Premija

Production Number:	10x15
Story by:	Malcolm Fenn
Written by:	Malcolm Fenn

"If I don’t hear from you by 3am, you will never find your partner. At least, not intact." - Vukjovic

Premija is the fifteenth episode of Season 10, and the conclusion to the two-parter began by Dead in the Morning

With Scully kidnapped by Dario Vukjovic, and the FBI in turmoil, Mulder enlists the help of Skinner to get her back at any cost, while avoiding his employers.

The full script for Premija is available at the 10-13 blog.

Premija Part One

Premija Part Two

Summary

Mulder sits alone in Scully's apartment, and in voice over muses the loss of the person he cares most about being his failings as a man. He recites an old Slav proverb, that life basically equates to a road, the direction of which is dictated by the choices along the way. Examing the envelope from Dario Vukjovic, he discovers a phone number on a sheet of paper hidden inside.

Act One

Four days earlier in Porto De Empodocle, Sicily, Vukjovic is approached by a scarred henchman of his unnamed employer, who gives him a phone link to the said figure. Vukjovic's Employer orders him to by any means neccesary find the location of Gibson Praise and then bring him to their base. Angered and frustrated by events, Vukjovic is also informed that if he doesn't bring the boy with him, he shouldn't bother coming back.

After kidnapping Scully, Vukjovic drives South through North Carolina and ignores Mulder's attempts to call him.

Mulder has visited Skinner, and made a personal approach for unofficial help. A bemused Skinner expresses his frustration at the double games of the case, but caves in to Mulder when it is baldly stated that Scully's life is in serious danger. They decide to leave D.C, and the Bureau, so they are ready to travel where they need to go in a hurry. Skinner doesn't hold Mulder's inability to form a solution against him, trusting that they'll "think of something".

At Scully's apartment, Doggett leads the crime scene investigation. It is reported that Nicholson's dead body has been found, and that there is no sign of either Scully or Mulder. Never one for BS, Doggett is even more infuriated than usual. He sends Blakely to Mulder's apartment to keep an eye out for him, before having his attention drawn to some of Scully's case files found at the scene.

At East Point, FL, two local hoods - Wallace and Pestrelli - discuss they're 'fixing' of a place onboard a freighter for a European who they are wary of. The boat is implied as the destination of Vukjovic.

Mulder again attempts to call Vukjovic, and is again unsuccessful. Skinner adopts casual clothing and the pair drive to Mulder's apartment, where Mulder gets his own travel bags. Outside, Skinner is approached by a confused Blakely. Skinner and Mulder fob him off and tell him to deny they were there before driving off.

Early the next morning, Wallace and Pestrelli approach the Captain of the freighter, Garcia, and assure him that they are taking more of business and their client will arrive in two days. Pestrelli threatens Garcia to make him be less abrasive, much to the veteran's disgust.

While driving into North Carolina, Mulder dreams that he is at the family beach house in Quonochontaug with his mother. The dream is confused, with Mulder expressing his surpise at seeing his mother at a house she swore never to set foot in. He admits to her that Scully has been taken again, and that it should never have happened. She corrects him, assuring that 'the road' will be corrected as a result of what happens. She also suggests that he ask his father about the man responsible, as his friends may know him. As the dream changes, it is now night and Mulder finds that his leg is broken and his mother is crying. He admits that he's scared, and that he doesn't know what to do. She turns into Diana Fowley, who angrily demands that he "stop [his] sacrifices" to stop the pain. A confused Mulder tries to shield himself, before finding himself in the Hangar at El Rico Air Force Base, the sight of the Syndicate's death. The doors are closed on him as he screams.

He wakes up, giving Skinner a scare, before taking in the situation. He suggests they find a motel in the evening, and ponders aloud the perils of far reaching ambition to an unimpressed Skinner. Blakely follows them in his own car further back along the highway.

Act Two

Back in D.C, an increasingly stressed Doggett is informed that now Blakely is missing and there are no leads regarding the disappearances of Mulder and Scully. He tells them to namely focus on the shootings, but also look into finding those absent.

