We interrupt your regularly scheduled X-Files rewatch blog to bring you another special edition. The loss of Margot Kidder affected the Sestras greatly and our fondness for her started with the two Superman movies that came out when we were growing up. As difficult as it must have been to find the man who would perfectly embody both the man from Krypton and his earthly incarnation in Christopher Reeve, it had to be almost as tough for the powers-that-be behind the movie to find their Lois Lane. She had to be someone who was ahead of the game on so many fronts, but couldn't see the super man behind the glasses for a long period of time. Her comic timing had to be spot on, and she had to charge into danger head on, then show a petrified side when things went sideways --- as they tended to do. It came down to Kidder and Stockard Channing (Grease), and Margot got the nod almost as soon as she tripped on her way into the office, according to the first movie's director, Richard Donner. Speaking of Donner, he initially filmed much of Superman I and II concurrently, but II was put on hold so they could make I's completion date. Donner later was fired after a lengthy and convoluted falling out with producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, and Richard Lester -- a second-unit director on the first movie -- stepped in to give the Salkinds what they wanted. Years later, Donner got to make and release the film he wanted to on DVD and Blu-Ray, well, as much as he could with the found footage and bits of Lester's film. As neither Sestra would consider herself an amateur when it comes to these two versions, we'll just both claim the title of Sestra Professional in bringing our look at The Donner Cut and how it compares with what most of the world knows as Superman II. Kidder said in The Making of Superman that she picked and chose parts of Lois when bringing her to life. She chose well and far better than Superman on more than one occasion. Sestra Leah: Once upon a time at a comic con – I attend those from time to time – I stumbled across an unofficial copy of Superman II – The Richard Donner Cut on DVD. Since it was a Christopher Reeve-as-Superman movie I happily scooped it up, but knew it would never surpass the original Sup II in my heart. The behind-the-scenes saga about the making of the first two Superman movies is almost as dramatic as the films themselves. (You’ll believe a man can … go way over budget.) According to Jake Rossen's book Superman Vs. Hollywood, the biggest issue was money -- the budget hemorrhaged from $20 million for both movies to $50 million for just the first one. After the Warner Brothers studio heads intervened, the Salkinds replaced Donner for Superman II with Richard Lester. In the sequel, some of Donner’s work was replaced with Lester’s reshot scenes and newly scripted ones had to be filmed. Rossen explained in his book that Gene Hackman outright refused to reshoot scenes with Lester. Did you know that’s not Gene’s body in several of Lex Luthor’s scenes? Hell, sometimes it’s not even his voice, but in Donner’s cut, it’s all Hackman. Reeve was unhappy about the backstage drama, but they doubled his salary to keep him around. Kidder may have suffered the most for being outspoken about the feud between the Salkinds and Donner. According to Larry Tye’s book, Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero, Margot’s stance “assured that Lois would have fewer than five minutes of screen time in the third movie,” which was directed by ... Lester.
Over the years I noticed in Lester’s version that Lois either had shiny hair that framed her face or dry hair that didn’t. I just assumed Lois, like me, was having some bad hair days. That remains the best indicator of which scenes were Lester’s and which were Donner’s. There was at least a two-year gap between Donner and Lester’s filming dates. Kidder's voice was raspier in the scenes shot later but that’s probably because Margot was a smoker. The same thing happened with Carrie Fisher between Star Wars and Return of the Jedi. For Donner’s version, Lois Lane looks pretty healthy for someone who “died” the previous day, but some of her Lester quirks are gone -- she’s not obsessed with oranges and good health while smoking cigarettes anymore. But in typical Lois fashion, she’s running full steam ahead with her theory that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same. Unfortunately, with Donner’s cut, she really hasn’t known Clark/Superman for long. The passing of time between the end of the first movie and the beginning of this one doesn’t exist, it’s literally the next day. There’s also no hydrogen bomb at the Eiffel Tower this time around. The explosion that frees the Kryptonian villains from the Phantom Zone – General Zod, Ursa and Non – is thanks to the missile originally bound for Hackensack, New Jersey that Superman directed into space. (So, as far as Donner is concerned, all of this is Miss Teschmacher’s fault.) Lois tries to prove her case by jumping out of the Daily Planet’s window which is 30 stories above the street. Superman doesn’t swoop down after her, but he does manage to covertly break her fall in a very embarrassing way. Even though the Niagara Falls story still takes place and the undercover Mr. and Mrs. Clark Kent head to the honeymoon destination location, there’s no scene where Lois jumps into the river hoping Clark will become Superman and save her. One of the most annoying parts of the Donner cut is the first scene of Lex and Otis in prison. It made sense for Lex to get “life plus 25” after he went to trial, but there’s no way Luthor would ever take a plea like that, especially the day after his arrest. And apparently he’s also been working on that “little black box” in their cell for quite some time, even though he’s only been there for a day. Wonder why Donner didn’t choose to address that major plot hole. Donner should have removed the scene of Mr. White talking about the Niagara Falls scam, so we could have assumed there was some time passing between Lois’ swan dive and the jail scenes.
The biggest change at the Fortress of Solitude is the presence of Jor-El, played by “12 percent share of the gross” Marlon Brando. We never see Lara, played by the much more affordable Susannah York. Jor-El tells Lex and Miss Teschmacher about the three Kryptonian villains. (I’ve always wondered, if Jor-El knew Krypton was going to be destroyed, then why didn’t he arrange to keep the villains on the planet until it exploded? Even though the Kryptonian Council didn’t agree with Jor-El’s findings he should have stalled their sentence while working on Kal-El’s escape shuttle.)
