Now Mulder must know how how that guy from Small Potatoes must have felt

From what I understand, the real Area 51 doesn't have big signs that say "Area 51" on them. Also the mirror scene was cute, but I just don't think it added anything to the episode. Also the guards that catch M&S at the beginning should be wearing desert camos, not forest, also there is NO way they would do a test flight of a secret aircraft while trespassers are in the area. Just ask Glenn Campbell :)

Hmmmm ... interesting. Before going on to the nits, I noted how much harder Mulder had it adjusting to another man's life. Quite appropriate, as we've always gotten the impression he didn't have much in the way of social skills to begin with. He wouldn't know what to *do* with a normal life, so I guess it's lucky he's had such an abnormal one.

If you had a top-secret base chock full of alien technology, which the conspiracy nuts of America knew as Area 51, wouldn't you change its name to something else just to throw them off the scent? But no, the sign outside the base shows its name is still Area 51. They're just asking for trouble. :-)

Fletcher-as-Mulder confuses Scully by playing a computer golf game to goof off. It is out of character for Mulder ... so out of character I can't Mulder he would have put a golf game on his computer in the first place.

We hear that the government has been flying these UFOs since 1953. Doesn't seem like we've gotten any commensurate practical applications out of something they've had for 45 years. (Although the glimpse I got of the UFO did look suspiciously like a Stealth airplane ...)

And could someone explain how that lizard was breathing inside that rock. It was still wriggling around quite some time after getting stuck, a little too long for it to hold its breath, IMHO.

Next week: Mulder's bedroom, and Scully's handcuffs. They're just teasing people now.

Good.

I liked this one a lot. I glad to see that Scully didn't trust Mulder(as Morris not Morris as Mulder, confused yet?). I wonder how Mulder will get out of this one.

I agree with Shane. They are teasing. Athough, it will make me be sure to watch next week! >;-) As if I wouldn't already watch.

~Amos Painter

Great episode! Loved the little dance in front of the mirror... very, very well done and what a fabulous spot to end with "To Be Continued"!

But . . . um, was anyone else surprised that Mulder wouldn't have been up at the crack of dawn and back at Area 51?! He's got access! Why wasn't he using it?!

And what about that shot of Mulder in the distance right after he tried to talk to Scully after she came to Murray Fletcher's house? Wasn't that long shot done through a mirror? didn't all the other mirrors show Murray's appearance and not Mulder's. So why did that one mirror show Mulder's real appearance.

Anyway, there's lots more but I leave it to you fellow nitpickers!

I was wondering about that car side mirror thing too. My theory was that it was as seen by Fletcher. From the opening segment, I guessed that Mulder saw Fletcher in Mulder's body as Fletcher (otherwise, he would have said something like, "Hey, wait, that's me! Stop, me, right now!" J), even though every one else saw Fletcher in Mulder's body as Mulder. (confused yet?) So when Fletcher, in Mulder's body, looked at Mulder, in Fletcher's body, he saw Mulder, instead of Fletcher. Please let that have made sense.

Nice episode. Kinda silly at first but now it looks like it might be a good episode. Great line(s) Nameless Shopkeeper: You're change is 11 cents. Mulder: Keep it. N.S.: I might just close the store early. Hmmm, doesn't sound quite so funny now.

Nice idea about Area 51. You should send it in to the government. :)

When Mulder and Morris changed places, each had the other's clothes. But when the pilot and the Indian woman changed places, each retained his/her own clothes. What gives with that???

Interesting episode. But since it seems that only Morris is pulling the strings here, doesn't it look like he planned this all along? Must've been bored with his life and saw a great way out ... switch places with Mulder. In the entire episode, he's the only one not bothered by the switch.

Why isn't Scully suspicious of Morris-as-Mulder? He keeps calling her Dana. And how would Mulder-as-Morris know about the yogurt thing ... is what she eat in her files, too (as she claimed that he must've gotten info abt. her from some file).

Mulder-as-Morris takes his fine time to get to the base doesn't he? After the guy calls him to look at the something big going on, he stops to make a phone call and buy something. I would've assumed he was quick at getting to the bottom of his switch and finding a solution to this.

The guy at the gas station must really not want to keep the change, he leaves the dime and penny on the glass top. Which of course later gets fused together.

