"The heart ran o'er
With silent worship of the great of old!
The dead but sceptred sovereigns, who still rule
Our spirits from their urns."
-- Lord Byron, "Manfred" Act iii. Sc. 4.
Like its Dickensian namesake, The X-Files' version of "Christmas Carol" is a story riddled with symbolism and a moral. Penned by the triumvirate of Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban, it whisks us through a whirlwind 4-day narrative that culminates in a cliffhanger with the dreaded words -- "To Be Continued" -- fading on our screens.
Interpretation, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. There are many possible viewpoints, all equally valid, that could be used to discern the meaning of this episode. My take is that "John Gillinitz's" "Christmas Carol" was very much like the original Nineteenth Century work by an acknowledged master.
Consider the apparition of Melissa and the flashbacks to the Christmases of Scully's youth. Were they not the Ghost of Christmas Past? Dana's fond remembrances of her childhood Christmases recall those of Ebeneezer Scrooge in Dickens' classic tale. The dream sequence where Mrs. Sim is submerged in water in a casket and opens her eyes is Christmas Present. Her death happens and is investigated in real time. For the purposes of my analogy, Emily will have to fill two roles. Certainly she can be seen as the modern-day version of the ailing Tiny Tim, replete with an incurable medical condition. But she also represents what is yet to come, making her the Ghost of Christmas Future.
Most of Scully's encounters with these Ghosts happen at night, while she is dreaming. Sound familiar? The spin put on this episode is that brother Bill Scully is cast in the role of Scrooge. He does just about everything humanly possible to make Dana have a lousy Christmas, from berating her for ditching the family for work to belittling her inability to have children. I'm not so sure it's a coincidence that if you mash together the names Bill and Scully you get "bully." He sure lived up to that moniker in his flashback scene when he was searching for the rabbit.
The flashback sequences, with the brilliant light flashes that evanesce into the scene, are becoming standard fare on the show. This is the third or fourth time this season that we've seen these special effects, and they're getting to be a cliché. Frankly, I preferred the quick pan-ins, such as when Dana and Melissa were talking on the couch just before Dana left for Quantico. This is work done by a master craftsperson, and editor Heather MacDougall turned in one of her best pieces in "Christmas Carol." The smooth transitions of close-ups are her trademark, and she was in top form. Take a close look at the scene on the porch when Scully confronts Mr. Sim and you'll appreciate the depth of this artist's talents. The over-the-shoulder shots that go from Scully to Sim and back to Scully are absolutely seamless. I truly only hope that Ms. MacDougall drew the editing assignment for the movie.
First-time director Peter Markle did a nice job of pacing this episode. I never felt as if I were being rushed, but the story never lagged, either. Markle and Director of Photography Joel Ransom deftly mixed shadows and light to provide a haunting, eerie aura where appropriate. But they also managed to capture the ambiance of the Christmas season, critical to the main theme of the episode.
Mark Snow's score was distracting at times, but he managed to provide music which was disquieting and suspenseful. There were some very nice interludes with oboe and string combinations, and the violins were used effectively to project urgency and pacing. To his credit and my undying gratitude, Snow did not try to create any part of the score which resembled Christmas music. His score stayed within the boundaries of the context of the story.
Gillian Anderson turns in a bravura performance as the beleaguered Dana Scully. This was another foray into the world of Dana, daughter of Bill and Margaret, as opposed to Scully, MD and FBI Special Agent. I explored this dichotomy of characterization in my review of "Never Again," and the same determinants are present in this episode. We see the highly competent, focused Scully determine that an apparent suicide is actually a murder. But we are also treated to a glimpse of the suffering Dana, a woman whose dreams of motherhood can never be fulfilled. Anderson makes these transitions so naturally, so effortlessly, that you are aware of the changes subconsciously but you barely notice them. That's what great acting is all about.
Sheila Larken (Mrs. Bob Goodwin) turns in another standout performance as Margaret Scully. She demonstrated motherly empathy instead of sugary sympathy when told of Dana's infertility. Her disapproving look at son Bill in the kitchen at the Christmas party left no doubt as to the depth of her matriarchal authority. Larken's work is a joy to behold.
It was nice to see the writers give some depth to the Bill Scully character. Pat Skipper gave the character some added dimension beyond that of the angry big brother depicted in "Gethsemane" and "Redux 2." Bill Scully sees himself as the man of the family. He tried to protect the memory of Melissa from Dana's inquisition, and he used the "Mom told me" line when he was telling Dana that he knew about her infertility. He even played the surrogate father when he was quizzing Dana about missing lunch with the family. One can't help but think that brother Bill will be playing an ever-increasing role as Season Five unfolds.
So now, let's look at the story. This was a character study of Dana Scully from beginning to end. From the use of ghosts to the caricature of Tiny Tim, "Christmas Carol" was a modernization of the timeless tale. We could have done without the blatant symbolism of the rabbit dying, but I can forgive this and the plenitude of continuity errors to discover that young Dana wanted "Hotel California" for Christmas. The climactic scene, where Dana is given her real gift, motherhood, takes place on Christmas morning. "Christmas Carol" was sentimental without being sappy, it was a good mystery, and it left questions to be answered in Part II. You can't ask for much more than that. God bless us all, everyone.
My Score: 9.5 out of 10