Samantha Mulder

[ethsnafu]

Hi folks,

Every now and again I dip into the X-Files and yesterday I settled down for Sein und Zeit and Closure and I have to say I am perplexed. Can anyone recommend a decent article that charts the potted history of the Samantha Arc and puts in neatly into a coherent story because I simply don't have the ability to do that myself.

Whilst we are the subject these episode left me with more than a few questions and I admit it probably wasn't wise to watch it in such a lazy manner but if anyone could clear up the following points I would be very grateful.

1) Why did the mothers experience the phenomena of automatic writing prior to their child's disappearance?

2) If Amber Lynn and Kathy Tencate's son have both been replaced by walk ins to prevent them from leading their unhappy lives then why was neither child depicted as having lead anything other than a happy one.

3) Why the references to Santa Claus in those cases that seem not to have

any link to Santa's North Pole Village?

4) Why did Skinner send Scully cross country to find Mulder and get the report? Could he not just phone or fax?

5) Why is a ghostly apparition of Samantha enough to provide the closure Mulder so desperately seeks. With an absence of her corpse, the revelation that she was taken to a hospital which she later vanished from and some undefined link to a series of child murders I struggle to understand how the belief that she is dead answers any of the questions these new events would have no doubt posed.

I could go on but I'm simply too addled to do so. Any of you folks any help?

Eth

[HighPlainsDrifter]

These questions are quite perplexed. I have also been left scratching my head in the regards to Samantha's death?

The information i know is that Samantha did live with CGB Spender and family on a military base for some time and then ran away. She ended up in a hospital and then dissappeared, did she die? In CLosure it suggested her spirit was taken by Walk Ins. To me the writers did not do a good job wrapping up the Samantha story, or she is still alive. Here is some info from Wiki I found:

Samantha

[ethsnafu]

Hi Joe,

It is perplexing isn't it and I wonder if it is simply impossible to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion as to what happened in these two episodes without the viewer using vast amounts of creative supposition or whether it really is explained on the screen.

Here's my thing as I tried to get my head around it yesterday but was left with more answers than questions.

When Amber Lyn disappears her mother enters some sort of trance state and channels the words of a living killer (or so it seems) by the name of Ed Truelove. Neither Amber Lyn nor Samantha Mulder were taken by Ed Truelove or killed by him. What did Ed Truelove have to do with the plot therefore and why did the mother's implicate him by paranormal means?

The assertion in Closure is that Samantha was taken from the hospital by Walk-Ins and was transferred into starlight. What's being inferred here is something very different to the Walk-Ins phenomena. Walk-Ins, if you believe the believers, exchange their souls of those of willing recipients which would not have lead to the miraculous disappearances of Samantha from the hospital or Amber Lyn from her bed. Both children would have remained exactly where the experience took place. The evidence defies the standard behaviour of the Walk-In phenomena and looks decidedly more akin to a classic abduction by EBE's and yet a season paranormal investigator like Mulder seeming overlooks the inconsistencies of the assertions and accepts them.

Here's my biggie: Mulder learns that is sister was discovered in a distressed state after enduring years of painful experimentation at the hands of The Syndicate. She vanishes from her bed in what could be a) a case of Walk-In phenomena behaving decidedly unlike Walk-In phenomena b) she was simply abducted again or c) she was abducted and murdered by Ed Truelove. How on earth does Mulder consider these possibilities to afford him closure with regards to his sister? Surely it poses more questions than it answers.

I shan't go on, my head is hurting

Eth

[Guest WaveCrest]

In the days when I used to post on Idealists Haven and xfilesuk.com there was a website, which I wish I could remember the name of, which focused on the mytharc of The X Files, separating the various plotlines, characters, imagery etc. and putting them into groups/sections. I can't remember if the two-part story "Sein und Zeit" and "Closure" were mentioned, but if this website covered all parts of the show's mythology then these two episodes were covered as well. The website had essays on the episodes, and I fopund it a very fascinating read. It offered, along with on the aforementioned forums different angles of the mytharc and it's elements. I did print off some of the essays (which I kept for personal use and not to give to anyone else) so the website address may be on the printout sheets of paper.

Does anyone else know which X Files website I'm talking about/referring to?

[Earthnut]

Have any of the writers been asked in an interview, anywhere? Yes, very perplexing.

What about the episode where Mulder actually sees his sister in the spirit, guided by a young boy into an open area with a lot of other spirit kids? Sorry, I can't remember the name of the episode, but he did receive closure in this one. I believe the young boy was suppose to be the son of the man who was with Mulder, obsessed with finding his son as Mulder was with Samantha. Loved that episode.

[ethsnafu]

Hi folk,

Thanks for the information Richard, here's hoping someone can suggest which website it is that you are recalling.

I don't know about interviews Darlene, my knowledge of The X-Files is far from extensive which is why I was throwing myself upon the mercy of the good folk here. I have seen a number of emails posted to Frank Spotnitz at Big Light in which people have spoken about aspects of the show and its mytharcs that they have been unable to rationalise and in most cases Frank has stated that some things were left ambiguous with reason. I'm wondering if this is one of those cases because I'm unable to come to a satisfactory conclusion as to the Samantha-Arc no matter how I try.

The episodes you mention, by the way, are the ones we are discussing Darlene. It was that same scene of Mulder and the ghostly children that made me dig it out for another viewing.

All in all I can accept the idea that knowing Samantha is dead would provide some closure for Fox (despite it being more a case of believing than actually knowing in this instance) but I just can't accept a man of his passion would find any closure in the number of questions surrounding her assumed death. That's the bit I struggle with.

Eth

[Guest WaveCrest]

I think I preferred the second part "Closure" to "Sein und Zeit". It was more of a satisfactory episode than the first part. The way both episodes were shot were as good as before in the series, and the imagery and use of locations were some of the most memorable in The X Files' history. I loved the scene where Mulder, Scully and the boy's father were in that ghost town, and one of the closing scenes where Mulder sees the ghostly figures.

[HighPlainsDrifter]

Eth, if I remember correctly in "I Want To Believe" Mulder mentions that thoughts of Samantha is what drives him to find the missing agent. In the movie I believe he admits to believe she is dead. Her picture is on his wall

[ethsnafu]

Thanks Joe,

It still begs the question, in my opinion, that if she continued to be such a driving force behind the man and his mission beyond the events of closure why didn't he seek to dot every i and cross every t with regards to her disappearance. As I have said, the only thing he discovers from these two episodes is that his sister disappeared from a hospital in unusual circumstances which I can't accept would go any way to providing the closure Mulder has spent his whole life seeking.

I guess I'll never been satisfied with the dénouement of the two parter and should probably accept it is what it is

Eth

[HighPlainsDrifter]

I also don't care for how they tried to explain Samantha's fate. It is very unclear. How did she die? Was she physically taken by Ed Truelove, before her soul was taken? I agree that this should of had more depth to it. Maybe we might find out more when XF3 comes out. I think there is more to the story that meets Mulders eyes.