The thing I've never been able to figure out about KvsS7 is whether Khyber believes they must continue to fight, or whether he believes they should seize the day and live as happily as they can for as much time as they have. I know he was an IWTB fan, mainly because he was glad to see them living their lives. (don't quote him on that, as it is always possible I'm misinterpreting what he meant) But would he really have had them opt out when there was so much evidently at stake? The last scene Mulder and Scully are in addresses this same issue, in a lovely way, but the answer remains ambiguous:
"I'd like snow," she said. "I'd like a snow day, two feet of snow." "Maybe at Christmas."
They're back in DC. Their escape from everyday reality is over and it's back to work. Scully is wishing for a snow day - a reprieve, something to keep reality at bay. She doesn't want to go back. Is this a foretelling of their future? Does it mean that they can't keep on going this way, that soon they will no longer have the conviction necessary to go back? And does Mulder's response indicate that he doesn't understand what she's really wishing for? Or that he understands, but also understands that she's wishing for something she knows they can't have? I prefer to think it's the second, and that it isn't a foretelling of the future.
This thematic element of the story is very excellent, and very well incorporated into the fic, which is what makes me admire Waterskiers even though I don't always like it. We see Scully (and Mulder, though more by proxy) struggling to come to terms with their place in things, and how much she is willing to sacrifice for the cause. But this struggle is voiced more clearly by CSM, in what he says to Skinner:
"Waterskiing is such a strange pastime, don't you think. You caper and prance at the end of your line, as if somehow you have control over what's happening, as if the boat wasn't there pulling you along. But you don't. You're a puppet. All you really have control over is whether or not you keep going."
In this light, the title of this fic says it all in one word. It's a beautiful and chilling metaphor when you realize the scope of everything it encompasses. Not only does it apply to Mulder and Scully, but to Skinner and CSM, and also to Bill Mulder and all the rest of them. They're all waterskiers. None of them are in control of this thing or their place in it. It's hard to say if anyone is in charge anymore, or even if they ever really were.
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winterfish
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Date: 2011-10-02 12:16 am (UTC)"I'd like snow," she said. "I'd like a snow day, two feet of snow."
"Maybe at Christmas."
They're back in DC. Their escape from everyday reality is over and it's back to work. Scully is wishing for a snow day - a reprieve, something to keep reality at bay. She doesn't want to go back. Is this a foretelling of their future? Does it mean that they can't keep on going this way, that soon they will no longer have the conviction necessary to go back? And does Mulder's response indicate that he doesn't understand what she's really wishing for? Or that he understands, but also understands that she's wishing for something she knows they can't have? I prefer to think it's the second, and that it isn't a foretelling of the future.
This thematic element of the story is very excellent, and very well incorporated into the fic, which is what makes me admire Waterskiers even though I don't always like it. We see Scully (and Mulder, though more by proxy) struggling to come to terms with their place in things, and how much she is willing to sacrifice for the cause. But this struggle is voiced more clearly by CSM, in what he says to Skinner:
"Waterskiing is such a strange pastime, don't you think. You caper and prance at the end of your line, as if somehow you have control over what's happening, as if the boat wasn't there pulling you along. But you don't. You're a puppet. All you really have control over is whether or not you keep going."
In this light, the title of this fic says it all in one word. It's a beautiful and chilling metaphor when you realize the scope of everything it encompasses. Not only does it apply to Mulder and Scully, but to Skinner and CSM, and also to Bill Mulder and all the rest of them. They're all waterskiers. None of them are in control of this thing or their place in it. It's hard to say if anyone is in charge anymore, or even if they ever really were.