I agree with wendelah that Scully’s gesture clearly says “Fuck you, Mulder.” But I agree with EC and infinitlight that it’s really not a Scullyish gesture. Mulder’s the one who is prone to muddying the waters with a pseudo-joke. Her handing him the cigar makes me thinking of his comment at the end of “Never Again” about getting something or other tattooed on his ass.
Scully’s anger at him is completely understandable (and quite deserved, I think). It’s just her method of displaying it that feels off.
However, I do think Scully giving Mulder a cigar speaks to…something. Um. Maybe it speaks to the rather patriarchal nature of the show (on a Doylist level) and the way Scully’s life has been so detrimentally shaped by men (on a Watsonian level). It’s a scathing gesture that inherently acknowledges a gender divide. It brings to mind the image of a bunch of men clapping each other on the back, firm handshakes all around, congratulating each other on having produced heirs.
Granted, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I’m not suggesting that simply smoking a cigar to celebrate becoming a father makes one an egocentric chauvinist. But Scully giving him a cigar seems to be suggestive of how the consortium sees the situation: her violation, his progeny; Scully is what's done to her, Mulder is what he does.
no subject
I agree with wendelah that Scully’s gesture clearly says “Fuck you, Mulder.” But I agree with EC and infinitlight that it’s really not a Scullyish gesture. Mulder’s the one who is prone to muddying the waters with a pseudo-joke. Her handing him the cigar makes me thinking of his comment at the end of “Never Again” about getting something or other tattooed on his ass.
Scully’s anger at him is completely understandable (and quite deserved, I think). It’s just her method of displaying it that feels off.
However, I do think Scully giving Mulder a cigar speaks to…something. Um. Maybe it speaks to the rather patriarchal nature of the show (on a Doylist level) and the way Scully’s life has been so detrimentally shaped by men (on a Watsonian level). It’s a scathing gesture that inherently acknowledges a gender divide. It brings to mind the image of a bunch of men clapping each other on the back, firm handshakes all around, congratulating each other on having produced heirs.
Granted, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I’m not suggesting that simply smoking a cigar to celebrate becoming a father makes one an egocentric chauvinist. But Scully giving him a cigar seems to be suggestive of how the consortium sees the situation: her violation, his progeny; Scully is what's done to her, Mulder is what he does.