X Files - That Radioactive Thingee in the Bag

 

Mulder and Scully, certainly to get quite involved in the Flight 549

These are just some disparate comments about "Tempest Fugit" and "Max".

Mulder smiling about surprising Scully in a DC bar on her birthday

Chilton Crane as Sharon Graffia, not Max's sister as first thought.

Sharon Graffia is the one who told Mulder and Scully about Max's situation which involves them in the investigation in Flight 549. She isn't Max's sister but someone he met and corresponded with, even bonding with her. Sharon is considered unreliable due to stints in a mental institution. And Max just needed someone to believe in him since his abduction stories were considered crackpot and nonsense.

Max's videotape recording, to me, is so heartbreaking because, despite all the other theories about UFO technology used to enhance and advance the latest current technology existing that shouldn't have been available for another 30 or so years, knowing that he's dismissed and thought to be a lunatic due to his abduction stories, he'll never be taken seriously. And, sadly, he's dead so only Sharon seems to be here as his legacy. Mulder looking down at Max's body in the body bag, his head sinking a bit and sadness emerging on his face, it is a definitive acceptance of loss that is so unfortunate. I had mentioned in another post that Max was brought up on the X Files subReddit, opining his departure from the series. I think "Max" really gives him a hell of a sendoff, assuring us that since Sharon is in charge of the "Max Fenig museum" (his trailer and information, containing all his thoughts and theories), the abductee eventually killed as the military craft intercepted with the plane (and UFO) before his process of return to his seat in the Flight 549 was complete by the aliens during their tractor beam "freeze stasis". I was sad that Max's mission involving "alien technology evidence" didn't get to a source who could put it out there in the public. I do wonder what happened to Garrett (Greg Michaels) and the bag with that radioactive thingee. All Mulder knows is that he lost nine minutes and it is possible that he was on a plane that was frozen in place by a UFO, with Garrett and that radioactive thingee in the bag removed and taken elsewhere.

Mulder gave Scully an Apollo 11 necklace, and I just love that she gets this long monologue while looking up to the stars about the existential and wise meaning from it regarding all that is involved in the "great leap forward" and what it takes to accomplish what the space missions did. Mulder, of course, retorts he thought it looked cool. Either way, I liked to listen to Scully apply such depth and feeling to a gift after all that has happened, all that has transpired during the "Tempest Fugit" and "Max" two-parter.


I don't want to forget to mention that Scully's FBI friend, Pendrall (Brendan Beiser) is shot by Garrett in their DC bar, the target Frish, the sole remaining officer held responsible for a coordinates error for the crash. Pendrell seemed to be a slight supporting character who was smitten with Scully. As fate would sadly have it, Pendrell was in the bar when Scully arrives with Frish, hoping for protection that wasn't available. Skinner later explaining to Scully that Frish was to be arrested, leaving her to attend to a clearly dying Pendrell, yet another life lost seemingly because of a coverup. During Scully's attempt to help Pendrell, keeping his wound from bleeding out, blood from her nose once again reminds us she is also dying. Her cancer could get lost in the shuffle as a major storyline so it was important to remind us of that. 


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