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PLOT: Mulder investigates the reappearance of the Queen Anne, a cruiseliner that disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle over 50 years ago.
When Chris Carter can come up with stories and interesting cinematography as shown in this episode, The X-Files makes every other show on television look ordinary. How often do you watch a weekly program in letterbox format and real time? Like never. Remember that much-hyped live episode of "ER"? It didn't even come close to the compelling images and storyline of "Triangle."
In fact, the story was very compelling as Mulder decides that his job isn't important enough to show up for and heads out to the Bermuda Triangle to find the missing Queen Anne based on a satellite photo that The Lone Gunmen intercepted. We don't know all that from the teaser. We see a lot of floating debris with Mulder floating face-down and unconscious. Carter knows how to grab our attention.
Of course, consistent with the ambiguity of the show, I was initially unsure what to make of the entire plot. From the time you see the teaser to near the end when you see Mulder being picked up, was any of that real? I've read other people's thoughts about this episode, and many do not believe much of what was actually shown occurred. Even Mulder's heartfelt confession to Scully in the hospital was considered imaginary, and that Carter just set that scene up to appease shippers. Well, consistent with Season 6 episodes, the majority of the episode was pure Mulder fantasy
But what a visual treat! The idea of filming it in real time (one minute real time is equivalent to one minute screen time) and giving us such sweeping, detailed scenery of both the ship and the J. Edgar Hoover Building was a stroke of genius. And since the show is an epic anyway, filming it for wide-screen or letterbox format enhanced the overall feature film quality of the episode. It literally made Mulder's "experience" or "dream" appear larger-than-life, and isn't that the very nature of Mulder's quest?
In essence, Carter used the plot of "The Wizard of Oz" and spun the X-Files twist on it. Instead of a tornado, Mulder endures a storm and a boat crash and pretty much everything we see up to when he awakens in the hospital bed is in his mind. How else to explain the appearance of practically everyone in his life on the Queen Anne in 1939?
Mulder's escapade on the ship had immensely sharp details. We see the living quarters, the bridge, the main ballroom and the engine room. The only thing missing was the shuffleboard area. With the camera following Mulder throughout his adventure, we immediately feel as though the situation is very grave and immensely important. Having Nazi's come onboard only escalates the danger that Mulder is finding himself increasingly caught in. And in his mind, Cigarette Smoking Man and Spender are the epitome of evil incarnate. So, it is no surprise that they appear as Gestapo officers. Another twist was to see Skinner portraying a Nazi officer as well, but even this 1939 version of Skinner has a soft spot for Mulder as he helps him escape.
Of course, a version of Scully *had* to be in his fantasy. And Mulder didn't disappoint. Scully always had such a classic beauty about her, and playing a 1939 version of herself only enhanced that look. It is funny to see Mulder try to convince this woman, who is in reality his soulmate, that they know each other. And isn't it interesting that she ends up trusting him? Let's face it. No matter what timeframe, *any* version of Scully will eventually fall for Mulder's charms.
Of course, the Lone Gunmen had to make an appearance, because they were the ones to clue Mulder in on the reappearance of the Queen Anne. This part of the episode was interesting, because if you took it as an absolute Scully experience, she would have been fired. Again, that subtle clue of her un-Scully-like yet desperate behavior *had* to be in Mulder's head. She has shown panic before but has always kept a level head. Her abrupt entrance into Kersh's office and her openly detailed threat to Spender would not only have her fired, but probably charged with harassment. Yet, it was such fun! Mulder knows very well that Scully will do anything she can to find him no matter how stupidly he left. Her loyalty to him is unconditional, and Mulder imagined that to a tee.
It was interesting that the Queen Anne would have a person who would eventually help build a weapon to ultimately stop WWII. This is something that "Star Trek" fans would recognize as a "time paradox." In other words, if the ship never reaches its destination, you will literally find out which came first, the chicken or the egg. Thus, the danger is not really the Nazis but changing the outcome of world history. For Mulder and Scully, anything else would be too easy.
By the time the ballroom turned into a WWF party, the episode started to get somewhat delirious. Mulder and the 1939 Scully were running for their lives, while in an alternate universe, the modern-day Scully and TLG are searching through every deck of the Queen Anne for the hapless Mulder. The shifting between universes was cleverly done, and the memorable scene where the two Scully's merged within the split screen and they felt *something* was absolutely hilarious. That was probably the only scene that made me wonder if this part was a dream or not.
As for the scene where Mulder kisses the 1939 version of Scully, that was highly hyped by the Fox network. It was nice, because it was so obvious that whether this was the real Scully or not, Mulder was *not* going to let this chance slip away. However, it would have been nice to *see* it! This is the biggest gripe I had with the cinematography in that this scene was so badly lit. It could have been two adolescent teens kissing for all we know rather than our two heroes. Yet, the sentiment is not lost on the audience, and it was obvious that the 1939 version of Scully definitely returned the kiss. It's inconsequential that she slugged him for it.
Then, Mulder just jumps off the ship and ends up in a hospital bed. The biggest clue to note that he was actually experiencing this scene was that he commented he felt like hell. Pain is easy to cope with in a dream, but hardly ever in real life. Plus, you would not feel a thing if you were dead. Thus, Mulder is very much alive and recovering from a boat accident. Notice that none of the other characters from TLG to Skinner even mention the Queen Anne? Another clue that Mulder dreamed it. Also, listen carefully to the abundant references to "Wizard of Oz" in this scene.
It may have been the drugs or possibly the euphoria of "kissing" Scully, but Mulder tells Scully exactly how he feels about her. That was very sweet. And since Scully's reply is typical of how she would respond, this part *had* to be real. Right?
"Triangle" is very deserving of the praise that it received from critics and fans alike. Essentially, it was an offbeat X-Files episode with a highly elaborate dream sequence throughout. Yet, it was the accurate depictions of a 1939 world and the loyalty and trust between Mulder and Scully (no matter what era they may be in) that made this an instant classic. Chris Carter proves that he still has a few tricks up his sleeve for his creation, and many of us hope that he has plenty more.
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