And what have we got here ... 2 pairs of switched bodies (Mulder-Morris, pilot-Indian woman), 2 fused beings (co-pilot and lizard with rock) and fused dime & penny. Oh, and a half-melted gas station attendant. Ooh, someone's been playing with that fusion/switch machine again. ;-)

I didn't quite get the conversation but did someone say that "matter occupied same time and same space"? Huh?!? And was the answer Mulder-as-Morris gave something about "Quantum Physics"? Dang, now I really wished my VCR worked ... just found out it was busted tonight of all nights. :-( But anyway, what little I recall of physics, is that Quantum Physics explains the myriad of particles other than proton/electron/neutron that make up matter. But it doesn't allow matter to occupy the same time and space ... does it?

Apparently, only Mulder and Morris can see (without mirrors) each other for who they really are. But it's interesting that only at one point does a mirror "reflect" the real person ... when Morris-as-Mulder looks through his side mirror at Mulder-as-Morris talking with Scully. Why would this mirror behave this way when all others don't for either person? Real-Mulder sees himself as Morris on the camera-screen, mirror at home and tinted mirror of van; Real-Morris sees himself as Mulder when tying his tie ...

And about those ultra-secret planes, aren't they in plain site when the team return to base. Granted that it is night-time and no one can see it clearly, shouldn't they be in hangars or something?

Would be interesting to see how this story turns out. 'til next episode.

If Morris really and truly orchestrated this thing (and so far we have no clue as we), then he really should have made more of an effort to blend in. And plus, alienation your partner hardly seems like a good idea.

In the end sequence, why doesn't PsuedoMulder get in trouble too? After all, he was in Nevada, same as Scully. Unless Kersh is in on this.

The mirror sequence (not quite flawless, either)is a clear steal from "Duck Soup".

Ya know, this is really getting irriating. The X-Files are steadly getting better and
better, which means that I have to expand my list of Top 10 eps to Top 20. Ah, the
trials! B-)
okay, here goes, in order, more or less:
I like Scully's opening diatribe
I like the CSM effect at the beginning. But I knew it wasn't him. I might have said,"
Oh, look! The CSM!" but that is purely circumstantial. (Yes, this is a deliberate
imitation of Clinton.) I thought it was interesting that Psuedo!Mulder smokes
Morleys. Is this a bad guy thing, or what?!
I thought the mirror thing was absolutely great, but they were just a teeny bit off
sync. (Yes, I know, that was really hard acting. My hat off to DD and the other dude
for pulling it off.)
I also loved the 'does Scully sound like a woman's name to you?' and her reaction to
Psuedo!Morris's explantion. And did yo see the face DD pulled as she answered the
door.
 So, Scully's on a yogert kick, huh?
Boy, does Real!Morris have a weird/bad family life. A nose ring, huh?
Star Trek reference! Yes!
Yeah, how *was* the lizard still alive?! And I have no idea what quantum physics
direct relationship is to two objects coexisting at the same space/time. Have to go
check my source for finding stuff out about physics: Star Trek.
(Disclaimer: I am not and never will be a member of the DDEB. It's not that he's not
cute, I just think that they get a little gross.)
Well, I bet the DDEBers are going nuts, given the boxer shorts.
What happened to you guys? Were you not paying attention to the times?! 2:04 (42)
was one and 11:17 was another. (I think 11:17 is a special number.)
List Of Oddities That FreakedOut!Scully Should Have Noticed
(and did, to some extent)
he called her Dana
he don't smoke
he was playing The Game (as the CSM calls it) with Kersch
Mulder hates golf
Mulder is, past a certain point, uncomfortable with women. And he doesn't like
blondes that much anyway. (Speaking of which, Real!Mulder is gonna have problems
with the blonde when he gets his body back.)
the 'pantys' comment isn't Mulder's *style* of risque comment, nor is patting Scully
on the butt. Speaking of which, wait til next ep. I bet Puesdo!Mulder gets a rude
surprise from KickButt!Scully.

(I just love these little things!) (second parenthese: I typed this in Chicago font,
where it looked a heckuva lot cooler.)

Next ep: I agree with Shane...

Maybe Mulder should have gotten some guidance from Quantum Leap's Al.

One of the times was 10:12. If the sceene lasted more than a minute it would be 10:13. Chris coopers birthday, I think.

No matter how you explain it, the mirror thing is a nit. Look at it this way:

1. Both shots are intended from the point of view of Morris-as-Mulder. He should have seen Mulder as Mulder, and himself as himself.

