The Grand X-Periment Day 18

10/18/11

48 & 49) Dreamland Parts 1 & 2- Season 6, Episodes 4 & 5. Another personal favorite that doesn't do anything for the mythology. Michael McKean (of Spinal Tap and Laverne & Shirley fame) guest stars as a Man In Black who switches bodies with Mulder after a UFO malfunctions over them. Mulder is stuck in the life of this schlub who has kids that hate him, a nagging wife and more office politics than productivity to deal with. Morris Fletcher, on the other hand, uses his new found freedom to try and screw anything that moves (including Scully).

McKean gets some of Mulder's mannerisms down pat (Jack pointed out the other night that Duchovny licks his lips when he needs to act nervous and McKean goes straight there as soon as they switch bodies). In order to not confuse viewers (I guess, or to give Duchovny the majority of the screen time) Mulder always looks like Mulder no matter what body he is in (and the same with Fletcher). Again, this is the kind of plot that only works after you have established the heck out of the characters.
Once Fletcher gets back to DC in Mulder's body he starts kissing the ass of AD Kirsh (our heroes' new supervisor) with vigor. How it takes Scully so long to figure out that Mulder isn't Mulder is a puzzlement.

They get lots of mileage out of the ripples of the space-time continuum. Lizards get their heads stuck in rocks, an Air Force pilot switches bodies with a Hopi grandmother and a couple end up melded together. There is a nice big explosion in part one. It also acts to address how bad a father or husband Mulder would be. He doesn't know not to fall asleep watching the porno channel in the living room or that teenage girls are hard to deal with. This won't be the only time this season that Mulder and Scully have to face domestication so it may be a running theme.

Anyway, fun but ultimately inconsequential two parter (the whole story is erased by the end). Fun mostly for everyone's reactions to the switch.