The Poster Exchange
Authors: Patterson, Zuffy, Gwoman

Patterson happened to mention having a copy of Mulder's 'I want to believe' poster, which started the following exchange on our Season 6 board:

The real poster?
From: Zuffy

Do you have the REAL poster? The one just like Mulder has? Where did you get it? We have the other one and when we got it home and opened it up, we found that it really looked like a blurred picture of someone's hanging lamp. Who cares. We want to believe! -Zuff

Hanging Lamps
From: Patterson

CRAP!!!!! Oh! ALL! THE! DIRTY! ROTTEN!

(Inhale) One...... Two...... Three..... Ten

OK. I just checked my poster against Alpha. I have the blurry hangin lamp. Very similar, but not the same. I got my poster from eBay. Well, what are ya gonna do for $7.95? Ok thank you. Zuffy, for ruining my dream world. For awhile there, I had Mulder's poster. Now, I just have a blurry lamp picture!! *sniff* (tear coming down)

I hope you're happy. You've just dashed my illusion on the rocky coast of reality!

Patterson who is now older wiser and will never by anything else from ebay. (except maybe S6 gag reel)

The truth hurts
From: Zuffy

Want more? I paid only $5 for mine.

Now, I thought you would have agreed with FM that the truth is what frees us and that we must pursue it with unrelenting passion. Surely you would not buy into CSM's feel-good message of hiding inconvenient, messy, and disquieting facts.

Zuff, who hung her poster next to her hanging lamp

All lies lead to the Truth
From: Patterson

LOL!!

Ok, I may have found some sort of reprieve, because in watching older eps, the poster is different than the Alpha poster. I think. I'm pretty sure. More research must be done. I will volunteer my efforts and I will expose the truth! I have to go back to Apocrypha I know. Maybe earlier. But I will start there. The truth is in there. And it's never been more decorative. -Patterson

To Believe or Not to Believe
From: Zuffy

Let me know what you find out. I can't believe Mulder ever had the hanging lamp poster. I mean, Scully would have walked in the first day, pointed out that it was just somebody's stupid lamp, and that would have been the end of the show. Not that it would have changed Mulder's mind. But it's one thing for Scully to work with a guy who believes in UFOs, it's quite another to work with someone who believes in lamp shades.

Re: To Believe or Not to Believe
From: Gwoman

OK, you two definitely need to see some new episodes of XF. You are both getting rather, what did Lone Gunwoman say? Certifiably nutters?

I would love to see that conversation between M/S.

S: Mulder, that poster, where did you get it?

M: Some head shop down on E street. Why?

S: It looks like a picture of someone's hanging lamp.

M: No way Scully, I paid $7.50 for it. (he cocks his head to the side examining it.)

S: Seriously Mulder. I think someone ripped you off. Matter of fact, (now she is holding her head sideways to look at it too) that's odd, Mulder.

M: What Scully?

S: My mom had the same lamp.

-Gwoman

I Want to Believe......
From: Patterson

....in lamp shades.

Ok, so here's what I've found so far:

The poster in Alpha is the same as the one in Folie A Deux. But this poster is different from the one in Apocrypha which is much more similar to our poster Zuff, but still not the same. I still have to go back into the second and first season. There could be a third poster from which ours was replica-ed. Perhaps, if they pulled the switch on Scully in the second or even the fourth season, she wouldn't have noticed that it was someone's hanging lamp! There is a conspiracy and I will get to the heart of it because no lamp has jurisdiction over the poster! -Patterson