2. Both shots are from the point of view of the audience. Then they should have showed Mulder as Morris, and Morris as Morris.

Either way, it shouldn't have shown both as Mulder

I just have one nit to add. This shop keeper isn't the brightest light in the house, but if everything started shaking like that, I know /I'd/ be diving under some sort of cover. From first appearances, it seems like an earthquake!

My favorite line of the night: "Your badge number is....okay....I don't know what your badge number is!"

You are so right.
Moving along, I just rewatched the ep and saw some more nits. I won't do the little
symbols this time, now that I know how stupid they look in the other font.
1. I would give a dime and a penny that the coins Scully found are the 11 cents Mulder
gave the clerk.
2. Does the blonde have a name? I've put her on my list of won't-cry-if-she-dies with
SuSpenders and Dear Diana.
3.For the famed Area 51 cleanup crew, they did a pretty poor job of wiping out the
gas station.
4.If Mulder forgot the milk, what were the kids eating with their cereal?
5.Were the sunflower seeds that Mulder bought the brand known as Dave's Sunflower
Seeds? I saw a package of these in the store and had a cow. Everyone was giving me
strange looks, including my father. When he finally got it he started laughing too,
and a little old lady said, "excuse me, sir, what are you laughing at?" And he said, "Oh,
don't mind us, we're X-Philes." She said, "Me too, what's the joke?" (Yes, sir, they
come in all shapes and sizes...)
6.Okay, if Morris (both Real! and Psuedo!) and his buddys had Majestic 12 clearance,
what were they doing intercepting FBI agents? Don't they have grunts to do that? I
see this as more evidence of Morris orchastrating the whole thing...
Nominations for Best Line: "Does Scully sound like a woman's name to you?" and
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Johnny Cash..."

Strange Joke I was thinking would work for this episode: In the opening credits, David Duchovny's face is gone in the badges and the clips, and replaced by Michael McKean's! Of course, the deception doesn't work on film...but I liked it!

And how will Mulder react when he finds out what Morris doing to his body--smoking, hanging out with Kersh's assistant, etc.

Even worse, what about Morris? Mulder, who faked being Morris in entirely lame ways, got Morris kicked out of his home and his job.

If only Scully were a Vulcan, she could use a mind meld to prove Morris/Mulder was telling the truth. Or she could just watch the TOS Star Trek episode "Turnabout Intruder." In "Turnabout Intruder," Janice Lester, while in Kirk's body, would say "Captain Kirk here," not the ususal "Kirk here" when being paged.

Not too bad of an ep., but there were the occasional nits.
The most blatant mirror error yet:
During the bedroom scene, Mulder(and Morris-reflection) breathes on the mirror, wipes it off, and slowly backs to the wall. Watch Mulder's legs, and then watch Morris-reflection's legs. Mulder has stopped moving and put his feet together, but the reflection is still moving his legs out of the mirror!

But What If Morris is in League with Csm it would be the perfect way to get Mulder out of the way. AS for the mind meld idea as long as she didnt tell holodoc about it, because we all know how he feels about them {see last weeks Voyager}

KND,

Re Nit#4:

Obviously Morris comes from the "Town Without Milk" ^TM from the Got Milk? ^TM commercials...

-12-

Mirror sequence nit!

Watch carefully as Mulder does his little hopping bit back against the wall! In the "reflection" next to him, Morris keeps hopping on back a way, after we should have seen him stopped (and probably his stomach hanging out a tad, since pressed against the corner, he's not as thin as Mulder!) It makes it quite clear that the next room is obviously a set that does not perfectly match the room Mulder's in; that wall he (Mulder) leans against CAN'T be there for Morris.

Wacky premise, but watchable ep.

M@ Nelson

I needed a good laugh!!!! I would think that Scully would have noticed about the time he started calling her Dana. He (Mulder-Fletcher) called here Scully every time he talked to her. Plus that butt patting thing is sooooooo noooooot Mulder. (Scully's face was too priceless!!!) And I don't know who said it, but Mulder does too like blondes. There are several notes in Phil's guide. I can only think of one off the top of my head: That tall blonde in "Syzygy"

Next ep: Does Mulder really have a bedroom?

Fave line: Mulder, you are acting bizarre!!!
From Scully to Morris-Mulder.

