When I was younger I didn't understand what the Smoker meant by "Kill Mulder and you'll risk turning one man's religion into a crusade.", how Mulder could do anything when he's dead. Then one day I finally understood that others like Mulder would find Mulder's death highly suspicious and only take it as evidence of something going on.
Mulder's a lot of trouble. If I were the CSM, killing Mulder is a risk I'd be willing to take.
You are much more practical than the CSM.
On first viewing, I don't know if I thought much about that line, but it's really strikingly bad reasoning, isn't it? Because yes, it's true that conspiracy theorists would see his death as evidence of something going on, but conspiracy theorists see a LOT of things as evidence--there's just not much most of them can do about it. Mulder, however, is a conspiracy theorist with connections and credentials, a senator backing him, and the resources of the FBI at his disposal--he's gotten closer to the truth than anyone else, and he's way more of a risk than anyone who might be inspired to a 'crusade' by his removal. The longer he's allowed to continue, the more danger he poses. And if we're talking about risk, abducting Scully is such a gamble--they can't predict exactly how losing his partner will affect Mulder, but "increasingly desperate and driven in his pursuit of the truth" is an obvious possibility, and an outcome that could easily work against the conspirators' interests.
Looking back at this exchange now, the explanation that makes most sense to me--and that I like best--is that the Smoking Man is mythologizing Mulder, imagining him as a figure whose martyrdom would have sweeping consequences that are objectively really unlikely, because (although he'd never admit it, maybe even to himself) he's more invested in the narrative he's crafting around himself than he is in, well, winning. He loves having Mulder as an opponent--and as an audience--because he loves playing god, watching, manipulating, directing. Leaving Mulder alive might be bad strategy, but it's great storytelling.
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You are much more practical than the CSM.
On first viewing, I don't know if I thought much about that line, but it's really strikingly bad reasoning, isn't it? Because yes, it's true that conspiracy theorists would see his death as evidence of something going on, but conspiracy theorists see a LOT of things as evidence--there's just not much most of them can do about it. Mulder, however, is a conspiracy theorist with connections and credentials, a senator backing him, and the resources of the FBI at his disposal--he's gotten closer to the truth than anyone else, and he's way more of a risk than anyone who might be inspired to a 'crusade' by his removal. The longer he's allowed to continue, the more danger he poses. And if we're talking about risk, abducting Scully is such a gamble--they can't predict exactly how losing his partner will affect Mulder, but "increasingly desperate and driven in his pursuit of the truth" is an obvious possibility, and an outcome that could easily work against the conspirators' interests.
Looking back at this exchange now, the explanation that makes most sense to me--and that I like best--is that the Smoking Man is mythologizing Mulder, imagining him as a figure whose martyrdom would have sweeping consequences that are objectively really unlikely, because (although he'd never admit it, maybe even to himself) he's more invested in the narrative he's crafting around himself than he is in, well, winning. He loves having Mulder as an opponent--and as an audience--because he loves playing god, watching, manipulating, directing. Leaving Mulder alive might be bad strategy, but it's great storytelling.