Monday, July 29, 2013

What Do You See in the Mirror?

Soft Light

In Season 2, Episode 23 of The X-Files, Agent Scully and her former student act as a doubled pair. Both are styled very similarly, and it is obvious from the beginning that this young character was created as a foil to the older FBI agent. Both are very similar in personality, and both share nearly identical skepticism to the fantastic circumstances in which they find themselves. The differences are minor, and these differences cause the younger character’s subversion and demise.

Doubling

The doubling between Scully and her former student is meant to mirror the doubling of the Scientist and his shadow. From the beginning of the episode, I was absolutely sure that because of the similarities between the two women, one would not survive the episode. I had seen later episodes, so I knew that Scully would survive and that it would be the younger that would die.

Scully and her former student are styled very similarly, in clothing, in makeup, and even in haircut. They are both skeptics, but Scully has been around her “spooky” partner long enough to begin accepting the possibility of paranormal presence in strange circumstances. Her young counterpart, on the other hand, is not so seasoned as she is. It’s difficult for me to understand why the doubling in this episode is so significant, though I know for a fact that details do not show up in a carefully planned television show by accident and should be explored.

Mirroring

One thing is for sure, and that is that this episode concentrates heavily upon the idea that humanity is composed of at least two sides. The scientist and his shadow represent both good and evil residing in one body, while Scully and her student could represent skepticism and belief. The death of the younger could be a metaphor for Scully’s struggle to put aside her skepticism in order to find peace about the supernatural circumstances that have traumatized her. The doubling in this episode acts as a mirror to the characters, revealing the side of them that they most fear and that will eventually become their undoing if ignored.
The X-Files certainly has proved to be a show that makes me grateful to have a good Carrollton home security system, what with all the serial killers and creatures featured in the series. This episode, however, showcases an evil from which no home security system could protect us: ourselves.


About The Author: Rae Piazza is a writer for Smith Monitoring. Rae is also active on many social networking sites. Follow her on WordpressTwitter, & Poshmark!

No comments:

Post a Comment

I adore reading reader feedback! I will, however, remove all spam and pointless comments.

Please take note that I have the right to delete comments from this site. Please only post constructive and respectful feedback.