The Lambs". Chris has long said that Scully's character was based a bit on Clarice.

The rose petal was another good image. Scully takes it from the memorial, places it on Mulder's desk when he leaves and then picks it up again at the end. It could be symbolic of her life, the one she feels has been halted by the X-Files, or maybe a symbol of the relationship she had with Mulder up to now, I don't know, just theories. It means something though!

Credit must be given where it's due. Xphile Gia Gittleson ( giag@earthlink.net ) started a discussion on the newsgroup about our M&S, Mulder and Scully, compared to that other M&S, Moose and Squirrel. Good work Gia, the writers threw you a great big bone here!

Nice dig at Entertainment Weekly magazine when the soon-to-be murder victim was lining her bird's cage with a copy. The picture on the cover was of Bob Goodwin, the Vancouver producer for The X-Files, with the caption reading "The Wisest Man in Hollywood." EW mag, in its special X-Files edition, rated "The Field Where I Died" F. :-P

The name of the bar was Hard Eight Lounge, and Morgan and Wong's production company is called Hard Eight Pictures.

"Brother, 20 years later, I still miss you, we both know what you did was right."

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some choice Betty quotes

"Loser!"

"If you were any kind of man, you would have told her to kiss your ass, but NO!"

"You'd break my heart over a cheap redhead!"

"From now on, I'm your right hand gal and as long as you're with me, nobody will ever hurt you again."

"That bitch, today, would have been just like all the others."

"Those are bad thoughts you're havin', baby. You kiss her and she's dead!"

"Get her dirty hands off of me."

"Burn her! "

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(Mulder has announced his forced vacation, leaving "things" for Scully to keep an eye on)

Scully: "Why don't I have a desk?"

Mulder: "What do you mean? (turns and points behind him, in the corner) I always assumed that *that* was your area."

Scully: "Back there."

Mulder: "Okay so we'll have them send down another desk, and there won't be any room to move around here but we can put them really close together, face to face, maybe we can play some Battleship."

Scully: "So what is it you want me to keep an eye on?"

Mulder: "That contact we met last night at the wall who had the distinction of being present for a first, that being you abandoning me during questioning. In the future, I'll make sure that all those people being interviewed provide you with a multi-media laser show to keep your interest maintained."

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Scully: "I'm not going."

Mulder: "What do you mean?"

Scully: "Your contact, while interesting in the context of science fiction, was, at least in *my* memory, recounting a poorly-veiled synopsis of an episode of "Rocky and Bullwinkle".

Mulder: "Eeeny meanie, chili beanie, the spirits are about to speak?" (he laughs)

Scully: "Rocky and Bullwinkle are looking for an upsidasium mine, Boris Badenov alters the road signs, which causes them to walk onto a secret military base, where they are picked up by a car with no windows and no door locks and there are silent explosions from a compound called hushaboom."

Mulder: "So you're refusing an assignment based on the adventures of Moose and Squirrel?"

Scully: "Refusing an assignment? It makes you sound like my superior."

Mulder: (with an attitude now) "Do what you want, *don't* go to Philadelphia, but let me remind you that I worked my ass off to get these files re-opened, you were only assigned, this work is my life!"

Scully: "And it's become mine."

Mulder: (appears hurt and confused) "You don't want it to be?"

Scully: "This isn't *about* you, or maybe it is indirectly, I don't know. I feel like I've lost sight of myself Mulder. It's hard to *see* let alone *find* in the darkness of covert locations. I mean, I wish I could say that we are going in circles, but we're not, we're going in an endless line. Two steps forward and three steps back. While my life is standing still."

Mulder: "Well then, maybe it's good we get away from each other for a while." (he picks up his bag and heads for the door)

Scully: "Where will you be?"

Mulder: "Ironically enough, it's personal, it's a place I've always wanted to go, what I anticipate to be a spiritual journey. I hope to discover something about myself. Maybe you should do the same." (he leaves, Scully takes out the rose petal and places it on his desk)

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Svo: "Tattoo reflect on body what lies in person's soul."

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Mulder: "What you got a date? .... You're kidding."

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Tattoo store owner: "Everyone gets the tattoo they deserve."

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Scully: "I’ve always gone around in this circle. It usually starts when an authoritative figure comes into my life . . .and part of me likes it and wants the approval but then at a certain point along the way I just . . . you know . . . " (hand pushing away gesture)

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Scully: "Sometimes I wish I were that impulsive."

Ed: "Careful what you wish for."

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Mulder: "Congratulations for making a personal appearance in the "X" files for the second time -- a worlds record."

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Mulder: "All this because I didn't get you a desk?"

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Scully: "Not everything's about you Mulder. This is my life."