Entertainment
X-Files Turned Greatest Natural Mystery Into Legendary Episode
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
During The X-Files’ historic run, Mulder and Scully tackled mysteries both large (aliens) and small (Was Scully’s old partner really possessed?), leading to the Season 6 episode, “Triangle,” where Mulder finds himself trapped in the Bermuda Triangle. It was only in the last decade that the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle started to vanish from pop culture.
Once on the same level as quicksand as far as Gen X and Millennials were concerned, the area between Florida’s east coast, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico has been the site of countless lost ships, planes, and mysterious sightings. The “Devil’s Triangle” was the perfect setting for a standalone episode, and “Triangle” turned out to be one of the best of the series.
The Monster Of The Week Is The Bermuda Triangle
Agent Mulder (David Duchovny) is stuck on a raft out in the ocean when the Queen Anne ocean liner picks him up. This would be a good thing except it’s 1998, and the Queen Anne vanished within the Bermuda Triangle in 1939. Mulder quickly realizes that he’s the one who went back in time after German officers, led by a man who looks exactly like the Smoking Man (William B. Davis), comes on board, and a radio broadcasts the start of World War II.
The Germans are searching for “Thor’s Hammer,” one of the Allies’ secret weapons, which Mulder helpfully corrects by explaining that “Thor’s Hammer” is a person, not a weapon. During his interrogation, a past version of Scully (Gillian Anderson), or at least a woman who looks exactly like her, steps forward to put an end to it. This sets off a chase sequence shot to look a single-take thanks to some carefully timed edits that ties together both the 1939 Queen Anne with the 1998 version.
While Mulder is with Not-Scully in the past, present Scully and the Lone Gunmen are exploring the present ship, which mysteriously turns up in the middle of the ocean with not a single soul on board. In a split screen, viewers watch the past on the left and the present on the right as they all go down the same hall, and then pass each other, alternating the perspective. It’s a fun effect, but it’s what comes next that got The X-Files fans all excited.
The X-Files Sort Of Gave Fans What They Wanted
After years of teasing and buildup, Mulder kissed Scully. Well, Not Scully, right before he jumps overboard in 1939. In 1998, he wakes up and confesses his love to Scully, who blows him off. Every single fan of The X-Files had been waiting for the kiss, and in “Triangle” it finally happened, sort of. It was a genius way for creator/director/writer Chris Carter to give fans the moment they wanted without impacting the series’ established arc.
“Triangle” was purposely designed by Carter not to tease fans for another year, but as a challenge to himself to use as little film roll as possible. The long tracking shots were inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, and the dual time narrative came from The Twilight Zone episode, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” Put together, and “Triangle” looks like nothing that came before or after.
The X-Files would go on to pair Mulder and Scully together as a romantic couple, finally paying off the year’s worth of fanfictions and pleading from the fans. Thanks to the technical first kiss, and the inventive storyline that was a little bit time loop and a little bit Wizard of Oz, “Triangle” remains a fan favorite to this day. Few shows can say that one of their best episodes came six seasons in, but then again, few shows were as revolutionary as The X-Files.
Entertainment
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
BUY A DELTA GIFT CARD FOR $300+ AND GET A FREE STARBUCKS GIFT CARD: Through May 11, buy a Delta gift card for $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card.
Credit: Delta / Starbucks
The price of flying these days is shocking. If you plan on traveling soon on a route served by Delta, it’s well worth checking out this deal to get something for free. It’ll help ease the pain of the ticket price.
Through May 11, purchase a Delta gift card worth $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s as simple as that. You can also qualify for the deal by buying multiple gift cards that total at least $300. The deal with apply automatically and you’ll receive a separate email containing the free Starbucks card.
Booking flights these days is not much fun. Prices are ahh…. abnormal, but Delta has eased the pain a bit thanks to this deal. The carrier is positioning this free Starbucks gift card deal as a good option for Mother’s Day, but realistically, it’s useful for anyone who plans to book with Delta soon.
Keep in mind the Delta gift card and Starbucks card will never expire. Delta mentions this offer is valid until May 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET or for the first 11,000 purchasers, whichever comes first. That means it might be smart to hop on this deal soon since there’s no way to know if it’ll last until May 11.
Mashable Deals
If you plan on flying soon or want to gift a special someone a Delta gift card worth $300 or more, snag this deal to get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s a win-win situation for those who plan to fly with Delta.
Entertainment
Snag a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $50 off
SAVE $50: As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s a discount of 11%.
$399
at Amazon
$449
Save $50
If you want to experience your favorite music to the fullest, you need headphones that are up to the task. Bose can typically be counted on to provide that kind of quality, especially with its QuietComfort lineup. You can try its newest model for less right now for less thanks to this Amazon deal, which heavily discounts the cans so you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on them.
As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s $50 off and a discount of 11%.
Though an incremental upgrade from the previous QuietComfort model, these have some new features you’ll want to try out. But mostly, these comfortable headphones are all about feeling great on your ears and sounding fantastic. They offer noise cancellation and spatialized audio so it sounds as though you’re right where the music is. The new Cinema Mode can help to spatialize and balance background and sound and sound effects when watching movies to help put you right into the film as well.
Beyond that they can be used to take calls with their built-in microphones. They’ll last a long time while you’re on the phone too, with 30 hours of play time when listening to songs, podcasts, or taking meetings.
Mashable Deals
Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard took the headphones for a spin in her review and and called them a “well-rounded pair of headphones”, praising their blend of “comfort, noise cancellation, and sound”.
If you’re ready to pick up a new pair of headphones at a discount that’ll tick all the boxes for you, grab these before the discount disappears.
Entertainment
Score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
SAVE 64%: Between May 6 and May 17, you can score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
Get up to 64% off plus a free solar panel with purchase
I live in an apartment, so I don’t exactly have a “whole home” to back up. But if there’s one thing I hate, it’s losing power. There goes the AC, the internet, the food in the fridge — it’s a total nightmare. If you actually own a house and have been putting off buying a backup power system because it’s pricey, I have some good news.
The DJI Power 1000 Mini portable power station just launched — U.S. availability is pending
Right now, EcoFlow is running a Mother’s Day Sale through May 17 with discounts as high as 64%. They’re also throwing in free hardware to sweeten the deal: All single orders between $600 and $3,000 come with a free 45W solar panel, and orders over $3,000 come with two free 160W solar panels. If you’re looking for something more portable, their RAPID Power Banks are also up to 53% off right now.
Just keep an eye on the countdown clock — it’s for the Flash Sale items that have even better, limited-time price cuts. If you miss the flash window, the standard Mother’s Day and Home Improvement deals (including a $700 installation discount for larger systems) are still valid through mid-May.
Mashable Deals
Here are a few of the best deals I’ve spotted so far:
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
Snag a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $50 off