The Donner cut uses Reeve and Kidder's screen test scenes in the Niagara Falls hotel room when Lois again tries to prove Clark is Superman. It's a very jarring change. Both Christopher and Margot look very different here, because these scenes were filmed in late 1976 or early 1977. Plus, Christopher is wearing different glasses and a different hairstyle from scene to scene. Lester’s version had Clark accidentally fall into a fire but escape without injury. Donner has Lois shoot Clark – with blanks – although Superman doesn’t know that. Lester’s scene had way more heart: There’s some psychoanalysis, some declarations of love. Donner just cuts to that scene with Ursa and the snake, then cuts back to Lois and Superman flying toward the Fortress of Solitude. Donner also re-edits their dinner scene, which takes away some of the romantic, emotional impact. We also don’t get Lois carelessly forgetting about the green crystal that originally made the Fortress which is how Clark eventually is able to restore his powers. We see the Kryptonians destroy the small town before it cuts back to Lois and Superman in his big silver bed. (Side note: In Lester’s version, we have Kal-El giving up his superpowers before having sex with Lois. With Donner, it happens afterward, so feel free to insert your Super sperm joke here.) Lester allowed the Kryptonians to destroy Mount Rushmore, here they knock down the Washington Monument. (Probably Ursa’s idea, taking out the phallic symbol and emasculating the country.) Geographically, it makes sense, they are on their way to see the President. Kal-El and Jor-El argue over his duty to humanity while Lois, who is wearing Superman’s shirt – that comes off better than the peignoir Superman kept at the Fortress of Solitude in Lester’s version – watches from above. The scenes showing Superman becoming human are clearly different but Jor-El’s giant head staring pitifully at Lois is somewhat disturbing. And you thought your in-laws didn’t like you… The Kryptonians still invade the White House, but Donner adds a disturbing touch in which Zod uses a machine gun to kill the soldiers and agents protecting the President. Too bad Donner doesn’t explain how Lois and Clark get from the Fortress to that diner in those new duds of theirs. And where is this diner located on the drive back from the North Pole? Lester definitely picked better cuts of the diner scenes than Donner, who just doesn't get the necessary emotional responses out of Christopher or Margot that Lester does. (Another question for both versions: Why didn’t Clark just have Lois drive him back to the Fortress in the car they used to get to the diner? Too bad there’s no movie novelization to answer these questions.) After he arrives back at the Fortress, Clark’s speech to his “father” sounds much more pathetic than it should. That’s ironic because Reeve was a Donner supporter during the feud. I think Lester consistently pulled better performances out of him, though.
By the time the Zod and company finally raid the Daily Planet, Kal-El is back to his vibrantly red-and-blue uniformed self. Their battle on the streets of New York – whoops, I mean Metropolis, but in my defense, there is lots of footage of NYC landmarks – features many scenes from Lester’s version but still feels off, and not just because it’s not “familiar.” The score does not sound appropriate for the scenes but that may not be Donner’s fault, they probably had to work with what was available to make his cut. And I’m not sure why I didn’t notice it until after the final scene at the Daily Planet, but Zod and Ursa sound really weird in Donner’s version. It’s like the reverse George Lucas effect -- he is well known for dubbing over Star Wars actors’ voices when he wants them to sound a certain way. Terence Stamp and Sarah Douglas’ deeper voices in Lester’s version are more appropriate for Zod and Ursa. Donner’s Zod sounds like he was voiced by Rowan Atkinson. Another letdown to Donner’s version is the lack of a final battle between Supes and the villains at the Fortress of Solitude. There’s a quick verbal confrontation until Superman tricks the trio into giving up their powers. Lois still should have known something was up since she saw what happened the first time, but she’s been traumatized so we’ll cut her some slack. Before they leave the North Pole, Donner’s Superman destroys the Fortress with Lex and the Kryptonians in it. So did Superman just kill four helpless people? (Insert "they had it coming" argument here.) If we wanted Superman to kill Zod, we’d go watch Man of Steel.
Lois is still a weepy mess when Superman takes her home. She tries to write her tears away, but Superman has another plan. Donner recycles his Superman I plot twist and undoes everything that happened by having Superman reverse the Earth’s rotation. But how far back he goes is kind of a mystery, did he undo Luthor’s sink-California-into-the-ocean plan since now we don’t have any missiles exploding in space and releasing the villains from The Phantom Zone? But if you’re someone who hated Lester’s creepy date-rape drug amnesia kiss at the end of his movie then maybe you prefer this ending. I loved the way Superman II ended until Superman Returns was written as if Superman III and Superman IV did not exist and Lois became pregnant after having sex with “human” Clark in Superman II. So … weeks later, Superman leaves Planet Earth and Lois realizes she’s pregnant but she doesn’t remember having sex? Let the character assassination begin! In Donner’s ending, Lois again has no clue that Clark is Superman, but the reverse spin also undid their sexual encounter so … no harm, no foul? Even worse, Donner’s ending still damages Kal-El’s Boy Scout image: He goes back to the diner to get revenge on the trucker who beat the tar out of him, but technically, that didn’t happen. Yes, the same scene exists in Lester’s version, but he did not “undo” Clark’s humanizing beating so that version feels more like satisfying payback. Donner’s version just shows Clark being a bully and that’s not “our” Superman. Sestra Pai:
Sestra Leah makes some fine points, but I don't see The Donner Cut as quite the wash she does.I think we've sat with Lester's version so long that it's a bit tough to open up to the Donner version, but I think the latter does posit some salient points in its favor. A lot of Donner's issues with Lester's version -- and I'm getting his opinion straight from the source via his DVD commentary -- go to what he considers the campy nature of the '81 film. I'm not sure I totally agree with him on this. Playing it straight doesn't work ... and he himself doesn't always do this. As described in the Donner Cut's extras, having Superman react like Batman doesn't work. Batman is a man who has chosen to don his costume for very particular reasons; Superman's an alien whose powers come with breathing on a planet with a yellow sun. I don't think playing it totally straight works for Superman II. It's a very particular comic book at its core. I appreciate the different angles used for the sentencing scene recap that starts The Donner Cut, although I gotta give it to Lester and the Salkinds for the way they recap the first film in the credits of the 1981 version. The latter has better pace to it. Point to the Lester version. The 2006 release really jumps into the action with Lois taking the plunge outside the Daily Planet window. But Superman blowing on her and the watermelon stand face plant comes up a little short against the Eiffel Tower heist and her hurdling into the waters at Niagara Falls. As a continuation of the original story, dropping out the window does work -- as does the Hackensack-bound rocket's explosion releasing the villains -- but we'd already seen Lois free falling a couple times in the first film. Clark aiding her with a well-placed tree limb and then ending up in the drink himself was a nifty way of moving that story along. Another point to Lester. Donner used pieces of Reeve and Kidder's screen tests for the unfilmed big reveal that Clark was Superman in the restored version. Sestra Leah mentioned how awkward that was, but they didn't have much of a choice when cobbling together something so different from the 1981 movie. It's not a bad way of resolving that plot, I still prefer Kent stumbling into the fire without injury right on the heels of her Nestea plunge instead of her first attempt earlier in the film bearing fruit later on. Point Lester.
