I like the casefile and I'm a fan of Mulder in profiler mode, but Dawson Rambo's ELS is the epitome for me.
Would you like to add ELS to the nomination queue?
She makes Scully weak and needy in a way that doesn't jive with me. Her contributions to the case's resolution are minimal and if these were episodes I'd have skipped them in a season rewatch. When Scully stands with the other two agents on the ski slope, listening to the wonders of Mulder's profiling skills, I nearly stopped reading. From the Pilot forward, even though Scully's marveled at his ability for mental leaps, she always manages to puncture his ballooning ego. Scully as a whimpering fangirl detracts from the story. After everything that's happened to her (even at this early canon stage), not being able to sleep with Mulder or the lights on is a bit much. I admire Scully as a strong woman and I think Mulder does too. Having her as his 'little woman' doesn't seem right.
I went back and looked for the scene you referenced. This is the only one I found, but maybe you can help me out if I'm wrong.
"He thinks of himself as a marathon runner, rather than a sprinter; he's priding himself on his discipline and his ability not to give into his urges. He probably has a camera and takes pictures, or a camcorder. So he can relive it and think of ways to perfect it. The reality is never quite what he wants, and it's probably a lot messier, but there's nothing like the real thing. Nothing like the look in the woman's eyes when she realizes that you are going to kill her, and no one is going to save her." He blinked, for a moment, and hunched his shoulders.
Scully looked at the other two. They looked stunned. Mulder looked at their faces, and he stood up, straightening his shoulders. He smiled faintly. "Then, again, he may not be here at all."
I think when they are working alone, Scully is more than frank with Mulder when she doesn't agree with him. But that isn't the dynamic here, for two reasons. One, they aren't working alone, and when they are in the company of other agents, Scully is very protective of Mulder. The other reason is that she doesn't disagree with his profile or his methods here.
I also don't see any signs of excessive Mulder ego here. I mean, this is what he's really good at, right? Profiling. He didn't even want to come on the case. He did it to make Scully happy and now he's just trying to do his job.
You may be right about your just not liking the season two Mulder/Scullydynamic. I think Scully is pretty traumatized right after her abduction and Mulder is, too. I like this story acknowledging the reality of those feelings. Just because someone is strong, does it mean they aren't allowed to be vulnerable? This takes place after "Irresistible," too. More trauma.
The Mulder-moping after Janey's death does seem excessive until you think about his PTSD. It was reactivated by Scully's abduction, then the vampire chick kills herself, and whoever else dies during cases in the interim. The grad student during the volcano case. I'd have to look up all of the episodes. Mulder blames himself for everything. It's illogical but this kind of thing is hard-wired by the traumatic loss of Samantha. It's easy for me to see why Janey's death hit him so hard.
I'm glad you are going to try some of Tesla's other fics. She is a great writer. If you ship Mulder/Scully, I would warn you away from "Flight."
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Would you like to add ELS to the nomination queue?
She makes Scully weak and needy in a way that doesn't jive with me. Her contributions to the case's resolution are minimal and if these were episodes I'd have skipped them in a season rewatch. When Scully stands with the other two agents on the ski slope, listening to the wonders of Mulder's profiling skills, I nearly stopped reading. From the Pilot forward, even though Scully's marveled at his ability for mental leaps, she always manages to puncture his ballooning ego. Scully as a whimpering fangirl detracts from the story. After everything that's happened to her (even at this early canon stage), not being able to sleep with Mulder or the lights on is a bit much. I admire Scully as a strong woman and I think Mulder does too. Having her as his 'little woman' doesn't seem right.
I went back and looked for the scene you referenced. This is the only one I found, but maybe you can help me out if I'm wrong.
"He thinks of himself as a marathon runner, rather than a
sprinter; he's priding himself on his discipline and his ability
not to give into his urges. He probably has a camera and takes
pictures, or a camcorder. So he can relive it and think of ways
to perfect it. The reality is never quite what he wants, and it's
probably a lot messier, but there's nothing like the real thing.
Nothing like the look in the woman's eyes when she realizes that
you are going to kill her, and no one is going to save her." He
blinked, for a moment, and hunched his shoulders.
Scully looked at the other two. They looked stunned. Mulder
looked at their faces, and he stood up, straightening his
shoulders. He smiled faintly. "Then, again, he may not be here at
all."
I think when they are working alone, Scully is more than frank with Mulder when she doesn't agree with him. But that isn't the dynamic here, for two reasons. One, they aren't working alone, and when they are in the company of other agents, Scully is very protective of Mulder. The other reason is that she doesn't disagree with his profile or his methods here.
I also don't see any signs of excessive Mulder ego here. I mean, this is what he's really good at, right? Profiling. He didn't even want to come on the case. He did it to make Scully happy and now he's just trying to do his job.
You may be right about your just not liking the season two Mulder/Scullydynamic. I think Scully is pretty traumatized right after her abduction and Mulder is, too. I like this story acknowledging the reality of those feelings. Just because someone is strong, does it mean they aren't allowed to be vulnerable? This takes place after "Irresistible," too. More trauma.
The Mulder-moping after Janey's death does seem excessive until you think about his PTSD. It was reactivated by Scully's abduction, then the vampire chick kills herself, and whoever else dies during cases in the interim. The grad student during the volcano case. I'd have to look up all of the episodes. Mulder blames himself for everything. It's illogical but this kind of thing is hard-wired by the traumatic loss of Samantha. It's easy for me to see why Janey's death hit him so hard.
I'm glad you are going to try some of Tesla's other fics. She is a great writer. If you ship Mulder/Scully, I would warn you away from "Flight."