wendelah1 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wendelah1) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
xf_book_club2012-04-02 01:33 pm
wendelah1) wrote in xf_book_club2012-04-02 01:33 pm
Entry tags:
Story 202: "Laws of Motion" by Syntax6
Hi! I had spotty internet access the later part of March so ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
amyhit kindly filled in for my last turn. I'm bypassing the queue this time around to suggest a story I've been meaning to reread for at least six months. "Laws of Motion" is a sequel to "Universal Invariants," which we discussed back in November, 2010. If you haven't read her first story, you won't get as much out of the sequel. (But you totally should read UI! It's my favorite of syntax6's stories!)
However, if you don't want to read "Universal Invariants" before tackling "Laws of Motion," here's a brief summary: "Universal Invariants" is an au in which Scully is living with her boyfriend Ethan (who was deleted from the pilot) when she is assigned to the X-Files. The novel spans all of season one and the beginning of season two through "One Breath," and has scenes from many of the episodes artfully woven through it. There is also an original casefile, which is the B plot, with the A plot being their developing partnership, and the effect it has on her personal life, especially her relationship with Ethan. HUGE SPOILER here: Scully gets engaged to Ethan after the X-Files are closed down, then has sex (amazing sex!) with Mulder while they are in Arecibo, Puerto Rico during "Little Green Men." Major awkwardness ensues, Mulder and Scully never discuss it, and she is too ashamed to tell Ethan. Then Scully is kidnapped by Duane Barry. Months later, when she is returned, not only is she missing time from the abduction, she can't remember earlier events, including what happened at Arecibo. Mulder can't bring himself to tell her. She never regains the lost memories, but breaks up with Ethan anyway. The End.
So. "Laws of Motion" picks up at the beginning of season five, just after "Redux 2." Scully is cured of cancer and Mulder has just brought her home from the hospital, when there is a phone call from her ex-boyfriend, Ethan. He's in jail, accused of murdering a colleague, and wants their help. Like "Universal Invariants," "Laws of Motion" is structured around a casefile, the murder Ethan has been accused of committing, but the story's focus is squarely on the secret (from the previous story) Mulder has been keeping from Scully and the consequences of that deception. It's a fun read and I remember loving it almost as much as "Universal Invariants."
"Universal Invariants"
"Laws of Motion"
Send feedback, tell Syntax6 we miss her, and please come back to let us know what you thought.
amyhit kindly filled in for my last turn. I'm bypassing the queue this time around to suggest a story I've been meaning to reread for at least six months. "Laws of Motion" is a sequel to "Universal Invariants," which we discussed back in November, 2010. If you haven't read her first story, you won't get as much out of the sequel. (But you totally should read UI! It's my favorite of syntax6's stories!) However, if you don't want to read "Universal Invariants" before tackling "Laws of Motion," here's a brief summary: "Universal Invariants" is an au in which Scully is living with her boyfriend Ethan (who was deleted from the pilot) when she is assigned to the X-Files. The novel spans all of season one and the beginning of season two through "One Breath," and has scenes from many of the episodes artfully woven through it. There is also an original casefile, which is the B plot, with the A plot being their developing partnership, and the effect it has on her personal life, especially her relationship with Ethan. HUGE SPOILER here: Scully gets engaged to Ethan after the X-Files are closed down, then has sex (amazing sex!) with Mulder while they are in Arecibo, Puerto Rico during "Little Green Men." Major awkwardness ensues, Mulder and Scully never discuss it, and she is too ashamed to tell Ethan. Then Scully is kidnapped by Duane Barry. Months later, when she is returned, not only is she missing time from the abduction, she can't remember earlier events, including what happened at Arecibo. Mulder can't bring himself to tell her. She never regains the lost memories, but breaks up with Ethan anyway. The End.
So. "Laws of Motion" picks up at the beginning of season five, just after "Redux 2." Scully is cured of cancer and Mulder has just brought her home from the hospital, when there is a phone call from her ex-boyfriend, Ethan. He's in jail, accused of murdering a colleague, and wants their help. Like "Universal Invariants," "Laws of Motion" is structured around a casefile, the murder Ethan has been accused of committing, but the story's focus is squarely on the secret (from the previous story) Mulder has been keeping from Scully and the consequences of that deception. It's a fun read and I remember loving it almost as much as "Universal Invariants."
"Universal Invariants"
"Laws of Motion"
Send feedback, tell Syntax6 we miss her, and please come back to let us know what you thought.
no subject
no subject
And it doesn't to me, which I guess was mine.
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.
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.