Mulder and Skinner pull over at an off road motel, where Mulder elects to use a payphone to try and call Marita Covarrubias for information. However, he is unable to reach her. He is then called by Vukjovic, who confirms Mulder's instincts that FBI involvement will ruin a deal. He also informs him that as long as Mulder follows the rules of his game then Scully will be returned safetly. After telling him to go to East Point in Florida, Vukjovic hangs up. Mulder explains the situation to Skinner, who then notices they have been followed by the driver of anothe car. With Skinner acting as a decoy, Mulder flanked the car and dragged the unsuspecting Blakely out. After being chastised by Mulder and Skinner to return to D.C and abandon any attempt to spy on them. Blakely insists that he is alone, and angrily declares that he wants to help.

After renting a couple of rooms, Mulder and Skinner get an explanation from Blakely, who is incredibly nervous, and explain the situation to him. After some awkward exchanges, they reluctantly allow him to accompany them to East Point, but decide to sleep for the night first.

As Mulder attempts to concentrate on FBI Reports to try and get an angle on the situation, he passes out and dreams of Scully in their office. After a playful conversation, Mulder attempts to talk about the worries and dreams he has been suffering. They're conversation is interrupted by the sound of a baby crying in the next room, with Scully insisting that William is sick before leaving. When Mulder follows her, he emerges in Scully's apartment, where he finds her alone - crying about the loss of their son. As Mulder comforts her, he discovers that she is hiding an alien artifact, which causes him to suffer one of the alien DNA related migraines. As he screams out for it to stop, he realises that they are now in a field. Mulder attempts to tell a dismissive Scully how much he loves her, but is distracted when Samantha arrives. As a result, Scully disappears and Mulder again finds that his legs are broken. Samantha walks away into a mist, leaving Mulder alone once more.

He awakens at the desk, and goes outside for some fresh air. He is suprised by Blakely, who reveals his secret smoking habit in stressful situations. Mulder admits that he doesn't want to sleep due to the vivid, disturbing dreams he has been suffering from. When he asks why Blakely followed them, Blakely admits that he is "in awe" of him and Scully, and sees them as inspirational. Mulder dismisses this as wishful thinking, and says that they're road is a burden. When Blakely querires what he meant, Mulder leaves.

In East Point, Pestrelli and Wallace are finally met by Vukjovic, who shows his impatience and psychologically torments the armed Pestrelli, humilating him in front of his impressionable partner. Wallace is left to inject some calm into the awkward situation, informing the Serb that a place has been set up for him on the boat and that they have paperwork he needs. They drive down to the harbour, where they meet with Garcia. Pestrelli again tries to infringe on Vukjovic's style, and is again rebuked and humiliated. As Vukjovic pays them off and tells them leave, Pestrelli pulls out his handgun with the intention of killing his client.

Act Three

Doggett is informed that Blakely's car has been found abandoned at the motel in North Carolina. Although suprised, he doesn't seem put out, and when the agent leaves he attempts to make a call.

Mulder, Skinner and Blakely - all in Skinner's car - arrive at East Point. While Skinner attempts to find out whether local authorities have reported any suspicious activity, Mulder goes into a conveniance store to buy supplies. While shopping, he is hit by dizziness and hallucinates that the Lone Gunmen are with him, discussing the cover of their latest issue. When Langly asks whether Mulder is going to Defcon 99, Mulder insists that it is now 2004. Byers admonishes him by saying "That's why we like you Mulder. You're weirder than we are".

Mulder is roused by a concerned cashier, having collapsed while looking at a magazine stack. After unsteadily exiting, Skinner returns, saying that Pestrelli and Wallace have been found murdered at the local docks, and that at the same time a freighter departed. Surmising that Vukjovic is likely responsible, and that he bordered the freighter and is now uncatchable, they rent a hotel room and use it as a base of operations.

Mulder finally calls a highly concerned Doggett, explaining the situation and why they left. Although hurt by his exclusion from their plan, Doggett agrees to give them some leighway and expresses his hopes that Scully is returned safetly.

On board the freighter, 'Righteous Road', Vukjovic brings water to his prisoner before calling Mulder on a satellite phone and giving Mulder a twelve hour deadline to submit and tell him where Gibson Praise is. He insists that when the information is passed on, he will tell Mulder where to find Scully. Mulder notes that if Scully is in any way hurt he will kill him, which Vukjovic casually accepts. After passing on the information, and overwhelmed by the situation, Mulder goes out for some fresh air.