My biggest praise for The Donner Cut refers to the return of Jor-El to the proceedings. Superman was a story about a father and a son, his mother barely got to say anything when they sent young Kal-El to safety. Getting Marlon Brando's estate to give Donner and company the rights to his scenes for the second crack at Superman II was such a plus. They should have just paid the legend back in the day, it's not like they didn't make a small fortune off the first film and its memorabilia. Now with Brando back, the 2006 version has more impact. Obviously, back in the '70s, Donner's creative types would have had more time to play with the images so the shots of Jor-El talking to Lex Luthor wouldn't have seemed like just a floating head or an oversized Bigfoot wearing a cape. The footage they had worked much better when Clark and Lois get to the fortress. Like Sestra Leah said, that sideways look the father gives Lois is priceless. Major point to Donner. Speaking of the romance, Donner's prevailing wisdom is that Clark would never kiss Lois. Only Superman got to any base with her. But I just can't see that love scene working out too well for her or even the big silver bed if he's still got all his powers. Point Lester. But I'm in Donner's corner for a lot of romantic beats at the Fortress of Solitude. In the original script -- and as an extra on the 2006 DVD -- there's a double-entendre scene of Superman saying "I've never done this before" and Lois talking him through his hesitation that winds up being about him making a souffle with his X-ray eyes. It's a little less corny than the flowers and candlelight scene we came to know and love. Point Donner.
Sestra Leah mentioned the back-and-forth nature of scenes between the goings-on between Superman and Lois at the Fortress of Solitude and the trio of evil really getting into the habit of ravaging America. It seems too blunt to me. Donner said in the DVD commentary he would have shot the villains more ominously. I think the threat they pose is strong -- I particularly enjoy the changing of the Rushmore faces -- but it's a shame we didn't get to see how Donner would have filmed them. No point given here. The restored cut suffers from not being able to complete Superman's return to the fortress the way Donner originally envisioned. The ultimate destruction of Jor-El feels forced, I like in Lester's film how the green crystal glows and we know Kal-El has received his second chance. And he screams "Father!" into the void, not "Mother!" Point Lester. There are precious few new pieces of dialogue that fit into the framework -- it's easy to see why Lex Luthor's banter with Otis in the slammer didn't make the cut -- but I'll definitely give it to Mario Puzo or whichever of the three other screenplay writers came up with Perry White's description of the super villains as "That cockamamie general ... a big truck with hair on him and a broad that looks like the queen of the runway." And Lois does get to utter those time-honored words from the early days of the legend -- "Up, up and away" -- albeit in a much more poignant fashion. There's no swell of music when the trio of Kryptonians breaks into the Daily Planet office. I think the foot should be on the gas pedal a little there. But maybe we don't want that when we're about to be hit with some weak added dialogue. Zod: "This is the son of Jor-El?" Jimmy: "No, but I'll be you're a son of a ..." To which Lois only adds, "Jimmy!" The triteness continues when restored Superman shows up. Zod brands him a fool, "like father like son." Ho hum. Metropolis sure does have a lot of New York City landmarks. Having the fight result in damage to almost every single one of them seems campy, I thought you were trying to avoid that, Donner. On the other hand, the antenna being knocked off the top of the Empire State Building and threatening innocent civilians is a lot more organic in his cut. Ursa claiming that "he's caged Non" in the 1981 film always seemed a little ridiculous since something like that obviously wouldn't hold someone with his powers for long, as did the insipid piece of business with a mother leaning over a baby carriage to protect the infant instead of attempting to just move out of the way. Point Donner, with the addendum that I do like the people of Metropolis making a fruitless attempt to stop the villains when they think Superman has been killed by them in Lester's take. But wait, there's more ho-hum dialogue. Luthor says he wants Cuba in exchange for telling Zod where the Fortress of Solitude is located in the Donner version. Yeah, that's not too campy. And Non's reaction to that? Why would he have any reaction? It's not like he knows Cuba. At least that's better than the bizarre denoeument in 1981 at the Fortress of Solitude in which all four natives of Krypton are using powers they don't really have -- throwing logos, shooting finger rays and the duplicate Supermans. No point given. OK, let's get into turning the world around again. Yeah, it's old hat. According to Donner, the first film "stole" this ending and they planned to come up with something new for Sup II. But he never got to, and thusly, we're stuck with this chestnut. (Although putting toothpaste back into the tube is an inspired choice since we're always told you can't do that.) But why destroy the Fortress of Solitude -- allegedly killing the super villains and Lex -- if you're just going to turn the world back around? And if you revert the world, then the Kryptonian trio has their powers back. I could have gotten into seeing those three still trying to take down the son of Jor-El by more human means in subsequent films. And Donner had plans for the series that had to be a lot better than what ultimately was forced upon us. The goodbye scenes between Superman and Lois are touching in both films. (Note from Donner, Margot refused anything to help her cry.) But the world's not an Etch-a-Sketch, Supe. You can't just erase anything that doesn't go away because that diminishes your mystique. Then again, the kiss to forget might be better than watching him spin the globe again, but it doesn't really fall under the purview of his powers either. Sure wish Donner and company had more time to think on that one back in the day. There had to be a better solution than those two choices. Finally, point Sestra Leah. With the past reverted, there's no need to return to the diner and give the bully his just desserts. It's always been a crowd pleaser of a scene, kind of like in Lester's version when Superman returns the flag to the top of the White House, but there's not a lot of room for pettiness on his behalf in the mythology. Can't believe I just tore down one of my favorite bits from both movies -- so I'll sidestep that with a piece of trivia -- no need to guess who filmed the diner scenes as Donner can be seen walking down the street as Clark and Lois pull up in the first one. I think both versions of worthy of fans' time, but I still will be inclined to pop Lester's version in the ol' Blu-Ray player over Donner's. And even though we finally got a taste of what the Superman I and II arc was going to be, I'll still regret we didn't get to see that realized as the director intended. We would have loved to have seen how the subsequent sequels advanced the story and what better challenges would have been afforded to Reeve and Kidder, who became even bigger heroes to us off the screen as everyday people living through unimaginable circumstances.
