AIR DATE:  September 16, 1994
Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong
Directed by David Nutter

	The second season's opener, "Little Green Men", was supposed to
be, if my memory serves me right, an episode that dug deeper into who
Mulder's identity.  Even though it didn't quite do this it is still an
excellent episode.  This is when the mythology episodes still made sense
and because the writers, Glen Morgan and James Wong, weren't concerned
with throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink it made the episode a
thoroughly enjoyable episode that dug deeper into the bond between Scully
and Mulder, and yes even into Mulder himself. 

	As I stated earlier this episode was supposed to be the Mulder
episode, but it didn't quite turn out that way.  If anything, the episode
said more about Scully and how much Mulder depends on her for emotional
support.  Mulder in "Little Green Men" is deeply depressed and despondent
over the X-Files being closed and being put on a tedious wire tapping case
so much so that he starts to doubt that his sister was even taken by
aliens.  Scully is crushed by Mulder saying this because she knows his
search for his sister is the one tangible goal he had never given up on,
and to hear him say this was heartwrenching for her.  This talk in the
Watergate underground parking garage is an important one for the viewing
audience since it helps establish what has happened in their relationship
since the X-Files closed down. Scully's deeply worried about Mulder's
mental state from his lack of acknowledging her in the F.B.I. bullpen
hallway to only being able to see him by using a secret code.  The most
telling moment of how important Scully had become to Mulder is when he is
at the Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory talking into the tape recorder.  At
first one would think Mulder is giving notes to himself and it isn't until
halfway through it that we realize he is doing this for Scully even before
he says, " before I could only trust himself.  Now I can only trust you." 

	As it always is with Scully and Mulder it is the trust between
them that keeps them going.  Mulder expresses this at the end of the
episode when Mulder tells Scully he still has his work, then he gets up
not looking at Scully and says "I still have you and I still have myself." 
Quite an admission for Mulder on how much his trust in Scully has helped
to keep him going during bad times.  Scully, from the look on her face,
wasn't expecting this and doesn't know how to react to it since Mulder
isn't the kind of person to express any kind of attachment toward anyone. 
It sets up Scully's abduction in the episodes that follow and why this was
such a blow to Mulder. 

	Some random comments on "Little Green Men":

- The one thing that didn't work in this episode was Mulder's long
monologue at the beginning of the episode.  It was interesting to learn
about the Voyager, but I think we learn more than was necessary.

- I was glad there was still funding to pay the electric bills at the
Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory.  Either that or the so-called aliens have
the amazing ability to produce electricity on demand.  Well, I guess if
you can travel at light speed you'd have that ability. 

- I think we see a slight smile on Scully's face when she sees Mulder in
the bullpen hallway.  Wonder how long it had been since she saw him. 

- Poor Mulder gets stuck in the bullpen area for an office.  Talk about
punishment.  Give me the old copier room. 

- We had one of those "whew" moments in an X-Files episode when Mulder
asks Scully if she had ever been to San Diego and she answers yes.  We
learn later on in "Piper Maru" that her father was stationed there so she
lived there for a few years so it was lucky for the writers of "Piper
Maru" that Scully answered yes.  Oh boy, I could only imagine the big deal
that would have been made after "Piper Maru" if she had said she hadn't
ever been to San Diego in "Little Green Men".

- I've said it before, but Senator Matheson still gives me the creeps. 
There is something about him I just don't trust.  Mulder questions whether
it was a joke on those who want to believe and how he was sent by one of
those.  Senator Matheson, we are lead to believe, is one of those who
wants to believe.  Considering he is never there for Mulder when Mulder is
in a tight spot it makes him not trustworthy.  Of course, being a U.S.
Senator doesn't help any.

- The common sense award or I have more money in the bank than you do goes
to Scully.  Scully rents a nice 4x4 truck to get up to the Arecibo
Ionosperic Observatory while Mulder hitches a ride up there.  We can be
sure Scully and Mulder paid cash to get over to Puerto Rico so I guess
Scully is better at saving for a rainy day. 

- Why didn't Mulder use those big wire cutters instead of walking around
the forest to use them at the one and only door to the facility.  Hmm,
maybe Scully should get another common sense award since I sure she went
through the front gate.  Mulder knew the Blue Beret were coming so secrecy
couldn't have been that important. 

- Well, Scully gets her first international ditch from Mulder in this
episode since he heads off to Puerto Rico.  Lucky for Mulder, Scully has
those tv computer skills that allows her to figure out Mulder's password
after 3 trys and which file to pick out of the 50 or so to choose from.
Lucky for her Windows 95 hadn't come out yet so it was easy to find the
file. 

- I think this is the first time the big flashlights make an appearance on
an X-Files episode.  New season, bigger budget, means bigger flashlights. 

- Scully is always thinking quick when she tells the F.B.I. men she is in
Mulder's apartment to feed his fish.  Now if only she had fed them I don't
think Mulder would be heading home to some dead fish. 

- We get one of Mulder's funny ironic lines when he tells Jorge not to be
afraid, that you can't be afraid, and the second he faces his so-called
alien he locks the door and pulls out his gun.  I don't think Mulder saw
an alien because by that time he was so out of it he was most likely
imagining it.  He had been up for days and he didn't even know what day of
the week it was.  It isn't any wonder Scully questioned whether Mulder saw
what he claims are aliens.  I just loved that line when she says to him
about this, "here or here" pointing to his head because it puts into
perspective what happened to Mulder.  Basically, we get the classic
X-Files where either one could be right. 

- Did anyone else think Scully thought Mulder had lost it when he started
to rant about all his evidence?  Especially when he showed her Jorge's
body. I can only imagine what was going on in her mind when he showed her
the body, her face said it all. 

- It was good to see Mulder is still trying to get dates when we hear the
answering machine message of a woman calling Mulder about being stood up.
I think Scully found this interesting too.  I wonder what Mulder's pick up
line was.

- The gun the teenage Mulder tried to use was the same gun the adult
Mulder takes from the box in his house in "The Blessing Way".

- The last scene of the episode where we see Mulder immediately go back to
listening to the blank tape the second Scully leaves shows Mulder is still
willing to go on looking for the truth.  At the beginning of the episode
Mulder is disillusioned and ready to give up.  By the end of the episode
Mulder isn't so disillusioned and with the support of Scully he is ready
to continue with his search.

	Mulder says his "life up until this point was a need to see her
again. To see them."  Which was true until he met Scully who helped him
focus his attention on the facts and not go off.  Mulder earlier says he
doubts his sister's kidnapping which has defined his whole life so when he
makes that comment about his life it is to prove to himself that it really
happened.  "Little Green Men" was an episode to help Mulder rediscover
himself and for Scully to try to help Mulder through it.


Claudia
E-Mail:  Claudia.Cauchon@unh.edu

8/29/97

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