Act Four

Mulder walks alone along the seafront, and notices a Christmas poster. It reminds him of what his mother said in one of his dreams, about asking for help from his father. Mulder has a brief dream/hallucination where he is at Martha's Vinyard outside his father's study, but once again he cannot bring himself to enter.

He wakes up to find it is now night, having passed out once again. Ignoring the situation he finds himself in, and rekindled with inspiration from his 'visions', Mulder calls Alexandr Schneider in Bavaria, enquiring as to whether Schneider knows who Dario Vukjovic is. Schneider confirms that he does, and that he can ensure no harm comes of Gibson irregardless of what happens. Mulder informs that he is going to give in to Vukjovic's demands. Schneider blesses Mulder's decision, saying that he is "his father's son" before ending the call.

Mulder returns to the hotel, where he is greeted by a concerned Skinner. It is now only an hour till the deadline, and in his desperation, Skinner has called in official help in the form of an armed team from the local FBI office. He also states that due to his enquires the Coastguard have located the Righteous Road. Although Mulder states that he has made the decision, and that it isn't neccessary, Skinner insists that they can catch him now regardless. He leads the team out to the docks where they will sail to the boat, leaving Mulder to contact Vukjovic.

Having called Vukjovic, and now waiting for a reply, Mulder and Blakely wait nervously for the outcome, while Skinner's team make their way out to the ship's location. After an unbearable wait, Vukjovic calls back. Mulder gives in, telling him that Gibson is at a castle in North Bavaria, a location which appears to recognised by Vukjovic. The Serb promptly tells Mulder that Scully can be found at a location on the outskirts of the town.

Mulder, with Blakely in tow, race to the beach, while Skinner's team boards the vessel unopposed and search unsuccessfuly for Vukjovic. Mulder finds a dinghy commandeered by a Mexican seaman, who is arrested, and finds than an unharmed by unconscious Scully is onboard. He is overcome by relief and joy. Meanwhile, Skinner interrogates Garcia, who denies the presence or knowledge of Vukjovic, who has vanished. At the Pier, Mulder carries Scully back to his car, where she mumbles his name and squeezes his hand. After seeking assurances from a baffled Blakely that he isn't dreaming, Mulder collapses.

Mulder wakes up three days later in the hospital, where Skinner explains that his concussion was more severe than previously believed and was causing him narcolepcy and hallucinations. He also informs Mulder that Scully is, aside from sedative drugs in her system, completely unharmed. They have also failed to locate Vukjovic, and the crew of the Righteous Road are all denying that he was ever onboard. Mulder gets up and visits Scully, walking in Scully wakes up. After briefly joking, Mulder admits that he was more terrified that in his whole life during the ordeal, and that he will never lose her again as Scully embraces him.

At Schloss Schneider in Bavaria, Alexandr Schneider makes arrangements regarding the developments as Gibson walks in, having learned that he is in danger again. Schneider insists that he is "safer that [he] has been his entire life". When Gibson asks whether the hunt will ever end, Schneider says that all things end eventually.

Doggett calls the recently returned Blakely into his office, congratulating him on the successful outcome of the situation. It is revealed that Blakely followed and the joined Mulder and Skinner under his orders, in an attempt to at least be kept abreast of the situation. Blakely highlights his wish to never be involved in such tactics again, which a guilty feeling Doggett consents to.

At the Memorial Service for the six agents, Mulder and Scully muse that with Vukjovic gone without a trace, it is unlikely that they have seen the last of him.

Meanwhile, at a bar in El Saladito, Vukjovic orders a bottle of tequila, and explains to the barman that its has been "a long week working".

In D.C, Mulder admits to Scully that his dreams have reminded him that all of his loved ones have died and fallen "by the roadside", and that she is the last one left. As they stand to hear the commerations, Scully squeezes his hand.

Background Information

Trivia & Misc

• A total of eleven different locations are featured, as opposed to the one (Washington D.C) in Dead in the Morning.
• The title, 'Premija' is Serbian for 'Bounty'. The word is used once in the episode, by Vukjovic. It relates to both Mulder's perceived end of the road and Vukjovic's fight to get the information.