During "Leonard Betts," (Season 4 Episode 12), we got the hint that our heroine, Dana Scully, may be gravely ill. It’s time to address those concerns. The episode opens with a Dana monologue and tangible proof she is suffering from cancer. This isn’t meant to be a monster-of-the-week episode, which is ironic since cancer is one Big Bad you don’t want to see again. It was probably more stressful for the fans during the original airing considering Gillian Anderson’s contract could have been up for renewal or she could have been released from it altogether. Anyone looking at the guest cast list would wonder whether there is a conspiracy behind Dana's diagnosis as opposed to just bad luck on her part. Frequent flyers such as Cancer Man and the Lone Gunmen show up for this one. Scully tells Mulder her tumor – which is inconveniently located between the sinus and cerebrum -- is inoperable, but Fox ain’t buying it. Did you know Stage 1 of the five stages of grief is denial? Mulder is firmly ensconced there and it’s likely even Dana’s death wouldn’t change his stance. Scully seems to already be at Stage 5: acceptance … or is she? Sculder notify Assistant Director Skinner and decide to use the X-Files as an avenue of investigation. Remember the MUFON connection in Season 3, Episode 9? (I couldn’t remember which episode but luckily Windows Explorer has a word search option and I was able to locate the blog for "Nisei" rather easily.) The agents travel to Pennsylvania to visit Betsy Hagopian, but she unfortunately died from her tumor. In Betsy’s home office, Fox realizes an unknown person is remotely uploading her MUFON files. They trace the signal to Kurt Crawford and catch him trying to bolt from his own apartment. After exhibiting an unusual burst of anger -- Stage 2 -- Scully's nose starts to bleed when they take Crawford into custody. While she cleans up, Mulder learns Kurt is on Betsy’s side and was trying to protect their MUFON files. Crawford tells them most of the women Scully met the previous year died of brain cancer. There is one survivor – Penny Northern -- but she is on her deathbed in an Allentown hospital. Mulder is convinced the women’s abductions, cancer diagnoses and deaths are related to the government conspiracy. Penny remembers Dana, who doesn't recall any of it, and tells her about Dr. Scanlon, the physician who treated them. Scully calls Fox, who is back at Betsy’s house recovering files with Kurt. Scully decides to pursue a different angle, she admits herself to the hospital and tells Mulder to call her mother. Fox abruptly leaves Crawford, who immediately gets a visit from an assassin with a silver weapon. Kurt then dissolves into an oozy, green mess. He’s a hybrid!
Dr. Scanlon tells Scully about the brutal course of treatment in her future. Dana’s mother arrives and jumps to the anger stage. Scully’s voiceover continues during her treatment while Mulder is breaking into the Center for Reproductive Medicine in Lehigh Furnace, which is a brief 19-mile jaunt from Allentown. He tries to hack their computer but doesn’t get far without a password. “Kurt Crawford” enters the building with the same purpose. Is he real or another hybrid? Doesn’t matter because Fox doesn’t even know it’s a possibility yet. They access the computer files while Dana undergoes her first treatment and flashes back to her abduction. Penny is there to comfort her. Mulder goes back to Washington, D.C. to “ask” for help from Skinner. Fox finally has proof people conspired against Dana, possibly causing her cancer and he demands a meeting with Cancer Man. Walter tries to discourage Mulder from figuratively selling his soul to CSM, so Fox reaches out to the Lone Gunmen. They say Scully’s mutated DNA possibly made her sick. Mulder wants to break into the research facility to see what they can find. Meanwhile, Cancer Man suggests to Skinner that a miracle can save Dana. Walter asks for one in exchange for a favor to be named later. Bargaining – Stage 3. Fox and the Gunmen are outside and under the research facility where Langly and Frohike mess with the security system so Mulder and Byers can enter. Fox learns Dr. Scanlon is on staff at the facility and tells Byers to warn Scully, who seems to be writing a sad goodbye letter to Mulder (Stage 4 – Depression). Security guards show up and delay Byers’ escape. Fox makes it inside the lab and sees several Crawford hybrids, who claim their plan is to subvert the project that created them. They bring Mulder into a vault which contains ova from thousands of women, including Dana's. One of the Kurt hybrids claims the women’s deaths were hastened by the men behind the project. The assassin arrives at the facility and shoots at Fox … a lot. Mulder escapes and heads back to Scully’s hospital room, but she’s not there and Fox fears he’s too late. Turns out Byers moved her to Northern's room where Penny convinces Dana not to give up. After Northern dies, Scully reaches an alternative to Stage 5 -- she’s not accepting her death, but she has accepted her life and what she needs to do with the rest of it. Mulder comforts her, but doesn’t show her the vial containing her ova which he stole from the facility. Fox calls Walter to update him, too bad Cancer Man is in Skinner’s office when he takes the call. Wonder what type of deal Walter ended up making with the devil. Maybe it involves supplemental health insurance for Scully. There’s no way her salary is going to pay for all of her medical costs. Sestra Professional: I don't know what everyone's so worried about -- Clyde Bruckman told Dana she doesn't die in his "Final Repose" (S3E4). Ah, maybe it was just a come-on line.
