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.
Yes, it does.
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
Yes, it does.
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.
Very insightful, as always.