References

• Pilot: Mulder and Scully's first meeting.
• E.B.E: Byers's "Thats why we like you Mulder" line is a play on a previous classic line.
• Aubrey: Mulder's reimagining of his Father eating Sunflower Seeds.
• Avatar: Mulder references Skinner's dreams.
• Talitha Cumi: Mulder mentions his mother not returning to the summer house.
• Tunguska: Mulder visiting Skinner in the middle of the night.
• One Son: El Rico Air Force Base as the place of death.
• Three of a Kind: Defcon 99 is mentioned by Langly.
• The Unnatural: Scully eating an ice cream in the office.
• William: Scully giving away her son.

Writer's Notes

"Premija was an episode that went through alot of changes in my mind as far as perspective and angle are concerned. Originally, it was intended to be a Vukjovic focussed episode, where he would have lots of talky scenes and we would learn more about his back story. 'But I changed my mind for two reasons. The first was that after Dead in the Morning, I really wanted to emphasise Mulder's emotional attachment to Scully, and reassert the fact that pretty much everyone else he was close to is now dead. This is where the dreams came in. It was also a good way of tying in with his head injury, so it got to the point that emotionally and psychically he was so dazed he couldn't be sure whether he was dreaming or not. The second, frankly, was because I wanted to maintain his air of mystery for a while longer.

The decision to not use Scully much was a deliberate one as it again highlighted the gulf without her, making the environment very lonely for Mulder. I also didn't want to cheapen or reduce the turmoil by having her pop up all the time. I originally had a scene where Scully speaks with Vukjovic onboard the Righteous Road, 'and where she attempts to see whether he was a Super Soldier by the neck bumps. I was pleased with the dialogue, but it seemed out of place and so I'll leave that element till later. The same applies to a subplot where Doggett is contacted by Jeffrey Spender who gives out information. I took it out for length, since by scripting standards I was up to 45 minutes. The compromise was Blakely actually following Doggett's orders, which meant that Johny D had something to do. There was also a scene where Skinner tells Mulder that his ex wife died after the events of Avatar, and that he has no family. Again, I couldn't find the right place and it also would have cheapened Skinner.

Since aside from some affectionate moments, Dead in the Morning was pretty soulless, I wanted Premija to have more of a punch, which is where the deceased characters and episodic references came in. I felt a bit of nostalgia would help the emotional impact of Mulder's struggle.

As for the dreams, incase your wondering, Mulder didn't get told what to do by his dreams. He knew everything he learned from them already, but hadn't formed it due to his concussion which incidentally was causing him to pass out and hallucinate.

A full interpretations of his Dreams is available here:

Mulder's Dreams Interpretations

The main singular theme that runs through Mulder's dreams is that all of those who appear are dead, and also they were the people he was always closest to. Mulder's broken leg/legs is due to him being unable to advance of go somewhere. The changing faces/locations is a common trait in dreams.

The dream with his mother is the closest to a regular dream, with the surreal elements to it. Her changing into Diana Fowley is another aspect of that. El Rico Air Force Base represents both death and evil, due to the links to the Syndicate. Mulder being locked inside it alone is an extension of him being condemned to dying alone in fear.

The Scully dream is far more layered. The misquotes are deliberate, due again to the off-kilter nature of dreams. During the conversation, we go from them first meeting, to them being friendly, affectionate and then parents, then losing parents. Basically the whole span of their relationship is covered in less than a minute. There's lots of references in there too. The field is just empty, empty space. The Samantha thing is basically like this: Mulder has Scully, but is so obssessed with the truth (represented by his sister), that he would wander away from Scully even though he would get next to nothing from the truth. As a result, he would lose both and be left stranded (broken legs) and alone.

There's not much to read into his hallucination of the Lone Gunmen, but the one with his off-screen father represents him being almost afraid of his father (which is his fear of the genuine truth, the one he doesn't want)." (Malcolm Fenn)

Cast of Characters

• Fox Mulder
• Dana Scully
• John Doggett
• Walter Skinner
• Dario Vukjovic
• Tom Blakely
• Alexandr Schneider
• Gibson Praise
• Teena Mulder
• Samantha Mulder
• Diana Fowley
• Melvin Frohike
• Richard 'Ringo' Langly
• John Byers
• Buddy Linderot
• Garcia
• Joshua Wallace
• Vince Pestrelli
• Mexican Crewman
• Barman
• Cashier
• Agent at Scully's Apartment
• Agent in Doggett's Office

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