I think we both know that, right now, the truth is in me and that's where I need to pursue it: It seems like it was all hands on deck to write "Memento Mori" -- Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban did the first draft and then Chris Carter rewrote it. They wanted to make sure to get this exactly right and overly melodramatic monologue aside -- I'll give them that because it's kind of become a staple of the series -- I think they make the most of their massive storyline twist. Gillian Anderson's evolution from the beginning of the series to here has been just amazing. Consider her first outstanding performance in Season 1's "Beyond the Sea." This is light years beyond that, even though it's just three seasons since then. Of course, much has happened to Gillian the woman -- fame, marriage, child, divorce -- and it feels like she's channeled all of that into her performances as Dana and particularly here. Anderson has gotten more comfortable in Scully's skin, she's not just speaking words, she's embodying them. It's no small wonder she won the Emmy -- her second nomination for the show -- for this season. This one's a veritable treasure trove for all the fans who want Mulder and Scully together. After combing over episodes poring over every sideways glance and dissecting every line of dialogue, they get almost everything they want and more here. Well, except the fact that half of their dream couple has been given a death sentence. Sure makes for good drama, though, right from the outset when Dana asks Fox to forgive her for not making the rest of the journey with him. And he's the only one she shared her diagnosis with. Sigh, sigh, flutter, flutter.
I'm willing to deal now: It's a good thing Mulder has a task to accomplish or he would completely fall apart. David Duchovny's performances tend to be overlooked, save the occasional showcase episodes "Oubliette" (S3E8) or "Paper Hearts" (S4E10) that enable him to work outside the restrictions of Fox's childhood trauma of his sister being abducted. Duchovny too has grown by leaps and bounds, even since Season 3, and he did receive an Emmy nomination this season as well. At least he doesn't take an elevator up to get to work: X-Philes tend to focus on other Skinner pieces of business like him barking "Pucker up and kiss my ass" to CSM or pointing to the no-smoking sign in his office, but was there ever really a more intelligent putdown line than this one? The implication of Smoking Man getting on an elevator from hell to join the rest of the people on the planet is too priceless. This line should be part of every fan's vernacular. Anyway, the fact Walter winds up doing basically what Fox wanted to do -- anything to help Dana out -- is another incredible outcome of her illness. Skinner warns Mulder off dealing with the devil, but then puts himself in that line of fire. We don't know what the hell CSM is going to want from him, but we know it'll probably compromise Walter beyond the point of no return. We got shades of Coma -- the excellent adaptation of Robin Cook's spine-tingler starring Genevieve Bujold and with Michael Douglas playing second fiddle in the boyfriend role -- running throughout this episode. And I, for one, appreciate that as I've always adored and been chilled to the core by that 1978 film. Visually, the bodies in the tanks bring to mind the comatose bodies suspended in the movie. But even better is having Fox try to stop Dana from undergoing any procedure the same way Michael Douglas' character tried to save Genevieve from deadly surgery in the flick. True love is ensuring your woman can make it through a medical procedure.
There is a way and you will find it to save yourself: The sequence of Mulder being shot at with just a glass door between him and the gunman is pretty shattering -- in both physical and abstract terms. In an episode filled with emotional depth, the stakes seemed even higher at that moment. But the hospital corridor scene, well, you don't have to be a shipper to appreciate Fox and Dana's relationship. Scully's determined to get back to work, to be one of those people who keep plugging away. Mulder's thrilled because he does need her by his side now. "The truth will save you, Scully. I think it will save both of us," he said. Not so sure about Walter, but I'll be hoping for the best for him too. "I think their relationship is defined not by what's said but by what's being withheld," Carter said of his main characters in the official fourth-season guide. "But it's absolutely plain that they love each other -- in their own way. And it's the best kind of love. It's unconditional. It's not based on a physical attraction, but on a shared passion for life and for their quest. These are romantic heroes, romantic heroes in the literary tradition." In The Complete X-Files, Gilligan admitted he learned a lot from production of this particular script -- his lone mythology contribution. "I learned from Frank that every episode should be about something other than just scaring the audience," he said. "Every episode should have some greater point or theme to it. The theme might be 'courage.'"
Guest star of the week: David Lovgren does a very fine job as the variations on Kurt Crawford. He's the flip side of the Samantha clone coin, the adult version of the boys of all ages. It's, by design, a low-key role with the Kurts pointing out the evidence that women have been used for genetic hybridization. They want to help their mothers -- allegedly barren from the procedures that caused their cancer. It's too bad we don't get to see more of him/them.
In Philadelphia, Edward Jerse is getting a divorce and pretty unhappy about it. Looks like he may have lost custody of his two adorable children. Jerse, played by Rodney Rowland -- another member of Glen Morgan and James Wong’s short-lived series Space: Above and Beyond -- drinks too much and gets a tattoo featuring the life-lesson message "Never Again." On the upside, he didn’t get it in an embarrassing place like his neck or his butt. On the downside, the lovely lady in the tattoo seems to have some special skills … like the ability to open and close her electric blue eyes. We'll call her Betty.
Sculder are in Washington, D.C. on a separate investigation involving an informant named Vsevlod Pudovkin (common spelling). Jerse, a stockbroker, is on the phone at work when he hears a woman calls him “Loser.” He thinks it’s a female coworker, so Ed confronts her and loses his temper. Jerse trashes the employee’s desk because the voice tells him to and gets sent home. Mulder is sent on a forced vacation, leaving Scully in charge. She focuses on the important facts, like why she doesn’t have her own desk in his office. Fox, already in a pissy mood, is unusually harsh with Dana and her inability to stay focused during their interview the night before. We know Scully received some unnerving information in the previous episode about possibly having cancer, but clearly she hasn’t mentioned it to Mulder yet. Fox gives Dana a work-related “honey do” list, but Scully talks her way out of it by comparing this particular X-File to the classic Rocky and Bullwinkle story arc "Upsidaisium." (I’ve always been partial to the "Treasure of Monte Zoom" arc, but that really has no relevance here because it doesn’t have an underlying government conspiracy theme like "Upsidaisium.") Mulder remains awfully testy with her and acts like she’s Cancer Man impeding his personal investigations. This is why normal people take yearly vacations, Fox.
