The Cave's X-Files Commentary Archives:  Episodes: Sleepless
 

NOTE: Originally written as part of a RATales discussion of this episode (hence the references to other posts and posters.)

Setting the scene: As this episode began, I watched this new agent Alex Krycek introducing himself to Mulder and wondered what background had led up to this moment.  How long had he been with the Consortium?  How long had he been in training for this assignment, anticipating being paired with Mulder?  What exactly had they told him?  How much of what he would discover about Mulder through working this case came as a surprise to him? 

For what it's worth, it occurred to me that perhaps Alex had been in training for this assignment (after all, Scully had failed to live up to the Consortium's expectations as a suitable planted partner for Mulder), but that before he was quite finished with this preparation, the case of Dr. Grissom's  mysterious death hit the news and the Consortium, fearing Mulder might discover (and perhaps publicize) their experimentation on the soldiers, rushed Krycek into position early to monitor Mulder's progress, as well as to steal back any records Mulder might come across during the investigation (records the Consortium wants to remain secret.) 

Obviously, we have no idea whether 1013 gave any thought to these pre-episode circumstances or not, but to me this theory would explain some of Krycek's nervousness (he's been briefed about Mulder, but hasn't had quite as much time to study the man as he would have liked.)  This might also explain why K seems not to anticipate Mulder's behavior, like the ditching or the fact that Mulder seems determined at the outset to work the case without the benefit of Krycek's assistance.

The introduction: how much was real and how much was show?  I'm still puzzled by bits of this.  Krycek is obviously slick and doing the job he was hired to do--that of worming his way into Mulder's confidence and reporting back to the group.  And yet there's an obvious sincerity that seems to leak through at times that appears--to me--to show Krycek as 1) interested in the challenge of the case, 2) genuinely interested in working with Mulder and 3) subconsciously wanting Mulder's approval.  There's a constant back-and-forth between strategic, mission-oriented reaction and a personal, gut-level reaction that slips or bursts through on the spur of the moment.  

The scene in front of the sleep clinic is a case in point.  K has been assigned to report on Mulder and his investigation, and yet when he catches up with Mulder, the subject of the ditching is couched not in professional, but in very personal terms ("I don't appreciate being ditched like someone's bad date"/"You don't know the first thing about me.")  If this were strictly an assignment for Krycek and nothing more, he could easily have shot off some brief rejoinder and then simply put up with Mulder's tiresome game; after all, he was on the clock and getting paid to do whatever it took to get the job done. 

And yet the real Krycek seems to burst from beyond his facade momentarily, demanding that Mulder not reject him out of hand.  This, to me, is a fascinating point, and one that's made me ponder what it is that Krycek needs from Mulder, and why. 

Is he green or not?  He certainly seems green at first glance--the nervousness as he waits to introduce himself and his reaction to the body Scully is dissecting.  I like Camille Bacon-Smith's* possible rationale for Green!Krycek's joining the Consortium ("because he was the good guy and Mulder might be the enemy.")  It would make perfect sense. 

But I'm also compelled by Spica's* observations about how Krycek instinctively took over at the scene where the two policemen shot each other.  And looking ahead to the Duane Barry/Ascension arc, K's actions there don't seem quite like those of a newbie, either.  In spite of the nervous hand-across-the-hair afterward, he bops the tram operator on the head without hesitation, and whatever he does to Duane Barry in the mountaintop lodge, he does quickly and efficiently. 

Or, here's a totally different twist: a friend recently suggested a drastically different take on what happened to Duane Barry--that his sudden illness was precipitated by something in the cup of water the EMTs give him at the beginning of the scene in the room, before either Mulder or Krycek enter.  I like this idea a lot.  The Consortium knew where DB would likely go; I could see them sending EMTs (the group's own version, of course) to be ready for him... and to 'take care of' the problem he presented.  Besides, who would suspect the responding EMTs in Barry's demise?  It would be the perfect cover.

I do believe Krycek is new to the FBI.  As far as that goes, he seems to get more than his share of drudge work.  Not only does Mulder ditch him and try to act as if he's not on the case (and not an equal), there's the added insult of Agent Kazdin's giving him her order for coffee in *Duane Barry.  It couldn't be very heartening.

