Joe is right, Mulder doesn't have so much need for a fighter; besides, belt/pocket space is probably limited, what with the pistol, spare ammo clips, badge, cell phone, pager, flashlight, handcuffs(?) and such, all necessarily hidden discreetly under his suit jacket.
And the problem with black blades is that they won't show up well on your average TV screen, unless they dwell on a closeup of the knife for a moment before it's brought into play; not a shot you'd normally see during an action scene. Besides, the average viewer likely won't instantly recognize a Black-{T,Ti,T2} coated blade as being a knife (remember, sharp things are shiny, so they can gleam in the moonlight while the bad guy is sneaking around in the house at night).
Remember when he pulled a Kershaw(?) to cut down someone being hanged? -- he opened it with two hands, and the show's producers felt it necessary to have him announce "I have a knife". And then he had to
saw through the rope with it (apparently he's been cutting
way too much cardboard).
Well, I've been thinking for some time that having Mulder carry a small auto knife (say, a Benchmade 3500) opens up a number of interesting possibilities:
* It seems like a sensible thing for someone in his position to carry: he can, because he's a federal agent, and it would often come in handy, not only for cutting things, but for poking/prodding at stuff around a crime scene, etc. (Not to mention, slicing up fruit, etc.)
* Having it well established that he always carries a particular knife would allow it to be used as a minor device in various plotlines without resorting to "I have a knife" (or "I'm going to go get something sharp and come back"
) kind of announcements. (No one gives it a second thought when he pulls out his cellphone; everyone knows he carries it, and he doesn't have to keep saying "this is a cellphone", or "I'll just use my handy cellphone").
* It strikes me as something that fits his personality. The show has a bit of an interest in gadgets, Mulder doesn't seem to have much of a herd mentality for following along with conventional public opinion
, and he has a penchant for fidgeting with his hands (tossing pencils into the ceiling, bouncing basketballs against the wall, etc. -- he could demonstrate to the public that sitting around flicking a knife repeatedly is not a hostile act, but rather one that rewards the senses and psyche with a nice click).
* Despite his oddities, he's a fairly level-headed good guy, and it would be good to see such a positive role model carrying and using a knife, particularly for mundane, utilitarian purposes.
* It could be a good intro for many people to the idea that knives are cool, rather than scary. Just think, if a whole bunch of TV viewers starting thinking, "Hey, that button operated knife is neat and useful, and ... and
I want one" -- and then they found out that their elected representatives had decreed that they should not have them...
They could spend a minute introducing it at some point (e.g. Scully walks in on Mulder flicking it open, asks what he's got
that for, Mulder says another agent turned him on to it, and it's useful for opening things, Scully says she thinks that's weird... later on in the show she struggles with some adult-proof plastic food package, and he does a standard "draw/open/cut/close/put-away", and grins at her). After that, they can just use it whenever the need to cut something comes up, as if it were the most natural thing in the world...
Anyways, the idea of Mulder with a 3500 has been rattling around the back of my brain ever since the good ol' Mark McWillis / Benchmade Forum days
, and I'm glad for the opportunity to finally vent it...