Meanwhile, Ed’s bad day continues to get worse. He gets fired because of his behavior and becomes upset, so Betty taunts him. Jerse thinks it’s his downstairs neighbor, Kaye Schilling, who’s taking care of her bird and drowning out Ed's tirade with loud TV. (Hey Sestra, I’m sure the This Week in Entertainment magazine cover featuring “The Wisest Man in Hollywood” is an inside joke, but who is that supposed to be? My first thought was Chris Carter, but I didn’t recognize the photo.) Jerse gets distracted by Jehovah’s Witnesses at his door and even they think he’s crazy. Betty continues to push and push until Ed breaks into Kaye’s apartment and beats her to death and puts her body in the incinerator. Betty really has some anger toward women. Did I mention Betty is voiced by Jodie Foster? It’s definitely not one of her usual roles. Vacationing Mulder is experiencing one of those rare moments when he has his cell phone. Too bad he calls Scully on the office line instead of her cell phone because she’s not in the office. Plus, if he wanted her following his Russian contact, then why would he assume she’s sitting in his office doing nothing? Our heroine trails Pudovkin around Philadelphia, of course, right into the tattoo parlor where Jerse is complaining about the tattoo. It’s not like you can return it, Ed. The artist tells him “everyone gets tattoo they deserve.” Now that’s an ominous line. They ask Scully’s opinion and she is very impressed with the artwork and coloring. Betty, however, is very jealous of Dana. The artist gets called into the back room by Pudovkin and Jerse warns Scully to not make an impulsive decision about getting a tattoo. He invites her to dinner but she politely turns him down. He gives her his card anyway. Back at the hotel, Mulder, who’s vacationing at Graceland, calls Dana (in her hotel room this time because he finally decides to use his investigator skills) to give her the play-by-play of his vacation. Scully tells him she turned his case over to the Philadelphia branch because it’s not an X-File, just a typical case of extortion and racketeering. Dana gets annoyed enough that she calls Ed for a dinner date. Luckily, she interrupts Betty’s running monologue about women and Jerse agrees to go out with her. He tries to silence Betty by burning her -- which is actually his arm -- with his cigarette. And they say all of the good ones are taken… Scully goes to Ed’s apartment building, where the Jehovah’s Witnesses are still trying to save Kaye’s soul, but obviously Kaye can’t come to the door. Jerse’s tattoo starts bleeding so Dana offers her medical expertise. Between the bloody arm and the burned-out photograph of Ed and his kids, you’d think a sensible person like Dana Scully would get the hell out of there. Instead, she goes with Jerse to his bar and tells him her life story, except for the FBI agent part. Ed essentially dares Scully to get her own tattoo, so she does. She chooses one of a snake eating its own tail (metaphor for your life, Dana?) and uses the same shade of red that was used for Betty’s lips. Scully seems to be having a grand old time. Jerse takes Dana back to his place and lets her crash there because of the storm. Scully is worried because Ed’s tattoo is bleeding again. She unwraps it and thinks it looks burned. Betty isn’t happy about that and lets Ed know it by threatening to kill Dana if he kisses her. Does he? Doesn’t he?
Mulder returns from vacation and tries to reach Scully from the office, but she’s not in her hotel room. Jerse wakes up and leaves the apartment to get coffee. Local detectives are looking for Ed because of Kaye’s disappearance and abnormal blood found in her apartment. Dana identifies herself as an FBI agent and a medical doctor and they share information with her – even though Scully's in the suspect’s apartment wearing only a shirt. The abnormalities in the suspect’s blood match what the Russian tattooist used for coloring in both their tattoos. Dana calls Fox at the office – not on his cell phone because that would make too much sense – but hangs up when he answers the phone. Jerse returns to his apartment with breakfast. Scully updates him and suggests they go to the hospital. Ed admits he’s hearing Betty in his head and "the tattoo" hates women. Jerse is convinced Scully made Betty's voice go away. He’s willing to go to the hospital until Betty has Ed hit the redial button and he learns she called the FBI. Jerse loses control and knocks Dana unconscious. He wraps her in the bed sheet and is about to put her in the incinerator when Scully, who had a pair of scissors in her hand, regains consciousness and stabs Ed in the arm. She's still trying to talk him down. Betty almost convinces Jerse to kill Dana, but Ed finally gets control and burns the tattoo off his arm. Bye, bye, Betty.
Back in their office, Mulder is putting a big red bow on an episode he wasn’t really a part of while Scully barely pays attention to him. Fox still thinks Dana's bad choices were because of him, but Scully quickly corrects him … even though she doesn’t tell him why just yet. Hopefully, Mulder will be less of an annoying narcissist next week when Dana needs him most.
