Je SouhaiteWish: to have a desire for (as something unattainable)I really enjoyed this Vince Gilligan episode. "Je Souhaite" was wickedly funny. From the moment that little golf cart was putt-putting around the storage units to watching Caddyshack and drinking beer, I was entranced. I have been a fan of Vince Gilligan's stories since "Soft Light" and was really excited when I heard he planned to direct an episode. Plus, I have to admit that I yearned to be Jeannie (from "I Dream of Jeannie") as a little girl. I thought it'd be so cool to blink and get what you want... and she got to live near Kennedy Space Center (I wanted to be an astronaut, too).
"Je Souhaite" does present an interesting question: What would you wish for if you were given three wishes? Anson's wishes were about revenge, greed, and "coolness" (the ONLY invisible man). He didn't wish for what seemed obvious to the jinniyah: for his brother to walk again. To Anson the wishes were his, not his brother's. But, when his brother gets three wishes, he wishes for Anson to come back, even though he's dead. Then, he just wants Anson to talk to him again. When that proves unsatisfying, he finally makes a wish for himself: to have legs. But, alas, it's not meant to be-- the trailer explodes and those legs end up, sans the abdomen, on the ground behind Mulder and Scully.
But, it ain't over yet. Mulder unrolls Jen from the rug and gets three wishes of his own. He considers his wish carefully before wishing for something seemingly altruistic: peace on Earth. This backfires as he finds himself alone on Earth-- no Scully, no Skinner, no Lone Gunmen, no goldfish. So, he has to wish for them all to be back, thus leaving him one wish. He tries to come up with the "perfect" wish only to have pragmatic Scully bring him down to Earth again. So, he makes his wish. We find out later he freed Jen from being a genia. ANd he and Scully spend a "perfect" night drinking beer, eating popcorn, and watching "Caddyshack."
According to my online research, Jinniyahs are not exactly what was depicted in "I Dream of Jeannie." In ancient folklore, they are not benevolent, but rather are destructive forces to man. However, the jeannie from the TV sitcom more closely resembles those from Islamic tradition in which they had human-like bodies and supernatural powers. They could be good or evil.However, they enjoy punishing humans for wrongs done to them, even if the wrong was uninetentional. They are considered to be creatures of air and flame. This jinniyah said she became a jinn herself because she wished for a great power and a long life, the very definition of a jinniyah.
So, what would you wish for? Money? Boats? Cars? Houses? Fame? Health? Peace on Earth? It's fun to consider having three wishes from a genie, but come on! It ain't ever gonna happen.... right?
extra credit links:
Je Souhaite research info from the X-Files official site
Jim Gilmore, Gov. of Virginia (father of Jay Gilmore, for whom a character is named)
Pics from Nynaeve's Temple of X
c 2000 Spookyteacher's Classroom X