As for Krycek's connection to the consortium, he definitely seems ruthless/ambitious as Spica notes, fresh at least to the upper echelon of the group and eager to impress his superiors with his perceptiveness and can-do attitude.  He seems to expect that if he does a good job, he's going to be moving up the ladder quickly.  If he only knew!  This final scene also gives us our first glimpse of something Nick notes about his character in the video clip where he's doing the voiceover for the second XF video game, where he says that Krycek "tends to be cocky until the shit hits the fan", and he seemed to note this as a general trait rather than one specific to that particular (video game) situation.  Certainly, at the end of Ascension, he's not at all prepared for CSM's "You have no rights, only orders to be carried out."

American or Russian?  Everybody has a different impression, but Krycek's spur-of-the-moment explanation to Mulder (*Tunguska) that "My parents were Cold War immigrants, what's it to you?" struck me as an easy way to deflect any deeper interest in his background on Mulder's part and to explain away his fluency in the Russian language.  (In addition, there was a wonderful note of vulnerability in Nick Lea's delivery of his character's 'what's it to you?", as if Mulder had unexpectedly touched on some sore point.)  Looking ahead in the series, I can't see the Russian military putting anyone in charge of any mission--overtly official or unofficial, like securing the scene of the Kazakhstan burnings--who wasn't one of their own countrymen.  My gut feeling from observing K's general actions/reactions is that he's as American as the next guy (that is, he doesn't act or react in a way that sends up a red flag for me that he's from another culture, and I have a fairly sensitive cultural radar.)  But my head says the Russian authority he carries in Kazakhstan, and his familiarity with the camp commander at Tunguska, peg him as Russian.  Not necessarily in the service of any particular larger shadow-group or government entity, but having enough background and connections to get himself into places and positions that will further his agenda.  He could very well have begun as a team player, but I think his hard experiences with the Consortium (and probably in Russia, knowing K's luck as well as the harsh nature of a Russian power structure recently inherited from the brutal Soviet era) soon turn him into a lone wolf, out to watch his own back from the stark knowledge that nobody else is liable to watch it for him.  

Believer or non-believer?  I can see that whatever his precise background with the Consortium, Krycek might easily have been introduced to the reality of extraterrestrial life and come to terms with it.  There's not much arguing with proof.  But as Logan* said so aptly, aliens "are quantifiable, whereas psychic phenomena is not."  Whatever the old men told him about Mulder in advance (and presumably they'd noted his reputation as a laughingstock and not given much shrift to his belief in unexplained terrestrial phenomena), Krycek didn't seem prepared for the paranormal as a reality.  I agree that part of his reaction to shooting Cole was the shock of realizing that he'd been the victim of an illusion.  For someone who tends--inherently, I think--to depend on himself and his wits/abilities rather than forces outside himself, realizing that he'd been duped could have made for quite a jolt, an unsettling experience that made him question the senses he's come to depend on.

On shooting Augustus Cole: Many good points have been made regarding this incident, such as the possibility that Krycek's reticence to shoot Cole could have been due to previous orders from his superiors, or that his reaction afterward might be partly driven by the fact that he's shot a man and is worried about how that fact may affect his standing with the group.  My gut reaction/take on the scene is that he's shocked at having been tricked by Cole's illusion--even, perhaps, that he's disconcerted at the situation having been torn from his control and taken over by a force he hadn't previously realized was at play.  Krycek isn't always in control of the situations he finds himself in, but he seems to have a definite preference for being in a position where he's got the upper hand (witness the smug, more relaxed/controlled Krycek of Season 8.)

As for Krycek's shaking hand at the end of the shooting scene, I hadn't ever noticed that, so I re-watched, and sure enough, the camera pans from Cole to Krycek's still-shaking hand before fading to black.

A final note: To complicate the examination of Krycek in this initial episode, it's also worth keeping in mind that this was Nick Lea's first encounter with the role, and that no actor falls immediately into the fullness/maturity of any character they portray (go back and watch Season One and you'll see David and Gillian gradually settling into their roles.)  In addition, Nick faced the extra challenge here of playing a character who was also deliberately acting--no mean feat.  (David did this too, once, when he portrayed Eddie--'the 'h' is silent'--Van Blundht playing Mulder in *Small Potatoes.)  Given all these challenges, Nick did an absolutely amazing job, presenting a new and mysterious character with not just two obvious faces, but with nuances and contradictions that made us want to know more... and which have managed to keep us interested and discussing after lo these many years.

-bardsmaid  

*Many thanks to the members of the RATales list for their input into a discussion of Krycek's role in this episode, as referenced above.

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