Sestra Professional: First and foremost, Gillian Anderson has always maintained that if she knew "Never Again" was going to air out of order and behind "Leonard Betts," she would have played her scenes differently. But as Sestra Am noted earlier, the early part of the ep provides good reason for Scully's malaise and general reticence in going along with the Mulder flow -- particularly since he's not there to do much heavy lifting on the case. We have two really strong guest performances here, Rowland is very believable at Jerse. You feel the depth of Ed's pain before the physical aspects of the tattoo poisoning take hold. Jerse's downward spiral aside, I've always thought he was an intriguing match for Dana, certainly the best of her slim candidates to date. And, no, I'm not including Fox, cause ya know, they're just co-workers. But Scully backed me up, recalling that the last date she was going to see Glengarry Glen Ross, and the hard-luck characters in the movie arguably had a better time. Guess Gillian agreed about her chemistry with Rodney, they were steadies for a while following this episode. Then there's Jodie Foster, seemingly having a blast cackling and inciting bad things during the Betty voiceover. You talk to her and I'm gonna be bad: But even better, we're getting a look at Scully beyond the mask and the surgical gloves and Anderson is phenomenal at showing us that. Dana's been in Fox's shadow for most of the four-plus seasons, we haven't gotten a prolonged look at her internal mechanism. It starts here when she wanders from an interview to investigate a leaf. She's ripe for the kind of personal status check that Ed winds up providing for her. "Never Again" was exchanged with "Leonard Betts" for the coveted Super Bowl slot the year it aired because the latter episode looked and felt a lot more like a traditional episode of The X-Files. But that's not to take anything away from this one. It boasts a strong script by the powerhouse team Glen Morgan and James Wong -- their last contributions until the revival -- as well as some enthralling direction from Rob Bowman. The way Bowman dramatically pans and draws back the camera to the ironic use of the Partridge Family's "Doesn't Someone Want to Be Wanted" is irresistible. It lulls us, much like the alcohol and the poisoned ink does to the characters within.
I go all the way to the bone: Gillian reportedly was disappointed there was no sex scene, but the scene of Dana getting the ouroborus tattoo -- with atmospheric score by Mark Snow, of course -- was quite sensual. Not to mention the scene after it in which she's trying to explain how different it makes her feel and Ed checks it for her. I personally think we left them too early for a pan down the hall, even then, shippers seemed to be affecting the canvas. It didn't really change my impression of what happened between them. "I thought it was a great idea," Anderson said in discussing the episode at length in the fourth-season guide. "I personally was going through a dark period at the time, and I wanted to explore Scully's dark side. ... Afterward, a lot of people told me on that episode I was so 'unlike' Scully or that 'it showed my range.' I told them I thought they were wrong. ... All of us have parts of ourselves that we don't show to other people. All of us can go home and be depressed at night -- and be smiling during the day. ... I don't think what I did here was out of character for Scully. The only thing different is that the audience hadn't seen it before." I have always agreed with her wholeheartedly on that front. So Scully has had personal ties to three men so far ... two of them turned psychotic thanks to a tattoo. Remember Agent Jack Willis from "Lazarus" (Season 1, Episode 15)? It's OK, if you don't. But do keep in mind that the ouroborus eventually became the symbol that represented Carter's new show, Millennium, the following year. "Never Again" works in its own right. We have all the answers to the story, there's no particular quest for knowledge, and yet it's still interesting enough to keep our attention while it winds its way to the inevitable conclusion. "Not everything is about you, Mulder. This is my life," Scully finally gets to say in the last moments. She's right and he has no special quip response for that one. I always assumed that was your area: Ah, the time-honored question: "Why doesn't Scully have a desk?" This was one of the things X-Philes grabbed on to -- like Clyde Bruckman telling Dana she never dies back in the fourth episode of the third season. It's kind of a good point. I know they're hidden away in the basement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But they do still work for the FBI. They probably should have secretaries ... excuse me, assistants ... as well. More for your meta: Quentin Tarantino was approached to helm this episode, but he wasn't a member of the Directors Guild of America at the time of production. ... The part of Ed Jerse was written for Rowland, who escorted Anderson to the Emmy Awards that year. After Gillian won, she kissed David Duchovny and then Rodney. ... Morgan and Wong apparently named victim Kaye Schilling after Entertainment Weekly editor Mary Kaye Schilling, who had panned some of their work. ... The magazine used to line the birdcage Sestra Am mentioned earlier is a picture of beloved X-Files producer/director Bob Goodwin. Guest star of the week: It's really Rowland and Jodie Foster, but it's too irresistible not to give the nod to Foster here. Her Silence of the Lambs character, Clarice Starling, has long been known as the template on which Dana Scully was built. Foster was a longtime friend of casting director Randy Stone and a big fan of the show. She reportedly came in and nailed her readings in less than an hour, then returned to work on Contact. That's economy ... and talent.
It came down to Kidder and Stockard Channing (Grease), and Margot got the nod almost as soon as she tripped on her way into the office, according to the first movie's director, Richard Donner. Speaking of Donner, he initially filmed much of Superman I and II concurrently, but II was put on hold so they could make I's completion date. Donner later was fired after a lengthy and convoluted falling out with producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, and Richard Lester -- a second-unit director on the first movie -- stepped in to give the Salkinds what they wanted. Years later, Donner got to make and release the film he wanted to on DVD and Blu-Ray, well, as much as he could with the found footage and bits of Lester's film.
According to Jake Rossen's book Superman Vs. Hollywood, the biggest issue was money -- the budget hemorrhaged from $20 million for both movies to $50 million for just the first one. After the Warner Brothers studio heads intervened, the Salkinds replaced Donner for Superman II with Richard Lester. In the sequel, some of Donner’s work was replaced with Lester’s reshot scenes and newly scripted ones had to be filmed. 
There was at least a two-year gap between Donner and Lester’s filming dates. Kidder's voice was raspier in the scenes shot later but that’s probably because Margot was a smoker. The same thing happened with Carrie Fisher between Star Wars and Return of the Jedi. For Donner’s version, Lois Lane looks pretty healthy for someone who “died” the previous day, but some of her Lester quirks are gone -- she’s not obsessed with oranges and good health while smoking cigarettes anymore. 
One of the most annoying parts of the Donner cut is the first scene of Lex and Otis in prison. It made sense for Lex to get “life plus 25” after he went to trial, but there’s no way Luthor would ever take a plea like that, especially the day after his arrest. And apparently he’s also been working on that “little black box” in their cell for quite some time, even though he’s only been there for a day. Wonder why Donner didn’t choose to address that major plot hole. Donner should have removed the scene of Mr. White talking about the Niagara Falls scam, so we could have assumed there was some time passing between Lois’ swan dive and the jail scenes. 