Question - when Mulder looks in a mirror, he sees Morris. BUT when he, say, looks down at his hands, does he see Mulder hands? Does he still 'feel' like he's in his own body? I think so... otherwise, he probably would have realized that he had changed bodies before he did (somehow I think being a different weight and having a different hairdo would be a big tipoff, among other things).

Taking it a step further, what happens if Mulder walks through a doorway which he would normally hit his head on, but because he's slightly shorter (I'm not sure that's the case, but just for example), he will slip through. What happens? Does he bump his head? Or does it look to the camera and to Mulder himself, if he happens to be looking up, like his head went through the door frame.

I eat cereal w/o milk all the time...

Oh, everything is oh so clear now. (quote from VeggieTales, which are actually fairly
good. Get the one with the Hairbrush Song.

Bob, an anti-nit:

Mulder and Morris didn't switch clothes, they switched bodies. Although it was a little confusing with the whole Quantum Leap "you see yourself" thing, in fact Morris was in Mulder's body. By the same token, had the creators deigned to show us the old woman and the pilot from their point of view, we would have seen the pilot in native garb. Did that make sense?

Yeesss, sort of. (i'm not Bob, but i was confused too.)
Hey, if you've read Q-Squared, anyone, there's a part where QuiteMad!Trelane is
thinking to himself about mirrors. Somehow it seems relevant to this discussion. If
you read the book, you'll know what I mean.

Mulder's mirror scene was a reference to a similar scene in the Marx Brothers' film Duck Soup, with Duchovny in Groucho's role and Lenny in Harpo's. This bit was also redone on "I Love Lucy", w/ Lucille Ball and Harpo. It's a classic.

Phil, I can't blame Mulder for oversleeping. If you suddenly found yourself in the body of a total stranger, I think you'd need a little lie-down too.

We now have an explanation for the "missing-time" syndrome. It happens anytime you're near a gravity-pulse engine. I guess the pilot must be shielded, or this would be one confusing plane to fly ("Where are we? I don't know, I just got here!).

If I were Mulder I would be taking a moment as well. This whole body switch thing troubles me.

To Mr. Cage: You really needn't be troubled by this whole body switch thing. Mulder will eventually get his body back, and your firm can file a lawsuit on his behalf. What should trouble you is that you're going to let Nell slip away from you.

Anonymous--how do you know he's not John Cage the composer, back from the dead?

Or he could be Johnny Cage, the character from Mortal Kombat, here to rip all our heads off. (Sorry, John, seems like everybody's picking on you today J)

Joel: As my friend Richard would say, "Bygones."

Noting this episode's similarities to Face/Off. (Of course, the body exchange happens by accident in the episode.)

Dreamland: A wife who feels neglected in the romance department.
Face/Off: Ditto

DL: A rebellious teenage daughter who wants to get a nose ring.
F/O: A rebellious teenage daughter who has a nose ring.

DL: Morris, in Mulder's body, smokes.
F/O: Troy, using the FBI agent's body, smokes.

DL: Morris as Mulder pats Scully's behind.
F/O: Troy, posing as Archer, pats one of his female subordinates on the rear end.

That is all I can think of right now.

Looking forward to part 2.

Hey, Joel, if we had a X-Files Kitchen Sink I would post this there. _But_, since we
don't, I'm going to post it here. This is an excerpt from 'The Hunger Artist' by Franz
Kafka. The book is ancient but when I read it, I see The Scully Look. It's amazing.

"...only to meet that countenance of hers, lowering at the sight of me, the
contemptuous curl of her lips, the measuring glance, aware beforehand of what it is
going to find, that sweeps over me and however fleeting misses nothing, the
sarcastic smile furrowing her girlish cheek, the complaining lift of the eyes to
Heaven, the planting of the hands on the hips to fortify herself..."

The guy's only fault is his punctuation. I bet he's an X-phile here in his next

Mulder must be really confused by this whole body-switching thing. I could tell the kid wanted a nose-ring!

Maagic: don't you mean John Denver?

Did anyone else notice the little bit of continuity they added? Mulder (as Fletcher) is trying to get Scully to realize it's really him. He says "Your mother's name is Margaret, your brother is Bill Jr., he's in the navy and he hates me." Scully doesn't believe him, even though last season when Mulder thought she was Linda Bowman ("Kitsunegari") she tried to prove who she was by saying "Your mother is Teena. Your sister is Samantha." Of course, Scully *is* a skeptic. . . .

yes, yes!.....