So, first I'll get the shocking part of this episode out of the way, the fact that a certain racial slur was spoken out loud three times. It's certainly accurate in the historical context, and its said by an apparent member of the KKK, but that really doesn't make it any less jarring.
Overall, I was surprised that a show like this that has generally steered clear of social and political issues apart from conspiracy theory and paranoia would even delve into race relations in the 1940s and the integration of Major League Baseball. The metaphor of human races versus alien races was extremely well done, and a lot of the lines that Josh
OK, so the physical part of that metaphor wouldn't happen - I hope - but the verbal part seems totally realistic. People being treated like they're a completely different species and have absolutely nothing in common with 'everyone else'. It's horrifying enough that anyone would even think that way, but it really gets taken to another level when people speak that bizarre curiosity out loud. It's just sick, really.
And of course, the whole idea of the aliens themselves valuing homogeneity and not intermingling with humans and living as human similarly mirrored the racism of the time in a very eerie way.
The baseball story was somewhat interesting given the unusual theory that many of the superstar players are aliens. I mean, I won't deny that the best players in pretty much any sport are rather freakish. They can do things most people, even those who play the game regularly, can't even imagine. And the superstars are either very good at hiding their secret or didn't care if it was revealed. Maybe they just didn't really care. After all, people call them freaks for their abilities all the time. It's a Thing! Someone could say they were aliens and most people probably still wouldn't believe it or care.
I did find out after the fact that they really wanted the actual Arthur Dales, but the actor who played him had a stroke and was unable to play the role, and they had to get a last minute replacement. So I guess knowing that it comes off a little less weird that there's a second Arthur Dales who has a brother named Arthur Dales. At least this is the first good episode that had someone named Arthur Dales in it, because, uh, 'Travelers' and 'Agua Mala' weren't.
Either way, the story was well told and extremely well bookended in the present. Because, well. OK.
The beginning and end (after the cold open, anyway) were the awesome Mulder and Scully bits. I know David Duchovny wrote this episode, and that makes me think he's a pretty hardcore Mulder/Scully shipper.
First, we have the scene at the FBI in the beginning (or maybe IN THE BIG INNING) of the episode, where they were most definitely flirting with their discussion of tired clichés and nonfat tofutti rice dreamsicles. It was hilarious and it was cute, and it really set up the end of the episode, which may well be one of the greatest Mulder/Scully scenes on the show so far.
Because Mulder is teaching Scully how to hit a baseball. And it is adorable to the extreme.
I know fandom was generally divided on the whole Mulder/Scully thing, but I don't know how anyone can not interpret that scene and their first scene at the FBI in this episode as intense flirting. If I weren't already into the idea of them getting together, this episode would have completely changed my mind. They are playing ball and enjoying it and laughing and Scully is truly enjoying Mulder's company here, like at the start of the episode. And together, they're not a bad hitter.
Let's have more of these kinds of scenes, OK?
(Random aside: there were two Scullys in this episode, Dana and Vin. The legendary baseball announcer was calling the game Mulder was watching at the beginning of the episode.)
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