Lester’s scene had way more heart: There’s some psychoanalysis, some declarations of love. Donner just cuts to that scene with Ursa and the snake, then cuts back to Lois and Superman flying toward the Fortress of Solitude. Donner also re-edits their dinner scene, which takes away some of the romantic, emotional impact. We also don’t get Lois carelessly forgetting about the green crystal that originally made the Fortress which is how Clark eventually is able to restore his powers. We see the Kryptonians destroy the small town before it cuts back to Lois and Superman in his big silver bed. (Side note: In Lester’s version, we have Kal-El giving up his superpowers before having sex with Lois. With Donner, it happens afterward, so feel free to insert your Super sperm joke here.) 
The Kryptonians still invade the White House, but Donner adds a disturbing touch in which Zod uses a machine gun to kill the soldiers and agents protecting the President. Too bad Donner doesn’t explain how Lois and Clark get from the Fortress to that diner in those new duds of theirs. And where is this diner located on the drive back from the North Pole? Lester definitely picked better cuts of the diner scenes than Donner, who just doesn't get the necessary emotional responses out of Christopher or Margot that Lester does. (Another question for both versions: Why didn’t Clark just have Lois drive him back to the Fortress in the car they used to get to the diner? Too bad there’s no movie novelization to answer these questions.) After he arrives back at the Fortress, Clark’s speech to his “father” sounds much more pathetic than it should. That’s ironic because Reeve was a Donner supporter during the feud. I think Lester consistently pulled better performances out of him, though.
Another letdown to Donner’s version is the lack of a final battle between Supes and the villains at the Fortress of Solitude. There’s a quick verbal confrontation until Superman tricks the trio into giving up their powers. Lois still should have known something was up since she saw what happened the first time, but she’s been traumatized so we’ll cut her some slack. Before they leave the North Pole, Donner’s Superman destroys the Fortress with Lex and the Kryptonians in it. So did Superman just kill four helpless people? (Insert "they had it coming" argument here.) If we wanted Superman to kill Zod, we’d go watch Man of Steel.
So … weeks later, Superman leaves Planet Earth and Lois realizes she’s pregnant but she doesn’t remember having sex? Let the character assassination begin! In Donner’s ending, Lois again has no clue that Clark is Superman, but the reverse spin also undid their sexual encounter so … no harm, no foul? Even worse, Donner’s ending still damages Kal-El’s Boy Scout image: He goes back to the diner to get revenge on the trucker who beat the tar out of him, but technically, that didn’t happen. Yes, the same scene exists in Lester’s version, but he did not “undo” Clark’s humanizing beating so that version feels more like satisfying payback. Donner’s version just shows Clark being a bully and that’s not “our” Superman. 
A lot of Donner's issues with Lester's version -- and I'm getting his opinion straight from the source via his DVD commentary -- go to what he considers the campy nature of the '81 film. I'm not sure I totally agree with him on this. Playing it straight doesn't work ... and he himself doesn't always do this. As described in the Donner Cut's extras, having Superman react like Batman doesn't work. Batman is a man who has chosen to don his costume for very particular reasons; Superman's an alien whose powers come with breathing on a planet with a yellow sun. I don't think playing it totally straight works for Superman II. It's a very particular comic book at its core.
Donner used pieces of Reeve and Kidder's screen tests for the unfilmed big reveal that Clark was Superman in the restored version. Sestra Leah mentioned how awkward that was, but they didn't have much of a choice when cobbling together something so different from the 1981 movie. It's not a bad way of resolving that plot, I still prefer Kent stumbling into the fire without injury right on the heels of her Nestea plunge instead of her first attempt earlier in the film bearing fruit later on. Point Lester.
Now with Brando back, the 2006 version has more impact. Obviously, back in the '70s, Donner's creative types would have had more time to play with the images so the shots of Jor-El talking to Lex Luthor wouldn't have seemed like just a floating head or an oversized Bigfoot wearing a cape. The footage they had worked much better when Clark and Lois get to the fortress. Like Sestra Leah said, that sideways look the father gives Lois is priceless. Major point to Donner.
There are precious few new pieces of dialogue that fit into the framework -- it's easy to see why Lex Luthor's banter with Otis in the slammer didn't make the cut -- but I'll definitely give it to Mario Puzo or whichever of the three other screenplay writers came up with Perry White's description of the super villains as "That cockamamie general ... a big truck with hair on him and a broad that looks like the queen of the runway." And Lois does get to utter those time-honored words from the early days of the legend -- "Up, up and away" -- albeit in a much more poignant fashion. 
But wait, there's more ho-hum dialogue. Luthor says he wants Cuba in exchange for telling Zod where the Fortress of Solitude is located in the Donner version. Yeah, that's not too campy. And Non's reaction to that? Why would he have any reaction? It's not like he knows Cuba. At least that's better than the bizarre denoeument in 1981 at the Fortress of Solitude in which all four natives of Krypton are using powers they don't really have -- throwing logos, shooting finger rays and the duplicate Supermans. No point given. 
The goodbye scenes between Superman and Lois are touching in both films. (Note from Donner, Margot refused anything to help her cry.) But the world's not an Etch-a-Sketch, Supe. You can't just erase anything that doesn't go away because that diminishes your mystique. Then again, the kiss to forget might be better than watching him spin the globe again, but it doesn't really fall under the purview of his powers either. Sure wish Donner and company had more time to think on that one back in the day. There had to be a better solution than those two choices.
I think both versions of worthy of fans' time, but I still will be inclined to pop Lester's version in the ol' Blu-Ray player over Donner's. And even though we finally got a taste of what the Superman I and II arc was going to be, I'll still regret we didn't get to see that realized as the director intended. We would have loved to have seen how the subsequent sequels advanced the story and what better challenges would have been afforded to Reeve and Kidder, who became even bigger heroes to us off the screen as everyday people living through unimaginable circumstances.
