Arcadia

Mulder and Scully go undercover as husband and wife to investigate the disappearance of several couples in a seemingly idyllic neighbourhood.

 

Wow, how cute was this one? I really loved Honeybunch and Poopyhead, oops - I mean Scully and Mulder - playing husband and wife, it was very funny in a sweet kind of way. I really liked Mulder's jokes about their situation, like asking Scully if she was "ready to make that honeymoon video" and patting the bed to persuade her to join him there. "Woman, get back in here and make me a sandwich!" was good too, and he really deserved to have Scully's gloves thrown at him for that Neanderthal comment. Scully's issues with the "marriage" were much more domestic, like "Whoever taught you how to squeeze a tube of toothpaste?" and "Third warning - toilet seat." Those lines were cute too and made me laugh. Just a thought - all Mulder's sexual references didn't seem to embarrass either of them, which to me would suggest that they don't fancy each other. Like I said, just a thought. But they did un-hug (that's a word I've just invented, OK?) pretty quickly when they were left alone - and Scully seemed to jump away particularly fast.

In my eternal quest to be a terrible neighbour, I want a woodchopper whirligig. And a pink plastic flamingo! Just thought I'd mention it…

I liked Scully's almost subtle attempts to gain information about the Klines. First she wanted to send them a thank you note, then she slightly more blatantly and with a little too much forced cheer said, "Gosh, with all this hospitality, I can't believe the Klines ever left!" It was good to see her working undercover, I think we saw more of her doing this than we did Mulder. Speaking of ingenuity, the solution to the problem of how to excavate the garden while still remaining undercover - and within the rules - was great, even if I have no idea what a reflecting pool is.

I agreed with Mike (it was nice to see ER's Abraham Benrubi in a guest role, even if his character did have a pretty nasty time) that the couples should be told what would happen if they broke the rules. It doesn't really seem fair otherwise, but I suppose you could argue that people should just keep the rules anyway. Still, when having your light go out can get you killed, the rules do seem a little petty and it would be nice to know exactly what would happen if you dared to paint your letterbox a slightly different shade of magnolia.

A very minor complaint - it wasn't very subtle to have Mike watching a TV documentary about conformity in tribal communities.

The attack on Mike was well done. I liked the big spray of blood across the step when the monster got him, although I have to admit that my first thought was that it was a way to save money by not having to show the monster or use any make up effects. Yes, I'm just a big fat cynic J

I really liked Mulder's oh-so-innocent stirring, and the way he seemed to treat the whole undercover thing as a game. His comments about dolphin-safe tuna and "Laura's" interest in the paranormal made me laugh, they were really good, as was poor Scully's strained smile!

I did wonder how Mulder managed to connect the whirligig to Gogolak solely on the basis of a "Made in Malaysia" label. I know he'd already established that Gogolak went to Malaysia regularly, but that's hardly conclusive proof. Then I realised that I don't know how many American products are made there, so maybe it'd be rare enough to look suspicious. Probably I just think too much.

Note to the BBC - if you're going to shuffle around episodes, try not to do it so obviously. Several episodes after One Son, we're told that this is Mulder and Scully's first case since being reassigned to the X Files. Mind you, I don't suppose they're bothered about that when you consider the resurrection of Queequeg in Season 3.

Well, this review seems to have turned out to be pretty short, I'm not really sure why that is. Overall, I really liked Arcadia. Admittedly it was built mainly around the premise of having Mulder and Scully pose as a married couple, but there was a fairly good monster plot to keep them busy and detract from the undercover aspect of the assignment, even if the monster itself wasn't one of the series' best. And be honest, don't you wish you could do that to your neighbours?

 

Best Lines

Scully: We pronounce it peet-ree, actually.

Mulder: Like the dish.

(Sorry to be so pedantic, but that would make it pet-ree over here J )

 

Scully: You ready? (Draws blinds, takes off coat)

Mulder: Let's get it on, huh?

Scully: (Hands him latex gloves)

 

Scully: If we ever go undercover again, I get to choose the names, OK?

 

Mulder: Admit it, you just wanna play house.

 

Win: We always use the dolphin safe.

Mulder: You gotta love those dolphins. Although they can be pretty tasty too.

 

Mulder: It's not me so much as Laura, she's quite the New-Ager - I mean she's into those magnetic bracelets and crystals and mood rings, what have you. I mean she's, God bless her, she's a sucker for all that stuff.

 

Mulder: You know, you fit in really well here.

Scully: And you don't.

 

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